David Hanrahan

Great to see examples of everyone’s work!

Anyone still studying to pass under LEED 2.2:
There are 2 resources that I used to study that I think were critical to success, I think these have been mentioned before but If you’re on the fence about what resources to spend your money on here’s what I think are the two best values:

I have to throw my support behind Intheleed.com’s LEED AP…[Read more]

GCBI WEBCAST: NEW LEED CREDENTIALS
this is a very helpful video that explains the new credential system for LEED 2009/3.0

This past weekend I took Richard Scott’s Sketching on Location Workshop in Central Park. Great class. Twelve “students” from high school junior to college students to middle-aged designers. Richard is a great teacher, clear, supportive and scary good at drawing and water color. I plan on continuing freehand sketching and water coloring (?) for fun…[Read more]

FYI – Public comments on the Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks Draft 2008 are now posted on the Sustainable Sites Initiative website for review. http://www.sustainablesites.org/report/

Try this website for requirements to remain accredited – scroll down to see the answers:
http://www.everblueenergy.com/leed-exam-prep-leed-2009-update.html

Rob,

There are a lot of good softwares out there, selection really depends on your situation and needs. I would “demo’ as many softwares as possible to see which one fits your office best.

For Autocad, Raincad for Autocad works well. It runs in Autocad as a toolbar, similar to Express Tools. You still have the full function of autocad while…[Read more]

I know several who have taken his Color Mastery workshop and were very favorably impressed.

Has anyone taken Richard Scott’s Sketching on location workshop?

I was able to find some irrigation training and I am more confident now. However, I am looking to purchase irrigation design software. What are the best choices out there? Land F/X? IrriCalc? RainCAD? Others?

I noted Rico listed Ace Torre as an influence. I recently completed an extensive article profiling Torre for next month’s (May 09) issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine. It’s an in-depth look at his design drawing philosophies and techniques, with step by step photos of Torre in the studio creating one of his famous “tilt-up” aerial drawings.

Re Justin and Glass Factory Brownfield conditions.
Is there contamination of anything other than “broken glass” and in what condition would that contaminate be? .. Glass is just another form of sand, I wonder if you could tumble the contaminated ground in something like what they tumble new bricks to make them look old. Smooth off the edges, maybe…[Read more]

In regards to mitigation measures for the redevelopment of brownfield sites, the two design options that I am most familiar with, is to install a 40mil impervious linear and or install 3′ of clean fill.
The basic concept is that you are capping the areas of contaminated soils with a liner or with soil.

In regards to the impervious liner,…[Read more]

Will definitely browse a number of sites and see what they have. . thanks laura

Thanks laura….Am keeping my options open..so i would be interested in programs in US, maybe you could give details about there websites then i could check them out.

I have an interest in water management..and arid land reclamation. I have B.LA. and i want to pursue master sometime soon, wondering which is the best programme for me. Please share ur thoughts.

Thanks.

I want to sharpen my irrigation skills and train one of my coworkers. Are there any free online tutorials with practice problems that we could download? Any help would be much appreciated.

Hi Doug,

Check out the California Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, at http://www.owue.water.ca.gov/. It is in the process of final revision and is set to go into effect January 2010. It outlines the services and responsibilities of CIDs.

The CID process is pretty involved with classes and tests and can take awhile to get certified. If…[Read more]

Doug,
Yes there is merit. I run a design build firm that does some bid build as well. Some of the irrigation ‘designs’ that come out of some other offices that we bid on don’t follow simple irrigation principles and spec antiquated equipment.
The IA certification (CID) is a good one. I became certified a few years ago. I am always up to date with…[Read more]

Hey everyone. I’d like to get your opinion. Does anyone see any merit in becoming certified in irrigation design? The IA offers courses and testing in irrigation design that we as landscape architects would be eligible to take. While there is a great irrigation knowledge base at my office, I feel like so much has changed over the years that I need…[Read more]