Thomas Savage

Matt – From what I understand, the U.S. Botanic Garden does not support the lawsuit.  I believe this to be true because out of the three organizations, the U.S. Botanic Garden has the greatest legal resources and influence.   If the USBG was unhappy with the trademark request as filed by UT, they would have joined the legal battle to stop it and w…[Read more]

Thanks for your insights.   Having worked on a Pilot Project for some time I have a great deal of respect for SITES and the comprehensive approach it brings.   I can’t believe that there is some kind of a power struggle going on over what is essentially the bookkeeping.  However, stepping back I don’t think that any one of the partners should ha…[Read more]

Matt – Currently, SITES is not a separate entity.  The Executive Committee is made up of the ASLA, the Wildflower Center which is a part of UT and the US Botanic Garden.  SITES staff who work with the various committees and lead the development of the metric and educational materials are located in Austin at the Wildflower Center.  Liz Guthrie, Ma…[Read more]

Since the petition from ASLA and press release from UT are contradictory, please help me understand what’s going on with the following questions:

• UT States: “UT has never had a formal partnership or any legal agreement with ASLA, despite our efforts over the past two years to develop one.”    ASLA states : ” The SITES trademarks were developed th…

[Read more]

In regards to the ASLA SITES Petition update,  publicly airing dirty laundry is rarely a good idea.  Particularly when it is smattered with childish comments and obviously intended to discredit a former partner.  Landscape Architects and many others in the site design industry have worked tirelessly to prove our value to the green building in…[Read more]

The legal petition from ASLA and the formal response from UT definitely tell two different sides of the story.  Regardless of which side you fall, we should all agree that litigation is not good for SITES or the profession as a whole.  SITES v2 and the reference guide are scheduled to be released in the next couple months and projects will f…[Read more]

Charles – you obviously have not read SITES closely or either don’t understand it.  It is a performance base metric – the opposite of prescriptive design.  Also, I challenge you to certify a project.  In my work, I have found that those who believe they have been “doing it for 40 years” have great difficulty meeting the minimum criteria.  

Interesting.  Two entities fighting over who will make money selling another guide to prescriptive design.  There is nothing new in the SITES project except adding points up to get to some magical level so you can pin a gold star on your wall.  We really don’t need another entity telling us how to design sustainable projects.  We have been doi…[Read more]

Hi Heather – definitely disappointing to see. Just saw the announcements; have read both press statements that describe very different points of view. What do you think the key disagreement is and what will take to resolve?

cool group!!! super excited to be a member here!!! thanks!!

If possible Luke, I would recommend travel sketches over travel photography.  I find sketching to be a more sought after, rare skill.  Furthermore, sketches reveal more about what you are looking at and how you interpret a scene.  I’ve brought personal sketchbooks to interviews that demonstrate the range of activities I do, where I’ve been, and my…[Read more]

what are people’s opinion about adding travel photography in one’s portfolio?

Hey SLOers, I’ve just moved here from Australia, very close to Graduating just waiting on 1 subject I’m finishing in February. I studied at CalPoly last year in the Fall Quarter and am back to try and live here. Would really appreciate any tips on getting my feet on the ground here, looking to do some volunteering or interning and just meet some…[Read more]

The Illinois chapter of ASLA is looking for a landscape sketch artist to teach a sketch / rendering class in Chicago in the Spring of 2013.  Any artist / designer who is interested in teaching a class please contact me at mbarcelos@valleycrest.com and we can discuss fees and travel accomodations. 

Thank you very much for your comment Glenn, I enjoy designing spaces for people a loooottt, and feel fortunate to be in LA. Just getting a bit impatient about finding a LA job lol. 

Kai, I would say keep it to one page. That is what I always try to do. Cutting out something less important every time I have something to add to it. Although if you feel you have enough pertinent material to add, do so. But definitely no longer than 2 pages. I personally like the one pager.

Might take a while, all I can say is stick with it if…[Read more]

Hi everyone, so nice to have a place for discuss about Landscape Architecture. I recently graduated from LA program, and looking for a job. How long should resume be for a new graduate? 

A large number of credits under the Sustainable Sites Initiative pertain to vegetation. Check out my latest article “Green Math” in Landscape Architecture Magazine to find out what you should know to earn as many as possible.