Trust By Design: Landscape Design

The commercial landscape project is much more than the trees, turf and hardscapes that make up the finished product. From beginning to end, the design and execution of a commercial landscape is the result of a highly complex network of communication between a group of entities that have one common goal — the completion of a project that meets or exceeds the expectations of the property owner or manager.

Among this group of professionals is the landscape architect, who can have any of a variety of roles in the completion of the project, from strictly designing the project to project manager. In addition, architects in many regions are the primary source of new landscape construction projects for contractors. This makes it critical for contractors to cultivate and maintain strong professional relationships with architects to keep a project running smoothly and to keep the door open for future projects.

Unfortunately, maintaining the good relationship can be a difficult challenge. The artistic tastes of the architect can run up against the practical concerns of the contractor if the two sides aren’t communicating properly or if the personalities on both sides are incompatible. The result can be a late, poorly executed or impractical design that hurts relationships and reputations.

Successful contractors have found ways to make the contractor-landscape architect interaction work by paying close attention to details, understanding the personalities involved and their responsibilities to the project and respecting the architect’s design.

DIFFERENT STROKES. Today’s commercial construction market is still largely driven by the design/bid/build system that became prevalent in the 1950s and 1960s, but there are variations on that theme throughout the country. Some contracting firms have managed to take the entire design and build process in-house, but they are the exception rather than the rule.

Clarence Davids & Company, Blue Island, Ill., is one of the highly successful exceptions. Kurt Pflederer, landscape architect with the firm, said he feels the company can provide superior value by performing all the services in-house. The company works with outside architects on rare occasions, but is able to generate design/build business through its reputation and contacts in the region.

“In my experience,” he said, “it’s very difficult to get a project done and turned around when an outside landscape architect is involved. At times they are not as flexible as they need to be to keep a project moving.”

“It helps if there is a respect for the work we do from the architect,” Pflederer continued, “because it helps us stay efficient. But, if the tables are turned either way, the project suffers.”

The upside for Clarence Davids is greater control of the project from design to completion, which Pflederer said results in a more timely, organized and efficient project. But the downside is that landscape architects rarely offer the company the opportunity to bid on projects that they control, because they view the company as competition.

When they can convince a building owner or general contractor to look seriously at the in-house design/build option, Pflederer said they can make a strong case.

Many contractors tried to become in-house design/build firms in the ’80s, but for a variety of reasons did not succeed. Today, many firms that claim to be commercial design/build contractors are actually a hybrid form of the true “in-house” firm. While all construction services are performed by the contractor, the contractor subcontracts the design work to an outside landscape architect.

D.R. Church Landscape Co. Inc., Lombard Ill., still does about 75 percent of its commercial business as a traditional “design/bid/build” construction firm, but the other 25 percent of the firm’s business comes from this “design/build” hybrid. Essentially, when Church is approached by a developer or owner to do a landscape construction project, it contracts an outside landscape architect to design the project.

This kind of arrangement works well in an environment where landscape architects are prevalent. It allows contractors to maximize their existing relationships with building owners to contract for construction work while passing the design work down to the architect, thereby avoiding competing with the architect.

Karen Morby, senior project manager with Church, said they will contact the most appropriate of the 25 to 30 architectural firms regularly used by Church.

“In the architect/contractor relationship, the contractor tends to be the strongest entity,” explained Morby. “And the contractor’s creativity tends to be tempered by what’s practical, available and possible. Having an architect outside our firm that suits the project is a positive situation.”

Landscape architects selected by Morby are given the opportunity to start the design process with initial conceptual drawings, allowing them to stretch their creative muscles. “Then, there’s a lot of give and take and constant discussion about the plans,” added Morby.

DEFINING ROLES. How a landscape architect’s role is defined varies from city to city and from job to job, depending on the customs of the region and the specifications of each project. This makes it important for the landscape contractor to determine what authority the architect has on a project, according to Chris Davitt, vice president and director of the landscape installation division of Ruppert Landscape Inc., Ashton, Md.

“Architects play different roles, and the same architect may play three or four different roles depending on his or her relation to the general contractor,” explained Davitt. “They may serve as the pro-ject manager and decision maker or simply be the designer, and there are a lot of levels in between. Understanding their role will dictate the contractor’s role in the project.”

