Jason T. Radice

Both. There are people with the capability and potential who just don’t (look at our inner cities-look at our schools), and business regulation (in many states) is so costly and so prohibitive, the endeavor is not worth the effort for the return. I do think much of it has to do with personal ambition as well. These guys read all the time, no TV…[Read more]

I work the 4th concert at the US Capitol every year. Despite the high heat, 30K people walked through the gates, with an untold how many more were on the Mall proper. People from all walks of life joined together to celebrate the nation’s independence. Especially heartening were the immigrant families. Thousands showed up with red, white, and blue…[Read more]

would have went to architecture school, then get the MLA.

Macs are a no-no wit AutoCAD, and a huge waste of money (time to get a new consultant, too). If your central system uses PC, stick with PC. Besides, you should not be having trouble with InDesign for PC. Adobe actually develops for PC first nowandays. Sounds like you need to do fresh installs (not upgrades) on all the PCs. A total fresh install…[Read more]

They don’t have the time or manpower to train new-hires they way they used to. Every firm I know is lean and mean, and if you don’t know their software, they don’t want to (or have to) invest in the training.

Thats a huge question. If you have a professional and accredited BLA, there should be no need for the MLA, as many who get the MLA have a different bachelors degree. I’m going back for my MLA after getting a 5 year BLA 11 years ago, partly to become elligible for the restricted applications. I plan on refining some of my design style and expanadng…[Read more]

Check out Steve Martino’s work. He practices in the southwest and has a great style and some nice water features. http://www.stevemartino.net

I’ve seen the opposite with regards to the parking, very often you need MORE parking. This is due to the residents keeping their cars parked all day, and then you add the outside traffic. There is no reliable formula for it, as parking needs vary wildly from development to development. It is totally dependant on the ratio and type of housing unit,…[Read more]

You can tell by the roof, It’s McD’s old prototype design. Building as logo.

Having an extensive retail background, I can safely this is not a realistic scenario. The grease, the view, the traffic idling at the drive-thru, plus the blocked visibility of the store. What would be required is a different type of building for the McDonalds…a new prototype store. Not that a McDonald’s cannot fit within a more urban context,…[Read more]

Agreed. The simplest solution is almost always the best solution. That’s part of my design philosophy.

I’ve worked on a bunch of ‘new urbanist’ developments like this. Mixed use primarily refers to residential over retail or office. The idea is to recreate the old downtowns where SRO’s and apartments would be above businesses. Today, its condos or apartments. If they are done well, they can be nice. But most are not done well. I too, cannot stand…[Read more]

Ditto. The natural order of things has ground covers. While I do agree with your argument for careful species selections, groundcovers provide a much needed aesthetic and natural function in the designed landscape. For the commercial work that I do, groundcovers are a must. Mostly for erosion control and aesthetic values (maintain site lines), as…[Read more]

Its not just ground covers, but invasives in general. There are plenty of ground covers that can be used unrestrained, and some that must be restrained. I’m still seeing state-labeled invasives on LAs planting lists, however. Should be a required ECU.

My advice would be to not even attempt it without the direct input of a structural engineer who has worked with piers before. They would know best the types of soils under the lake as to what kind of piers you can use, as well , the spacing. The depth of the slab is directly related to the distance between piers. Also, keep in mind a budget, as…[Read more]

You simply cannot make the comparisons the authors have made. LA is not Venice. European urban culture is vastly different than US pedestrian tendencies. Besides, The Italian car culture is firmly rooted in Modena, where Detroit and LA are home to it here. I love when the “smart growth crowd” asserts simplistic conclusions such as this. There are…[Read more]

Many of the concepts are sound, but in practice, they are essentially just fancy suburbs. Not transit oriented, not walk to work (for a vast majority of residents), and usually with a density that makes them uncomfortable to maximize profit. They CONTRIBUTE to sprawl. And holy crap are they expensive. Most are built on greenfield sites well out of…[Read more]

You already hit the nail on the head, your design services are discounted in order to procure the build aspect of the job. In order to make money on design, you really need to understand the time involved in creating the design for the client on a particular site. You need to find the most efficient way to work. Maybe its process, maybe it’s…[Read more]

I just don’t think there is much interest in what Duany has to say anymore. He was relevant 20 years ago. He’s just another architect like Wright, Le Corbusier, Gehry, and multitudes of others who thinks he knows the best way to design for the unwashed masses.

I think most people interested in urbanism (including me) have written him off as an…[Read more]

Make sure you do plenty of research on the reliability of the box. Most use consumer grade hard drives to lessen the costs. These can be notoriously unreliable and slow. Your NAS , at a minimum, should have real-time drive mirroring as a backup. I would also suggest getting offsite backup from something like Mozy or Carbonite. Its cheap insurance,…[Read more]