Search Results for 'sections'

[Ray Freeman]

The vendor for the objective sections is Thompson Prometric. They were hired by CLARB to administer the exam via computer a number of years ago. In California, one still has to register fore the test through the state registration board. In other states, the process is different.

This 5 year rumor depends on where you are. In Arizona, they have a rule (this is heresay by the way) that says if you haven’t sat for the exam for 5-7 years, you lose credit for sectionsd you’ve passed. You need to check with yopur state board to find out what, if anything applies to you.

[Ray Freeman]

I sympathize with those who are frustrated by the LARE examination process, particularly the performance sections. There are, in my opinion, several reasons why these sections are so problematic.

A. In an attempt to create exam vignettes that can be evaluated with a higher level of objectivity than the old UNE could be, CLARB has created a kind of frankenstein monster. The vignettes are unlike what you did in school and also unlike what one does in an office. They are set up to force you to jump through a series of hoops in a certain way. As we are not used to doing this, it creates confusion in the minds of the test takers. The best advice I can give is to go into problem solving mode when taking a performance section and forget about good design, sound site planning or how you might solve this in an office. Just treat the test as a test and be certain to solve the most critical issues on each vignette.

B. The time constraints are nasty. Most people aren’t nearly fast enough, particularly on Section E.

C. The feedback CLARB gives to failing candidates is totally inadequate. This is particularly true for section E. Without paying for a review, you essentially get nothing. In my opinion this is not reasonable. I don’t feel that It would be that difficult or time consuming for CLARB to tell candidates how they did on each vignette and what KSAs they need to work on.

D. Over the past two years Section E has gotten too heavily into grading dams and sizing and creating stormwater impoundments. This is totally out of the range of experience and training of the vast majority of Landscape Architects. While I realize that stormwater retention, rain gardens, low impact development and sedimentation control are cutting edge and growth areas for the design professions, this stuff is not taught at most Land Arch university programs.

We work hard to keep up with developments in LARE-y Land with our review course series. However, we don’t have a 100% success rate with our students. Sorry to find Naomi S. is still struggling. Unfortunately, the exam (particularly E) has morphed (ponds and such) considerably since you came to take the class several years ago.

[Les Ballard]

hi, dolls house makers are everywhere and have a trick to replicate everything using locally available materials. For example, we have 2 grades of Milliput and a clay that sets called das for your purposes but, you may not. i believe you do have something called silver clay though that you set in a domestic oven. We use here tea, from used tea bags, dried and glued with pva, to represent soil around plat pots. So, though different kinds of model making has their own black arts, you may wish to frequent yourself with the dark world of the amateur dolls house afficianado. Incidentally, 1/12 and 1/20 scale are covered by these folk as a matter of course. Libraries and recreational sections of adult education centres often have lists of folk into different fields, while your most local dolls house magazine will have ads and other clues as to who is about. Good luck,
Luv n Lite,
Les Ballard

[Nanda]

BTW,
definitely read through all three multiple choice sections again…

[Nanda]

passed the exam this week.
make sure you prepare well. the fee is seriously hefty. you do not wanna retake it…

ADA
Be familiar with ADA guidelines pertaining to landscape architecture. Guardrail, grating, ramp surface, landings for ramps and stairs,
What kind of conc.. finish appropriate at ramp.
Which of the following does not require ADA access sports fields, restrooms, playgrounds, parking lot. Ans. sports fields
guardrail requirement. a 4″ sphere cannot pass through the rails. A guardrail is required when the drop is more than 30″.
If you are locating a tree in an ADA accessible courtyard what would you look for in the tree to ensure compliance. My answer was branching structure. I could have been wrong though.
Max. grating opening in path of travel: 1/2″

Fire
Fire issues in Landscape architecture.

Agencies
Responsibilities and limitations of, US fish and wildlife service, Coastal commission, US army corps of engineers, California Department of Fish and game. If you are constructing in a wetland which agencies might be involved.
various levels of guidelines: landuse plan, subdivision plan, zoning ordinance etc.?
Which agency is responsible at various scale and location of projects.
Be familiar with CEQA, Coastal commission, Dept of fish and Game, USFWS.

Irrigation
Irrigation pressure per foot rise of water.
What info do you need for MAWA(water application) calculations.
What info do you need to calculate precipitation rate.
Why need a BFP?
Where do you get your water pressure info from.

Plants
Plant communities of Ca, especially what can be planted under Oak trees, in riparian areas.
What plants should not be planted next to equestrian trail.
names of some plants with culinary value that can be used in the landscape in Ca.
Anthracnose?
Be familiar with the most notorious and common invasive plant species.

