Blog

This week was busier than I would have liked, what with tax day and Portal 2.  I did want to give you a quick progress update however.  I tweaked some of the major areas in my deck and public turf area, refining shapes, and moving the parking slightly.  The combination of the changes create spaces that are more vibrant, draw your eye towards the areas you want to look, and have good spaces created for gardening and herbs (Sea Foam Green).   I then set about working on the back yard area.  I knew I wanted a path leading out to my private space and to the river edge.  I also wanted to include screening and a place for flood water to be cleaned, infiltrated, or at least slowed down.  I also wanted it to be something visually striking.  I have created a raised decking path and small deck area,...Read More

Now that I have a site and a client, the first thing to do is to walk the site, and create a site analysis based on what the client needs and what the site and borrowed landscape provides.  My first cut at the site analysis stayed at a large scale and was somewhat bold. This analysis was made with Sharpies on a trace sheet laid over the base map, and serves as a first step to get the big issues onto the page.  I then stepped down to a more detailed analysis using a wacom tablet on my PC.  This allowed me to work on top of both the base map, satellite photo, and my first analysis map, all with variable opacity, while still having the control/feel of a pen. This analysis map is what I used for my conceptual design phase on a site scale.    This would still be for internal use in general, and...Read More

Recently, as I have continued my search for full-time employment, I’ve forced myself to take another look at myself in terms of what I can do to improve my chances in the hyper-competitive job market of today.  Without boring you with the full list, I’ll just say that I figured out a way to kill two birds with one stone. Starting today, I am going to run my own design studios.  I’m going to run it similar to how some of my MLA studios were.  I have 6 weeks to go from site visit to presentation.  The presentation style will vary with the project, from Competition Boards to small presentations for home owners.  I will always assume an unlimited budget.  If there is interest, I may ask readers to act as clients, giving the basic programmatic desires, etc.  I’ll be maki...Read More

Yuanye or The Craft Of Garden is a great treatise on gardening done by Ji Cheng during the late Ming Dynasty around 1631. It is the first monograph dedicated to landscape architecture in the world. Yuanye is composed by two Chinese characters, they are “Yuan” and “ye” and each means gardening and cultivate or educate. Combining them together, Yuanye means cultivating people to design and build gardens. Instead of giving step-by-step instructions, Ji Cheng summarized the Chinese gardening tradition. The author, Ji Cheng was a professional gardener at that time, but he lived at a time when poor scholars had to entertain the upper higher cultivated class to get their appreciations and patronage for a living. As a result  this book is written in an highly archaic style with a great many of cla...Read More

A trend appearing across the nation in cities big and small is the development or redevelopment of downtowns. These areas are gaining clout as a kind of “blank canvas”, ready to be rejuvenated in the name of economic development. They are also gaining popularity amongst luxury loft and condo developers, who are rapidly buying up old office buildings and warehouses in the downtowns of some of North America’s biggest cities. But while this recent revival of interest in often ignored and abandoned city centers is providing needed economic growth for their cities, the low-income residents of this formerly-unwanted real estate are seeing rents shoot far out of their price range. Gentrification has pushed thousands of downtown residents out of their low-rent housing, such as ol...Read More

What is Landscape Infrastructure? What types of infrastructure will this book delve into? Will it extend beyond tired conversations on sustainable water management?   Those were my initial questions, or perhaps even skepticisms, when I picked up this book. I was happy to find that the well written, succinct prose of the Preface by Gerdo Aquino quickly answered those questions and in fact piqued my interest further to see exactly what ideas would be explored through this book.   The authors’ intention is clear:   ‘…to question the ongoing viability of these single-purpose corridors by proposing that a multifunctional approach is more in tune with contemporary society”. In order to achieve the goals set out, a book of topical essays exploring the different principles, which they define as La...Read More

        SLANT AWARDS SUMMER 2011 © International Competition for Students of Landscape Architecture www.slant.eu The international competition for the SLANT AWARDS is being held this year for the first time and on this occasion is aimed exclusively at students of Landscape Architecture and Landscape Design worldwide. The central idea behind this challenge is that the project in question is a “virtual project”, one that has been created specifically for this competition. What you are being invited to do is to create a concept design for a public park, one which will not only serve the needs of the citizens of this city, but which will also aim to achieve iconic status and in so doing will enhance the international reputation of the city. You will see from the brief that we are looking here ...Read More

http://tolsondesign.blogspot.com/ Row, Row, Row Your Boat; or The Case for Network-Centric Landscape Architecture From Wikipedia on the meaning of Row, Row, Row Your Boat “The lyrics of Row, Row, Row Your Boat have often been used as a metaphor for life’s difficult choices, and many see the boat as referring to one’s self or a group with which one identifies. Rowing is a skillful, if tedious, practice that takes perfection but also directs the vessel. When sung as a group, the act of  rowing becomes a unifier, as oars must be in sync in a rowboat. The idea that man travels along a certain stream suggests boundaries in the path of choices and in free will.” The Biology of Twitter I didn’t actually call my boss obsolete. I was trying to impress upon her that proficient use of tec...Read More

I asked local whiz-bang architect and friend Andrew Mitchell this question…”Are Landscape Architects really necessary”. His answer might surprise you. As a Graduate Architect, a crucial part of my job is analyzing other people’s designs in order to make fun of them1 and feel superior. I know it is a sacrifice that I must make for my profession, but I feel that I am the ideal person for this challenge. As a designer I am fully qualified to be anything and everything to my clients. I can design their facility from A to Z and save them money in the long run. I do not need to hire consultants, I know everything and know what is best for them. The only hiccup to my design dominance is when the client asks questions like, “Why is our warehouse surrounded by boxwoods...Read More

I asked local whiz-bang architect and friend Andrew Mitchell that question…”Are Landscape Architects really necessary”. His answer might surprise you. As a Graduate Architect, a crucial part of my job is analyzing other people’s designs in order to make fun of them1 and feel superior.   I know it is a sacrifice that I must make for my profession, but I feel that I am the ideal person for this challenge.  As a designer I am fully qualified to be anything and everything to my clients.  I can design their facility from A to Z and save them money in the long run.  I do not need to hire consultants, I know everything and know what is best for them.  The only hiccup to my design dominance is when the client asks questions like, “Why is our warehouse surrounded by boxwoods and turf grass?”  Obvio...Read More

Set against a scenic and historic backdrop, the Florence Institute of Design International will again offer a unique four-week architectural learning experience for aspiring and professional architects. The course, which will run from June 1 to 30, will usher students though different architectural periods to discover the key to the evolution of Italian architecture.   The course will be held mostly in the form of walking tours combined with on-site discussions, photometric analysis, as well as hand sketching. However, classes will be also held in Florence Institute’s elegant Baroque style palazzo, located in the historical center of the city. During which, students will also be treated to feature lectures on architecture and urban planning. Basically, the short program is designed t...Read More

 Was involved in my own business for 27 years of landscape design in Florida Specialized in high end garden /outdoor features. Medium size firm ,max of 20 person staff. Self taught , magazine work, shows.It just evolved as I do have great talent,environmental awareness/common sense plus business sense. Ended up being bought out 100%.  Now living in Colorado(2yrs) experiencing the new horticulture/environment and love the fresh connection to the land.   I want to go back to work and be part of a team .This would help complete my passion more than I could do before by having my own firm and managing all ends. .   Without a  LA degree  where do you think I could fit with a challenging company.???                                                                                                  ...Read More