Jason T. Radice

I think that, depending on where you are, natural stone IS the sustainable choice. If quarried locally, there is minimal transportation costs, especially when you consider that any concrete product is an amalgamation of many materials, each needing transport and refining. The process to create concrete is also very carbon intensive, as the cement…[Read more]

Gehry clarifies himself here:

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/next/archives/2010/04/frank_gehry_ask.html

He does make a good point about the whole ‘branding’ issue, and that some of the stuff (at least before 2009) is a bit trivial. How much longer is the USGBC going to accept education “signs” as an exemplary point? Now every development…[Read more]

Also, keep in mind for other applications that seatwalls are the PERFECT height for vandalism via skateboard. If you make the walls higher, it is much more difficult to ‘grind’ on, saving thousands on replacing caps or having to install skate stops

Sure, go ahead. The 18″ I refer to is the standard seating height, width is always variable based on materials and aesthetics. Depending on the application, As far as the comment of the ‘bums’…it really doesn’t matter if there are benches or not, bums sleep anywhere. I once had to walk around one sleeping in the MIDDLE of the MAIN SIDEWALK of…[Read more]

I always use both, often I even place benches in front of the walls. Seatwalls are fine for short periods of time, but they certainly are not the most comfortable things. Unless you contour the cap, they can be downright painful for more than 5 minutes. Many benches are not much better. However, the proper bench cannot be replaced with a seatwall.…[Read more]

Interesting…they now need to do away with the points system as well (which I hope this does). Hiring for something as subjective and visually based as the LA profession is disserved by the current system. You can’t upload portfolios for most of these positions.

FYI – read the fine print for many of these jobs. Many are temp positions lasting a…[Read more]

Try Hanover. Not only do they make the pavers, but they have several systems to place them on. No idea of cost, but if you buy the pavers from them, maybe they’ll work with you on the price of the total package.

http://www.hanoverpavers.com/html/elevate.html

To clarify, I’m not placing this all on ASLA. It is an individual struggle as well (I’m trying to do my part). But it’s the industry association, it represents us all. They have been doing better, but could be doing more for the obscene dues we pay. I’ve seen the “industry promotion” thing as a priority of theirs for years, but see little…[Read more]

I love the work that I do, I’m generally positive towards the profession. But, it is not without its faults. The current employment crisis has little to do with the profession itself, its not it’s fault. Rather, poor legislation from congress and lax oversite of banks cause the housing bubble, which, of course, burst. Almost every profession faces…[Read more]

IMHO (and I’m always right about this stuff ;), ornamentals are plants that have a specific aesthetic trait (ornament is strictly visual) that makes the plant stand out from its surroundings. It could be flowering, variegated leaves, mottled bark, some sort of “different” about it. Not usually typical for its type. And the plant is planted FOR…[Read more]

I concur. You need to first dissipate the energy of the water coming out of the pipe. As mentioned above, rip-rap or concrete dissipation mats (look these up) are required at the pipe outfall. You will then need some sort of fore bay (or two) to further calm the water and allow sediments to drop out of suspension. The water can then be further…[Read more]

I’m in the Mid-Atlantic of the US. It’s code here to put in rain gardens and stormwater controls to protect the Chesapeake Bay. People put those in (because they have to) and call it sustainable. They put up a few signs and call it a day. Most are not done well, and the rest of the site leaves lots of room for improvement. LEED is code in some…[Read more]

I actually prefer the term ‘green’, as it has become more of a brand. Such as in the USGBC, it’s not the USSBC. The connotation is that you are trying to make the project as environmentally and socially responsible as possible, beyond “sustainable,” and without having to use the ‘s’ word.

I’m not objecting to to the practice. In fact, I’m very much for adaptive-reuse (been there, done that), brownfield redevelopment (been there, done that), and low impact, low resource development. I’ve pioneered the use of alternative planting materials in commercial applications in my region. My objection is to the terminology.

The word…[Read more]

“Sustainable” is subjective. It’s an overused buzz-word that actually has little meaning anymore. I agree with the other posters that the description of the project would be more beneficial. It is better to have quantification such as a LEED objective (or other reputable measurement system). I try for realist wording, such as low-impact,…[Read more]

No, not at all. That’s what they want you to think. Some things are irrefutable. The glass is not half empty, its not half full, but it DOES have stuff in it.

96 dpi to 150 dpi is adequate for printing. You will want to get a file to BELOW 2 Mb if at all possible. Many firms still have a 2mb upload limit on portfolios when applying. You can save several versions.

If you assemble your portfolio in PowerPoint, it makes the whole downsampling thing easy since that program is optimized to view on a screen.…[Read more]

Here in the Mid-Atlantic, thanks to the gubmint and the Base Realignment, things aren’t hit as bad as many other regions, but business is still terrible. I’m not too sure with the questions as it regards to LA’s in particular (most of my contacts and colleagues are in commercial architecture and engineering), but since we are all part of the AEC…[Read more]

There used to be a dude that had his own show, he had landscape company who did it in Florida on some higher end homes. No compromise on budget or silly “theme” items. The guy just showed what he did everyday. The design was not my cup of tea, but it was very infomative. Those makeover shows do just a good enough job so it looks okay on the…[Read more]

Landscape Architect and Specifier News (LASN) – A free national publication that is more product and technical/practice focused, but has articles on a wide varitey of projects. Excellent for sourcing materials. http://www.landscapeonline.com

Landscape Architect Trades – A free newsprint-like tabloid with short articles, again, product based. http://www.thetrade…[Read more]