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Mine is rather simple and presents only a sampling of my portfolio. My hope is that this gets me through the door where I would present a more complete picture of my work, customized toward the culture and values of the particular firm I am interviewing with. I’m not actively seeking a new position at this time, so this is mostly a toy. I agree…[Read more]

Hi Keven,

I’m looking into porous pavers for a small urban park. Can you point me to a few good examples you know of?

Thanks,
jenny

I believe there have been studies on the value of real estate next to parks. They found that real estate values increased if they were along the park, but the homes behind them, away from the park edge, did not see an increase in value. I don’t remember who did the study but perhaps if you search for “real estate value along park space”, you will…[Read more]

I have two, a non-flash and a flash- both can be found at http://www.fvarro.com

The first thing is to set a way to organize the site that will make it easy to navigate both for you and your users. Along with this step comes creating a basic view of the site- where are the menu buttons, where do images go, text, ect… These will influence each other…[Read more]

Many of the engineers I work with who have been in practice for years are always extremely skeptical of it’s use. The most common excuses I hear seem to deal with the strength of the product in heavy duty applications. That being said, people have also complained about the maintenance, freeze thaw, and even high-heels getting stuck in the surface…[Read more]

Yes, I do. Not by default, but when there is a practical reason to do so.

Gravel, clam shell, and a mix of the two are much more commonly used here.than porous pavers, especially on the ocean front homes believe it or not.

“Green Infrastructure needs to be integrated design and that is what we we do right?”

Yes. It needs to be integrated. That is what I’m trying to say. It should not be forced. If you start with a mind set that you should be an advocate of a certain practice it leaves the perception that the project needs to accommodate that agenda.

That’s very interesting, I don’t see how pointing out the fact that you were engaging in the very behavior you condemn is a ‘stretch’, however I am very open to an explanation supporting that assertion.

I find it interesting that when this fact is pointed out to you suddenly ‘everyone is entitled to their opinion’, which is very different that…[Read more]

Having actually been on several episodes of “Landscape Smart” and won my “Landscapers’ Challenge,” I have to chime in here. HGTV exists to sell ads, not to show good work. “Landscape Smart” aims at the DIY audience, who want free advice and cheap fixes; “Landscapers’ Challenge” hooks us on the drama of competition, but it’s hardly a celebration of…[Read more]

Permeable paving in the Chicago area is big. We have many installations and big high profile areas. It works and the cost is not as big a leap as some expect. There are good options available. It is our belief it it work in Chicago were we have great extreme in the freeze thaw cycle, alot of up and down it should work in alot of more consistent…[Read more]

Andrew,

Not saying LA’s are the only ones with the ability to do Green Infrastructure Design, but I would ask who is better suited? I would not say all LA’s can or should be going this type of work. But Green Infrastructure is built on the premiss that all the elements work together, the hydrology, soils, vegetation and human interaction of the…[Read more]

I’d like to think that all of us are suggesting the use of whatever makes the most sense for the situation at hand. When “green infrastructure” makes sense I believe we would advocate for it. In fact we do. When there is not enough room or the topography is working against us, it often makes more sense to go with subsurface leaching. We tend to…[Read more]

What? You’ve never watched Mega Builders or any of those shows on the Science channel where they portray gigantic civil engineering projects? I’m a bit of a science geek and grew up with Popular Science magazine in the house, so I gravitate to that stuff. And I guess working with civil people for so many years kind of rubbed off on me, as much as…[Read more]

Seems like optimal effectiveness of green infrastructure as a strategy would be compromised if not one of the leading elements of the site plan.

Beyond professional competence and proven ability to get the job done a Developer is going to go with people they simply LIKE working with; comes down to personal preference mostly. I can’t think of…[Read more]

I don’t look at our regulating boards here in Virginia as strongly supporting me as a designer or as a member of the community. That has not been my experience and probably a whole other conversation. It may very well be a slippery slope to hand over part of the design process to a regulatory board for the slight of hand of being able to say I am…[Read more]

I don’t think that LA’s as a whole are better qualified to design these “structures” but I think we are better qualified to Design these “structures”. There is more to the design than getting the calculations and math correct. As Design professionals we are better equipped to handle what comes after the calculations.

I’m currently working on a…[Read more]

Jason,
According to the ASLA’s 2008 survey, 32% of the respondents billable hours were for residential design. Certainly not a small part of the profession. I think the broad scope of the profession, in some ways, allows for the general public’s confusion and misconceptions (and the fact that ‘Landscape” is in the title). Architects for the most…[Read more]

Anyway you look at it, these things are not designed in isolation. They are some of the trailing parts of an overall site plan rather than the leading parts. It does not seem practical to expect to get work by marketing abilities in a portion of a site plan rather than marketing to the bigger context and being prepared to do well with the green…[Read more]

I guess you missed the sarcasm. There is absolutely nothing wrong with residential work, but it is small part of a very broad profession, one where there is plenty of competition from landscapers and designers. I’m sure in conversation when someone asks you what you do for a living, and you say ‘landscape architect’, they immediately respond that…[Read more]

right, i’ve seen some images, but was hoping to find more. i’ve seen them kept in tact and stacked inside, which is an interesting look. i think if you could crush them into thirds or quarters and still keep them in that would look best….