“Sometimes the landscape architect is there for design purposes only, and in some cases he or she will act as the quality control person,” noted John Albanese, manager of installation operations and a registered landscape architect with R. Glass Landscape, Roselle, Ill. “The architect can be a liaison between the owner and con-tractor or be there to qualify a short list of contractors.

“There can be a gray area between the owner’s and the architect’s roles,” Al-banese concluded, “but a good set of documents usually dictates things clearly.”

If the architect is only acting as a designer, the contractor can be more confident in managing the project. If the architect is the designated project manager, however, the contractor is responsible for relating problems with implementing the design to the architect if they will affect the outcome of the project, noted Davitt.

Don’t assume anything, he warned. “Responsibilities can get confusing, especially if the landscape architect has a ‘take charge’ personality. How they come across in meetings is not necessarily a reflection of the actual responsibility they have on the landscape project.”

Davitt said that in many cases, Ruppert will request that the landscape architect maintain an active presence in the project to provide specific information about the intent of a particular plan.

“We were installing a landscape on one particular project, and could see that the layout of one of the bed lines was going to present a significant maintenance headache in the future,” recalled Davitt. “When we consulted the architect, he came out and took us to the fifth floor of the building and showed us the view of the landscape from that vantage point. From there, his intent was obvious — the landscape didn’t look nearly was good with the bedline relocated, and the owner of the property was selling the fifth floor as prime space. We would never have understood his intent just by looking at the plan.”

Arteka Natural Green, Eden Prairie, Minn., does about 70 percent of its business in the commercial construction market bidding on projects. Dave Tupper, a certified landscape architect, said Arteka doesn’t encounter a lot of architects acting as project managers. Mostly, they send bids to and answer to the property owner or general contractor for the project.

“We have a group of general contractors we do a lot of work for in the Twin Cities on a bid basis,” explained Tupper. “When the drawings come in from the architect’s office for review, we usually call on the general contractor with most questions or the architect if we have very specific questions. Once we are clear on the plan, we send it back to the contractor and the architect is usually not involved any further with the design.”

The architect is usually involved in a pre-construction meeting and may have to perform site work in certain specific areas, but is otherwise not a big part of the construction process, said Tupper.

He noted that Arteka staff architects are usually able to interpret most of the nuances of the architect’s renderings. Landscape architects in general depend on Arteka expertise to catch specifications that could be improved.

“Some landscape architects are less knowledgeable about the construction aspect of landscape design, so we try to educate them in some of the critical construction techniques,” said Tupper.

Another area of concern for landscape contractors, especially those who perform maintenance and provide guarantees on the installation, is how maintenance-friendly the design is structured. When plans arrive from the architect, contractors said that they pay special attention to plants placed in problem areas in the site, grading, sun and shade issues and plant selection as it relates to availability in the region.

“A number of the architects we work with rely on us to help recognize these sorts of issues and recommend solutions when needed,” said Tupper.

“Not too many architects profess to be maintenance experts,” noted Albanese. “But my experiences with this have not been very negative. It’s a part of what we review when we bid the plan.”

GETTING ATTENTION. R. Glass relies on landscape architects to generate its business, which is nearly 100 percent commercial.

Establishing the relationships is the most critical element to growing the amount of landscape construction the company does in its region. “It’s not easy,” admitted Al-banese. “Good landscape architects surround themselves with contractors who can do the job. If we get the opportunity to work with a good architect, we work hard to develop a good relationship. Their reputation will depend on how well we perform, and that will come into play with future business.”

R. Glass gets active in the local ASLA chapter, supports the scholarship fund and recently sponsored an association event in Chicago to raise the company’s profile.

“I wish we could do work for every notable architect in the area,” said Albanese. “We do, though, sometimes get the opportunity to bid on a project that is on a comparatively smaller scale that would help to build trust with a prominent architect for larger projects in future years.”

On occasion, R. Glass will get an opportunity with a developer or owner familiar with R. Glass’ work. Then the company can get a landscape architect of their choosing involved in the design, which can establish or solidify a relationship with the architect.

The author is Managing Editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine.