National Designers Subcommittee
With feedback coming in from our latest survey we are starting to gather a picture of what is really important to designers and where many different types of design offices and professionals are.
If you haven’t filled out the survey yet, please go to: surveymonkey.com/r/JPJ3VDD
It is often forgotten that many designers are in stand-alone businesses, or sole proprietorships. It also came to our attention that many people doing design don’t necessarily go by the title landscape designer. Often, they are in sales, estimating, or marketing positions but are doing designs for clients coming to them. This is especially true in the case of design/ build firms.
As we continue to see results from the survey, the renewed energy and direction of the committee will crystalize. We want to ensure that effort is being put into the concerns and programs that offer the greatest assistance and advantage to our network of professionals.
The committee is also reaching out to other allied associations to discuss mutual concerns and ensure that we are all in alignment going forward. This includes provincial landscape architecture and professional landscape designer associations as well as national landscape architecture associations in both Canada and the U.S.
There is a comparable network that meets annually called the Great Lakes Association. The members are American member states that touch on the great lakes as well as Ontario. The presidents and executive directors of each association gather for two or three days to discuss annual successes and challenges. These cross-border discussions have led to valued growth and exchange of ideas between many like-minded groups.
As this design committee gels and finds common paths and languages between the groups this could well lead to a national or international design conference down the road.
Leave it to designers to create new networks and pathways.
I appreciate all your feedback and input to date and look forward to meeting you in person.
Paul Brydges
Chair National Design Subcommittee – CNLA