Leo Gonzales

Thanks for your output. Though this post should not be taken as “the close” in this discussion. Let’s make this a continued discussion. I’m truly hoping our Program staff would stumble into this in the future for their reference.

Curiously, I find the program as quite adequate (though I tend to agree with the need for exposure to actual practice…[Read more]

other points that the program i think is weak at: hardscape and construction, which i greatly think that an experience with a firm would help; and sketching, since it would be best if we could transfer our ideas into graphics. though as i understood now that there are programs encouraging students to learn / practice their free-hand drawing.

di…[Read more]

Being a UP grad really is an advantage since it’s an accredited University, but I agree with Paulo that actual training should be part of the curriculum like what they’re doing here. Students from their freshmen years get to experience working on real projects and get paid for it as well. By the time they finish their Uni, they usually get hired…[Read more]

Good point on part-time work, Paolo. There indeed are programs in US Universities when students take a year off to work in a firm prior to their senior year. FYI, the summer internship was the best possible option, ever, at 2001. The program, in fact, is pioneering for the College; BS Arch followed suit only around 2005.

Good probably if the…[Read more]

no doubt there, our LA program did contribute a lot, though it is still a small percentage of the knowledge we must have in order to become competitive in our field. nothing beats actual professional experience. don’t get me wrong, having a good foundation is essential in order for us to easily adapt to actual current practice in our country or…[Read more]

Oh yeah. My blurred vision is starting to clear up! Thanks very much. Keep ’em coming.

Thanks Loe, very flattered.
I think it’s something to do with our approach to empty space. We have experienced shortage of flat land from the beginning. So, finding flat and open land was the first step. Some could find a plot in a ‘urban’ site (in medieval term) which is small and cluttered by neighbours, the others found a small plot on mountain…[Read more]

Hi Yuko. I am always enthralled by good japanese design and always wonder why such simplicity in design is so difficult to master. I hope to find some answers in this group.

Nice to meet y’all.

Here’s an example of the political aspect of planning and landscape architecture:

Nrschmid:
“However, some of them [landscape architects] struggle to find the underlying meaning in the ordinances and what has been established by plan commissions as precedent. For example, one community’s ordinance might allow Betula nigra (River birch) but the r…[Read more]

I think this has to be put up, with UP in its Centennial Year now. The UP philosophy in education serves us well, based on how well we’re doing around the globe; our turn to pay forward and let the others know we were/are: ISKOLARCHS!

bangkok,shenzhen&hongkong,shanghai and guangzhou . Where is my next station?

I just moved to New Zealand from Shanghai, It is good to join this group for sharing experience working in China

I have found this website (http://www.whillsgroup.com) and people to be very informative and helpful. From their website- ‘Wellesley Hills Group is a management consulting, marketing, and lead generation firm specialized in helping consulting, professional, financial, and technology service firms achieve their growth and profit potential.’ I get…[Read more]

Matthew E. Wilson suggested that I read this book! It looks good so I will be picking it up shortly! It is called: “The Answer: Grow Any Business, Achieve Financial Freedom, and Live an Extraordinary Life (Hardcover)”

Good call Brandon! I have added it and a few others to the Professional Practice category in the Bookstore. Any other suggestions?

If any of you are looking for a great book to help you with marketing then I have got one for you! “Rain Making – The Professional’s Guide to Attracting New Clients” by Ford Harding……Very insightful!

The greatest designer is normal people—the best cities in the world were not designed.

Zoning is way to control activities, which is important for a city. But as we all know cities are dynamic, some people even suggest that the city is a living organisim. froming this point of view, “zoing” should work in different ways comparing with exisiting and conventional “zoning” practices.
I think “zoning” is also a tool for the authority to…[Read more]

Well, that wasn’t he part of the quote that I was trying to emphasize, I’m not going to stand here and say that the government has cornered the market on corruption, the argument really isn’t about morality, its about social functions.

You are entitled to your assessment of Jane Jacob’s work but her contribution to urban design theory is…[Read more]

Great group thread….Here are a few of my favorite quotes made to engineers over the years…perhaps you can relate?!
“Rectangular ponds are great….if you’re treating raw sewage”
“Yes, all those trees are necessary…..to hide your handiwork”
“Remember, Jesus was a carpenter because Landscape Architecture wasn’t invented yet..”
“Apparently…[Read more]