David Cristiani

Definitely agree that there are lots of people in lots of different boats in society at large and lots of different niches in the landscape architecture world. Some are in calmer waters than others.

This is a good time to pay attention to which segments of the market stay active and who keeps doing well. I’m talking about the people who hire LAs…[Read more]

I have a one person home office since I started working on my own nine years ago, so that is a zero change for me. I do residential design – 90% raze and replace home projects on desirable vacation home lots, so it is a demographic that is not as “financially inconvenienced” as most. They still treat their personal lifestyles very well while how…[Read more]

I have not worked in a big firm, but what I seen is that the CE takes the drainage responsibility. They are all using software like hydrocad as an add on to Autocad. I don’t know that anyone is doing drainage calc’s the old fashioned way these days.

I don’t know ow many states allow LAs to do drainage calc’s. I know that Idaho did at least for a…[Read more]

Another thing regarding commercial sites with LAs. I did see several projects that most of the site was planned by the engineers with the details filled in by landscape architects. I was not involved in the site plans, but did have to prepare the survey crew’s data to stake local medium sized projects that were designed by bigger distant firms and…[Read more]

WBS, you also added the question of how the work would be divided if the developer or business wanted to use an LA.

I saw a few commercial projects where the CE did a rough site plan and then the LA enhanced it. I did a few Dunkin Donut plans after I left the CE offices. I had a bit of a long leash because the CE on the projects was someone that…[Read more]

I’m not saying it is true in every case. Your original post was about smaller scale commercial sites.

” It appears that it is very uncommon for an LA to do the site plan, grading plan, and drainage plan for a commerical site, is that true? I am talking about smaller-scale commercial, like a fast-food restaurant.”

I’m not saying that the…[Read more]

One look at the landscape plan should tell you that the requirements are so simple that there is no reason to bring in anybody who specializing in the landscape if you are the developer. You always need a Certified Plot Plan for a building permit, so you have no choice other than needing a Professional Land Surveyor. You usually need a septic plan…[Read more]

The problem is not the ability to do the work. The problem is the ability to get the work. I few years ago I was entertaining the idea of hiring or partnering with someone to get more out of the work that I was getting. Every person who responded wanted to work remotely with no understanding that I did not want to set up tasks or assignments. I…[Read more]

The industry will find the best way to get work done like it always does. That is how it adapts. It may or may not match up with how those looking to work in it feel it should adapt. Those entering will have to adapt to how the industry goes. Water runs downhill.

If he knew and did not disapprove, I think you are in the right for wanting them back.

The first sentence says “shall”. The second sentence says “should”. That is a very big difference.

My opinion is that the employer should have let her have the work unless the work is of a nature that they feel they need to protect it. I also think the employee should have asked if it is alright to have professionally made books of work done in…[Read more]

Forgive me if I’m not understanding this properly.

I don’t know if the books you had made and the ones you made with notes were of things that you designed on projects that the firm was doing or things outside of the firm.

Their projects are technically their copyright material even the parts that you did while working for them unless it is…[Read more]

A survey for a small commercial project almost spontaneously morphs into a Commercial Site Plan. That is why LAs are not often involved.

I worked for a total of 12 years in two different similarly sized civil engineering offices doing site plans on commercial projects of the scale you described. It was not very often that a site plan would come…[Read more]

I’m not sure why Bob said he agreed with me about not switching to CE. I thought that I made a really good case as to why I think it is a good idea. I think it is a good idea even if you want to practice as an LA later on.

If someone can not get hired as an LA for whatever reason, why wouldn’t that person entertain a different field?

If…[Read more]

There is a big overlap between the two professions. Civil is a more technical discipline, but depending on what types of projects the CE office does you can be pretty well prepared to be an asset right away in a CE office. Also, depending on what types of projects an LA firm does or an individual wants to do, you can have a competitive advantage…[Read more]

Are you taking a job in a CE office or going back to school? You should be able to get in without going back to school unless you want to be on the license track. I believe that my second CE employer not only hired me for my experience, but that he also knew I was not training a future competitor.

I did 12 years full time in two different small…[Read more]

I’m not sure that I understand what you mean by entitlement, but I assume it means vetting out the possibility of a project moving forward.

I think the difficulty is that unless the LA is continuously involved in every regulation applicable to the project in question, it is easy to “not know what you don’t know”.

A lot of people reach out to me…[Read more]

We have a lot of regulation on home construction here on Cape Cod. Most of the projects that I work on are as part of a team consisting of an architect, builder or developer, civil engineer, landscape architect (me), and often an attorney. These projects are usually waterfront homes that are being torn down and replaced with a new custom home for…[Read more]

That is up to you. I am a Registered Landscape Architect in Massachusetts. I prefer to draw plans and not manage projects. There are several reasons that I do it that way.

First is that my personality and skill set is as a designer rather than a manager.

The second is that I realized that the nicer higher end residential custom builders that…[Read more]

Leslie always has good practical advice. I’d second the notion that you should not let yourself get down on what you have not done and work with what you have done because that is 100% more than the person who has yet to do anything. Keep plugging away and don’t be afraid to look at getting experience in slightly different ways as you wait for the…[Read more]