Frances WONG

21 Jan 2021

The key of being a professional landscape architect

The importance of first impression to the client

We are reminded with some basic qualification required as a professional landscape architect.

It includes showing attentive and active attitude. Also, being punctual is a must to show your preparation. These are the foundation to build the trust between a designer and a client.

Similarity between classwork and office environment

Doing Group Project is just similar to the condition we meet in the career. First, volunteering to be leader is the action to show your willingness to take responsibility. It would be the first step to manage project well.

During grouping, it also shows the importance of maintaining good interpersonal relationship. We have no choice to pick our groupmate, but we need to learn how to cooperate with them.

28 Jan 2021

Parallel group introduction

Communication Skill

Within the group, we learnt more about each other’s background by sharing our own story and experience with our groupmate. I listened and shared Jessica’s story : having a civil engineering and interior design background.

This reminds us that we need to understand people’s strength and weakness in a team in order to work smoothly and to achieve efficient labor division in a project. Moreover, listening and presentation skills are the key to communicate. This ice breaking section is good to kick start the project.

04 Feb 2021

Insight from Presentation 'Are you a Landscape Architect?'

The Profession as a Landscape Architect

The presentation allows me to have deeper understanding the profession as landscape architect. It includes the related institutions and the procedure of Professional Practice Examination PPE. I can have more understanding how landscape architect is recognized by the public. I also start to set a timetable to prepare myself to get the license.

I start to explore the possibility of working outside Hong Kong seeking job in Australia and New Zealand since I learnt from the presentation that the professional qualification and registration is accepted there. Knowing the limitation, I am now deciding to stay in Hong Kong at the beginning. I may go to Australia after gaining enough experience in Hong Kong.

The working ethics of landscape architect

It emphasizes the ethics of landscape architect since we should not cross the line or take things for granted. We should not forget our actions governed by Code of Professional Conduct including professional attitudes, responsibilities to the Society and clients, professional colleagues and Landscape and Environment.

Other New Facts (Remarks):

-Practical Training Record PTR (recording my job record)

-Question type, oral exam

-International organization like IFLA is helping to develop landscape-based solution to tackle ecological issues

11 Feb 2021

Insight from Presentation 'Where do you work?'

Wide Variety of Career Pathway

Since I was only focusing in Hong Kong job market, it is eye-opening when I learnt more about the mainland market. I think it is useful since there is possibilities to get in touch with mainland contractor or consultant when doing mainland project. The main landscape employer in mainland includes state-owned local design institute LDI ,Government Bureau, Real estate companies, large multi-disciplinary private consultancy, NGO.

Private sector e.g. partnerships, sole practitioner

Public sector e.g. Statutory bodies such as Airport Authority , West Kowloon (Not limited to the government departments)

Joining government : Graduate programme > can rotate different department / Housing authority

Change of Career Planning

It’s good to know the broad range of career after the sharing of the group

The variety of career pathway opens to we all .

By knowing the advantage and disadvantage of different companies and institution, I become interested in pursuing sole practitioner. I would like to have the full participation of design process, enjoy flexibility, emphasize on quality rather than quantity.

New Impression on Landscape Architecture

I start to understand the extent of my career path. Building up skills may already require 10 years or more. Being a landscape architect should be patient and saving experience and skills along the way. In between jobs, we may start to find job satisfaction and try different variety of projects not limited solely to public space design. I found many other possibilities like planting specialist or waste management or even sustainability specialist in banking and investment board. The potential of landscape architect is board and unlimited. I realize the first job is not quite important anymore. I can find my knowledge preference later on.

The career advice received this lesson is particularly helpful for me to plan my career path.

Sharing session by Earthasia

I have more understanding from the project procedure and management. The guest has emphasized making a good time schedule to assign the job in a good hierarchy. Also, we need to have good time allocation to meet the deadline. We need to understand the project scope and do not do extra work. Finally, communication is the key.

25 Feb 2021

Insight from Preparing Presentation ' You are the Boss'

Learning from Bosses

Special Thanks to Jason and Merve from L+CC, Viraj from ONE Landscape, Ivan and Natalia from Valeche Studio, Ulrich from ICE and Andrea from AECOM

By interviewing different owners, I feel appreciated since they shared their own experience sincerely. Their experience are unique and also encouraging. They also shared some challenges they faced when they run their business. I can see the stress and risk they are bearing is extremely high. I remember one of them warned us not to open company as soon as you leave the school since you do not have any experience and interpersonal relationship in the market. Afterall, it is a business. You need to think about rent, salary, and cash flow. These are the factors that I did not consider much before. I think being perseverance and passionate is the common characteristics of all the bosses which I hope I could achieve in the future.

