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I can always depend on you, Trace, for some crazy off the wall and maybe even impractical idea.

That looks like the lot at the home depot near my house. When it was first installed I thought”now that is different and innovative, maybe there is some structural soil for the roots with some permeable pavement.” No just a tiny little landscape island installed with no thoughts or care about the tree the landscape maintenance or the end user.…[Read more]

My suggestion would be minimum soil volumes.  I would rather see one good island in a parking lot than four poor ones.
The ‘zoning code’ or city tree planting ordinance should read:  Section 1.234:  If its worth doing, do it right, otherwise don’t do it at all.
This picture was taken from an Arobor Day Foundation ‘Tree City,’
What a joke! This is…[Read more]

Two words: solar panels..Take the challenge and make them look good. Run the parking lot lighting off them. Use them also as shade structures, although where you are you probably don’t want that…How about use them as benche structures? Nothing wrong with having a bench for granny to sit on when you hoisting the kids up the four steps to get…[Read more]

Ah…my old nemesis, the parking lot island.
 
Your best bet is #4. Tree selection is VERY important, as parking lots generally have the worst soil and compaction issues. It depends where you are, and the width of the island, but deeper rooting trees (most often pioneer trees, not mature canopy trees) work the best. Many municipalities do not…[Read more]

Do you or anyone have a plant list or specific grasses that you would suggest for San Francisco bay area?

Make sure that they keep the accreditation for the 4 year program. There seems to be a strategy to force students to get MLAs in orde to keep the student numbers up in some schools.

A favorite book on many topics, sure to include wayfinding, is “A Pattern Language”

When I am not forced to make rain gardens (love the concept, hate the reality in small islands),my plants of choice are small ornamental grasses because they take a flogging and keep on trucking, so to speak.  Woody plants break and continue to get big. Grasses max out on size and don’t damage vehicles while recovering nicely when “mistakes are made”.

You get one time in your life where it is “easy” to go to college and you really need to do it then. My wife tried to go back last year for just a couple classes to add to her degree and what a nightmare, with a kid, full time job, and me to deal with. 
 
 

My University just switched to the 5 year masters of Arch. I think that all the 5 yr Barchs are becoming 5 yr Marchs. Makes sense to me too bad the LA dept. did not follow.

Yes, there is an exception for education and experience, but it takes a decade, and is a legacy regulation for when appreticeships were a viable path into the profession. But if you are going to pay for an education, it better be NAAB accredited, otherwise you are wasting your time. I know a few people who just got a BSArch and didn’t go for the m…[Read more]

Funny you should say that, because I spent two weeks at the U of I’s Discover Architecture summer program. It was a lot of fun, and it reassured me about my future plans. I’ve come to appreciate the countless hours we spent in the studio, drafting and altering our design projects. I knew that the those technical stages would be one of the deciding…[Read more]

Jason, I do not think your statement that you must have Masters degree to become a licensed Architect is correct. The 5 year BArch degree(most commonly found at public state universities) is an accredited professional degree that NCARB accepts for their education requirement. Some states including your state of Maryland do not even require an…[Read more]

Benjamin,  I see you are from Rock Island.  I would recommend you travel down to Champaign and meet with some of the faculty at U of I.  They have both an Architecture and Landscape Architecture program along with other allied design professions.  They would be a good resource for your questions.  Not that I am cheering on the U of I but I work…[Read more]

Benjamin-
Try to get a job doing something relatively close to either of the fields, save some money, travel, and think about it for awhile…no need to hurry…seriously
 
 

There is a lot of overlap between the two fields and if I were you I would really research what both fields do. Also I would call and ask for an informational interview at a local Arch and LA firm. That gives you a chance to look at their projects and get a good idea what each profession put into getting it built.
Something to remember in college…[Read more]

I and two of my former classmates started a Landscape Architectural Firm doing both design and build projects after collage. It was hard at first considering we are in a developing country where landscaping is considered a luxury but after a number of projects, things are picking up and the office is getting busy but we have always kept our…[Read more]

I have looked at the magazine and its amaign