Where Do You Work?
Group 2 Blue Presents
LIU Yun, Miranda
HUANG Congrui, Ada
XU Heyilu, Karen
ZHANG Jinling, Guagua
ZHANG Yuchen, Kevina
"PRODUCE LA!" TALENT SHOW
"Produce LA!" is a talent show designed for LA (Landscape Architecture) students by providing information on practical practices in the field of landscape architecture, related industries, or positions beyond them within Hong Kong SAR, Mainland China, and sometimes overseas.
Held on Feb 11th, 2021, a total number of six trainees (fictional) were selected from Hong Kong SAR and Mainland China. The only ultimate goal was to find the most suitable pathways for each trainee's occupational life after graduation. The selected trainees share typical characteristics of today's landscape graduates: we hope you find some of the attributes similar to your personal condition, and please pay attention, learn from the knowledge points, and reflect on the real-time interviews.
The talent show was presented with interactive questions selecting the sequences of events that happened to each trainee. Here, to ensure the readability of the website, we simplified the sequence and you shall start the learning journey with Trainee No.4, WATERMELON.
1.0 PUBLIC SECTOR - MAINLAND CHINA:
STATE-OWNED LOCAL DESIGN INSTITUTE (LDI) & GOVERNMENT BUREAUS
2.0 DESIGN-RELATED INDUSTRIES:
REAL ESTATE AGENCY
3.0 PRIVATE SECTOR:
LARGE MULTI-DISCIPLINARY
PRIVATE CONSULTANCY
4.0 NGO'S, COMMUNITY,
& ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
5.0 PRIVATE SECTOR:
SMALL PRIVATE
CONSULTANCY
6.0 PUBLIC SECTOR:
GOVERNMENT BUREAUS
AND DEPARTMENTS
7.0 PUBLIC SECTOR:
ENTERPRISES
8.0 PUBLIC SECTOR:
STATUTORY BODIES
1.0 PUBLIC SECTOR - MAINLAND CHINA:
STATE-OWNED LOCAL DESIGN INSTITUTE (LDI)
& GOVERNMENT BUREAUS
The Talent Show began with WATERMELON's decision of returning back to Mainland China.
She started her journey by researching suitable positions in either State-owned Local Design Institute (LDI)
or government bureaus.
Public Sector (LDI) - Mainland China
There are around 2,000 LDIs across China. Each of them owns a construction design certificate issued by the Ministry of Construction, signs off on construction projects in the country, approves design and drawings regardless of sector. The Chinese LDIs are divided into two categories, either civil or industrial.
1) Civil LDIs
Civil LDIs are either privately-owned or government-owned. They are graded mainly based on experiences, technology, and the number of designers/engineers, ranging from grade A to D. The results often identify the size, location, and type of projects that the design institute could work on.
(i.g. Beijing Institute of Architectural Design, Shanghai Xian Dai Architectural Design)
2) Industrial LDIs
Industrial LDIs are typically government-owned. They are also graded mainly based on experiences, technology, and the number of designers/engineers, ranging from grade A to B. The results often identify the size, location, and type of projects that the design institute could work on. One major difference between Civil LDI and Industrial LDI is that the latter one often consists of higher numbers of engineers and more focused on technology development.
(i.g. China Architecture Design & Research Group, China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group)
Public Sector (Government Bureau) - Mainland China
The government bureaus and departments are the major components of the Public Sector in Mainland China. Some of the most famous examples are the Ministry of Housing and Urban-rural Development of the People's Republic of China (MOHURD), Urban Management and Law Enforcement, State Forestry and Grassland Administration, and Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
To join the Mainland Chinese government bureau, the person first needs to pass the national examination for admissions to the civil service in order to become a Civil/Public Servant. Since Civil/Public Servants are often regarded as “golden bowl” occupations, the exams are highly competitive almost every year.
2.0 DESIGN-RELATED INDUSTRIES:
REAL ESTATE AGENCY
After joining one of the LDIs in Mainland China, WATERMELON met DUCK who worked in a real estate agency.
Here, DUCK shared her insights into her working experiences.
Design-related Industries: Real Estate Agency in mainland China
Real Estate Agency —— Design Management Department
1) What is the work content if you want to work as a landscape architect in a real estate agency?
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Build a design management system
The design management system is divided into four levels: management decision-making, main design, main consultant, and sub-project secondary deepening design. Each level has the responsibility of work coordination and technical management for the lower level units.
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Design the supplier management system
Supplier inspection, supplier warehousing, bidding assignment announcement, technical bid evaluation and economic bid evaluation, bidding report.
