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Hey Glenn,

I think you’re talking about starting a residential design-build, in which case, realistically, your first few clients at least will be on the smaller scale. Taking that into consideration, I wouldn’t overcomplicate the situation.

Before I went back to school at CSU I worked in design-build, eventually starting my own ‘pickup truck…[Read more]

Hey James,

Good to see you here. I’ve lost a residential client because I sent them the short version of the ASLA contract. It scared them. What can you recommend in this case?

Contracts…definitely contracts.

http://clientsfromhell.net/

Altho this site is stories from web designers and graphic designers, you’ll see the horror tales of clients who re-invent the understanding after the work is done.

Become “official” … when I formed my company I decided on an LLC.
Get professional liability insurance immediately. There is a reason all firms have it. In addition, if you are a sub to another firm they will most likely require it. Any design/build firm should be insured.
And always use a written contract, even if it is a one pager. It clears…[Read more]

Is it cause and affect, or affect and cause?

The notion that people will walk to accessible destinations is pretty elementary. What is missing is that proximity is a two way street. Some people prefer to be in the thick of things and some prefer some separation. Still others prefer a great deal of separation.

This goes back to that Rybczynski…[Read more]

Man, I wish I had his job. He takes one position, and then completely contradicts himself by the end of the interview – end result – what has he said? Nothing, but it would fill a class room hour..Good grief..And “urban parks were old-fashioned from 1900 to 1980” – what? Really?
He always pisses me off anyway – why doesn’t an LA have this job, not…[Read more]

I generally agree.

As a study this is interesting, but probably impractical for a number of reasons. Is this another criterion for quantifying good neighborhood design? I get it, but I think the true key to walkability is context sensitive/site-responsive design. Different patterns of walkability or drivability are going to occur in different…[Read more]

You simply cannot make the comparisons the authors have made. LA is not Venice. European urban culture is vastly different than US pedestrian tendencies. Besides, The Italian car culture is firmly rooted in Modena, where Detroit and LA are home to it here. I love when the “smart growth crowd” asserts simplistic conclusions such as this. There are…[Read more]

Sorry, that is the problem with referring to apps … they change so quickly.

No, just because an image is on the Internet does NOT make it public domain.

We recently won an LID Design Competition sponspored by the Houston Land and Water Sustainability Forum, and a big part of our entry talks about removing contaminants from stormwater runoff. Let me know if you are interested in getting a copy.

j

There are three things to do … (1) be active in local LA chapters, volunter, and get to know professionals in the area. For univerisities, volunteer to be a guest juror, or to help coordinate an event. The key is for people to get to know you. (2) Go to local universities and meet the professors and admin. Let them know you are interested. Have…[Read more]

@Rob H.

I agree for the most part with what you’re saying, but also think this is a as much if not more a socio-political problem as it is a design and engineering one. It doesn’t seem like there is much we could do if no one would be willing to implement potential solutions.

Putting that discussion aside, I think it would be in our best…[Read more]

1. Oil at least will not always be a part of the mix because it exists in limited supply.
2. If human population continues to grow and to consume at the recent rate, there can be no technology or mix that can sustain us.

So I believe that human population control and ending the consumption culture are two huge steps (difficult steps) that cannot…[Read more]

Ah, I am not saying that all is explained by seeing BP as The Three Stooges. I am suggesting that ascribing complicated conspiracies to explain what is happening ignores the reality of real live people who are not in fact omnipotent. I have no doubt that they conspire (as I wrote), but the point is of no use to us. And talk of conspiracies,…[Read more]

I think the point was to deincentivize BP from (and this is conjecture on my part I think) trying to preserve the well instead of their first priority being protecting the asset.

I think the answer (not that there is ONE answer), but one of many solutions perhaps may be the integration of supply and demand in terms of alternatives sources like solar, ie rooftop panels with community to community integrated power supply stations like batteries to store power for each neighborhood or community. Something to that degree seems…[Read more]

Revoke the permit? Huh? “We revoke your permit to have oil gushing from that broken pipe 5,000 feet under sea.”
The only thing that would accomplish is letting BP walk away from it and turning the project over to the government (tax payers). This is BPs problem, they should fix it.

Government oversight still exists regardless of the status of…[Read more]

Okay.

‘Stupid’? I don’t think so. ‘Unenlightened,’ perhaps.

I appreciate your point Rob, but I don’t think we’re dealing with generally stupid people or necessarily unenlightened people. In fact, I have more confidence in the notion that private corporations such as BP tend to attract the best and brightest in some for or another, be it workers…[Read more]

ABSOLUTELY… a good choice but file sharing (to autocad users) and base import can be a bit of a trick without autocad.