Balancing a client’s desires with professional responsibilities can be a complex ethical dilemma for landscape architects.
Scenario
As this is an area where other disciplines are better placed to provide suitable information with regards to the wall’s structural stability, it is unlikely that a Landscape Architect would provide a solution directly to the client without the advice and/or approval of a structural engineer first.
If an accident occurs on site due to an uncovered trench during construction, since the works are still carried out and there is no hand-over to the client the contractor is responsible for site safety.
Before any costs are applied, the reason for removal should be investigated by the Contract Administrator or the Clerk of Works.
In a scenario where the contractor hits a water main, one of the first actions taken to identify who’s fault it was would be to check if there is a drawing in place showing the services with relatively adequate precision.