nca

Just a quick thought, but is there any way you could pick up some quick garden design work or do you have some of your own ‘art’ which might illustrate some of your own design sensibility?

Otherwise, from my limited experience, I’d say just use your layout to ‘play down’ the illustrative and design aspects, while playing up your actual role. I…[Read more]

Over the past few weeks we’ve had some ‘wins’ lately at my current office.

I’m finding it difficult to post in this or some of the other threads for some of the reasons you mentioned Chad. There are still so many out of work that I feel bad posting about successes we’ve had. Also, I’m a little (or maybe a lot) superstitious. I’ve written replies…[Read more]

I remember reading about this a year or two ago, but I didnt think they had implemented any of the plan at that time. I remember hearing about Flint, MI and entire city blocks going vacant and turning into public safety hazards.

I think it’s a very compelling idea- reclaiming unfeasible urban development. Whtever the city officially decides to do…[Read more]

I’ve thought to myself more than a few times in the past few years that some of the new plazas and public spaces designed and built recently look like sketchup models- In my mind this is because the places look ‘plastic,’ and catalogue-y if that makes any sense. Is this because the designer relied too heavily on the computer through the conceptual…[Read more]

Nice Gabe, thanks for the recommendation. I’ll check out the Fletcher Steel book.

I think I own this one or have at least read some of it.

I think this is more about the work than the man if this is the same book I’m thinking of. That’s great, but reading about someones work gets kind of old after a while. I can only read so much about individual projects or styles, or theories..I was hoping to find more about the man, though…[Read more]

Can I start with you Tanya?

Ha, I didnt mean to say I was interested in writing about one myself, just interested in reading and surprised I couldnt find much..

I’d still be interested in Eckbo…coming up as a designer in the mid-century hipster age, founding the largest la firm in the world.

Of course, Lapidus was well-known in the arch community for his hotel design, but not necessarily for his ‘rock star’ designer status or cutting edge work- but he had an interesting life filled with interesting…[Read more]

The thing I liked about the Lapidus book was the honesty and candidness. He went beyond his work and wrote about his childhood, upbringing, clients, projects, and personal life. For me, it was so interesting because I could draw parallels between my experiences and his. I could see how a suceessful architect made his way through life, through many…[Read more]

Thanks.

I actually own Devil in the White City, but havent gotten around to actually reading it. It sounds interesting and has always come highly recommended from everyone I’ve talked to about it, but I was hoping to find something about a more contemporary LA/Designer.

I’m sort of surprised MVVA, Walker, Schwartz, Halprin, Haag, Eckbo, etc, etc…[Read more]

I’m a pretty big fan of Halprins ‘fountains’/water features. Too bad we really cant design places like those anymore thanks to initiatives like CPTED…d’oh!..forgot this is a fountains discussion.

John-

Who are you directing your comments at?

Again, I think it’s a shame that LA’s are in the situation where they are the ‘fat’ or overburden in the firm. I dont believe we should victimize ourselves though as a profession. We should be better advocates for our selves and work. If we’re that dumb and stupid that a civil cant understand why…[Read more]

I guess the difference to me is that I can design something but I cant really architecture something, though that thing I design could be considered architecture. Most architects are also designers, though many designers would not consider themselves architects, whether or not they design stuff.

Otherwise, I’ve seen just as many unqualified for…[Read more]

Main Entry: 1de·sign
Pronunciation: di-ˈzīn
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English, to outline, indicate, mean, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French designer to designate, from Medieval Latin designare, from Latin, to mark out, from de- + signare to mark — more at sign
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1 : to create, fashion, exec…[Read more]

The natural order of things in most cases should be Landscape Architect >> Civil Engineer, not the other way around. It doesnt work well that way I’m convinced. It’s not an ego thing and I’m not that naive, it just is what it is.

My boss, who was once a civil engineering student and has worked very closely with civils on many projects over the…[Read more]

I have let my ASLA membership lapse as of last Fall 2009 and frankly don’t see the need to renew right now.

There have been several discussions over the last 12 months on professional advocacy, ASLA, and CLARB. Many of those discussions have concluded with the notion that ASLA seems interested more in selling magazine subscriptions for a…[Read more]

In this part of northern Colorado, which granted is evidently a different market than even Denver just 40 miles or so further south I have been sensing some optimism. We work closely with builders and subdivision developers specifically and there are new projects springing up in that realm.

I dont know if the work we have is an anomoly or not.…[Read more]

I disagree that the majority of new communites are ‘very efficient’ in terms of planning and design. I see a lot of the new suburban developments around here as being very inefficient in terms of land use. I agree that they are generally ‘safe’ in terms of the immediate safety threats involved in land design such as flood mitigation, sight lines,…[Read more]

Not necessarily, but look at where catastrophic violent crimes tend to occur, ie Columbine High School, who the ‘perpetrator’ was, and what their motive seemed to be.

I’m not saying kids are angry because their parents raised them in a suburb, but I’m raising the question as a side issue as to whether or not there could be a correlation between…[Read more]