Tanya Olson

Exactly my experience.

Another thing is that it (the coffee shop model) forces you to pay attention to what you want your business model to be – what you want your practice to look like. You have to pay taxes, keep receipts, look for write offs, etc. I prefer the hands-on of doing this all myself and enjoy understanding every aspect of…[Read more]

If you can believe it, environmental engineers have it even worse than we do….my friend graduated in the spring from one of the best env eng programs in the country and though she did get a job, its an awful civilian Dept. of Defense job located in the worst part of one of the worst states, not gettting any credit toward her PE’s (the…[Read more]

Mine says non-photo blue. I looked all over online and it looks like non-repro and non-photo are used interchangeably…??? Its been an age since I’ve even heard of anyone using blueprints much less used them myself, but do I remember correctly that any blue pencil will not print?

Hey Michelle – I’ve changed my process a bit and it has really saved me time – I got a bunch of vellum so I would be familiar with the texture and erasability of the real exam and have been drawing my design right on the vellum in blue line. My understanding from the orientation guide is that blue lines don’t have to be erased…can anyone confirm…[Read more]

A little tangental – “The Aesthetics of Ruins” by Robert Ginsberg – reading it in google books as the paper copy is somewhere between $99 and $500 (!) Lovely writing……..
“In a ruin we are reborn as experiencers. We are not the receivers of what has been planned and neatly packaged for us. Intact architecture often habituates us to passivity,…[Read more]

How about this idea? Find a Landscape Architect that you look up to, or like their work or their firm size and ask if they will take some time to mentor you. That way instead of looking for a job, you can keep your firm open, develop some professional relationships and get some advice. Even if you have to drive a couple of hours and pay for lunch…[Read more]

I use trex or other composite bender board instead of steel on projects with animals….

Here’s what I know only from personal experience from dept heads / profs. They carry a lot of their interests with them and suddenly their program is the best in the country for whatever a particular prof is interested in.

Michigan, if its Ann Arbor, sounds like its best suited to what you want to do – Joan Nassauer is there still I think and has…[Read more]

What were your other errors if you don’t mind sharing? It might help us to watch out for mistakes! Thanks! And good luck with section E.

keep working on it. I’m SLOWLY getting faster. That sucker makes the other ones seem like a breeze! I’ve also started practicing on vellum.
Did you ‘passers’ draw right on the vellum or did you draw it out on trace paper and then pencil or pen it onto the vellum using the trace underlay?

Excellent specific suggestions, Jordan. Thanks so much.

I’m right there with you. I’m pretty sure no who has taken the exams can pass on any specific information at all about the test or format.

I’m having trouble getting practice vignette C-2 done in time too – I did cut my time by about 25 minutes today by drawing the townhouses as a block rather than the individual units, getting my layout done,…[Read more]

For smaller projects (residential) I hand-draw – its fast and the clients think its magic.
For larger projects, particularly with lots of trees or complicated landscapes that would not be represented accurately by hand, I use photoshop with effects. Its fast and the clients think its magic!

In hand drawing I often go back and forth with acad…[Read more]

Terry’s suggestion of finding the Minneapolis LAM edition is a great idea. I’m sure most of the following is in there….Martha Swartz – designed plaza in front the the federal courthouse downtown, Oehme and VanSweden at the University of MN west bank campus (still pretty nice in winter and right across from the design school) and MUST SEE the…[Read more]

I’m surprised no one has mentioned taking Master Gardener classes (for plants, not design, in my opinion). I don’t know if they offer classes online, but usually there is a local instructor….

Suuuure they’re returning….to dig in your garbage can!
Seriously – all fo the animals returning to urban areas are edge species that can thrive on the refuse of urban environments. We’re not fixing the cities. The most adaptable animals are adapting.

At least in the US, failure to meaningfully connect in a culturally significant way to conservative conservationists – ie. outdoor sportspeople – hunters, fishers, other outdoor rec people. They’ve tended to look down their noses at ATVs and motorboats which hasn’t made any new friends. They’ve also alienated USFS management and forest resources…[Read more]

Really great point. Your comment made me think about planting trees in urban areas where they need synthetically supported root zones and engineered soil to even grow. Adaptation to tough conditions or an ever-shrinking niche?

Yeah – we have a problem with scale. Its hard to intergrate this kind of thinking into everyday life. I think thats actually what he’s saying – that to not design our way into disaster we have think systemically and specifically simultaneously (what a mouthful!) which is a challenge for the most adept multitasker. Really – most people struggle…[Read more]

Ha! If only I didn’t live in such a small town….of course I’ll be in my 80’s by then too and they wouldn’t hunt down a little old lady would they???