by Nicolas Gronlund

“I can make something that will be nice for everyone”

Do you ever wonder who made the outdoor spaces? A landscape architect meets with clients, engineers, and building architects to understand the requirements of a project. They prepare graphic representations of plans using computer aided design and drafting (CADD) software. A landscape architect does not design buildings.

Mari-Ann Thorsen Ekern is from Norway. She wanted to be a journalist when she was a kid and then she wanted be a doctor. She went University in Norway for 4 ½ years for her job as a landscape architect. Mari-Ann designs public spaces. This is her fifth job and she's been working for 19 years. Some landscape architects design private gardens but she designs public spaces like graveyards and parks. She makes 3D models on a computer to see how the designs look.

Her daily routine starts when she wakes up and goes to work. She checks her emails, has Monday meetings, and then she draws sketches and makes 3D models on her computer.

Mari-Ann enjoys a lot about her job. “The joy in my job is that I can be creative and work with both design, technology and nature. It’s a joy to work with a lot of my colleagues and it's been fun to work with people and I like that I can make something that will be nice for everyone like parks and playgrounds,” Mari-Ann says.

A challenge of her job is that she doesn't like it when she has to reduce the costs and then the project doesn’t end up being as good as planned. If she were to change anything about her job or company she would rather not have to do bills. Although there are challenges, Mari-Ann enjoys being a landscape architect and making something her community will love.