[Michael Roy]

Check out Hong Kong Park, it can be a bit naf and dated but it is a well used much loved park. There is an interesting dynamic at different edges of the park with some major roadways cutting it off from the surrounding buildings while other parts are more integrated into the pedestrian system.

Kowloon Park warrants a visit. 

The Expo Promenade in HK island is also worth a stroll along.

The Hong Kong zoological and Botanic gardens are ok.

I think it is worth walking up Victoria peak, you get some good views of the city on the way up and meet some interesting folk out walking their dogs.

Signal hill gardens in Kowloon are small but nicely down although feel a little out of the way (which is odd for where they are located). 

In terms of street life and night life I enjoyed the Wan Chai district. Lots of food plenty of people. 

If you have the time I suggest heading to Chengdu it is an interesting place, to me it felt like there were more street trees and had a greater pedestrian focus to the streets and of coarse it has the panda sanctuary.

I wanted to go to Kunming each time I went to China but never made it there. It sounds like such an interesting place.

[Michael Roy]

exactly the same for me. 

I had over 3 weeks of “comp time” that went unused/unpaid when I left my job because I was never allowed to take it. In the end I didn’t even bother asking for it. It would have been ok if (as discussed with my former employer) it was taken into account for salary and bonuses, but no bonus was given. Anyway starting a new job soon that seems to actually have a system in place, we’ll see how that goes.

In Aus Landscape Architects are supposed to fall under the Modern Award for Architects, you can check it out at http://www.fwa.gov.au/documents/modern_awards/pdf/MA000079.pdf 

You will notice minimum pays are really low. I don’t actually know anyone who is paid quite this bad. But to the point of overtime it says anything over 37.5 hours a week is overtime and should be taken as time in lieu within 6 months. Most people I know have altered contracts for 38 or 40 hour weeks but are still supposed to get time in lieu which they never get to take it.

[Michael Roy]

Cold, contrived and uncomfortable

[Michael Roy]

I like 3-D Max, I found it easy to use. I couldn’t really workout much with Rhino (though I didn’t give it much of a go). I find the terrain capabilities of 3-D max to be really good and it is easy to start off with an autocad model and import.

[Michael Roy]

Well in most cases the system is designed by hydrolic engineers and irrigation designers (usually linked with suppliers / contractors) I know sometimes LAs can be involved in discussions as is the case with a new council building in Perth, WA. Check out http://www.newforms.com.au/ and look at the Cottesloe, Peppermint Grove & Mosman Park job, maybe send them an email they should be able to give you some more info – even if it is from an australian perspective.

[Michael Roy]

I worked on a Government job in Canberra, Australia where a full grey water recycling system was installed. The grey water system provides water for flushing the toilets and irrigating the landscape. As the Landscape Architects we didn’t have much to do with the design of the system and just designed the planting etc. The practice of grey water recycling over here is only happening because we have been in drought for as long as I can remember and water restrictions don’t allow for watering of landscapes with potable water. Most jobs though seem to talk about using grey water recycling and then when costs come through it gets reduced to rain water tanks and storm water harvesting.
Likewise to some other comments black water recycling without treatment is not allowed here in Aus though I am currently working on a freinds property where they are off the grid for water supply, storm water and sewerage. They have a home treatment plant going in however there are still strict guidlines. All of the water must be released underground or a sufficient layer of mulch and be a certain distance from the residence. That said we are still proposing a swale system and range of wetland plantings (of course there is the extra challenge of using Aus natives which are used to growing in low nutrient soils now in a place where relatively high levels of nutrients will be present in highly soluble forms).
In the end I think it comes down to dollars and what regulations allow.
Also when I was in Perth I sat in on a talk by a hydrolic consultant who has worked on jobs around the world he said that recycling grey water (showers, baths, washing machine and sinks excluding the kitch sink) is the cheapest form of water, as in Aus there is relatively little rain but we are still using water everyday in the house. So installing a small residential system that is instintanious ei doesn’t require storage provides plenty of water on a fairly regular basis. These simple systems are just a pump hooked up the the plumbing that divert water into the pump and out into underground aggregate pipes (the types usually used behind retaining walls etc to remove water from the soil).
Anyway I have hope for grey and black water recycling we just have to wait for the real price of potable water to be passed on to the consumer with no government subsidies.

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