Carter Swartz

Interested in speaking to Director level Landscape Architects for an exciting opportunity in Abu Dhabi to lead a large design team on large scale projects across MENA region. Please send CV and portfolio to tlee@bwpltd.com 

Matt – From what I understand, the U.S. Botanic Garden does not support the lawsuit.  I believe this to be true because out of the three organizations, the U.S. Botanic Garden has the greatest legal resources and influence.   If the USBG was unhappy with the trademark request as filed by UT, they would have joined the legal battle to stop it and w…[Read more]

Thanks for your insights.   Having worked on a Pilot Project for some time I have a great deal of respect for SITES and the comprehensive approach it brings.   I can’t believe that there is some kind of a power struggle going on over what is essentially the bookkeeping.  However, stepping back I don’t think that any one of the partners should ha…[Read more]

Matt – Currently, SITES is not a separate entity.  The Executive Committee is made up of the ASLA, the Wildflower Center which is a part of UT and the US Botanic Garden.  SITES staff who work with the various committees and lead the development of the metric and educational materials are located in Austin at the Wildflower Center.  Liz Guthrie, Ma…[Read more]

Since the petition from ASLA and press release from UT are contradictory, please help me understand what’s going on with the following questions:

• UT States: “UT has never had a formal partnership or any legal agreement with ASLA, despite our efforts over the past two years to develop one.”    ASLA states : ” The SITES trademarks were developed th…

[Read more]

In regards to the ASLA SITES Petition update,  publicly airing dirty laundry is rarely a good idea.  Particularly when it is smattered with childish comments and obviously intended to discredit a former partner.  Landscape Architects and many others in the site design industry have worked tirelessly to prove our value to the green building in…[Read more]

The legal petition from ASLA and the formal response from UT definitely tell two different sides of the story.  Regardless of which side you fall, we should all agree that litigation is not good for SITES or the profession as a whole.  SITES v2 and the reference guide are scheduled to be released in the next couple months and projects will f…[Read more]

Charles – you obviously have not read SITES closely or either don’t understand it.  It is a performance base metric – the opposite of prescriptive design.  Also, I challenge you to certify a project.  In my work, I have found that those who believe they have been “doing it for 40 years” have great difficulty meeting the minimum criteria.  

Interesting.  Two entities fighting over who will make money selling another guide to prescriptive design.  There is nothing new in the SITES project except adding points up to get to some magical level so you can pin a gold star on your wall.  We really don’t need another entity telling us how to design sustainable projects.  We have been doi…[Read more]

Hi Heather – definitely disappointing to see. Just saw the announcements; have read both press statements that describe very different points of view. What do you think the key disagreement is and what will take to resolve?

A colleague and I are collecting examples of stormwater mitigation installations that have been around for at least five years. We are trying to find out if they continue to function well and continue to look good enough to please the public. 

Leo – Thank you for the information…this will help a lot.  I saw the survey on Bayt.com but all the salaries were blocked from my viewing. I am currently research cost of living as well, it seems to be fairly equal to the U.S.
Thanks again, Kelly

This might be helpful – published by Bayt.com (from anonymous employee survey) last week:
Average salary for job title “senior landscape architect”
$8832 UAE
$6987 Bahrain
$4732 Qatar
$6539 KSA
Advise you check the cost of living to know the net value.  Hope this helps.

I am currently in employment negotiations with a large firm in Qatar and am looking for information on what salaries are for LA’s there.  I just finished my masters degree, and have a BSLA with 10 yrs of experience.
If anyone can help I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks,

cool group!!! super excited to be a member here!!! thanks!!

The Illinois chapter of ASLA is looking for a landscape sketch artist to teach a sketch / rendering class in Chicago in the Spring of 2013.  Any artist / designer who is interested in teaching a class please contact me at mbarcelos@valleycrest.com and we can discuss fees and travel accomodations. 

A large number of credits under the Sustainable Sites Initiative pertain to vegetation. Check out my latest article “Green Math” in Landscape Architecture Magazine to find out what you should know to earn as many as possible.