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Design cost budget
According to different business types, there are different experience in controlling the cost of design fees. A common problem is that the survey and design fees are estimated based on residential experience at the beginning of the project, ignoring the complexity and aesthetic requirements of public buildings. General residential projects cost 70-90 yuan per side, office commercial complexes cost 120-140 yuan per side, hotels, landmark buildings and other projects with high aesthetic requirements are about 150-220 yuan or even higher.
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Design timetable
The design schedule is actually a disassembly of the preconditions of each drawing time through the project WBS (work breakdown strucuture), the purpose is to avoid design repetition.
2) What should you prepare if you want to apply a job in a real estate agency?
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The usual recruitment process for real estate agency is: CV submission, preliminary interview, group interview and professional interview.
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When applying real estate agency, competition pressure is high. It is best if you have participated in the summer internship of the corresponding company in the previous summer vacation.
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Most real estate companies are very large companies, and the interview process will be relatively cumbersome.
3) Advantages and disadvantages:
-
Advantages:
1. Cultivation of comprehensive management ability.
2.Opportunities to cooperate with well-known design companies.
3.Higher income compared with design institutes...
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Disadvantages:
1. Work intensity is greater, interpersonal relationship is more complicated.
2. The projects are located in different cities, so the work location changes frequently...
3.0 PRIVATE SECTOR:
LARGE MULTI-DISCIPLINARY
PRIVATE CONSULTANCY
WATERMELON joined DUCK into the real estate industry.
During one of the bidding meetings, she met SUMMER and EXCELLENT who are working in different industries.
Private Sector (Large Multi-disciplinary Private Consultancy) - Hong Kong
A private company is defined by the Companies Ordinance as a company which by its Articles of Association:
• restricts the right to transfer its shares
• limits the number of shareholders to 50
• prohibits any invitation to the public to subscribe for any shares or debentures in the company
The large multi-disciplinary private consultancy is a company that integrates architecture, planning, landscape, construction and other professional disciplines to provide preliminary planning, conceptual scheme design, project evaluation, bidding, and other services for projects. Different consulting firms focus and specialize in different areas of business.
Requirement and Preparation:
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The usual recruitment process for large companies is CV submission, writing and drawing examination, preliminary interview and professional interview.
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When applying large companies, the competition pressure is high. Usually, a wealth of work experience (internship experience) is required for applicants.
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A portfolio should be submitted to demonstrate professional skills.
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It’s better that you have acquired Hong Kong RLA Certification.
Advantages and Disadvantages:
1) Advantages:
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The projects in large consultancy are mostly strategic projects and conceptual design projects for landscape architects. We can do some interesting brainstorming.
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The projects received by large construction companies are highly comprehensive, with a high working platform and more projects involving multidisciplinary cooperation.
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The welfare package is good.
2) Disadvantages:
The work is stressful and competitive, and it is not easy to be promoted.
3) Other feelings:
The team spirit is very strong. I feel the process is usually very efficient and smooth.
It is also a challenge to communicate with colleagues and leaders from other departments and other partners.
Private Sector (enterprise) – Mainland China
A private enterprise refers to a profit-making economic organization whose means of production are privately owned and which employs more than eight people. There are three types of private enterprises:
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Sole proprietorship.
An enterprise invested and operated by one person.
The investor of the sole proprietorship enterprise shall bear unlimited liability for the debts of the enterprise.
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Partnership.
It refers to an enterprise invested and operated jointly by two or more persons in accordance with the agreement, and bearing profits and losses jointly.
The partners shall be jointly and severally liable for the debts of the enterprise.
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Limited liability company.
Shareholders are liable to the company within the limit of their capital contribution, and the company is liable to the company's debts with all its assets.
Among the three types of private enterprises, only limited liability companies can obtain the legal person status according to law, while private sole proprietorship enterprises and private partnership enterprises do not meet the conditions of enterprise legal person and cannot obtain the legal person status.
Large multi-disciplinary private company
In mainland China, many comprehensive private design companies are becoming stronger and more competitive in the market, and the internal department configuration of the company is gradually similar to that of public companies. In a comprehensive design company, there is also a need for cooperation between various disciplines and departments, usually, such a company can complete a complete project design independently. The difference between large private design firms and state-owned design institutes is that government tenders for construction projects are usually restricted to state-owned firms, while private design firms are generally profit-oriented.
The rise of many well-known private companies has led to more and more competitive pressure among employees and more and more difficulty obtaining employment.
