Jason T. Radice

Refractory brick, or “fire brick”, is one of if not the the most resistant materials for building. It is what they use to line kilns and industrial smokestacks which are durable under constant exposure to the chemicals you list.
 
You might be able to use other materials which have a ceramic coating.

Don’t use a hard surface. The gravel or stone dust goes better anyay. Every few years, you clear off the surface material, peel back the geotextileand replace the mulch. Then relay the geotextile and the granular surface. More maintenance? Sure, but worth it to keep the tree.
Another thing would be to not pave the whole area, but put down wheel…[Read more]

Would it be possible to put down a thick layer of a mulch like coarse wood chips or perhaps even rubber chips to prevent further compaction around the tree? These materials would cushion and distrubute any loads on the, as well as spring back. With the wood chips, it might possible to also put a geotextile over the wood chips and then recover with…[Read more]

As I had stated, this was an easy one. The overgrown landscape creates an unnecessary danger in this retail parking lot by blocking visibility. You can’t see over these even if you have a BroTruck! It can also create a security issue, as you cannot see parts of this parking lot with cameras, and users cannot see across the lot or around these…[Read more]

Question: Is the test still pass/fail (with degrees of passitude), or with the multiple choice, do they give you an actual percentage?
Pass anxiety isn’t fun with these things, and the worst one for me was actually sitting at the terminal at Prometric waiting for the score to tabulate on the LEED-AP exam. At least with the LARE, you have some…[Read more]

Yes, and it has been a contributing factor in getting employment interviews as well.
BD+C is building design and construction…the most common rating type, and ND is the new neighborhood development rating system, with is more of a planning thing. And sincs many LAs do a lot of planning, it would probably be the one to get.

Not entirely true, Henry. While not a huge priority among LAs, LEED can be a great asset to have on your resume. It not only is relevant to architects, but to PEs, MEP engineers, and yes, LAs. At the VERY least, LAs should know what it is comprised of and how they fit into the puzzle. Not every LA practice will need to have a LEED-AP, but many…[Read more]

I would say that it really doesn’t matter all that much what is on the resume that is an issue, it is because there just aren’t any positions available for more senior staff. Firms are keeping the staffing levels very lean and looking more for production from employees fresh out of school to keep costs low. The senior management in the firm is do…[Read more]

Not so much the last few years! If you have over 8 years, jobs are few and far between. Most places are still economically unstable and are looking at 0-3 or 3-5 years with entry level salaries…but with the skill set of a 15 year career veteran. Mid-level LAs have had a VERY tough time in this economy.

It gets worse. He admits it was a problem that they knew about, but just happened to ‘underestimate.’ Solar modelling is just soooo expensive nowandays (that’s sarcasm).  
 
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/sep/06/walkie-talkie-architect-predicted-reflection-sun-rays
 
This is the second time he did this, so its time for somebody to p…[Read more]

Well, they aren’t just AIA standards, the idea was that all the allied professions would adopt them to make file sharing and references actually work, which is getting to be critical for using REVIT. And I do use the NCS and have for many years.

You can generally find the general idea of the standards to download somewhere to view for free (google search), which include LA layers. As well, you can create your own layers as needed as long as they fit the conventions. I’ve pretty much always used a similar system, and it has worked out very well, especially when dealing with many different…[Read more]

Sometimes it is hard to tell with the typing and all. I personally know people who pretty much think exactly the way you had typed. Plus a good portion of the State of Colorado.
 

You would not want to consume anything grown on a roof or wall in a city. Who knows what is shoved into the fruits from what the plant pulls out of the air?

Agreed about the building. And old masonry core building supporting an extra 27 tons (24 metric tonnes) of weight on one wall, which looks to have been a shared wall at one point, doesn’t seem all that safe. One major question of these systems is long term mold ramifications. Having been dealing with a mold problem myself, the lack of air…[Read more]

I do a lot of site photography for different things including events. One of my jobs I do twice a year is very large, complicated, and very involved, so I end up taking around 1200 shots over two days of shooting with an ultrawide lens. I had thought video might be handy, but on further thought, it really isn’t. It can be hard to get to see what…[Read more]

I would suggest understory or pioneer trees like perhaps a honeylocust, hornbeam, serviceberry, Black Tupelo, or Redbuds. All of course will need bottom pruning, and with the limited rooting area, the tops will kind of prune themselves for a long while. Cherrys could work, but are messy and will still need a lot of pruning.
Stay away from top r…[Read more]