Kevin J. Gaughan

I agree that it can be tough sometimes to find quality subs. I think the best tool is word of mouth, find out who people like, and then make sure to check out their work. What I find more difficult is justifying to the client to use the best. On jobs that I work on, we often have several subs bid on a job to give the client options, unfortunately,…[Read more]

I think it is. It would really help if we could somehow help to make it easier for developers to do more infill projects and take advantage of a lot of the infrastructure we already have in place. Why do we need to create new Urban Centers when we already have so many established ones in place.

thats pretty sad. Even more so that they wasted there time laying all that sod with no irrigation system and no one to live there to water it. i have a feeling Chick isnt done complaining.

Chris, thanks for the link. I actually did find another great company called Authentic Provence which has some beautiful garden ornament including brass and bronze spouts. However, i book marked Fountains Unique for the future. Thanks again.

Best deterrent for skateboarders is people. I feel that if the space you designed is dynamic and full of people the skateboarders will stay away out of convenience. If your space does not seem to attract lots of people, however, why not let the skateboarders use it. If for no other reason than at least it will look active in your project photos!

In the world, I am not sure….In the US I would have to guess Portland. I am not sure of any other city that has embraced our field as much.

However, I would like to hear from some of the Landscape Architects in Spain…from the time i spent traveling in in Europe I can’t think of a better country than Spain when it comes to balancing work and…[Read more]

Here is another one that I check once in a while and a couple of the writers are also members of land8.
http://www.topophilia.org/

My firm has also considered breaking into the GIS world, however, we have a Mac based office. Are there any GIS programs that run better on macs?

Also, how much of the project does your firm use GIS for? I have talked to some people that use it just for site analysis, but have also heard people import their designs into and use it for…[Read more]

Another might even argue that you should be using a plant that is native to that soil in the first place. Saying that…we often spec soil amendments on almost every job. I, however, do not think this is necessary…the times where the amendments become most critical are when you are dealing with planting in fill (often the fill is not of the best…[Read more]

I think one problem that landscape architects can often have is balancing their commitment to their client with their commitment to the environment. I have seen a lot of projects where in the schematic design phase of a project the design team is very excited about all these great things that they are going to do on the site regarding the…[Read more]

Here is a link to an older post that has some good suggestions from land8 members:
http://www.land8lounge.com/forum/topic/show?id=2025679%3ATopic%3A3828&page=1

The site has grown A LOT since then, however, so I am sure there will be lots more input to come. One suggestion I might have is if you are going to be in Amsterdam next, consider going to…[Read more]

Gil, try this out. It is one of my favorite resources when it comes to plants.

Dave’s Garden: Plantfiles

The only downfall is I believe you only get up to 10 free searches per day. (but this can be avoided if you search in google and find the link that brings you to their site)

I just found this on the ASLA website:
http://www.asla.org/land/2008/0617/latis.html

At the bottom of the page there is a link for you to download a PDF of this issue of LATIS (Landscape Architecture Techical Information Series). The document is free for ASLA members, and I believe $50 for non-members. I found it to be a pretty solid resource if…[Read more]

I have two. My first is the Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum).

It has several qualities that I find very intriguing. First of all it is a deciduous conifer, which is unique and gives is a very powerful presence in the winter time, especially when it is near other evergreens. Second, trees that grow in water are sweet, this one especially with…[Read more]

This is true…and I think the profession as a whole will be moving quickly in that direction (although I am still sad that architects moved quicker).

If any of you are not aware of the “Sustainable Sites Initiative” it is time to become familiar.
http://www.sustainablesites.org/

“The Sustainable Sites Initiative is an interdisciplinary…[Read more]

Denton, from my experience…when a firm is looking for an entry level employee, they are looking to fill the position immediately. How i see it is firms will hire upper-level employees (principles/associates) in hopes of growing a company (this is usually a big step, and is not usually a hurried one). Mid-levelers (project managers) seem to come…[Read more]

I have not read that article yet…but it sounds interesting. ill have to check that out.