Small private company
In mainland China, small private design companies include single discipline design companies, comprehensive design companies, cooperative firms, individual firms, and so on. For a single-discipline design firm, such as a small private landscape firm, the main responsibilities are program planning, design, and participation in bidding or competition projects. After the design scheme of the project is approved, it is usually necessary to cooperate with the developer and other design companies and construction units to complete the construction of the project.
Small private firms have fewer than 100 people, but most small design firms have 20-30 or fewer permanent employees. In small design firms, it is not easy to participate in large projects. Most of the projects are local and small-scale.
With a limited number of employees, one person is often responsible for multiple tasks. However, the advantage is that it can give play to the design potential, and it is more likely to become a leader in a small number of people. Moreover, staff can also consider becoming a shareholder of the company.
4.0 NGO'S, COMMUNITY,
& ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
WATERMELON met SUMMER and EXCELLENT in the project bidding meeting.
SUMMER introduced her work in the NGO.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) – Hong Kong
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are legally constituted corporations that operate independently from any form of government and generally are not conventional for-profit businesses. In the cases in which NGOs are funded totally or partially by governments, the NGO maintains its non-governmental status by excluding government representatives from membership in the organization.
NGOs can be at different levels of operation from community (Tai Po Environment Association) to city wide ( Friends of the Harbour) to national (Green Council) to international level ( Friends of the Earth)
Civic Exchange
Civic Exchange is an independent Hong Kong-based public policy think tank that aims to build a sustainable and livable Hong Kong.
They conducted some projects such as the "Small House Policy Report" and "Water Resources Management." Much of the group’s work is to consider public policies and how to help the Hong Kong public make sense of complex issues and find better solutions to challenges and problems. The organization’s projects generally fall into one of three main fields: civic participation and social development, environment and conservation, or integration of economic analysis.
1) What are the professional requirements for NGOs’ work?
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Since NGOs need to report their financial status to the public, human resource management is very cautious.
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The chances of one person being responsible for multiple projects are high.
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This is an excellent opportunity for learning and growth, laying a solid foundation for future career development.
2) What is the treatment of NGOs?
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According to informal statistics, the level of labor of NGOs is generally close to the private market, especially some international NGOs, which can provide reasonable salary levels.
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Smaller NGOs cannot keep up with the private market due to limited resources.
5.0 PRIVATE SECTOR:
SMALL PRIVATE CONSULTANCY
WATERMELON WATERMELON decides to join the small private landscape design company.
Private Sector: Small Private Consultancy
In HK, small enterprises refers to a non-manufacturing company employing fewer than 50 employees. The small private limited landscape company usually covers single discipline practice (predominantly landscape).
Small design companies tend to work in a small, refined way, more like a team, where everyone has a specific job to do. Flat management in small companies is better for communication.
Advantages of working in a small private company:
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Smaller companies tend to focus on project quality rather than quantity.
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Small-scale companies do not have a lot of institutional restrictions, and the working mode is generally more flexible.
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In a small company you can participate in the whole process of design.
Disadvantages of working in a small private company:
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Some small companies cannot provide sufficient software and hardware facilities.
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Small companies have a lot of competitive pressure, and require high professional ability and ability to work under pressure, and It is easy to cause work overtime.
The structure of private sector organizations includes:
• Partnerships – Unlimited or Limited
• Companies (Private / Public – Unlimited / Limited)
• Sole Practitioner
Partnerships:
Partnerships are usually formed by a group of like-minded designers, Partners are entitled to share equally in the capital and profits of the business, but must contribute equally towards the losses sustained by the firm.
In general, a partnership is less formal than a company, with freedom of action and privacy of its affairs. However, it is subject to unlimited liability with personal assets at risk; it has limited powers to borrow money and the taxation position is complex.
Company:
Company includes limited or unlimited company, limited by share or guarantee company and private limited company or public limited company.
Advantages:
• Limited liability
• Easy to obtain finance
• Easy to transfer shares
Disadvantages:
• Need to disclose company information in public
• Involves considerable documentation and expenses in forming / maintaining the company
sole proprietorship:
A sole proprietorship is a form of company conducted by one person, who both owns and runs the business. They get all the profits of the business, but also take all the risks of the business.
Sole proprietorship is a simple business structure, appropriate for very small-scale, first time businesses, where there is already adequate finance to run the business and the business is not risky.
