Search Results for 'sections'

[Boilerplater]

I wonder if the reason bikers want to be on streets is that it is perceived to be safer from potential assailants. That is, when you are on a bike path that is isolated or hidden from streets, are potential attackers, thieves, perverts etc. more likely to be there? At least if you are along a road, you are more likely to be seen if you’ve been injured or attacked. I worked on a path for the D&R canal State Park in NJ. Most of the path is very popular, running along a historic canal. Its used by joggers, bycyclists, dog walkers. The part I worked on, which was a final connection in the system, goes hrough rather depressed sections of the City of Trenton. The few miles in the city get very little use by bikers and are more trash strewn. Residents of nearby areas use it as a footpath. I rode on it a few times with out incident, but I’m a 6′ male. I wouldn’t recommend it to people who are easily intimidated.

Speaking of Woonerfs, I’ve been to Holland several times as I had relatives there. I’ve known people who lived near wonerfs so I experienced them firsthand. The thing that is worth nothing is that the traffic volume is so low that I would not be concerned about kids playing in one. Of course, drivers look out for bikes there so much more. Its so much a part of the culture. You’ll see parents toting kids to school in a bike seat regularly. When I visited my grandparents when I was 10, they rented a bike for me and let me loose on the town. I had the best time! Looking back on it, its somewhat amazing that they would think I would be safe in an unfamiliar town where I could only speak a few words in Dutch. That takes in enormous amount of faith in one’s fellow burghers. Bike lanes are commonly separated, but they are close to roads. I think in a way kids there have a lot more personal freedom due to bike safety. One of the more remarkable things I saw was a kid on a bike pulling a trailer loaded with a wind surfboard. He was on a path miles from the nearest beach. His whole recreational outing, from getting there to enjoying it, would be carbon free!

I tried to promote this kind of thing a bit when I worked for the NJDOT, but the reaction I got was basically like, “Well, our mission is to decide what to plant around the highways. Why should we do anything different?” And landscape architects wonder why their viewpoint is so marginalized. Yeah, I’ve experienced a string of disillusioning events in my LA career!

[Eric Gilbey]

If you haven’t checked out the LARE Prep page in the ASLA.org site, you should. Aside from some sample problems, and solutions, for sections C and E, there is a new resource called “Questions” which provides an email link to LAREprep@asla.org
I highly encourage you to submit questions there, since the questions will be answered by LARE Prep Committee members…many of whom conduct LARE review sessions around the US and are typically getting up to date information from CLARB about the exam.
Since CLARB is the organization that creates and evaluates the exam, they legally cannot provide direct assistance to candidates, as that would result in an indefensible exam. ASLA, however, and especially the members of the LARE Prep Committee, have a vested interest in helping more candidates pass the exam.
The more input you gain, as you prepare for the exam, the better.

[Steve Roberts]

Well when I first moved to Florida I felt overwhelmed too. But I learned to love the diversity of the plant life, and came to call it “Paradise“. Palm trees were the hardest for me to get used to, but eventually I could pick them all out and tell you all about them. I did however have some help from co-workers and a few good books. “Florida my Eden” by Frederic B. Stresau is an essential staple for South Florida. I would suggest subscribing to “Plant Finder” magazine by Betrock. Plant Finder magazine publishes current prices, availability, and quantities of plant materials available from local growers. Here is a link to their website. http://www.plantfinder.com/ They produce the best books on Palm Trees if you want to learn more about them. They have plant selection software available for purchase as well. I am a big fan of Ed Gilman. He is a professor at the University of Florida. He writes books about Florida plants, and has a directory of online plant fact sheets. Here is a link the website. http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/factsheets.shtml Another good book that he wrote is “Betrock’s Florida Plant Guide”. I hope that this helps out. I really miss Florida, and the weather. Enjoy! I read on one of your other posts that you were studying for sections C and E of the LARE. Did you pass?

[nca]

Samuel,

I was accepted into the Design Workshop Summer internship program in 2007. I liken my experience that summer to a semester in grad school.

