David Cristiani

We design alterations to the land whether it is new development or re-development. Hopefully, we all analyze the site and the goals of every project to avoid problems in the future.
 
We should not have to change how we go about our business. However, the sites may be dictating what we should or should not propose for activities in certain areas…[Read more]

The question is not what the basis of design is. It is about building structure. What you are saying neither agrees with or disagrees with anything anyone else has written. 
 
How do you build structure to support your paths?
 
Philosophically, a path is a strong structural element, but on the ground it may just as easily be overwhelmed by ot…[Read more]

Design should flow from abstract to specific, from big to small, simple to complicated, and from general to detail in my opinion.
 
Your question has different answers depending which one of those areas you are basing your question from and where you are within those ranges.
 
There are also those two separate things that need to converge – ide…[Read more]

The whole internship thing in Landscape Architecture once you are out of school, as I understand and have experienced it, is a lot less formal than you may perceive it. Basically, it is the required time that you need to put in as a full time employee under the direct supervision of a licensed LA in order to sit for the licensing exam. Typically,…[Read more]

What happened to Trace One? She is a Caltrans landscape architect who probably has direct knowledge and experience with this. If she is still a member, maybe you can private message her.

It is a good quality to want to help the office move forward and that should be appreciated. This might be a good thing because these things are not often discussed and it might make your boss aware of the idea of keeping people informed on the mission of the office which will help you and the others work for that end. And you get a broader…[Read more]

It sounds like this is something you are doing on your own. This is one business that the mantra “no lead is a bad lead” or “no sale is a bad sale” does not apply. Have you asked the firm if it is alright for you to do this and what types of work and what areas of the market they want to work in?
 
 

Have you tried to google “landscape cadd details”?Click on images and you’ll see planty. There are tons of examples out there and quite a few websites where you can download dwg files. A lot of municipalities have construction detail standards in pdf form on their websites. …. assuming you are looking to see examples of generic details to get a…[Read more]

It looks like it is pretty flexible in Iowa. Write to them to see if the work is “satisfactory”. It looks like you’d still need one year under direct supervision of a licensed LA, though. ….. it beats three.
 
http://www.asla.org/uploadedFiles/CMS/Government_Affairs/State_Goverment_Affairs_and_Licensure/State_Documents/Iowa2011.pdf

My father taught me something a long time ago. If you get stuck in a design, just do something and as you work off of it, new ideas present themselves …. even if you wind up undoing what you did when you were stuck.
 
That was consistent with what he’d say if I were driving and came to a stop sign and ask him “which way?”. He’d say, in his…[Read more]

Dennis, you are correct. It has been a while (2000) 
 
from LARE FAQ:
 
How long do I have to complete all five sections of the L.A.R.E.?Please contact the registration board in the jurisdiction in which you are pursuing initial licensure for more information.

My understanding is that you lose the parts that you passed after three years go by. In other words, you need to pass the complete exam in a three year window. Then you start dropping off the first year’s passed exams and need to re-take them before you lose the credit of the other exams that you passed.
 
Some states used to offer the exams…[Read more]

Roland, talk to Gary Austin. He used to be into MiniCAD and may be able to help you out, hook you up, or point you in the right direction. … assuming that you are still in Moscow.

My belief through experience in dealing with many of both professions is that there is a major difference between how most of the successful people in each of the two fields are wired. Depending of which type of “wiring” you have, the better you’ll feel in one profession or the other.
 
Architects are in a design field where they are in control…[Read more]

I’m not going to bill someone for a letter sized print of anything. Sometimes when you are in doubt, ask yourself how you would feel if you got billed for the same item coming from someone else. Some people will not bat an eyelid, but little things like that can damage how you are perceived by a client or two that really does not make it worth…[Read more]

What is important is that people who need us know who we are. The fact that a person knows who we are does not create a need for our services. There is so much diversity within our profession that there is no prototype “landscape architect” which makes it very hard to have a standard identity.
 
There is a great deal of diversity in the p…[Read more]

This is like discussing religion.

Autocad is still the most used drafting software and it, by all accounts, is much better on a PC.  … but, lots of graphics programs are supposed to be great on MACS. You should see what you school is doing and what is the best match between you and your school. Right now you need it for school and should…[Read more]

A great concept and philosophy at some point is affected by situational reality.It sounds easy until you actually have to do it. Then you find out why tings get built the way they do.

The larger question should be for us to ask ourselves what or who is incubating this attitude? Do our educators or professional organizations foster this either inadvertantly or purposefully? Why is this?
 
Then we have garden designers wondering if landscape architects should begin to consider garden design in another thread.
 
I’ve said it a m…[Read more]

 “I’m a landscape architect and I won’t design your garden.”

The fine print under that is “would you like fries with that, sir?”