[Daniel Jost]

Rockwell Group were the ones who came up with the whole Imagination Playground concept, which combines large foam blocks, water, and sand. They actually designed the foam blocks.

[Daniel Jost]

Three different certifications!  Wow!  Which ones? 

[Daniel Jost]

Funny how this topic is taking off all of a sudden…

 

While I studied landscape architecture and worked in the field for a few years, I am not currently practicing as a landscape architect.  I’ve been a full time writer and editor with Landscape Architecture Magazine since 2008, so I have no need for any certifications myself.  I just think this issue deserves discussion within the profession and that’s why I wrote about it.

 

(If you missed the original article, it appeared in July 2009.)

[Daniel Jost]

I think its important to stress that many of the actions landscape architects can take to reduce their office’s environmental footprint actually save money.

You can remove a few light bulbs in an office that was designed to have more lighting than is necessary or install a thermostat that cuts back on air conditioning and heat wasted during hours when nobody is in the office. You can cut back on the amount of drawings you are printing at full size. The list goes on… See my article in the May issue of Landscape Architecture for more ideas- I don’t feel like retyping the whole thing here.

Does anyone have any other examples of changes you’ve made that cost little or actually save your office money? Any changes that have been particuarly well received or not well received?

[Daniel Jost]

While I’m sure a lot of offices would be excited about your abilitiy to create a website, it’s nice to have a portfolio you can take to the interview. It may not be possible to visit your website during the interview. You may not have access to a computer in the room where you meet and you might not know about this until the last minute. While the company has usually looked over your work by the time you interview, having it in front of you to spur conversation is invaluable.

I found an 8.5 X 11″ portfoilio that could be printed on my own printer at a moments notice very practical. I used loose sheets formatted in similar ways that can be gathered together in a folder. In an interview setting with more than one interviewer, this allows you to pass the sheets around as you talk about them. You can also send it out as a pdf which the office can print out.

Putting it in a folder rather than binding it allows you to switch out projects to tailor it to different firms and update your portfolio easily over the years. Each project gets a single sheet- front and back. And I try to make sure each project tells a different story about my interests or skills unless I am applying for a job at an office with a certain specialty such as historic preservation or sustainable design.

I graduated in 2005. This portfolio has gotten me into some prestigious graduate schools and helped me get a few job offers over the past few years.

[Daniel Jost]

What are you going to study?

[Daniel Jost]

Before applying, it will be more important to put together a portfolio of creative works that show your ability for thoughtful artistic expression. Most programs are more interested in your ability to think/design than your CAD knowledge. That said, taking a CAD class would help you once you get into the program. Many excellent schools still offer limited chances for learning CAD, believing wrongly that most of their students will pick it up elsewhere or already know it entering into the program.

[Author]

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