I recommend applying for ‘programs’ like DW’s or EDAW’s (not even sure if it exists anymore) as you’ll get a lot more out of it than experience sitting behind a desk making pretty drawings all day. If you go for a more traditional internship working in an office you’ll likely be expected to work at a production capacity making sections, doing cad red lines, an occasional sketchup/rhino model, etc and if your veratile and the office wants to help you get experience you’ll work between teams on different project types.

I got so far as being involved in the design process in a few pinches and developed a strong professional relationship woth one of the principals.

We were not required to do an internship while in school. I did it for my own experience and because I needed a job. According to my school this arrangement would not count for an ‘internship’ anyway because I got paid and didn’t pay tuition. I’m not sure if that’s true everywhere or just at CSU.

[Jessi Seglar]

I took and passed section B, along with A and D, last March and I must say I had great luck with the Land Development Handbook by Dewberry. It turned out to be a wonderful source. Section B is a really difficult test to pass, and I think CLARB is getting more and more into stormwater management programming elements, so it also helped me to research BMPs from the EPA website. Also, if you have any LARE Prep classes in your area, they help immensely.

I am actually gearing up to take C and E in June, any good sources you know for those sections?

[Jonathan Charwick]

I just received a failing grade for section B for the third time. I have passed all the other sections first time, and find myself extremely frustrated. I read a number of books, reviewed the google test info, and have taken all the sample exams on CLARB.org and from the Practice Problems Sample Exam.

It seems like the programming section is the one I can’t get by, which is frustrating because I read a number of sources on programming and felt I knew it well enough when I took the exam

Does anyone know of a book or source to study for programming that will prepare me enough to pass this exam? Any help would be appreciated.

[Sherry Alexander]

Hi Laura: Just keep trying and you’ll eventually pass!

Let me know what study material you have – Sherry_Alexander@dot.ca.gov
If I have anything that you don’t have I’ll be glad to send to you. Believe me, I know just how you feel! My scores both times that I took Section D were worse than yours. The second time I took it my scores were worse than the first time.

I took Section D three times before I passed. I’m completely surprised that I passed Section D in Sept 09. The first time I took A, B, and D, (Sept 08) I passed A and B. Not passing Section D was a complete shock, since I felt confident with the material. Then when I took Section D again in March 09 I was absolutely sure that I passed. Unfortunately, I was even more shocked and felt worse for not passing again. I’m a disciplined studier, not a slacker, and I put in 100s of hours researching and studying.

Here’s the methods I used to pass: A

fter taking the exam each time I wrote down all the questions I could remember. Then when I found out that I didn’t pass I researched all the questions on the Internet.

I also used the StormwaterAuthority website and found it helpful. Additionally, I visited parks and other public places and looked at how structures were assembled, fasteners used, went to Lowes and Home Depot and looked at fasteners, reviewed woodworking, garden structures, patio, stone masonry books (spent time at Borders books too), really knew how to read a nomograph, Q=CiA, wood sizing charts, knew every type of heavy earth moving equipment (looked on the internet), stopped while driving or walking by a construction site and looked at equipment and tried to identify and how it was used, thoroughly reviewed Time Saver Standards, reviewed flash cards. When I went over the PPI study material and incorrectly answered questions I made it a point to understand why. I now have notebooks of study material just on Section D.

Can’t really say what material I studied that helped me pass though. The majority of what I studied wasn’t on the exam. That’s what was so frustrating. There were a number of questions directly from Time Saver Standards on all three Section D exams that I took.

However, when I took Section D for the third time I felt terrible just 10 minutes into the exam. I just knew I was going to have to take it again. Problem is I didn’t know what else to study. When I checked the scores yesterday I was prepared to see FAIL again. I was truly shocked that I passed this time. Two of my co-workers have taken MC sections multiple times. When I got my score I made sure not to act completely elated in case they didn’t pass again. It’s really painful not to pass when others around you pass.

