Rick Spalenka

I could never understand the MLA. I transfered into the LA program after 2 years pursuing a different degree. I had to accept that to get that BSLA I was facing 4 more years of LA focused study. It took 5 years not 4 just like all the other BSLA pursuing students around me. Then along comes some BA in English who gets a stupid MLA in two years and…[Read more]

ASLA at least has the option of paying the dues through monthly bank account deductions. A little less painful. ASLAs annual convention site says they expect over 6,000 LAs attending. Any comments?

I tripped over this link this morning:
http://www.penick.net/design/services.html

You might find it interesting.

Wow, the $64K question that has no simple answer. LAs are worth at least $100 an hour. Use that figure and scare the home landscape design market away, at least here. The ironic thing is that this same market may pay high hourly rates for services performed by those with far less skill/knowledge. I don’t use hourly rates. I start by proclaiming a…[Read more]

You can learn more about this project at this web site:
http://www.edgarcayce.org/are/visitARE.aspx?id=1413 and my web site http://www.rgsdesigns.com

Am I happy as a landscape architect? Yes. Here is a current picture of a project I designed and built 15 years ago. I’ve seen worse disrepair after just two years. This project is passing the test of time.

Berlin parking. Hope this image loaded. Why can’t we do more of this?

Jaded? Maybe. I used the phone book example in another post because I just received our new phone book. Damn if the Landscape Architecture listings aren’t Joe’s Backhoe and Landscape Architecture services. I pay over $350 per year for my license so that I may legally call myself an LA. If I was practicing medicine without a license you can bet…[Read more]

Ah, grammar is spelled with an “a.” I may be old but I still keep a dictionary handy so I will not perpetuate ignorance.

I hate to say this and when I do many of you are going to be angry with me. My first observation is that many of these comments and concerns are as old as the profession. They have, at least, been around since I graduated in 1977. The title, Landscape Architecture, equals LANDSCAPER and a landscaper is a person who picked up a shovel after he lost…[Read more]

My Hallaluyah pertained to Gabinos postings about LA’s tending to be snobs. So true it’s disgusting. If you hadn’t noticed, we wear turtle necks with sport jackets a lot.

Hallaluyah. If you hadn’t read my other posts I wrote the same in a more subtle way. Craig remarked about Accountants. My wife is an Accountant and she’s paying the bills right now so I can continue my “hobby.”

Many many years ago I met a “landscaper” at an ALCA annual expo in Atlanta. We didn’t know each other but, coincedentially, went to the…[Read more]

If you can’t understand the hardscape (anything not softscape) you will never be a landscape architect. First you must be the “architect” part of Landscape Architect then you can become a great Landscape Architect. First you have to be able to write music then you can become a Mozart.

Yes, this is true. It’s similar to a military officers first walking in the shoes of the enlisted man, not necessarily essential but does develop a higher degree of professionalism. This discussion goes on and on about LAs and LDs. It’s the “A” folks. The “A”rchitecture, the hardscape, the construction not the scale. A landscape designer can be…[Read more]

Thanks alland, I was about to respond to Rick that in Arizona Landscape Architecture is a required professional service for new-build (just about everything but S.F. residential).

Is that Arizona or Phoenix? Some small hot spots ask for Royal service. In much of the rest of the outback an LA’s role is very minimal, limited, restricted or…[Read more]

I read these posts and others in other discussions. I don’t know how to say this diplomatically but I think some posters are high on weed. We don’t do anything others can’t do we just do many things better. It goes back to Maslow’s hierarchy of need. First comes survival and later, when all other needs have been met, comes caviar. We are the…[Read more]

The few LAs in Western Colorado are pretty idle. We could know the state of the profession by the attendance numbers at this year’s ASLA conference in Washington, DC. I have an architect friend who is a principal of a Pacific NW firm. He said his firm had two offices, 27 employees and 7 partners last year. Now they have one office, 5 employes and…[Read more]

Hi Rico,

Never been to Boston but I think that’s the way they talk. It does boil down to licensure and how it is marketed and applied. Someone’s post stating “Caveat Emptor” is also very part right. It’s also how the “buyer” is trained to know the difference in quality. This statement can launch hundreds of examples. What’s the sense of marketing…[Read more]