David Cristiani

My third point was not made clear by me in my original post. It allows existing LA firms to control whether the development of future competitors takes place or not simply on whether they themselves hire them and hold them for the required length of time.
The fourth point used the term “internship” rather than “design job” after some hesitation,…[Read more]

It sounds like a good way to increase competency, but there are problems with this.

First, it assumes that it is currently too easy to get licensed.

Second, it assumes there is currently a competency problem in the profession.

Third, it leaves control of who can get licensed in the hands of those whom may or may not have a vested reason to…[Read more]

I was 35 when I got my BLA. I have no idea if age helped or hindered in getting an interview.
I have personally been involved in hiring a new professional in an engineering office. We interviewed a lot of people with various backgrounds. One thing the office was very concerned with was how much they would disrupt someone if they hired him/her and…[Read more]

You might want to make a mock up of a small area. Travertine, at least what is readily available where I am, is pretty thin and light weight. I’d be concerned about movement if one stone does not butt up against another in an open joint situation.

I’m in Massachusetts and we have no CEU’s and it is only $66 per year for licensing. Check with your licensing board to see if it is easy to get re-instated after having continued licensing in other states. I’d leave out the fact that you’ll be abroad. They will likely think you’ll be practicing in that other state, although it should not matter…[Read more]

That is a nice study. Thanks for posting it.
I probably did not communicate it well, but my “suggested thesis” would try to measure how much the different levels of detail were valued economically by the person(s) paying for the work. Would one want to pay extra money to have his/her landscape plans at a higher detail or prefer to give up some of…[Read more]

I think it is great that this is being studied.
I hope that at some time someone can do research on how marketable different deliverables are in various segments of the profession. I was highly discouraged (this is the baggage that comes out) when I was in school and encouraged to change majors because I had very poor hand drawing skills. I did…[Read more]

Go to actual public spaces and observe what the built work is, what of that built work is being used and what is not, how is it being used, who is using it and who is not, and what type of experience those people seem to be having. What is happening that is positive? What is happening that is negative? Are there surrounding circumstances that in…[Read more]

I agree that we need communicate ideas graphically. That is not the same thing as “hand sketching everything for others to understand” as you wrote nor “sketch everything all of the time” as I wrote.
My point on the final two questions is that few if any are not going to select warm over cold for hand drawn or loose over stiff – vice versa for…[Read more]

The final two questions on the survey were very poor in my opinion.
” Which terms would you use to describe hand graphics in general? “
  “I would describe digital graphics as being or feeling:”
They forced stereotype responses and there was no choice but to pick one answer or another. I felt that they will automatically skew the results to ma…[Read more]

Impatience is the mother of motivation. It is not a flaw.

I think Alan is right that these are high maintenance and not “sustainable”. I don’t think he expressed an opinion on whether there is something wrong with that or not.
We are so brain washed and hypersensitive about “sustainability” these days that it is like walking on egg shells to design, build, or even appreciate something that is not out…[Read more]

” I am confident there are only a couple paths to making a decent living in the design professions–ivy league education (and working your way up the starchitect ladder if youre savvy) OR self employment.”
I think this is accurate regardless of the state of the economy. The difficulty is gaining the experience in a poor LA economy. The key is…[Read more]

My former employer bought an HP T3500 with color scanner a couple of months ago. I’m not sure what he paid for it, but he is very happy with the results from the scanner. I looked at some fine lined color maps that he had printed and was impressed.

I’ve heard others say that Houston is text book sprawl. Is that not correct?
Curious, not a challenge.

It is too general of a subject to rate as good or bad for landscape architects. …. and what is “good” for one landscape architect is not good for another.
The more simple development is, the more easily the design can be completed without a landscape architect involved – whether it is a residential planting bed, subdivision, park, or wh…[Read more]

My understanding is that there are still bugs in using AutoCAD on a Mac. They are getting better than it used to be from what I understand. Mac users usually want to defend Mac to the death, but from talking to people who use both, they dispute the notion that AutoCAD works the same on a Mac.
 I love my iphone and ipod. Many graphic programs run…[Read more]

Don’t overlook the opportunities that regulation provides for consultants. It forces a need. You are in and around communities with lots of activist personalities that love to sit on boards and help write regulations.  This means that otherwise simple projects require detailed plans. Go to Conservation Commission and Planning Board hearings to…[Read more]

If you present yourself the same way everyone else with similar education and experience going for the same job does, you will be one of many. If you present yourself differently, you may become one of a few.
Your job description sounds to me like it is describing your values and what you want out of your career which may seem to pass over the…[Read more]

…. and if nothing else, the possibility of networking may lead to another job.