Taylor McNamee - Landscape Architect

After graduation, what was the first position you had? How did that shape where you are now as a Landscape Architect?

Following my graduation from Utah State University, I sought employment at a Toronto based golf course construction company where I garnered valuable experience in the construction side of landscape architecture.

What is something that surprised you at the start of your career? or What is something that surprises you about being a Landscape Architect?

I was surprised to learn how much landscape architectural consulting knowledge I would continue to learn on a daily basis.

What are some of your roles and responsibilities?

I consider myself as a jack of all trades in the landscape architectural services that I provide. As a project manager, I am the primary contact for clients, consultants, and contractors. My proficiency in business development, design, technical production, construction administration, and construction management has allowed me to manage all project services and deliverables from the proposal stage through to the final acceptance of built environments.

What does a typical day look like for you?

My day is focused towards staying on top of all client, consultant, and contractor requests, and efficiently delivering on those requests with the highest quality product or service that I can provide.

What skills do you feel are important to have as a Landscape Architect?

Whether to communicate the design intent to a client or communicate the construction intent to a contractor, communication skills are vital for landscape architects to deliver on the conceptualized project vision.

What are you passionate about as a Landscape Architect?

I am most passionate about bringing people together to enjoy public spaces in whichever capacity the opportunities of the sites present themselves.

Tell us about some of the exciting projects you have been a part of.

This is a hard one to summarize in few sentences. The most rewarding projects always seem to be the ones where you notice the most people enjoying them.

Describe something that you have found challenging as a AALA?. How did you overcome this?

Accepting that the design limitations of a project are occasionally out of your control. Whether these limitations are due to a tight budget, client preferences, municipality requirements, or site specific impediments.

What advice would you give a new Landscape Architect?

Take interest in a wide range of projects and gain knowledge wherever opportunities are presented.

What are your future goals?

I consider goals and ambitions to be closely tied, so in using my previous answer about my ambitions...

To sustain my passion for landscape architecture and establish myself as a key contributor to the growth of Calgary's public realm and the industry as a whole.