Kevin J. Gaughan

I saw this modified gabion wall detail at the national zoo that might be interesting for this application.

this part was about 30″ high I would say, and only about 8″ thick. The same detail was used elsewhere though to retain roughly 15′.

Zach,
I would highly suggest trying to stop by Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown, its one of my favorite places in DC. Also, high on the list would be Arlington Cemetery and the FDR Memorial. As far as New Urbanism goes, I think the best example in the area is the Kentlands up in Gaithersburg (about 20-25 minutes north of DC up 270). Let me know if you…[Read more]

Boyd,

I will definitely be there. Hopefully we can get a bunch of members to meet up at our Land8 Happy Hour. I look forward to meeting you and many other members!

found a couple pics online:

I have actually seen a very good example of this in Silver Spring, MD. Although it was only a temporary installation, I think it was a huge success. The first time I saw it I was mortified, but then as I watched the people interact with the space (pretty much just a largerectangular patch of artificial turf with a little bit of slope) I became…[Read more]

I guess its just about different circumstances and a different attitud about life. First of all, I have no family to feed, no car payments, no mortgage, and yes i pay the bare minimum on thousands of dollars of student loans every month. However, I also spent the last 2 years saving my pennies to afford this trip. Like Jessi I had to make…[Read more]

Jessi, I think this is a great discussion! I have been traveling through Latin America since June. Although most of the time I was just traveling and learning about new cultures, I also had the chance to do a good amount of volunteer work, teach, and also improve my Spanish quite a bit. For me, it has actually been a pretty amazing year!

I would like to go ahead and confirm Landon’s findings. Viva Las Vegas!

Dan, I looked at all three of these schools when I was trying to figure out where i wanted to go (granted this was like 8 years ago). My impressions were that ESF and Rutgers had stronger programs. Out of those two, ESF is a little more oldschool…they seem to focus more on design and planting and maybe be a little behind the curve with…[Read more]

Laura, I have been traveling through Central and South America since June. I have noticed that landscape architecture as we think of it is much more prevalent in South America and especially in larger cities. Some of my favorites include Santiago, Lima, Quito, and Bogota. Out of all the countries I visited, it seems like Colombia and Chile are…[Read more]

Thanks Stephanie, I also found these organizations:
Engineers Without Borders and Habitat for Humanity International
Neither seem to have anything organized yet, mostly just asking for donations, but I have a feeling in the upcoming weeks they will be putting together some programs in Haiti. I have commitments up until April, but hoping after that…[Read more]

Terry…I think this sounds like a really cool project. Looking at the pictures you put in that gallery, I would guess most of those benches commissioned for 5 to 10 thousand dollars (i bet a couple of those could have been closer to 15). I just got back from a trip through central america and got some pictures of some pretty awesome benches, i…[Read more]

i tried to take the survery, but could not get past questions 11-13 because there was not option for people who did not own firms, and you need give an answer in order to continue.

I would suggest visiting Valle Chilina outside of Arequipa. You can catch a cab out there from town, and then just walk around. Nice way to see some old school irrigation techniques in action. Also worth taking a peak at is the promenade in Miraflores in Lima. There is one part that has at beautiful mosaic serpentine seat wall. I hung out there…[Read more]

I am not sure of any wineries, but there is a brewery in Portland, OR that reuses its wastewater and recycles all of the biproducts from the brewing process. I know that the process are not exactly the same, but some of the systems might be similar. The name of the brewery is Bridgeport Brewery. Hope this helps..and good luck!

Might be interesting to do research on the history of american craftsman and artists and their influences on park design throughout the decades. I think in the era of contemporary gardens and parks, we have lost some of the richness in details and craftsmanship that we see in examples like central park. It would be interesting to see why that is.…[Read more]

I heard that the city of Curitiba, Brazil uses goats to maintain the grass at most of their city parks. I will be visiting there in February, so I will report back on how the system is working!

Trace, I completely agree with you that understanding the history of our profession is a vital part of our education as Landscape Architects. However, I do not see the necessity to have it be part of the exam. From what I understand, every accredited LA program has a history of landscape architecture requirement. And for most states, in order to…[Read more]

Jason, I really would enjoy some schematics. Just to give you a little more background on my request. I am currently teaching a class on sustainable design down in Costa Rica. Waste water is a big concern in the area because much of it is piped directly to streams or rivers. There has been some research done on reed bed greywater treatment…[Read more]