Project mgt.
Project close out requirements.
What should be in a contract between LA and client.
If Arch is prime consultant and LA is sub. and arch says he is responsible for ALL code compliance issues. what is your response.
How do you ensure sub consultants will comply to schedule (deadlines)

Misc.
In the sierras where do you place a cottage (my ans was South, South-west facing slope)
Where do you get your 100yr flood line from (FEMA map, or something to that effect)
if you are doing a project in the San Joaquin valley, which is more important . water conservation or fault line study?
legal light requirement for self-parking lot., 5.0 or 1.0?
What info does mech need to be provided for coordination regarding water feature.
What info do you need to calculate max span of wood beam. (type of wood or wood grain direction?)
Why steel in reinforced conc.?
Identifying landslide potential.
What method would you use to restore a concrete paving that is currently finished with a different color in a historic preservation project…

LINKS

EPA
http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/laws/index.html

US Fish and Wildlife
http://www.fws.gov/pdfs/AgencyOverviewTransition2009.pdf
http://www.fws.gov/pdfs/Fish%20and%20Habitat%20Conservation%20Transition%202009.pdf
http://www.fws.gov/pdfs/Endangered%20Species%20Transition%202009.pdf

CA dept of fish and game
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/

Plants
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/communities go to each plant community and read about it. atleast plants in each community.
http://www.rsabg.org/images/stories/horticulture/lists/RSA_CA_Classics.pdf

ADA
Download DSA’s California Access Compliance Reference Manual go to page 463 of the document and review the sections 1-7 and sec. 10

Fire
http://ucanr.org/freepubs/docs/8228.pdf

CEQA
http://ceres.ca.gov/topic/env_law/ceqa/guidelines/intro.html

Coastal commision
http://www.coastal.ca.gov/
http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/Comm_Brochure.pdf

Could be helpful
http://www.flashcardexchange.com/flashcards/view/648235

[Carl Carlson RLA, ASLA]

My big complaint is there is no real official was to prepare. Other than some PPI tests and begging friends for advice what more can you do. I was also unhappy with how the questions were divided on the test. The multiple choice sections seemed completely different than what I had studied for. As I heard in my review classes, when it comes to the graphics sections just do what they ask. READ very carefully. If anyone is near MD, take the review courses offered at UMD College Park. They are very good.

And why can’t the test be more like reality? There was a lot of stuff that seems completely unrelated to the profession.

CLARB as an organization is another story. Their website is awful and info about what needs to happen when is impossible to find.

[Carl Carlson RLA, ASLA]

Not sure about your state, but I took the multiple choice sections in New York last year and they are given by a private company. I think thats the case across the country. Graphic sections are state administered here. That probably wasn’t too helpful huh?

[Laura Duplain]

Lately I’ve been trying to aquire more cut-out images for sections and plan views created in photoshop;
I’ve found quite a few websites offering these type of images as free samples:
http://www.doschdesign.com/
http://www.absolutetextures.com/Texture-Collections/Landscape-Architecture.html
http://www.cadtutor.net/download/raster/tree-images-elevation.php
http://slworld.info/textures/?p=297#more-297

In addition, I’ve done a few myself using lasso and magic wand on photos in photoshop to remove the excess background which works well as long as the photo isn’t complicated; but I see all of these websites and it makes me wonder if there isn’t an easy way to create cut outs.

Any help or insight would be appreciated.

Laura

[Naomi Sachs, ASLA, EDAC]

I conducted a survey last year called the LARE Experience Survey – wish I’d known about L8L and this group back then! The survey is closed, and CLARB has it – they were happy to have me share it with them, but who knows if they will do anything with it. If you want, I can try to post the results here, though I’m not quite sure how. It’s in a clunkier format now that it’s no longer up on SurveyMonkey, but you’ll get the gist. Basically what I found was that most people have to take the exam many times before finally passing all five sections, spending thousands of dollars and many, many hours in the process; that almost everyone wanted and was even willing to pay for more study material than is offered by CLARB or even out there in general; and that most people, even the ones who passed on the first try, find at least some of the sections – primarily C and E – to be overly difficult and unfair.

I’m so fed up with the LARE process. I have passed four of the five sections but Section E continues to elude me and it’s one been the most depressing and frustrating aspect of my career path as a landscape-architect-to-be. I took Ray Freeman’s course several years ago and it was VERY helpful – worth flying from NM, where I lived then, to take it. I think it’s what helped me pass the four sections that I did. As for Section E…

[Matthew E Wilson]

Design theory (continued)

Coloring, as with all art, can be very subjective at times. The only real criteria to follow for coloring artificial rockwork is to vary the colors, tones, and highlighting. Most technicians want to paint their rockwork monochromatically (monochromatically: all one color) because that is what they are most familiar with. For example how many colors are the cars, buildings, and most clothing found around you? One. You see it is easier to simply color with only one or two colors because it doesn’t require much thought but it also lacks any real depth or interest. Even two colors such as brown and gray can be varied by dilution, darkening, or combination to create a multitude of colors all within a desired range.