Putting the exams in the right perspective helped. For me this meant not allowing a test to either define me as “smart” or “dumb or defective.” What also helped was thinking about how I viewed others who had passed after the first, second, third, or more times. Truly, I don’t stand in awe of those who pass the first time (my husband passed A, B, and D the first time in Sept 08). He was surprised he passed because he did not feel confident after A,B or D.

Sure, I’m glad for everyone who passes the first time, but don’t think they are amazing beings. I’m really more impressed by those who keep trying until they pass. After we get registered it won’t matter how many times we took the LARE anyway. Yeah, putting out the money is painful, as well as all the study time. But I have to say that I learned so much more by not passing the first or second time. Also, as my husband said, he could have passed by just one, two, or three points, and I could have failed by just one point.

Just keep on striving, and you’ll eventually pass. Maybe next time will be the final time. By going through this process, you’ll have much more empathy for others going through the process in the future.

[Laura M. Hernandez]

I’ve taken section D 3 times….albeit the first time I took it was well over 5 years ago when I wasn’t at all prepared. The last two times I took it this past year (March and September). I felt comfortable with the material tested in the Septebmer administration and was certain that I had passed. However to my dismay, I just found that I didn’t pass…again! I am feeling completely discouraged. I invested countless hours preparing for the areas that I had been weakest in…not to mention the amount of money I spent in purchasing many of the suggested books. This is not only emotionally taxing but financially taxing as well. I would be interested in hearing from someone who DID pass to see what they may have done differently. I’m looking for suggestions so that I will finally pass this section. Please help!!! By the way my latest exam subsections are as follows: 12122

[ida]

It depends on what part of the design phase you want to focus on. I use Maya for conceptual design studies since it allows you to quickly create complex forms without being bogged down by a technical process. It’s the equivalent to the cut & paste method of paper study models during the creative process. When you have a design you’re happy with (or your boss is happy with), you can switch to Rhino for post-production to generate the perspectives and diagrams for presentation. Rhino functions like Autocad and will even render cad plans and sections from your 3d model (it’s like hitting two birds with one stone).

I’m not sure about 3ds Max, but I’m sure it functions like Rhino.

Basically, Maya is the best tool for designing in 3d. I don’t recommend designing in Rhino, 3ds Max, or even Sketchup since you’ll be overwhelmed with the technical functions (you’ll understand what I mean once you try Maya). Reserve those programs for post-production…

[Jared Chase]

It’s not in the landscaping section but more so in the painting and home sections. It’s 6-mil black poly plastic that is made for painting, vapor barriers, covering equiptment, etc. Here is it also used by a lot of companies for a weed barrier. I hate the stuff. Here is the best picture I could find of this stuff. http://www.rd.com/how-to-choose-a-landscape-weed-barrier/article19570.html

There was no landscape architect involved with this project but it is being installed by “the best in town”.

[Eric Gilbey]

With the direct 2D/3D environment in Vectorworks Landmark, you have several different ways of creating a terrain model, whether you enter X,Y,Z points you’ve gathered in the field, or if you import them from a Survey (ie CSV, TXT), or from contours generated on your own, or imported from other DWG/DXF, even GIS Shapefiles, you have a lot of flexibility in creating the terrain model. Once you have made it, you have the ability to show changes to the proposed site by modifiers, such as proposed contours or polygonal shapes with or without slopes. These changes can be reflected in plan, 3D and sections views, as well as quantified in Cut and Fill calculations and in slope analysis. The editing of source data for the terrain can be, as well as the shape and extent of the modifiers, so there is some aspect of push/pull already. Mapping textures and sending objects allow you to make the entire modeling aspect a real as you want to make it. It has been worth switching and learning the new tools, because they make my design/analysis process easier and faster.

[Daniel Majors]

This was shared with me a few months ago and it has a lot of material, most i’ve seen before but some of it I haven’t. It proved to be a good resource to me. Go to (http://groups.google.com/group/lare-exam/files) to download files for all sections of the exam. You can also check out the main group page @ (http://groups.google.com/group/lare-exam) if you want to join discussions. Hope this help ya’ll…it helped me!

