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It gets worse. He admits it was a problem that they knew about, but just happened to ‘underestimate.’ Solar modelling is just soooo expensive nowandays (that’s sarcasm).  
 
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/sep/06/walkie-talkie-architect-predicted-reflection-sun-rays
 
This is the second time he did this, so its time for somebody to p…[Read more]

Or accept government defense contract work

Doh!  Well, the architect seems to have a knack for inadvertently designing death rays.  I think the team needs to do a few more sun/shade studies 🙂

Amazing. So they design a concave mirror of huge proportions and no one on the team raises a red flag? (Or did they and it was incinerated?)

Apparently, burning people is an issue with another skyscraper designed by the same architect: http://www.ubmfuturecities.com/author.asp?section_id=213&doc_id=525705&image_number=1

Holy smokes!  If the reflection can do that to a car, I wonder what it can do to skin… yikes!

Stephen,
Congratulations! You don’t indicate what type of client you are seeking. This would be a big factor in what you do as far as networking.
If you are going to try to work with mostly architects and developers I would suggest that you start with events that draw these individuals, whatever the equivalent of AIA is in Canada, would be my…[Read more]

Don’t worry about stepping on a former employer’s toes; we live in a small world and it’s bound to happen unless you move several hundred miles away. Rest assured that everybody else in town is attempting to develop relationships with those potential clients.
Not mentioned in the thread above: small civil engineering firms are in my experience…[Read more]

Thanks guys
Yes Craig we have had our differences and I appreciate the words, great points with the low overhead etc and while I do have a good view from my basement it is as far from a corner office as you can get lol. It does serve great tea and lunch is 10 steps away which are obvious benefits!!!
Henry you have nailed mine and my…[Read more]

Depending how much regulation and permitting you have in Calgary, attend hearings to see what’s going on and keep your eye out for opportunities – direct or general ones that you can position yourself to fill a niche in the future.

they could reduce the speed limit to 55, or even better,  45, and save millions of gallons of gas, as Jimmy Carter had learned in the seventies. A simple step, a stroke of the governors pen, but it can’t be done. that is my easy baby step for proving we are serious about conserving energy.

Hey Andrew
Thanks again for responding with some positive info. I am doing some large scale works with some planners and Engineers, also some redevelopment of some older run down playgrounds with the city. I have also approached a design/build residential company who are looking to give me their design work so I have a few fingers in the…[Read more]

Absent a huge trust fund and wealthy spouse, the most direct way to survive the first few years is by snagging your former clients – especially those shining few who both have money and pay their bills in a timely manner. These will be your best leads because they hopefully know and love you / your work, know that you were the brains behind your…[Read more]

Getting the work is the hard part. My strategy has been to make sure that those who are already getting the work (busy architects and builders doing the types of projects you want to be doing LA work for) have a reason to refer me instead of someone else. We all tend to think that better design gets that done, but I’m talking about letting some of…[Read more]

For me, the jury’s still out on LEED, reason being so many “accredited professionals” (certainly not all) don’t walk the talk. I worked at a firm where two AP landscape architects (principals) drove separate cars from the house they shared 15 miles outside of town. What’s the point in saving energy in a building/landscape if we’re spending it…[Read more]

Just be very clear about your particular participation on each project. 
That is, by stating both the entire scope of the project as well as your responsibilities, an interviewer can better understand your involvement on each project as well as your overall experience in different areas (design vs CD production vs CA vs client interaction, et…[Read more]

Haha, last I checked there was nothing in my contract about slavery 🙂
In Canada, we have the BCSLA and the OALA (BC and Ontario, respectively). They only contain language regarding respecting the confidentiality of documents received from clients or employers. They do contain language stating that a member will always acknowledge work done by…[Read more]

I have a project with a clear NDA attached to it but it’s from a few years ago and isn’t something I would choose to show anyway.
Hopefully they won’t come back and ask for revisions.

That’s amazing to hear that worked out for you. I’ve taken a few business courses myself and this might be an avenue for me in the future.
I will have to review my contract to make sure there’s nothing in the fine print, but from what I remember from the restrictive covenants, there is only a mention of not sharing any proprietary information.