To architect or not to architect…
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Mark Bischak, Architect
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Some questions for a landscape architect
Comments (3)Hey, I want to study landscape architecture. I was wondering if there was anyone out there that wouldn't mind answering a few questions I have about the field. I'll give it a try What kind of art skill is needed to be a successful landscape architect? It is a diverse field, so some areas of it require a lot of art skill (if you mean drawing skills or composition skills). It is definitely a good outlet for someone with art skills to apply them, but there are plenty of opportunities for those without good drawing hands, for example (I do not draw well). What do landscape architects do on a daily basis? Again, there are lots of different ways people function as landscape architects. Many are involved in designing the layout of commercial and residential landscapes, but that concept also means different things to different people.Many think it is all about garden design. Some LAs do specialize in garden design, but many do much more than that. Plants and hardscapes are often tools to support desired experiences or mitigate negative experiences as people go about activities on a site whether it is a National Park, a residence, a mall parking lot, a hospital, a college campus, a city park, an airport, .... and some people get degrees in landscape architecture to work as city planners. I work in a civil engineering office with 8 employees. I do everything from putting an upgraded septic system on a plan, to drawing site plans for razing and replacing multimillion dollar ocean front homes, to multiple building affordable housing developments, to police stations, hotels, office campuses, subdivision plans, redesign parking lots, wetland restoration projects, changing little cottages into condominiums, ..... and sometimes waterfront residential landscape plans with stne walls, tennis courts, swimming pools, ....I also have a side business doing residential landscapes for all walks of life. Are there many available jobs for landscape architects? Right now things are not so good. There was a lot of development going on and lots of people got involved in this field to fill the need. Right now demands are falling off and people are getting laid off. There are lots of experienced people looking for work that is just not out there at this time. That eing said, landscape architecture is not the only field with this problem. I watched job posting completely stop in the month of September on the ASLA website. Since then, most of the job postings have been for government jobs or teaching positions at a rate of about 3 or four a week nationally. In your opinion, is it better to work for with a company or work individually? Most definitely, it is important to work for others for several years in order to get not only the skills needed for design, but to learn the rest of the business and to develop contacts and some sort of recognition as well. I like to say that it is easier to move sideways than to climb up. Work with people who are already doing what you want to do. Let them take you there and simply step off the train once it gets you where you want to be. What college(s) did you attend? I went to the University of Idaho - not an elite school, but I have learned that I did get a very solid well balanced education. Wherever you go, make sure that it is accredited in landscape architecture (www.asla.org has a link to accredited schools). Some schools are heavier in plants, others are more into planning. Is it difficult to get your license? Licensing has a lot of hoops to jump through. It varies slightly from state to state. Typically, you need to havea bachelor's degree from an accredited school, two years of internship (working full time under the direct supervision of a licensed landscape architect), and then you are allowed to take the LARE test (landscape architecture registration exam). It is at least 5 sections (some states tag on specific sections of their own). It took three days when I took it. The good news is that if you take in everything through your education and work for two years, you will most likely have little difficulty passing the exam. If you shy away from things you don't like while in school or interning, it may be more difficult What are some of the benefits of being a landscape architect? You have the opportunity to learn a wide variety of site planning skills that open the possibility to apply those in many different directions. It is definitely a profession that gives me satisfaction through problem solving and as an artistic outlet as well. It can pay pretty well depending on what you do. Are you in a certain niche in landscape architecture? I'm not. Part of that is because I wound up working with engineers ten years ago because there were not a lot of landscape architecture opportunities in my area. Another part of it is that I grew up in a landscaping family long before getting my degree at 35. I have worked as an LA for very nice design/build landscape companies as well as land planning (civil engineers/land surveyors). That lets me have fun with custom pools and lush landscapes for ocean front summer homes one day and laying out an affordable elderly housing complex the next. Most LAs operate in a narrower range than the circumstance that I fell in to. How do you think landscape architect job opportunities will be in the up coming years? Not very good. Too many people filled a big need in a growing economy and now the economy is shrinking. It will be a while before house property values rise. When they are rising the profession grows. When it stagnates it shrinks. It will take a while for an uplifting economy to absorb the existing experienced LAs before those coming out of school will be swept up in my opinion. Although, the bigger players in the industry tend to like to get production out of lower paid interns Do you enjoy your job as a landscape architect? Yes...See MoreCabinets are going in! Still need pulls - help, please!
