Ryan A. Waggoner

A little more on the subject with a close-up…
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2010-03-25-eisenhower-memorial-gehry_N.htm

wow, not even attempting the “lettuce” approach…

like the idea, from the forum discussion earlier….i’m in, and i’m from the area so i could definitely help out and should have some free time…

If you are thinking green, what are the materials either on-site or very close to the site? Also, are there any materials that are readily available in the region that are recycled, either pre or post consumer? Are you looking for an innovative design, or something that is tried and true? How much influence do you have in the overall design? Where…[Read more]

I agree. I’ve found that it’s good to have a little understanding of many programs in this industry. If you want to be a designer, then it’s good to understand all of the techniques available. If you want to specialize, then by all means find the program that works best for you…obviously this is debatable which is superior in it’s own right.

I…[Read more]

I have to say that I love this discussion! This is the type of thing that we really need in our industry; creativity, innovation and a drive for change. Looking at the current market not as a hindrance, but a chance for real possibilities.

I love the ideas so far. I think the ones that could really work are a competition or charette with teams…[Read more]

http://www.cadtutor.net/ good site for tutorials, forums, and general knowledge…

Yes.

right, i’ve seen some images, but was hoping to find more. i’ve seen them kept in tact and stacked inside, which is an interesting look. i think if you could crush them into thirds or quarters and still keep them in that would look best….

Good point Nick, one that our professor’s kept pushing at school…until our profession holds quantifiable evidence of it’s impact we will have little grounds to prove our worth. I do like having a benchmark to guide those wishing to design sustainably that may not have as much experience in the area. Has anyone heard of potential projects for…[Read more]

I didn’t think that I had much to say when this discussion started, but going through the responses I’m filled with different thoughts. As a fairly new professional in the industry, I definitely can relate to “Young professionals in the field are compensated at deplorable rates, work extremely long hours, have little benefits and do grunt work…[Read more]

Hey Maria,
The simplest and easiest answer to 3D programming is Google’s SketchUp. It’s free to download and use, easy to model simple buildings and terrain, but definitely has some limitations versus the higher priced software. But there are definitely those out there that have learned to use it very effectively. Daniel Tal, who is on this site…[Read more]

brilliant, seriously….i love it. makes you think about all the other stuff in our lives we see as mundane that could be a daily source of enjoyment, if only for a minute in our days….thanks for sharing brent!

Very true Nick. The main difference of the two programs are the learning curves and time needed to build 3d models. While sketcup is quick to learn and easy to quickly model fairly simple models, 3dMax is much more difficult to learn and much better at developing more complex models. I have worked with both and see advantages and disadvantages of…[Read more]

At my last job we were working on combining Revit with Civil. We could easily bring rough terrain from Google Earth into Civil then export it into Revit. The modeling of terrain wasn’t the best, and like RFox says there are no families or components for landscape so there wasn’t much more we could do. I see the possibilities, but think the…[Read more]

Hi Erdal,
I worked in the arboretum at Michigan State for a few years, and the University of Michigan has a really nice one as well. Here are the links.

MSU Arboretum: http://www.hrt.msu.edu/clarence-e-lewis-landscape-arboretum/
U of M Arboretum: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/mbg/

I’m sure there are larger, more extravagant ones, but these are both…[Read more]

Thanks Roland, those are awesome!

Hey Jay,
I definitely understand your struggles. I have less experience, and have had to fight to get the two jobs I’ve had since graduating. The only real opportunities I’ve had came from personally banging doors down. I was sending out portfolios and applications like crazy and getting mild responses or feedback at best. When I finally showed up…[Read more]