Blog

Due to being suddenly inundated with design and construction projects I have not been able to post nearly as much as I would like. One thing I would like to share at the moment is an opportunity I recently had to review some materials from Nemetschek’s Vectorworks program. I started using Vectorworks at the beginning of 2009 and thought some of the information might be useful to any professionals in the industry. There were several reasons why our company made the decision to start working with Vectorworks Landmark. Coming from a AutoCAD and Google Sketchup background, I had been quite used to the traditional work flow with most of the design industry. Typically grading and planting plans would come from a CAD format, and some of the more three dimensional features would be roughly modeled...Read More

With the advent of social networks and network virtualization , collaborative design efforts are going online. Designers can now share video, schematics, 3-D renderings, milestone calendars and more with other designers and clients. Satelite internet services allow engineers to broadcast directly from the construction site, saving time and travel costs. We are entering a new era in design and need to adapt quickly to maximize it’s potential. This should be an exciting evolution.

“Urging the world to brace for a “really big reshuffle” in energy expectations, Christophe de Margerie, CEO of French energy giant Total SA, said he expected oil production to plateau in just 12 years at 94 million barrels a day — less then 10 million barrels more than available now. And he warned the forecast was optimistic.” “We will have to fight against the natural decline of (present) oil fields,” he told the same forum Khelil attended. “It will not go smoothly.” The US, its economy, its infrastructure, its cities, towns and countryside have all been built on the concept of an endless supply of cheap or at least affordable oil. Our whole transportation system, the way we get goods and services to communities and the way communities funct...Read More

I am excited to promote Daniel Tal’s new book, Google SketchUp for Site Design: A Guide to Modeling Site Plans, Terrain and Architecture. The above video gives a good inside on what the book has to offer. Here is the written description via the publisher’s website – Wiley (a proud sponsor of Land8Lounge – eh eh) – if the video doesn’t do the trick: “Google SketchUp for Site Design illustrates a holistic approach to SketchUp: how it works and more importantly, what to do with it. Filled with tutorials from front to back, the book focuses on the start and completion of projects that include rich detail and expression. Each part and chapter of the book builds on the previous chapters and tutorial. Also included are links to supplemental on-line resour...Read More

INDONESIA Landscapes & Culture is a book devoted to Indonesia and its breathtaking landscapes, the warm people, and its rich and diverse culture. Rick Wezenaar was born in 1968 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. At the early age of 11 he started with photography and has never stopped since. In 1989 he started making professional photography. One of the things Rick really likes is travelling. Especially Indonesia has caught his photographic eye. Therefore, during a 4 year ‘quest’, Rick has travelled the countryside, villages and cities of Indonesia, capturing its beauty and culture. A small part of all these photographs taken during those journeys have found their way into this book. We really hope the viewer will enjoy this publication of Rick’s stunning and breathtaking ph...Read More

The Dirt (ASLA) covered this story a while ago, but I am still bothered by this solution to an old landfill in Brooklyn. They capped the landfill with a layer of plastic and applied 3′ of good soil over top. Andropogon did an excellent job (and should rightly be praised) for their push to use trees and naturalized meadow flowers and grasses rather than the traditional lawn. However, I would never call this a remediation or a solution. Base flow and ground water is still going to be severely affected by the abandoned and buried trash. The water quality contributing to the local watershed is still going to be compromised and degraded. It’s nice that a habitat was able to form and wildlife is beginning to return to the site, but it’s still just a short-term solution. Landsca...Read More

The Therapeutic Landscapes Network is pleased to announce the launch of our new website. Same url, HealingLandscapes.org, same great content (actually we’ve added more), and many new features, including: – Search function within the site; – Blog and site under one virtual roof; – Larger, richer images, with more on the way; – Updated Designers and Consultants Directory with a map for geographic as well as alphabetical search (contact us if you’d like to be added to our Directory); – Expanded Therapeutic Gardens Directory (map coming soon, too); – Sponsors who help fund the work that we do (individual donations are also most welcome); – Sound! Click on “play birdsong audio” on the left-hand side of the home page; – And ...Read More

The 54th annual Edward C. Martin Landscape Symposium is scheduled for Oct. 21, 2009 at Bost Auditorium, Mississippi State University from 9am to Noon. Guest speakers include Dr. Jim DelPrince on interior design, Gail Barton on Mississippi gardening, and Bob Brzuszek on residential landscape design. For more info and registration, please visit http://www.lalc.msstate.edu/

Thanks to everyone able to attend this year’s Land8 Happy Hour – Chicagostyle! And many thanks to Baseline and Vectorworks for sponsoring the event. For those of you who missed it this year, we met at the Exchequer Restaurant on the Saturday night of the 2009 ASLA Conference for some Chicagostyle deep dish pizza and cold beverages. There were close to 70 people who attended and it was awesome to meet everyone in person. Here are some pictures of the event… During the first hour, visitors made themselves comfortable. Sitting at the table in the forground is Scott Munroe. He later won the Tallest Hat Contest. In the background you see the screen with a running slideshow of members’ work from the Gallery. (Right) Scott showing off his hat. It was great to see how the e...Read More

Each year the American Society of Landscape Architects has an annual meeting, and this year it was in Chicago. I’ve gone to three of the last four, and must say that this was one of the most enjoyable weekends. Some of that may be caused by my circumstances surrounding each meeting. (Minneapolis I was still in Grad School and a week from presentations, so my mind wasn’t fully there; San Fransisco I had just graduated and had an interview set up that I was to busy freaking out about to enjoy myself) This year I am working retail, have been out of the field for just over a year, and am feeling… disheartened. So to go to a convention center for four days straight, see talks about all the things that used to make up my daily work life, and talk to nothing but people who do wh...Read More

The Therapeutic Landscapes Network is working feverishly to launch our new website in time for the annual American Society of Landscape Architects Meeting and Expo next week (and the American Horticultural Therapy Association and Healthcare Design 09 conferences soon after that). Above is a sneak peek at our beautiful homepage. Oooh. Ahhh. This isn’t just a superficial makeover. We’ve reconfigured the TLN site to offer improved searchability and richer imagery; an expanded Designers and Consultants Directory; an expanded Directory of Therapeutic Gardens; sponsorship opportunities for businesses and organizations to promote their products, services, and expertise; an integrated blog (website and blog all under one virtual roof); an interactive Network Forum where members can mee...Read More

Sausalito Fire Destroys Shades of Green Landscape Architecture Studio Sausalito, CA – A fire that broke out last evening in a three-story building on Pine Street is under control after it destroyed the studio space of Shades of Green Landscape Architecture. The start of the fire is still under investigation along with the total damage. I was happy to blog about their successes in this post, but this news is, simply put, awful. I have yet to speak with principals Ive Haugeland and Tyler Manchuck, or their associate Jamie Morf, so I can only imagine their devastation. I encourage you to drop them your well-wishes below, or on their profiles.