Rick Spalenka

I tried to add text to the photo of those barrack looking buildings.  That was a project I did in Garmish, Germany in 1979 while in the Army.  That building was then the “Russian Institute” where our army prepared people for “visiting” the USSR.  We had some left over money and I was asked to build a “garden” over the parking lot without re…[Read more]

I started out with autocad ver 1 and went to Vectorworks about four years ago. Will never go back to Autocad. There is a saying that Vectorworks makes Autocad autocan’t. The 3D is fantastic at the cartoon level. I’m not at the photo level, yet. I now design more in 3D than I use to. Any changes in 3D are automatic in your plan. Love it.

The first time I took my registered nurse exam (yea, I’m both an RN and a PLA) I looked for the right answer and only answered 75% of the test before my time ran out. The second time I took the test I eliminated the wrong answers without looking for the right answer and passed in record time. I disagreed with the right answer but knew the others…[Read more]

When taking a multiple choice test I find it helpful to not look for the right answer. I eliminate the more wrong answers. Sometimes I don’t even look at the remaining answer because it just makes me angry.

It’s been awhile since I posted or even lurked. Don’t see many of the regulars but do remember Craig. Two years ago I had too much time on my hands because of this lousy economy so I got involved in ASLA Central. Now that my chairmanship is up I’m back to this lousy economy. I too had come out of early retirement but I’m doing it in a geographic…[Read more]

It is still ugly out there.  Around here anyways.  Half the LAs I know locally are not doing what they were doing 5 years ago and the other half are lying.  The architects are hurting as bad.  The best news is that the architects have time to talk to you now and get to know you.  We are all in this sinking boat together.

In the early 80s I was working for a very talented landscape architect who had supper client skills but terrible leadership skills.  He took on design/build and did great projects.  His abrasive personality caused many employees to leave.  I first took on the maintenance of his past projects as my own company and withing ten years was doing my ow…[Read more]

In my limited experience it seems landscape code is typically written for the gas station chains, ie conocos and kum and go’s rather than private local developers who want to do good projects.
 
Hi Nick.  You comment is true in many more progressive areas.  We live in the OutBack.  Watch out for the kangaroos.  Are you packing enough water when…[Read more]

Here’s the link to the newspaperr with the cited article:   http://www.deltacountyindependent.com/news/top-stories/24846-city-hopes-to-make-regs-more-business-friendly.html
 
Here was my letter to the editor which they said they will print next week:
     It was with concern and dismay when I read the DCI’s front page story on December 14th con…[Read more]

Yea Craig, China’s Mao Zedong and his Great Leap Forward resulted in the starvation deaths of 20 – 40 million Chinease.  Aggressively moving into the future.

Henry, if you think the protesters ended the Viet Nam war you spent too much time with Cheech and Chong.  We had a President then who didn’t have a clue to what was going on and history repeats.  I was on the streets in the late 60’s, early 70’s, as a bystander like many others.  The Sterling Hall bomb knocked me out of bed and I walked through th…[Read more]

My Father-in-law was a high end corporate attorney.  His creed was (not exact words but close), “a $200 an hour attorney gets the job done in two hours = $400.  A $100 an hour attorney gets the job done in 5 hours = $500.”  Might be something useful for us there.  I’ve tried that and low ball still sells.  Just look at car loans.  Sales…[Read more]

Terrific, that makes sense but what also makes sense is why many of their “healing garden” designs, even award winning designs, have absolutely no healing qualities.  They are just very fancy plazas that catch the admiration of judges who don’t have a clue what a healing garden really is.  Idiots judging idiots.

Can you please expand on the “healing garden” reference.  I think I am either missing something or paranoid.  BTW I love your sketches.  Great talent.

“I was hired to oversee construction”
Were there specific construction documents drawn up?  Did the contractor bid on those documents?  Were you involved in the contracting?  Since you were hired to be the project manager two things happened.  The “contractor” overstepped bounds and the “project manager” didn’t oversee very well if you had com…[Read more]

Having just studied for Section A of the LARE, it is clear from the ASLA code of ethics that the designer is not supposed to accept funds from more than one party without full written disclosure to the client, and if the client objects they must either drop the practice or that client.
 
Holy moly, are you licensed?
 
Of all comments so far H…[Read more]

If your landscape contractor is like most that I know, they can’t afford to miff anyone who can lead them to work.  Just tell your contractor how you feel and if he doesn’t feel the same way find another one.  If I’m contracted to do construction management then I sure better be managing the subs.  If I’m not then the project owner is res…[Read more]

It is about the money and more.  Architects, I think, do think they are better designers than Landscape Architects, indoors and out.  I’ve had to bite my tongue more than once as I’m being “told” where the walks, parking, drainage and screens, et all, should go much less what names to apply to the circles.  Recently, I asked a city manager why a l…[Read more]

I don’t think it’s a matter of architects venturing into landscape design as it is architects venturing into the ability to stamp and sidestep the landscape architect.  For example, until the recent municipal code change in our local city, architects were doing it all.  They thought what they did looked nice and the clients and public thought wha…[Read more]

I have not found the true secret to getting my name out.  Because Colorado just re-introduced licensure two years ago it’s a new game now.  The rules have changed so the word needs to be disseminated.  Yellow pages doesn’t work with all the non-LAs who list under landscape architect.  Newspapers don’t work because nobody reads anymore.  TV and…[Read more]