NCLC, the National Collegiate Landscape Competition, occurred in March of 2022. After two years of virtual competition due to COVID-19, this year marked a return to the in-person event.
The competition gives hundreds of students the opportunity to “demonstrate their skills in real-world, competitive events and network with top companies at the largest career fair in the industry,” according to the competition website.
This year, Vectorworks sponsored the Computer-Aided Landscape Design competition and the 3D Exterior Landscape Design competition. We’re excited to introduce you to the winners — both of whom use Vectorworks! — of these career-shaping events.
Cummings said he’s honored to have won and thanked the Mississippi State University Landscape Architecture and Contracting department for pushing him to continue his learning.
“I’m excited to see what the future holds for me,” he said, “but, for now, I have to keep working to learn, absorb, and observe the industry of landscape architecture and contracting.”
Reilly (center) holding his top-performing project alongside Eric Gilbey (left) and Tony Kostreski (right), landscape architects at Vectorworks.
Though the competition was focused on the use of 3D, with Vectorworks, 3D and building information modeling (BIM) are intertwined. Coordinating data appended to objects is fundamentally BIM — so cheers to Reilly for perhaps fortuitously delivering a BIM project!
“The event was so much fun and honestly Vectorworks was so easy to learn,” said Reilly, whose Vectorworks skills have helped secure a position with Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design following graduation. “The software fits my workflow exactly right and in the one month that I took to learn it I was creating things that people at my school couldn’t believe I made in the time I did.”
NCLC 2D CAD Competition Top Performer – Robbie Cummings, Mississippi State University
Cummings’ vision for his top-performing residential project was to create a space that provides both private and semi-private locations. “The closer you get to the house, the more private it feels due to the taller shrubs and trees,” he said. “The farther you get from the house, the more open and public it feels. As a landscape designer for this project, it was important to create these spaces to evoke the client's desire for privacy or openness where the site conditions permit.” His final plan is graphically rich, clearly labeled, and demonstrates enthusiasm for meshing programmatic elements with the client’s vision.
Cummings said he’s honored to have won and thanked the Mississippi State University Landscape Architecture and Contracting department for pushing him to continue his learning.
“I’m excited to see what the future holds for me,” he said, “but, for now, I have to keep working to learn, absorb, and observe the industry of landscape architecture and contracting.”
NCLC 3D Landscape Competition Top Performer – Andrew Reilly, University of Massachusetts
Reilly’s top-performing project digs into the world of 3D landscape design. His submission includes 2D plans as well as a rendered 3D model. “Creating a space that the users can occupy is the most important part of landscape design,” Reilly said. “The covered shade sail provided cover for hardscape areas, the angular benches provided seating, and the central circular bench provided a space for a speaker to stand and present — all functional while meeting the event criteria.”
Reilly (center) holding his top-performing project alongside Eric Gilbey (left) and Tony Kostreski (right), landscape architects at Vectorworks.
Though the competition was focused on the use of 3D, with Vectorworks, 3D and building information modeling (BIM) are intertwined. Coordinating data appended to objects is fundamentally BIM — so cheers to Reilly for perhaps fortuitously delivering a BIM project!
“The event was so much fun and honestly Vectorworks was so easy to learn,” said Reilly, whose Vectorworks skills have helped secure a position with Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design following graduation. “The software fits my workflow exactly right and in the one month that I took to learn it I was creating things that people at my school couldn’t believe I made in the time I did.”
