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From a purely practical standpoint, I would go the route of interdisciplinary firm.  Simply put, diversify, diversify, diversify.  It is a biased opinion, as I am employed in such a firm, but the ability of one discipline to pick up the slack of another discipline has helped us weather this proverbial storm.
 
This type of firm can also hinder wh…[Read more]

I tend to agree, you can have a great plan that is wonderfully rendered, and is a great design when experienced.  You can also have a terrible plan that is wonderfully rendered, and is ineffective when experienced.  You can also have a good plan that is poorly rendered or presented, yet have it be a great design when implemented.  Therefore, as Tr…[Read more]

Sorry, me again, like a bad penny, but I think this is a no-brainer – there is NO relationship between harmony in plan and in reality..None at all..Similarly, there is no relationship between visual beauty in reality and in plan..That’s why they have books like “How to lie with maps.”

Monumental sculptures and landscape ceramic art.

Have you heard anything about UCLA’s program?

As Jonathan said, set a fixed design fee up front.  Outline exactly what you will provide for that fee (e.g. 3 concepts and 1 final plan), that way there are no questions when it comes to pay day.

You need to deicde what your time is worth. It is good to know the length of time it will take to come up with the design. From this you can either arrange a charge per hour with the client or a fixed fee. When I first started I was charging $35/hr but quickly realized (with my client’s input) that the labor was being charged at almost the same…[Read more]

Andy,
Sounds ambitious, especially in MN.  I think TJJ’s comments are harsh but right on the money.  Long horizontal run will may freeze in spring and become nice ice sculpture after the pipe bursts with freeze thaw(electrical heat tape maybe).  I am curious about plant species as well.  I applaud people who go out the edge in our lovely cli…[Read more]

Despite lessons of relative magnitude learned from early tragic events it’s impossible to deny the basic need for money. You might not be doing exactly what you want but you’ve got food in the fridge and a roof over your head… without a plan “something different” will entail moving in with your parents or becoming homeless. I suggest you stick…[Read more]

A couple other thoughts… you won’t need the yellow liner / permeable setup leading to the cistern because one good rainfall on that roof will fill up the reservoir. You should be more concerned with handling overflow…
Are you going to use the cistern to water the whole site? It seems overkill for a small greenwall…

Mahalo!
When you experience a tragic event early in life, you quickly realize everything else is small potatoes. We all have to go sometime, right? Might as well enjoy each day! And when you can’t wake up in the morning looking forward to a day in the office, then its time to do something different.
A hui hou.

Well, Maui is the number one island destination for marriages. It was sheer luck, fate or whatever you wanna call it on how I ended up here. I was on vacation when I applied for the open position. I actually took a pay cut; my salary at HNTB was higher. However, the 4 extra paid holidays I receive more than makes up for it. And above all…this is…[Read more]

Another option is to get positive and make the best out of what is served to you. It is hard, but it can be done. I jent went through several months where I was quite negative and just decided that I was better than that. Negativism is very contagious and it sounds like it has spread through your office and has gotten to you, too. No one stands…[Read more]

Looks like pondless water features I’ve installed.  Very simple.  I just dig a basin, lay liner down, place a pump in a permeable reservior, and fill with gravel.  To increase volume, place structural objects like cinder blocks or drain tile in with the gravel.
 
A couple questions:  How will you keep fines out of your reservoir?  And how will…[Read more]

Try to look at StormTank from ACO

 
To expand on Mark’s point:  the “pondless waterfall” people have done a lot with this concept, and we have used this technology on several rainwater storage projects. Here’s another type of pump chamber to look at:  http://www.savio.cc/pond-products/C55/  . 
The advantages to an aggregate filled system is the stone provides a lot of mechanica…[Read more]

How did this work out?

A) A green wall in MN!? What species do you intend to use? Regardless, you will have to tear it down every fall and rebuild it every spring. Based on your design you’re going to have a barren, ugly, grid as the focal point of your design for 8 out of 12 months.
B) Water storage that close to foundation is sketchy at best, especially in an area…[Read more]