[Jay Smith]

I’m interested in taking sections C & E in Florida. However, there is a good chance I might move before December and I’m concerned that I may not get my money back if I pay for the test now. I understand the $100 registration fee is non-refundable, but what about the actual test fees?

I called the FL DBPR customer service number to ask, but the person was EXTREMELY unhelpful, and kept referrring me to their website. I cannot find anything on their website stating stating the cancellation or refund policy.

I was wondering if anyone else here has faced this situation and knows the answer. Thanks.

[Melanie Reber, RLA]

“First, I must say that while OFTEN hand graphics are better received by clients, but that is not always the case. Often, the problem with computer drawn plans is that they look to cold, where the problem is really not that it is rendered by a computer, or in photoshop, but the methods used to make the drawings are not up to par. Also there is a difference based on who the client is.”

Completely agree here.

“Back to the topic at hand, however, I think having a personal style really is key in a field like this. Whether it be the way you model and render, or the way you draw in plan, having a personal touch to it always makes a difference. I am blogging tutorials on how I render and model not so people can just copy me, but because I put countless hours in to make the methods I have, and I would rather people have a jumping off point then starting from scratch like I had to. I want people to look at my grass texture and change how they do it to give it their own personal feel. We are an industry built on creativity and innovation, and the fact that people are uncomfortable innovating long enough to make a better way to draw people, or bricks for that matter, always annoyed me.”

THAT is my point… thank you! And also let me express my appreciation of what you are doing with the tutorial blogs. I went through a few last night, and they were very informative. Your generosity of time and willingness to share your hard won knowledge does not go unnoticed.

“That being said, I think some of the appeal of the “stick figure” like people in sections and perspectives comes from the fact that while people will be in the space, using it, they are part that is always changing and moving. The ghost like look lends itself to the fact that those particular people are only a fleeting part of the design, while people in general are important, the hard scape and plants are the permanent, unchanging portion.”

Yes… perfectly understandable and acceptable. However, true enhancement of the overall power of the presentation, in my opinion, only occurs when we draw our own versions of those sticks.

[Frank Varro]

First, I must say that while OFTEN hand graphics are better received by clients, but that is not always the case. Often, the problem with computer drawn plans is that they look to cold, where the problem is really not that it is rendered by a computer, or in photoshop, but the methods used to make the drawings are not up to par. Also there is a difference based on who the client is.

Often clients who are not familiar with design firms (residential clients and public meetings for example), will prefer hand graphics because they feel computer graphics are to “slick” and must be hiding something. Most experienced clients (Park Boards, Planning commissions, Etc) realize that it is far easier to lie with hand graphics then with computer graphics.

You also cannot ignore the advantage that computer graphics bring of allowing animations and walk-throughs. In a culture that is more saturated with videogames people feel more comfortable in a 3D Computer version of reality, and in fact can now read a still of a computer model better then a hand drawn sketch, and its night and day if you can look at a slideshow of sketches or a computer model walk-through.

Back to the topic at hand, however, I think having a personal style really is key in a field like this. Whether it be the way you model and render, or the way you draw in plan, having a personal touch to it always makes a difference. I am blogging tutorials on how I render and model not so people can just copy me, but because I put countless hours in to make the methods I have, and I would rather people have a jumping off point then starting from scratch like I had to. I want people to look at my grass texture and change how they do it to give it their own personal feel. We are an industry built on creativity and innovation, and the fact that people are uncomfortable innovating long enough to make a better way to draw people, or bricks for that matter, always annoyed me.

That being said, I think some of the appeal of the “stick figure” like people in sections and perspectives comes from the fact that while people will be in the space, using it, they are part that is always changing and moving. The ghost like look lends itself to the fact that those particular people are only a fleeting part of the design, while people in general are important, the hard scape and plants are the permanent, unchanging portion.