6.0 PUBLIC SECTOR:
GOVERNMENT BUREAUS AND DEPARTMENTS
While working in the small private consultancy company, WATERMELON met HAPPY when they cooperated with a governmental project. They had a great time talking and sharing experiences:
Government Bureaus and Departments – Hong Kong
The private sector often refers to the public portion of the economy shared by government and governmental companies.
A list of 12 major governmental bureaus/departments that are providing (or used to provide) positions related to the field of landscape architecture includes:
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Development Bureau
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Planning Department
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Highways Department
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Architectural Services Department
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Civil Engineering and Development Department
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Lands Department
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Hong Kong Housing Authority
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Drainage Services Department
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Water Supplies Department
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Environmental Protection Department
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Leisure and Cultural Services Department
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Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department
(* By Apr 2021, it is recorded that there are no positions of landscape architect presently provided by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department & Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.)
The 18 District Councils are also significant components of Hong Kong’s public sector.
*** Frequently Asked Question - Can the graduate join the government bureau as a landscape architect directly?
The answer is no.
Firstly, the person will not be able to call himself/herself a “landscape architect” in Hong Kong without becoming a registered landscape architect (RLA) of LARB (Hong Kong Landscape Architects Registration Board) [LARO S.29]. Offenders may be prosecuted and even imprisoned for one year [LARO S.30].
Besides, to work for Hong Kong government, a person is required to both join the HKILA (Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects) membership and register the LARB. The requirement is also closely related to the standing of the graduate, and training is the foundation of the entry:
For example, referring to the requirements shared by Hong Kong Housing Authority:
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A degree/diploma in Landscape Architecture or a qualification from a Hong Kong university or equivalent, which is acceptable to the Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects (HKILA) as satisfying the academic requirements for admission into the HKILA Professional Practice Examination;
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Be a permanent resident of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at the time of engagement unless specified otherwise;
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Training: the training vacancies are temporary posts - successful applicants will receive 2 years of practical training arranged
by the Hong Kong Housing Authority under professional guidance meeting the training requirement of the HKILA. There is no implication for further engagement in the Hong Kong Housing Authority after completion of the above training engagement.
7.0 PUBLIC SECTOR:
Enterprises
(Continue) WATERMELON met HAPPY in the project cooperation.
As a person with wide working experiences, HAPPY continues sharing his perspectives of enterprises that belong to the public sector of Hong Kong:
Public Sector (Enterprises) - Hong Kong
The public sector of Hong Kong is also shared by governmental companies and state-owned enterprises, even though the amount of them are relatively small, comparing to those located in Mainland China.
A public company is one that has been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (or another stock exchange). The shares of a listed company can be freely bought and sold by the public. By listing the company, money can be raised through the issue of shares for sale to the public. A listed company also enjoys better facilities from the banks.
The public companies are relatively larger with more shareholders and staff, usually covering multi-disciplinary departments, and may collaborate more with other public enterprises.
Some of the examples are:
China State Construction Development Holdings Limited
COSCO Shipping International (Hong Kong) Co. Ltd.
8.0 PUBLIC SECTOR:
STATUTORY BODIES
(Last Conversation) WATERMELON met HAPPY in the project cooperation.
Happy's second job is in the landscape management department in the Nanjing Lukou airport company.
Statutory Bodies – Hong Kong
The specific responsibilities of landscape-related departments in statutory bodies are different, but they perform various statutory functions in accordance with relevant laws. For example, the Urban Renewal Authority of Hong Kong focuses on improving the urban environment and infrastructure.
The Airport Authority Hong Kong
The Airport Authority Hong Kong is the statutory body (governed by the Airport Authority Ordinance (Cap. 483)) of the government of Hong Kong that is responsible for the operations of the Hong Kong International Airport.
The Urban Renewal Authority
The Urban Renewal Authority is a Statutory body established 2001 under Urban Renewal Authority Ordinance (Cap 563) responsible for accelerating redevelopment to provide a better living environment and neighbourhood. Its objectives include:
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improvements to living condition to residents living in old urban areas;
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improvements to the urban environment and infrastructure by the provision of more open space, community and other facilities;
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enhancements to urban layouts, road networks and other infrastructure;
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the substitution or overhaul of archaic buildings;
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better exploitation of land;
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thinning out of development and population densities to reduce the strain on over- burdened transport and other infrastructure;
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making accessible land to meet various uses such as housing, and
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redeveloping a particular area to act as a catalyst for the redevelopment of neighbouring areas by private developers, as enhanced property values make this more viable.
The End
We hope that everyone could gain inspiration from the materials presented above.
No matter what industry you are going to enter, please never give up and continue the exploration!