All real rock has a variety of colors within very close proximity if studied closely. Attempt to vary the color selections within the range of colors that are required to mimic the rock sample. Another geologic coloring tip is the addition of a much diluted black coloring applied to the lower sections of fractures or rock separations and allowed to run down and stain the surface to replicate naturally occurring mineral streaks. These add visual interest and yet another dimension within the scope of real rock.

Coloring is the greatest test of believability and can hide a multitude of sins, but if it is wrong it’s hard to make it correct. I remember a past project of mine where I had painted the base color of the rock outcropping project almost black in color to begin the process of making it appear as natural occurring serpentine rock found near the project site. My client came out very nervous and upset that I had, in the span of 20 minutes, “lost my mind”. I had performed my ‘A’ game up until that point, at least my client thought so, but somehow I had lost their confidence once I started coloring their rock black. I was asked to match the native rock which was very dark with a greenish outer glaze. To achieve the desired effect I had to start with a dark base first and the coloring ended up coming out superbly.

The moral of that story is that once you loose the trust of your client it is hard to retrieve it. I should have spent more time explaining the process so that they where aware of what to expect before I performed this operation. I always recommend that my clients select the rock color from an actual sample of real rock that they provide and leave on site throughout the build. Keep in mind that coloring is subjective and if it’s not to your clients liking you will recolor for free until they are satisfied unless you use my ‘sample provided by client’ method.

As a footnote, don’t experiment with coloring on the front side of your project. Practice on a sheet of plywood or on the backside of work so that you can arrange the sequence and selection of colors to be applied. Another key factor is weather which can play havoc with coloring so try to apply color on warmer, dry days until your skill level improves.

Next article

More design theory

Quote

“There is dignity in suffering; nobility in pain; but failure is a slated wound, which burns and burns again!”

[Henry Dalton]

I decided to make my own when i was in school. I didn’t want to spend much money either, so i just designed one on my own, we are designers after all. It probably didn’t cost me more than $100 to $150 and it is very big. I can have my computer on it and two projects if i want b/c of the size. But the size is also it’s drawback b/c it takes up a lot of space. But it can be designed to whatever size you are looking for since you are the one building it.

Mine has a storage area in it the length of the table and it is able to be tilted up too allow you to work on a angled surface. To make it, i went to Lowe’s and bought a wood door (that is why it is so big 7×3′), some 4x4s for the legs, some 2×6’s for the frame and storage area, cheap ply for the bottom of the storage, henges and bolts, and then some 2x2s for the top frame ( two frames so it can be lifted from the front for storage and from the back to tilt the angle of the top).

It is also built like a tank, unlike the ones we had at school. I have had it for 3 years or so now and it still is like new. The only thing i have changed is the top. The door didn’t allow me to get into the storage area easily since it had to lifted up to get in there. This required the whole desk to be cleared to lift it. To fix the problem i wanted the top to be two sections and i couldn’t cut the door b/c it was hollow. So, i just bought a nice piece of smooth wood for the top and cut it in two sections so that i can get into the storage without clearing the whole desk off. It looks a lot nicer without the door also.

So i say be innovative and design your own perfect table to your own specs. Mine has worked out great, cost little and will last forever.

Thanks,
Henry M. Dalton

[Lori Molitor]

I heard that the 5 year clock for passing all 5 sections of the exam may go away or be extended. Can anyone confirm?

I also heard that a private company may start administrating the exam instead of our state board. Ant truth to that?

[Richard Wilke]

Hi,

I read through some of the responses and mostly agree. I failed sections C &E my first try because I thought about the problems too much. It helps if you think of the CLARB criteria as a set of regulation that you have to follow. The more you deal with municipalities’ planning and design requirements, you will find that sometimes it is better to do some things that don’t really make sense and pick your battles. Frankly, a license doesn’t prove that you know anything, but it does get you in the door to the discussion… If CLARB tried to make the exam fit the complexities and differences of the real world, no one would pass.

[Jason Steidel]

I am registered to take sections C & E in December. A few days ago I received a letter advising me that CLARB had increased the cost of these sections and that I was required to send in a check for an additional $20. What other organization retroactively increases fees and sends you a bill after you have already paid? I could understand increasing the cost for future offerings of the exam sections… but to charge people who have already registered (and paid) seems riduculous to me!

[Sullor]

I should be studying for the graphic sections right about now, but it feels so good to complain about them instead. In addition to being able to take tests whenever and wherever they want, architecture pass rates are also much higher (60 to 80 percent range). Their exams are also slightly cheaper (yes, I sat down and figured it out at one point)

See this link architecture pass rates: http://www.ncarb.org/newsclips/mar05AREpassRates.html

I am serious about lobbying someone to get these exams updated, but I have no idea where to start. By the way, does anyone still draft by hand?