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Chris,

It isn’t and I aint. Monied, that is. I make a decent living, but, I’ve been at this for over 30 years. My wife makes twice what I do!

Take my comment about school with a grain of salt. Yes, most universities are doing an OK job for undergrads. Those fortunate enough to attend post-grad programs should be expected to deliver more. And, of…[Read more]

Thanks Brian and Nick.

You could make a great project out of this, mapping new construction and analyzing where and it what types of markets its happening and how.

RIP.

I hope this doesn’t come off the wrong way, but it seems sort of timely/fitting when you think about it, considering the dissolution of iconic firms like EDAW and the ‘evolving’ marketplace. Could these be some metaphysical markers of a new time of rebirth in both the way we live and the way we practice our profession?

Does anybody else see…[Read more]

Thanks Kellan.

That was very informative and hits close to home for me. I think your strategy for hiring an RLA is great and makes me wonder about my own potential options along a similar route.

I had an interview today which went very well. It occurs to me that it means more to people in tough times about what you can offer, not so much your…[Read more]

Hi Nick.

I seem to be in a similar situation as yourself, tho I have already set my choices in motion at this point. My family has a design/build business that has been established over the last 30 or so years. It was always a joke that if I didn’t get an education, I would end up working for it. 10 years later and after graduating with a BLA…[Read more]

Jon & Linda and anyone else…I am also wondering if there is a way to use AutoCAD or Revit to calculate shaded areas. Linda – your studies are only visual as far as I can tell. LEED requires the calculated shadow area at three times of day on the summer solstice. Tracing the outline of a rendered shadow, as Jon mentions, is the only way that I…[Read more]

I would put in my suggestion for Vectorworks Landmark. I switched from a Sketchup/AutoCAD workflow at the beginning of 2009 and am simply amazed at its capabilities. While there is a learning curve involved, once you start getting the hang of using an integrated 2D/3D interface that produces both plans and renderings in equal capacity you wont…[Read more]

Chad…while I generally agree with the spirit of what your saying I do think a professional organization that brings salaries and benefits in line with what is generally expected in other professions would be extremely beneficial to our profession as a whole. Clearly the ASLA is a failed organization that does little if anything to foster the…[Read more]

I’m in KC. Doesn’t exist except in the high end market and some independent living. Single family is pretty much dead. Not much is moving with credit markets locked up and no real demand. As far as residential construction there are a few e-mail newsletters out there. If I can find some of them that I have gotten in the past I will post them.

Nick said…”I just cant picture myself doing anything else really.”

Well, that gets the real BINGO!

And that desire will be the basis for the economic cull you are talking about. Who’s in and who’s out in any profession as competitive as ours will always be led by the dreamers that never say die. Yes, it is true that a decent lifestyle may have…[Read more]

I didn’t think that I had much to say when this discussion started, but going through the responses I’m filled with different thoughts. As a fairly new professional in the industry, I definitely can relate to “Young professionals in the field are compensated at deplorable rates, work extremely long hours, have little benefits and do grunt work…[Read more]

Artlantis has a lot of capability and also is quite easy to use. There is a free trial and the pro version is comparably cheap.

The economy is in a state that of change. This forces companies to re-evaluate their market position and strategy moving forward. Living through the great recession will build character. At the same time, it is also a great opportunity to find areas or niches within the LA profession to shine. Some will leave the profession and find ways to use…[Read more]

Thank you Brian. This is good information.

I am sure the older native trailing or climbing roses, which you can let grow down, will do well and you can block varieties by colour leaving the nice smells for the base where the people are. For water, a half horsepower pump works wonders and any plumbing company will tell you what power you need for the height you have, volume you want and…[Read more]