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We get 10 inches of rain a year. A significant portion of our water comes from snowpack melt, which of course is decreasing. Our groundwater was drawn down so significantly in the nineteen forties that they built a system of canals to capture the snowmelt and river water..The ground water is threatened again, it is completely unregulated. Our two…[Read more]

An interesting question. In a nutshell, I would say that if you are using safely recycled water, then it is fine – but that depends…

I guess it depends on what you are doing with your waste water, on a macro scale, and how much is available on the project, as to whether or not there is adequate available to meet your requirements (or depending…[Read more]

I don’t think BIM will be of much use in landscape architecture until it is integral to civil engineering and architecture both. In our landscape architectural work, there is a constant back-and-forth between what we do, the civil’s work and the architect’s work. I’ve been asking civil engineers for a couple of years now about BIM and the reply is…[Read more]

I think responsiblity to the environment is a constraint through which good design can be reached. There is never only one way to do something. so if you start out your thinking realizing the constraints of sustainablitly, and then get to good design through the constraints, you have met your professional responsibilities..

for me the basic…[Read more]

That raises a bunch of red flags for me… It is our duty to put our diverse knowledge and training to use, educate others, and “do the right thing”. Clients cannot be trusted to be the end all of ethics, likewise with government. This is precisely why ASLA has a code of ethics.

I agree “forget the ethics” good design should take care of the issues that are put before you in the design development phase of a project. I like people who want to make their projects fit their environmental visions, but I feel that environmental ethics fits low on my list of priorities, for others it is the number one priority. If I have the…[Read more]

Bob,
I think whenever LA’s talk about this, we tend to do it in terms of ethics and values. What happens when we look at these issues as scientific and economic issues as well? If you can design a golf course that wastes fewer resources and reduces maintenance, why not at least bring up your ideas? Wouldn’t less waste and maintenance be beneficial…[Read more]

Design, land usage, and environmental ethics are one in the same, on every project. You cannot choose to address one or the other. Of course, every project requires compromise. It appears that you are trying to get someone to say that its OK for an economic or client service attitude to trump responsible, innovative design.

Its my belief that the…[Read more]

so we are mediators? that is where I disagree. I think we should be leaders. Olmstead’s interpretation of democracy in park design was new – as was his re-interpretation of the site, for the Prospect Park competition. Ian McHarg was famously argumentative, whether for drainage or GIS..Is it enough to simply install more drip irrigation in the…[Read more]

I’ll ditto the comment by Andrew that field experience in terms of overseeing and monitoring projects is important. To truly understand the relationship of all elements in the landscape you must engage in the process of concept, to design, to implementation, to performance and sustainability. In my opinion, any prospective employer or client that…[Read more]

love!

Ha ha ha. Thanks for the laugh, Nick. Later on, I’ll need to re-negotiate my rhizomatic deliverables. Or maybe think about posting something to my blog.

James Corner, Field Operations; Peter Calthorpe; and Bryan Fuermann from Yale University (History of Landscape Architecture.) Nicholas Ourousieff (sp?); the LA from Arizona State who specializes in Richard Neutra; Edwina Von Gal;

awww…shucks. you really had me goin’ there.

well, the appalachian trail journey begins this week for a month, so i guess i won’t be ready to interview for a job for at least 3-4 months after that.

In all seriousness, the most important ones are the ones you care about. If you care about sustainability, and decide that instead of LEED you are going to get some other cert because it will sell better today, you are setting yourself up for a year or two working for a firm that you have nothing in common with. Believe me, I know not working in a…[Read more]

as Nada Surf said so well:
“Being attractive is the most important thing there is
If you wanna catch the biggest fish in your pond
You have to be as attractive as possible
Make sure to keep your hair spotless and clean
Wash it at least every two weeks
Once every two weeks”
ah, how I miss the 90’s…