I'm seeking a creative, talented, and highly educated landscape architect/ graphic design & communication specialist with a BSLA or MLA and adequate professional experience to join me as a potential partner in a small bioregional design & install group in the Pittsburgh, PA area. You could be a talented recent graduate with a few years of work experience who feels confident enough to compete for work on your own, a licensed mid-level professional, or someone with at least enough exposure to the field to know what good design and presentation looks like. My background is in environmental science and ecological restoration. I'm very familiar with landscape architecture in general, and what might be called 'landscape studies', but I don't have a professional BLA or MLA degree and I don't do graphic design (and I don't want to go back to school or spend my time doing graphic design, and I don't consider graphic design the only skillset that should define an educated and qualified landscape architect, nor a holistically minded ecological design firm) - and it makes much more sense for me to partner with a skilled graphic designer who could help me gain competitive and visible project bids. I already have a very well developed philosophy and approach to bioregional design in the Upper Ohio River Valley and surrounding areas. I spent years studying the philosophy of ecological restoration, and I'm very familiar with our regional plant communities and the contemporary practice of creating authentic bioregional landscapes. I'm very confident in my ability to generate exceptional landscape 'programs', rooted in an exceptionally well-informed and ecologically-minded approach and philosophy. I want to work as a professional restoration ecologist and native plant grower / installer (splitting my time between a small native plant nursery, landscape installations & maintenance, and project bidding & design feedback). I also bring a depth of philosophy and appreciation for contemporary, naturalistic landscape design that encompasses authentic ecological restoration and environmental sustainability in ways that go beyond contemporary practices such as LEED SITES.
I want our firm to lead benchmark, visible, competitive projects, starting soon - and I need a talented partner sufficient in graphic design who's familiar with and wants to work in the area (Pittsburgh, PA - Wheeling, WV - Morgantown, WV, and surrounding areas) to help me bid on visible, competitive projects. You would have some design freedom while working strictly within the constraints of authentic ecological restoration & bioregional design, and catering to my prescriptions of native plants and a process of ecological succession, as a naturalist and applied ecologist. There would likely be smaller elements of a project where the traditional human-environment design side of landscape architecture would allow you design freedom to create pedestrian - catered elements (shade, benches, etc.) in a manner that blends fully naturalistic landscapes with traditional pedestrian spaces in contexts where unfettered bioregionalism is the celebrated design feature.
This landscape design & installation group fully intends to be somewhat experimental and alternative in approach, with an ecological restoration proponent making key decisions about plant materials and planting, project goals and philosophy, timelines, and installation; feasibility within my approach to restoration will dictate the design constraints. It's not just a difference in approach vs. other landscape architecture firms, but a difference in philosophy and approach to the practice of landscape design & installation. Project-bidding success will be dependent on blending your graphic design abilities with my philosophy of wholly naturalistic landscapes and approach, so this is not a good fit for someone who lacks confidence in their graphic design & presentation abilities. This is a position for someone who has full confidence in their graphic design skills, and has a full appreciation for native and bioregional landscaping and you must share my vision for a boldly more authentic ecological focus as the future of this field. You should also be willing to get your hands dirty and assist in growing & installing plant materials as needed, and be physically capable as a part-time landscaper.
I know I have the potential to lead bioregional landscape design & installations that are a full tier in quality and authenticity above what the better firms in this area are doing - and you should have that vision and mentality as well.
The specific skillset I need in a partner is nothing short of the ability to be a competitive lead landscape architect designer with strong interests in ecological restoration and native, regional plant communities. I have the ability to critique your designs and provide feedback from the necessary, relevant, and rarely informed perspective (and within the constraints of managing plant materials as a native plant professional).
Advanced graphic design abilities, sufficient to make competitive bids on high profile projects like airports and large post-industrial campuses. You have several years of experience creating realistic graphic designs to effectively communicate the firm's design language.
Professional presentation and communication skills. You would be tasked with creating compelling visualizations, presentations, and documents as needed.You're a natural public speaker and would help me communicate my innovative, creative, and academic concepts to relevant audiences.
An appreciation for native plant communities, ecology, and environmental health and design considerations in SW Pennsylvania and the surrounding region.
You should have enough exposure or experience in the field to be a self-driven partner of a small practice, you would need to be entirely familiar and self-sufficient with respect to the present-day expectations and standards of landscape architecture graphic design.
