We’ve been talking to landscape students about their placement year experiences, and learning more about the practices they’ve worked with.
Here, Teddy Juriansz, from the University of Gloucestershire, reflects on his time with Illman Young, a well-established practice of Landscape Architects.
I was excited to start working at Illman Young. I started my placement during the final year of my undergraduate degree in Landscape Architecture at the University of Gloucestershire. I felt really welcomed into the team from the start and have enjoyed every moment of my time there!
The office itself is a bright and open working space, full of plants, with a buzzing community atmosphere. As a small team, we all worked closely and collaboratively – and that element was key to me.
Working within a group of creative and experienced professionals, I had the opportunity to assist on many different projects, varying from landscape appraisals and planning submissions all the way to full tender drawing packs.
During my short time at the practice, I have had the chance to see the full range of projects a landscape professional can work on – from large scale housing developments, to smaller more commercial projects.
Over the last ten months, I have learned so much about different plants and materials too, which definitely helped me with my own design work during my degree.
I really enjoyed lending some of my own skills while assisting on certain projects too, and ended up entrusted with the design of some smaller projects – that experience has been invaluable! The office environment has also given me hands-on experience with programmes like Photoshop, InDesign, AutoCAD and KeySCAPE, which has definitely contributed to my development.
I wish to thank the team for their patience, their trust in me, and for passing on so much knowledge, for which I’m really grateful.
Over the summer, I graduated with a First Class Honours in Landscape Architecture. I’m planning to go on to do my post-graduate in September 2020 and am looking forward to the next step toward my future career.
Looking for a summer placement for 2020? Here’s some top tips.
