[Richard Longman]

US. Bach. of Architecture with a MLA.

[Richard Longman]

So I went to a lecture on Landscape Urbanism by Charles Waldheim.  He showed several examples of landscape student at Harvard GSD using parametric modeling.  Is GSD the only school dipping their toe into this field?

[Richard Longman]

So the options are we can let architects forget about the exterior landscape until the hour before permitting, at which time they call and ask to get it “shrubbed up” or they can start thinking about it earlier.

I think we should pay them the $30 and let them see its more than just a 2 hr. skill.

[Richard Longman]

Stefanie,

I work in a firm where we do all our design work in Revit. As far as schematic design Revit works well for conveying your design ideas for both the architectural and landscape architectural design. And, we use it’s 3 d capabilities to give our clients a lot of quick working images of our design. These working images are crude from a landscape point of view because we don’t spend a lot of time doing realistic images.When we want high quality realistic renderings for marketing we’ll export the Revit files and pump them up in 3d max, viz and polish off with photoshop.

That said I would find it would be more helpful if site furnishing manufactures would provide more Revit models as it would give our schematic designs a more refined look.

However, as my office goes beyond this point we typically break the project down into 2d autocad files to do our construction documents (its a long story). We’ve used Revit for architectural CD’s for some very small projects but mostly we revert back to 2d autocad files though I’ve found working in Revit to be easier.

When ever I do the landscape documents I never use Revit, as it’s not really set up for Landscape Architecture. I can see a lot of potential but apparently Autodesk isn’t interested that much in the Landscape Architecture side of the business yet.

I

[Richard Longman]

Had a history professor who paraphrased Daniel Burnham:

Think no small thoughts for they stir no man’s soul.

[Richard Longman]

“and thats all the developers are after. More can be done, and has been done long before LEED came along. Its a start.”

When LEED first came out in the 90’s I was fundamentally opposed to it. However, it has created a demand even if ever so slightly where now developers want LEED certificaiton…even if it’s the low hanging fruit type.

No, in the past there wasn’t a demand for more sustainable designs. At least the PR machine is creating demand from the public and the developers. We just need to keep it going and getting everyone on the same page.

[Richard Longman]

Sounds like he doesn’t believe in global warming.

And the bike rack is a red herring. If architecture and landscape architecture doesn’t respond to human behavior or anticipated behavior then whom are we designing for.

[Richard Longman]

The brain dump is good advice and one that the instructor of my prep course gave us. I’m not sure how helpful my notes were but it was reassuring to know that I didn’t have to worry myself with the information while taking the test.

One minor correction, you’ll have about 1 minute and 13 seconds…not 20 seconds.

When I took the AP test I had almost an hour left over. Few of the questions really take a lot of time so you either know it or think you know it. Being able to mark the questions to go back and review is a blessing and curse. Still you shouldn’t put too much time into second guessing yourself because you’ll just confuse yourself.

Good advice.

[Richard Longman]

Jason, to the done well list I think you should add the Kimbell Art Museum in Dallas by Louis Kahn, architect, and George Patton, Landscape Architect.

The building has never been pretentious and the landscape is just a sensitive. There is a matching level of design refinement and style, modernist, that blends well.

Which brings me to a question. Do you think that the landscape architectural design field is keeping up the architectural field in terms of theory, styles and experimental works? Sure there are some LA’ out there doing cutting edge design but aren’t they few and far between. Where as the architectural field has gone into what has seem a design style frenzy these last years by Stararchitects I don’t see the same intensity by LA’s. And, I have to admit, architects are easily and quickly influenced by what other architects are doing but not so much LA’s from what I see. There appears to be a pace that the architectural field moves at that’s different.

How many landscape architectural practices are know for their modernist designs and think about how many modernist architects there are….it’s not even close. I think that it’s easier for architects to find interior designers that share the same design philosophy than to find landscape architects that share their philosophy.

Minimalist architecture I admit is an acquired taste and minimalist landscape design….is well….not even being championed by any LA’s I can think of. I, like many here, don’t appreciate SANAA’s work but they are not the first Pritzker winners that have a minimalist bent… I think Peter Zumthor may fall close to a minimalist.

Which brings me back to my first observation…the Kimbell had a matched pair of designers. From what I see that’s not the case for SANAA’s projects. I think LA are leaving ourselves out in the cold…not because of architect’s egos but because we’re not keeping up.

[Richard Longman]

Brad and Elizabeth, send me your email address and I send you the plant list I had back in grad school in the 80’s.

[Richard Longman]

Rob, send me an email address and I’ll send the spreadsheet file. I thought I uploaded it but can seem to see it on the post.

[Richard Longman]

Rob, it took some time but I found a copy of the planting manual each student had to assemble for our class. Unfortunately it wasn’t in electronic format. I started a spread sheet with all of the common names but haven’t finished adding all the scientific names. Anyway, I’m posting where I am so you can start your study.
Hope this helps.

[Richard Longman]

Rob, I saw your post earlier but didn’t have any current information as I took the exam back in the 80’s. However at the annual ASLA state convention today I saw Dr. Neil Odenwald who administers the plant section of the exam. Dr. Odenwald wrote the textbook used in the plant materials course and is the former head of the Landscape Department at LSU. He retired years ago but apparently still is in charge of the plant materials test.

His text book is “Identification, Selection, and Use of Southern Plants: For Landscape Design” by Neil G. Odenwald and James R. Turner (Hardcover – Dec. 15, 2006). Undergrads usually had about 400 to 500 plants in their courses. Grads, which I was fortunate to be, had to learn only 250 or so. Identification in Louisiana is typically done by leaves.

He said that there is a one hour identification section and a one hour written section to the test. The test is heavy on native plants of the southeast. I recall during the planting design section when I took the test we were required to use 75% native materials.

In addition to listing common and scientific names you had to know their use characteristics, such as if they liked wet areas, lots of shade..and so forth.

I’ll see if I can drag up my old plant list and will send it later.

[Richard Longman]

Ridzuan, I’m going to agree with Jason about consulting a structural engineer. I can’t really tell anything about the structure from the photograph. I don’t see any method of drainage on the roof and can’t tell where the concrete deck is your talking about. Is the concrete under the metal roof?

[Richard Longman]

Ridzuan, what type of building is this roof on? In most structural designs the concrete slab adds rigidity to the structure and some roof designs, called composite designs, use the concrete as a structural diaphram to transfer loads to the columns.

Also, is water tightness important to the use of the space below? Does the roof now have roof drains?

Can you give a better description of the structure and its uses?

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