04 Mar 2021

Insight from Presentation 'Develop or Control?'

Learning Our own Responsibilities

It is a good overview to understand all the procedure since these are needed to understand for sitting for professional practice exam. It allows me to know which part of the project landscape architect is involved and responsible of. Also, we need to know other stakeholders’ responsibilities e.g. architect, ecologist, urban planner, engineer.

Main responsibilities of Landscape Architect: Landscape Master Plan Submission, Landscape proposal and design, TPRP

Key New facts learnt:

TPRP: apply for tree removal

Duration: impossible to make it within 6 month , usually 1 year

The responsible person to submit tree removal proposal is Authorized Person (AP) > architect or engineer & Register Landscape Architect > take the legal responsibility of the whole project

Register Landscape Architect> must be involved for compliance checking!

Compliance checking> after construction , the trees are planted and healthy

Calculate the number of girth, the truck size > to calculate the no. of trees you need to plant

Always keep checking the guidelines since it always be updated.

18 Mar 2021

Insight from Presentation 'Winning a Project'

Difference in Mainland & Hong Kong Market

I learn the difference of market between mainland and Hong Kong. Both places have their own advantage and disadvantages. I think calculating the risk and preparing enough cash flow are the key to sustain the business.

There is more competition to win a project in mainland. However, it is more open in southern china, easier for new office to get in the market.

In contrast, Hong Kong is more systematic which is not good for the emerging office. However, Hong Kong project is usually given reasonable time to finish. Also, the payment is quick.

Payment at least takes 6 months in China due to hierarchy and many regulations.

Prepare fore Stressful Working Condition

After understanding the tendering and contract, I find the working environment is quite unfavorable to achieve quality design.

For example,

1. Two-envelop system (only for big project in government project)

40%: how to do the project, design idea

60%: fee proposal

Now, the fee is becoming lower and lower in order to compete which means working on the lower fee than working on quality.

2. Lump Sum Payment

The risk of cash flow makes it difficult to get an accurate forecasting for company

more risk > Not beneficial for the industry, particularly stressed , cannot allocate more money for quality design

Sharing from BLEND (CHEN Yiju)

He shared that they should not only responsible for design, they also have review to control the quality of the project.

The most memorable part of the sharing is the ratio of design and administration work of landscape architect routine. He said it usually ends up probably only 20% time doing design ,but 80% administration work. The more senior you are, the more administration you get.

It reminds me I need to learn more than design. Risk management, time management and communication skills are even more important than design skill.

This table he shared let me notice the complexity of a project. The detail planning of time and labour is important. As a team leader, we also need to learn the importance of assessing risk.

The key is running a project smoothly, rather than the quality.Working routine includes adjust scope of work and constant monitoring of the site.The communication with client is another challenge. Communication needs to be recorded officially. Maintaining good relationship with client can help.

Another unexpected skill landscape architect needed is marketing skill. He shared that they need to find new client actively. It could be put extra pressure to designer. However, it is unavoidable since this is a commercial industry. You need to have relationship with people in order to get new project.

25 Mar 2021

Insight from Presentation 'Organizing a Project'

Quiz remarks:

New facts learnt:

Current market practice : Used to be all charged but now because of the competitions , services chosen as free items offered to client. Extra charge items are taken out from the contract in order to make the lumpsum smaller

e.g. Aecom > will cross bill between team e.g. in house ecologists do the tree survey, tree risk assessment

The questions make me understand more clearer the difference between the two procuremnt

Traditional procurement progress

Design and build >> only the client is responsible > one institute take all the responsibility

01 & 08 April 2021

Sharing From Urbis

I think it is particularly inspiring to understanding the restoration project of Urbis in SENT Landfill. It makes me see our knowledge could be useful to regenerating habitat in Hong Kong. It is a particularly meaningful job to be done. I am also glad to know we can participate project other than public space design.

I am amazed that it involves huge amount of time and effort to do experiment and research to seek the optimal choice of plant matrix for successful woodland restoration. It is creating new landscape knowledge for local environment. I think it is meaningful and useful for future landscape project in Hong Kong. I also realized we should never stay in comfort zone , we need to be creative and keep learning and experimenting new method and design in order to become a good landscape architect.