Mark Morrison describes himself as a linear thinker.
With three decades of experience in the construction and landscape architectural industries, Mark has used his “horticultural logic” and expertise to create award-winning and transformational outdoor spaces around the world.
What’s interesting is that his talent was discovered at a young age. So what has kept Mark motivated towards award-winning success and helped him grow his renowned landscape architecture firm? We sat down with him recently to find out more.
Growing Your Own Career Path
Mark has always enjoyed building and growing things. “As a kid I always liked working on the landscape, even edging along my grandmother’s sidewalk when I was six years old,” says Mark.
He went to college to figure out what kind of career he wanted to go into. A school counselor introduced him to the idea of landscape architecture, something he’d enjoyed since he was a child. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin - Madison with an emphasis on horticulture and regional planning, he was able to work for a few landscape architecture firms to gain experience. He also started his own construction company.
“I learned a lot that way,” explains Mark. “This is a profession where you have to know a little about a lot … in some cases, a lot about a lot. I think they [schools] should help students in the industry understand more of the nitty-gritty of the profession.”
Mark seized as many opportunities to learn as he could, and “when I started out, there were no computers, no cellphones … we did everything by hand,” laughs Mark.
He’s not afraid of jumping in and getting his hands dirty, in other words, which is perhaps the formula for his success. He started his own firm in 1983, with a “commitment to improving urban and regional open space by employing green infrastructure techniques.”
That commitment has translated over to all of his projects and helped him to establish a name for himself in the industry.
Growing a Project Base
Mark and his team work on a wide variety of projects, from residential outdoor spaces to schools to commercial green roofs to parks. But acquiring clients isn’t just about referrals or repeat customers, in Mark’s experience.
“For our agency work, we have contracts with the NYCSCA and get projects that way. For projects with the parks department, we have to bid against ten other firms, for the most part, to get awarded a job,” explains Mark. He also enjoys private projects and still runs a construction company with his son, and has built a pipeline of clients through referrals.
For his landscape architecture projects, Mark walks clients through their outdoor design in a process based on strategy. “We start out by seeing the site and will get a series of site analysis documents so we’re informed about the space. A lot of our projects really have to do with planting and replanting, so we visit the site and can do a layout there.”
His team uses AutoCAD and other design software like Photoshop to get plans to their clients. But Mark still enjoys sketching out his plans for projects. [Text Wrapping Break]
When it comes to using AutoCAD, Mark explains that “to be good at it you have to use it every day. I tend to do initial hand sketches for residential projects because people really don’t want to spend money on design fees.”
“However, we still have to use AutoCAD to coordinate with other people on the project, so we need those files because they’re the universal communicator,” explains Mark.
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Once plans are drawn out, the fun begins. “We can show the client precedent images, and if they have the time, we’ll actually take the client to the nurseries and select the plant material. It’s a good day because normally they can’t get into the nurseries that we do because they’re wholesale … they get to see the sizes and possible plant material. It’s a fun day.”
Rising to the Challenge
The biggest challenge for Mark usually only comes down to one thing, especially on projects in NYC. “It’s the approval process,” says Mark.
“We’ve got to go through community boards, the building department, design commission, work with city planning … and that has nothing to do with your client.” And because of the pandemic and economic crisis, finding materials for projects can sometimes be tricky. “Plant material is sometimes difficult to come by because supply chains are often backed up,” he says.
But getting through challenges can be handled a little more smoothly, according to Mark, if you’ve got your goals in mind.
“You end up prioritizing the approvals, so it’s more like a linear chart of what needs to get done when. And you just start ticking them off as you go,” explains Mark.
Knowing where to find plant and landscape architecture materials is made easier on professionals, and that happens when you build the right relationships in the industry. “We’re using Techo-Bloc on some terraces right now because the range of textures and sizes works for us. I also like our Techo-Bloc sales rep,” says Mark.
Techo-Bloc gives Mark a wider variety of choice when it comes to landscape materials. “We don’t like using the standard developer size paver,” he explains.
Sustaining a Passion for Your Projects
For anyone interested in creating a career out of landscape architecture, Mark has a few tips and insights.
Go out of your way to build relationships.
“You’ve got to have a good relationship throughout the industry. I stay connected with people all over, especially people in the nurseries. They’re great, great people. A group of fabulous people,” says Mark.
And he makes sure to visit nurseries and make connections no matter where he’s at in the world. “I’m very fortunate. An engineer will get stuck in an office or a conference, and I get to look at plant materials and nurseries and parks and meet local people, whether it’s China or Turkey.”
Remember that design is a way to innovate.
“You’re not Mother or Father Nature, so we just try to emulate the natural. I tell people that we use plant material to solve design problems,” says Mark.
“A rain garden, for example, can help retain or detain water, and it won’t tax the storm system, so you’re solving those problems.”
Embrace diversity and challenges.
Mark and his team have been able to create beautiful solutions around the world because of that solutions-focused mindset.
“We’ve been pretty innovative in the green roof industry. I did my first in 1975 in Moscow,” says Mark.
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And even when he might experience setbacks in the approval process or has to work within specific weather challenges, he stays motivated simply by creating outdoor spaces. “I love seeing things get built, there’s nothing better,” says Mark, “We say we transform landscapes, and what we’re able to do just in a day can blow people away.”
Growing Success as a Landscape Architect
To stay successful and focused on growing a business, Mark reminds landscape architects that this kind of work provides great value. “The things that we do create wonderful, healthy environments for people to partake in,” says Mark.
Many of the projects that Mark and his team worked on have received awards for “design distinction and professionalism.” You can check out more of MKM’s work here.
To see how Techo-Bloc provides solutions for landscape architecture and other outdoor spaces, take a look at our selection of products here.
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