BLArch Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Practice And Ethics 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A landscape architect discovers that a completed project's irrigation system is discharging into a stormwater drain in violation of local ordinance. Their obligation is to:
- Ignore it since the project is complete and liability has passed
- Notify the owner and, if unresolved, report the violation to the appropriate authority (Correct answer)
- Correct it at their own expense without telling anyone
- Document it internally and await client direction indefinitely
Correct answer: Notify the owner and, if unresolved, report the violation to the appropriate authority
Ongoing violations of environmental law must be brought to the client's attention, and if not remedied, reported to protect public welfare.
Question 2: The standard of care for a landscape architect is defined as:
- Perfection and zero defects in all deliverables
- The level of skill and care ordinarily exercised by competent professionals in the same field under similar circumstances (Correct answer)
- Whatever standard the client specifies in the contract
- Full compliance with all possible applicable codes regardless of local adoption
Correct answer: The level of skill and care ordinarily exercised by competent professionals in the same field under similar circumstances
Standard of care is a legal concept based on what a reasonably competent peer would do in the same situation, not perfection.
Question 3: Which ASLA ethical principle addresses the landscape architect's responsibility to advance knowledge and the profession?
- Obligation to the public
- Obligation to the profession and colleagues (Correct answer)
- Obligation to the client
- Obligation to the natural environment
Correct answer: Obligation to the profession and colleagues
ASLA's Code of Ethics includes obligations to the profession that encompass advancing knowledge, mentoring, and contributing to professional discourse.
Question 4: A landscape architect receives a referral fee from a plant nursery for recommending their products to clients without disclosing this arrangement. This is:
- Acceptable if the products are of high quality
- A conflict of interest and a violation of ethical duties requiring disclosure to the client (Correct answer)
- Standard industry practice requiring no disclosure
- Only problematic if the fee exceeds 10% of the purchase price
Correct answer: A conflict of interest and a violation of ethical duties requiring disclosure to the client
Undisclosed financial incentives for product recommendations compromise objectivity and must be disclosed to clients as a conflict of interest.
Question 5: On a public project, a landscape architect learns that a contractor has submitted fraudulent invoices. The landscape architect should:
- Certify the invoices to avoid project delays
- Refuse to certify the fraudulent amounts and report the discrepancy to the owner immediately (Correct answer)
- Negotiate privately with the contractor to correct the invoices
- Withhold all future payment certifications until the project ends
Correct answer: Refuse to certify the fraudulent amounts and report the discrepancy to the owner immediately
Certifying false payment applications would make the landscape architect complicit in fraud; refusal and immediate owner notification are ethically required.
Question 6: Which practice best demonstrates a landscape architect's commitment to sustainable stewardship?
- Maximizing impervious surface to simplify maintenance
- Designing to preserve native plant communities, minimize runoff, and reduce long-term resource consumption (Correct answer)
- Specifying only imported ornamental species for visual interest
- Prioritizing aesthetic novelty over ecological function
Correct answer: Designing to preserve native plant communities, minimize runoff, and reduce long-term resource consumption
Sustainable stewardship integrates ecological performance—native plants, water management, and resource efficiency—into every design decision.
Question 7: When must a landscape architect provide a written scope of services agreement to a client?
- Only on projects exceeding $500,000 in construction cost
- Before commencing services, to clearly define deliverables, fees, and responsibilities (Correct answer)
- Only when required by the state licensing board for public work
- At the end of design development when the full scope is known
Correct answer: Before commencing services, to clearly define deliverables, fees, and responsibilities
A written agreement before work begins protects both parties by establishing mutual expectations regarding scope, schedule, and compensation.
BLArch Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Practice And Ethics 5
A landscape architect discovers that a completed project's irrigation system is discharging into a stormwater drain in violation of local ordinance.
Their obligation is to: