Jason T. Radice

Expression like this has been coming for a loooooong time, it just took the recession to bring it to the fore. It happens every downturn, and even in between (It was a low-spot in the profession when I graduted from college, and a great many of my fellow students never got into the professional at all.) The recognition and ASLA discussions have…[Read more]

Perhaps a documentary of Frederick Law Olmsted similar to the PBS Frank Lloyd Wright documentary by Ken Burns?

I guess you missed the sarcasm. There is absolutely nothing wrong with residential work, but it is small part of a very broad profession, one where there is plenty of competition from landscapers and designers. I’m sure in conversation when someone asks you what you do for a living, and you say ‘landscape architect’, they immediately respond that…[Read more]

This is a BAD idea. It will just further the public’s misconception that LAs are just the folks who plant shrubs in your back yard. I get that enough already, thank you. And no, I won’t come look at your back yard.

The Caltrans comment was for dangerous circulation into a parking lot…left turn across three lanes of traffic with no stacking space once in the parking lot.

I agree with many if these points. A lot has to so with the municipality. The parking design is legislated in, and often isn’t the ideal situation. To get tree cover, and still have enough spaces, you end up with 3′ wide islands that nothing can survive in rather than fewer islands with bigger trees. The tree species is dictated (based on 40 year…[Read more]

Having designed retail and entertainement venues for a decade, I can tell you that the parking is there for a reason. It may be empty a good deal of the time, but, the parking is usually designed to a code (5sp per 1000SF is pretty standard or a per-seat number for restaurants). That number exists largely accomodate peak times, such as around…[Read more]

Don’t hate it, but aren’t thrilled by it either. We have several “New Urbanist” communities here in the mid-atlantic (New Urbanist is in quotes because it is really old (traditional) urbanist). One DPZ guided development is The Kentlands, just north of DC. From a sense of scale to the architectural treaments, it just feels uncomfortable. It’s also…[Read more]

I had the first Gang Chen book, other than being more portable than the LEED manual, it didn’t help all that much, thats why I ended up with the other program. The sample exams (such as the one in the back of the Chen book) are pretty accurate in showing the types of questions asked on the exam. You will have to identify synergies between credits…[Read more]

I got in under the wire of the old exam, but the principles are the same. You WILL need to know the credits! The exam does rely on your comprehension of how different credits integrate and relate to each other. However, for much of it, it is required to memorize the credit/prerequisite, the goal of that credit, and the reference standard for that…[Read more]

It’s a great resource. I’ve gotten four or five inquiries off of it, two of them led to interviews (but did not work out, unfortunately, wrong type of office for my specialties). Many potential employers are trolling or “cherry picking” people, meaning, they are not advertising positions, but rather hand-selecting applicants. The only way they…[Read more]

This is not an ad, but a testimonial. I, too, dislike how the exam is given and graded. Let alone that until recently, there really was no good way to study for the exam besides the review classes, if you are lucky enough to be in an area that has them. I took a review class and it did help, but what really sealed the deal were the PPI books. I…[Read more]

They are not interchagable. Obviously, AIA means you are a full member of AIA. You must be registered/licensed to be a full member of AIA. Non licensed architects use ‘Associate AIA’. If you are registered, but not a member of AIA, then you use RA.

It’s tricky with LA’s because you did not used to have to be licensed to use the full ASLA…[Read more]

Seems like a rehash of LEED-NC…

Bernanke is trying to spin…all I’m seeing in the financial news is that the banking problems are JUST HITTING the commercial banks. Record defaults and foreclosures on commercial properties, and the banks are not lending for projects. There is also plenty of retail and office space built and available (at least in this region), much of it new.…[Read more]

Take a close look at the link they provide…its CLARG.org, not CLARB.org. And it’s not a typo, as the redirect is the same (i didn’t bother to open it, I don’t need a virus). Also, don’t they already have the exam historys? It’s their exam! Only my last name appears in the e-mail…which is also fishy.

I’m betting they will ask you to update…[Read more]

I’ve got both on my business cards, RLA first, then ASLA, followed by LEED-AP. Like others have stated, you can be ASLA without being registered. I used ASLA before I got my license, but that was back in the days when you could transition right from assoc. to full ASLA when you got your degree. To this day, if I see only ASLA, I assume you do not…[Read more]

I have been using newer varieties of no-mow turf grasses for ornamental ground covers. They get 6″to8″ high and then flop over onto themselves. Kind of looks like tall mondo grass (which isn’t a grass at all). They require little to no water and can greatly reduce the amount of mowing and care. In fact, you don’t NEED to mow it at all. You must…[Read more]