[earthworker]

Any good stone/masonry fire pit will incorporate fire brick and refractory mortar.  This is your best option for limiting the radiant heat from a fire.  Do a  web search on it and you will find what you need.

[earthworker]

Those will be the t-shirts that are worn under the aprons of America’s future Starbuck’s baristas with attitudes like that.

[earthworker]

I would start with your liability insurance provider first. I am sure they can point you in the right direction.

[earthworker]

All of those plant selections will grow too large for the space.  They will grow into the walk and impede movement.  As you have it drawn, the trunk is only a foot away from the walk.  That’s not even enough room for the root ball nor an adequate tree pit with amended soil. The maple needs water and shade which might not be available.  The Redbud’s branching will over take the space and they need specific soil amendments to do well.  The smoke bush will get way too big. 

I would maintain a minimum of 8′ at the absolute least for the smallest orn tree away from foundation.  I would keep all plantings away from foundations by at least 4-5′ due to irrigation and water infiltration.  I would suggest a Tall Hedge Buckthorn or Armstrong Maple but I really think the space is too small for tree.

[earthworker]

Thanks so much for proving my point.  You’ve been ‘surviving’ for four years and I am assuming you have experience.  Do you think things will pick up enough in the next two-three years for an inexperienced mla grad to get decent work at graduation?  I am just trying to give her a little insight into the profession as it stands today and will for the immediate future. She can do with it as she wants.

BTW I never thought LA was easy.  Nor have I ever been afraid of hard work. I work day and night to get work in the door as a sole proprietorship. Your comment about relocating a couple of times in a career is really short-sighted and ignorant.  People can’t just say oh well let’s sell our house, move and hope there is work in another state.  In case you hadn’t noticed, people are having a hell of a time just trying to selling their house even if they are staying in their state.  If you have only been ‘surviving’ for the past 4 years and living with empty storefronts, why haven’t you moved your family to greener pastures?

[earthworker]

Honestly, my comments are only meant to help you.  The truth is I and many of the la’s laid off with me are on the brink of losing everything.  We barely make our mortgages and put food on the table.  The longer this depression goes on, the more I realize that it is nearly impossible to support a family and work in this industry. There is no consistency with our profession.  Every 7-10 years or so you have to start over somewhere new.  This could mean moving where the job is.  It’s hard to do when you have a house, wife and kids which means you are stuck where you have put down roots.

The industry is great if you are young, have no house, spouse or children.  You can move anywhere you want and work for low pay.  But if you ever want to settle down, this profession will be a liability.  Don’t get me wrong I love what I do/did but it has not been kind to me.  It will take from you as quickly as it gives.

[earthworker]

Sadly, I feel you have not really grasped the reality and magnitude of what this profession has endured over the past five years.  I honestly hope you gathered real world information about the current and future state of the industry from others outside academia.  Did you not read the posts on this forum stating the plain facts about this profession falling off a cliff?  It may take a decade or more for the industry to recover to pre-recession (depression) levels.  When you graduate, you will be competing against other MLAs and BLAs with decades of experience who will work for entry level dollars just to feed their families.  It’s happening now and will for many years to come. 

Along with throwing caution to the wind, you might as well throw your money into the wind as well.   I wish you luck but you have my sympathies. 

[earthworker]

Agreed, Mike.  It’s dog eat dog out there and it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.  If you’re still lucky enough to have a job in an office, copy every project folder you need to help you get that next job.  Your present company is NEVER as loyal to you as you are to it.  As Mike said, just state what part of the project you worked on when you go to your interview.  Don’t worry about what you take from your old employer.  If you worked on the project, then you helped make it happen. When I say take everything I mean everything.  Take images, folder directories, spread sheets, cad details.  Take everything that will make you a better catch for a new firm and a missed opportunity for your old firm.