Comments (24)Some of our appliances are in. The fridge and freezer columns are in -- love those!. Advantium is in & I am experimenting a little, but don't want to make messy pans because the dishwasher won't get hooked up until the sinks do, after the counters go in. The appliance installer discovered I was missing a few parts for the steam oven (open box purchase at 70% off), so I have to wait for parts to arrive from Gaggenau. The Wolf range is in, but because it was a floor model for several years, the installer suggested we schedule a maintenance check for safety before we use it, since o rings may have dried up or other issues. I am still going back and forth on hood choices -- that has been the hardest appliance choice for me in the whole kitchen. It's such a visible item that I want something attractive, but still functional. Sleek, baffles, 1000 cfm and under $2k has been hard to find....See MoreWhite on white design
Comments (38)ooh, Annie is that a white peacock? Stunning! Thanks for posting the design seeds. mtn, the slipcovered look is timeless and being able to toss the sofa cover in the wash makes it so much easier. We had a slipcovered sectional in our first home which we loved, but we sold them when we downsized to a smaller place in the city. I wish we could do slipcovers in our new home, but I'm not sure it jives with MCM style - those sofas are much more structured and uncomfortable looking. laura, I love the idea of a home containing items that are cherished and well thought out and not a bunch of stuff that we're not connected to. ineffablespace, looks like this "trend" goes way back. thanks for posting. I've been searching for inspiration for post and beam style homes, and today I ran across this home, which is (to me) a masterpiece. Like many of you have mentioned, I think the key to this white home feeling so warm and cozy is the layering and all the textures (sisal rug, the unique light (?)/art over the table, the lamp shades, wood tones in the flooring) and the plants. And the gorgeous wine country setting doesn't hurt. Most of the fantasy stuff on Houzz doesn't look all that liveable to me, but this house makes me want to move to wine country. [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/healdsburg-residence-farmhouse-living-room-san-francisco-phvw-vp~1942894) [Rustic Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/rustic-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2111) by San Francisco Architects & Designers Nick Noyes Architecture [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/healdsburg-residence-farmhouse-living-room-san-francisco-phvw-vp~1943032) [Contemporary Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2103) by San Francisco Architects & Designers Nick Noyes Architecture [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/healdsburg-residence-farmhouse-living-room-san-francisco-phvw-vp~1942972) [Contemporary Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2103) by San Francisco Architects & Designers Nick Noyes Architecture [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/healdsburg-residence-farmhouse-kitchen-san-francisco-phvw-vp~1942959) [Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by San Francisco Architects & Designers Nick Noyes Architecture [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/healdsburg-residence-farmhouse-bathroom-san-francisco-phvw-vp~1943037) [Contemporary Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2103) by San Francisco Architects & Designers Nick Noyes Architecture [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/healdsburg-residence-farmhouse-pool-san-francisco-phvw-vp~1942952) [Contemporary Pool[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-pool-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_727~s_2103) by San Francisco Architects & Designers Nick Noyes Architecture...See More2017- The year in 100 quotes
Comments (45)84. “"Build a house!" they said. "It'll be fun!" they said. Ha!” That was me. I may also have been the terrified one (21) AND the one driven to sleeplessness, migraines and an upset stomach (83.) They sure sound like me. It's still not fun. We still haven't started. I'm beginning to think I don't even want a lake house. For this amount of money, we could stay in hotels for weeks at a time, all over the world, for YEARS....See MorePatrick A
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