Trust me. When a principal at your old firm tries to market a project that you worked on or did ALL the work, he will not mention your name but he will take the credit.  So don’t feel the need to mention theirs unless asked.  The Don said it best, ‘It’s not personal.  It’s just business.”

[earthworker]

So we should continue to pony up money and volunteer our time (and pray that it will lead to a job) for an organization whose leader is completely ignorant of the state of the profession?  This Tavella is nothing more than a magazine seller. 

[earthworker]

So apparently when the ‘leaders’ of the ASLA stick their heads in the sand, all you see are a bunch of asses.  You have got to be freakin kidding me.  I always knew ASLA was a self congratulatory organization but I had no idea they were outright frauds.  ASLA is ridiculous and this joker of a ‘president’ has only proved it even further.  Please, if you are serious about this profession, DON’T join this group of nitwits.  ASLA preys on students and academia to support their pie in the sky, rose-colored vision of the profession.  Any professional society that only requires a hefty check for one to become a ‘full’ member is only in it for the money.  If this is the view point of the president and the ASLA over all then we have lost all credibility as professionals.  PLEASE SOMEONE TACKLE THESE IDIOTS.

[earthworker]

I have been waiting for the industry to ‘uptick’ for three years.  I wouldn’t bet on it getting better in the next two.  Don’t waste your time and money on this career path.  The utter collapse of this industry has nearly cost me everything.  Don’t let this happen to you. 

[earthworker]

Clearly, architects have no clue what it takes to create a meaningful, spiritual outdoor space.  Why do architects believe they can do every other discipline’s job better than they can?  Oh wait, I know….huge egos are a job requirement for them.

[earthworker]

Illustrator: Used for assembling large/small scale plans, renderings etc. Transforms images into high res vector graphics which are scalable.

Photoshop:  Used for marketing graphics, renderings, illustrations, photo manipulations.  Essential for any LA professional.  Learn it.

InDesign:  Used for multi-page, color documents such as HOA guidelines, arch guidelines, portfolios, pamphlets, brochures and layout design.

Acrobat Writer: Used for creating pdf’s of nearly everything.  Essential for any firm.

LA firms use most if not all of these programs and more.

[earthworker]

At the last interview I had in which I got the job, I just emulated the interviewer.  When they talked about themselves, I did the same.  When they sat back in their chair and crossed their leg, I did the same.  When they laughed at something unfunny, I did too.  Hiring managers what someone exactly like themselves just working for a quarter of their pay and kiss their……I did all this except the kissing part.  Maybe I should have, I might still be working….part time….half salary…with no benefits.

[earthworker]

Designs like these always look so good in a perfect 3D Studio Max environment but the reality of the design, constructability, durability and sustainability are nearly always flawed. The idea seems nice, an infinite forest using mirrors. Here’s what I see from a Landscape Architect, Contractor and Facilities Maintenance point of view.

Flaw:  Mirrors break, get dirty, kill birds and create intense heat islands.  Not to mention what a mirrored room does to person with disabilities including vision impairment. (Oh, and did you see what happened to Bruce Lee in the mirror scene from ‘Enter the Dragon’).

Flaw: The park sits on top of a basement structure.  The root system of the trees shown on the rendering will be stifled.

Issue: Drainage of the site above the structure and leaf clutter/maintenance.

Issue: As the site appears to site above a structure, HVAC units and other mechanical items relating to the structure below will need to be accommodated in the space.  This is not addressed in the design.

Issue: Exterior granite walls are intended to be written upon with chalk.  Whose chalk is being used?  What colors are allowed?  How does the City’s code enforcement relate to a wall intended for essentially grafiti?

Concept: I see nothing in the landscape relating to the AIDS epidemic.  This park could be a part of any downtown art museum, hipster housing project or residential backyard.  The creativity is lacking.  I shouldn’t have to ‘read’ what the park is about.  It should be obvious in a few well-thought out sketches.

This is a classic example of ‘artists’ trying to do our job and poorly at that.

[Author]

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