Landscape Architecture Resource

Feature Job Posting: Tenure-stream faculty positions at University of Toronto - apply by Nov.30

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:43:00 +0000

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
JOHN H. DANIELS FACULTY of ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPE, and DESIGN

is currently recruiting for:
TWO TENURE-STREAM APPOINTMENTS
view/save/print from PDF format

The John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, University of Toronto, invites applications for two tenure-stream appointments with expertise in
(1) applied theories of urbanism, landscape, and/or architecture; or
(2) histories and practices of architecture, landscape, and/or urbanism.

These appointments are to be made at the rank of Assistant Professor or Associate Professor, effective July 1, 2010.

Set at once within one of North America’s most cosmopolitan cities and a preeminent research university, the Daniels Faculty uniquely combines the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design in undergraduate, professional, and post-professional programs.

Daniels is invested in finding the intersections between nature, technology, architecture, and various geographies in a way that instantiates design to meet its contemporary challenges. An emphasis on the connections between all of the design disciplines at work in the remaking of the built environment is apparent in the scholarly research and built work of many of its faculty.

Daniels is particularly committed to exploring new modes of practice by drawing on the community of minds at the University of Toronto, thereby becoming a focal point for research and speculation on better ways to design and inhabit the built environment. Daniels enjoys significant ties with a number of adjacent disciplines within the university (engineering, geography and planning, art, literary studies, information, health) via both cross-disciplinary teaching appointments and various forms of research.

Following a decade-long transformation of its faculty and professional programs, and a recent major gift, plans are in place to both expand the school’s physical plant and to raise the ceiling of its curricular offerings to the doctoral and PhD levels.

(1) Applied Theories of Urbanism, Landscape, and/or Architecture (Job Number 0900826)
The Daniels Faculty would be an especially engaging environment for someone whose research explores the specificities of contemporary practice from a perspective that is both historically informed and theoretically acute.

Candidates would be expected to bring a substantial research program and to demonstrate not only an ability to fuse their agenda with the interests and commitments of the faculty, but to build new research capacities and relationships. The search will focus on individuals with a demonstrable background in design and/or the built environment, including but not exclusive to architecture and landscape architecture, who possess a PhD (or one that is substantially complete) or doctoral credentials. Salary and rank will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

(2) Histories and Practices of Architecture, Landscape, and/or Urbanism (Job Number 0900809)
The Daniels Faculty would be an especially engaging environment for someone whose research explores the historical underpinnings of design theory and practice. Candidates would be expected to bring a substantial research program and to demonstrate not only an ability to fuse their agenda with the interests and commitments of the faculty, but to build new research capacities and relationships. The search will focus on individuals with training in the histories and theories of architecture, landscape architecture, and/or urbanism. Candidates are required to possess a PhD (or one that is substantially complete) and to give evidence of an active engagement in teaching and scholarship. Salary and rank will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

We encourage you to submit your application online at jobs.utoronto.ca/faculty (http://www.jobs.utoronto.ca/faculty.htm) providing the following:
1. curriculum vitae
2. statement of research objectives
3. representative examples of publications, research, or design work
4. list of three potential references, including contact information

If you are unable to apply online, please send your submission, referencing the corresponding Job Number, to:
Richard M. Sommer, Dean
John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design
University of Toronto
230 College Street
Toronto, Ontario M5T 1R2
CANADA

Enquiries should be directed to Dean Sommer dean@daniels.utoronto.ca
T 416 978 3089
F 416 971 2432

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: November 30, 2009

The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from visible minority group members, women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, members of sexual minority groups, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Let's grow a city - Envisioning cities of the future: Vegetal City

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:35:00 +0000

Climate change? Greenhouse gas emissions from the building industry? What if cities were carbon sinks instead of just being carbon neutral (which is still a lofty target)?

What if our cities grew? What if our habitat was alive and evolving along with us? Here is an amazing body of work by visionary architect Luc Schuiten called Vegetal City. I love The Evolution of a City animation.

Online landscape materials catalog-

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:50:00 +0000

I've been thinking about ways solve a problem that plagues me as a landscape architect and designer: finding materials and specifications. Ok, so it's not a plague, but you can spend a lot of time just keeping up to date with the materials, technologies, and supplies that are out there, and more to the point you can waste a ton of time trying to find information. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that you can plant trees underneath pavement now. Did you know you can get rubber sidewalks? How about custom-grown trees that grow up to five times faster than normal?

There are so many suppliers out there and so little time to keep track of what's available. From playground equipment and paving materials, to drainage membranes, plants, and green roofs, and more. Landscape architects need to be in the know about a dizzying array of materials, supplies, suppliers, tools, techniques, and new technologies. Irrigation, lighting, paving, retaining walls, erosion control... the list goes on.

We don't keep a hard copy of material samples, pamphlets, binders or brochures at my firm. There's just no space for all that stuff. Besides, it gets out of date or out of style so quickly. There are so many landscape materials and supplies out there that the only smart way to keep it all is in digital format, so you can keep it all, keep it fresh, and keep it organized. Then when you need that drain grate catalog or that sprinkler system schematic you can quickly find it... well, can you?

Help me help you by filling this quick survey:

The 100th L.A.R. blog post!

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:40:00 +0000

Well here it is, post #100! Congratulations to you, my faithful readers, subscribers, contributors, and those who've encouraged me to keep this up. Without your support this would be nothing more than a bunch of electrons and brainwaves sitting by themselves in a corner.

This blog has been viewed 37,165 times by 16,952 different people since my first post March 26, 2008. Not bad for just over a year and a half. That's over 2000 views per month including the first two months where there was very little traffic. The monthly pageviews over the last 12 months is between 3000 and 4000. Although it's not the biggest audience in the world, let's all agree it's the most important one :)

But it's not about the numbers. I'm grateful for all of you that have visited this blog, and I hope it's been as helpful and informative as the numbers indicate. As always, I'm open to suggestion on how to make things even better.

It has been an interesting ride. I have learned an incredible amount about the web, blogging, social media, and all things Web 2.0. I've written and passed 3 parts of the lare exam, including both graphics parts, and have attained my ISA arborist certification. I've also been practicing at a great firm all this time and doing more and more cool stuff every day. In transitioning from a student of landscape architecture to a practicing professional over the past 8 years, I've found several areas where technology might help us out. More on that in another post.

In honour of hitting 100 posts I've updated the cover image. I've also cleaned out some of the ad clutter.

Thanks again,

Dan

Bottled Water Banned in Australian Town

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:37:00 +0000

Finally some one has taken a stand against the madness that is bottled water. The Australian town of Bundanoon has banned bottled water from their town. Let's hope that this is the beginning of a global trend.
Toronto now requires all merchants to charge $0.05 for any plastic bag and has banned bottled water at city hall and other civic centers. We're hoping to see all bottled water banned in the next few years.

Biosphere 2: how are you connected?

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:06:00 +0000

Back in the 1980's when I was in grade school I did an independent study report for my science class on Biosphere 2. I'm not sure how I even found out about it without Google and Wikipedia. I'm pretty sure my science teacher was a combination of useless and indifferent. But I thought it was super cool.

It was heart-warming and nostalgic to find this lecture by Jane Poynter, one of the biospherians who spent 2 years inside the closed system.

I particularly like the part near the end where she shows what happens when you stop raking your leaves: you allow natural topsoil-producing processes to work. I've always fought for this as an aesthetic and maintenance-saving method. Let the leaves fall and decompose naturally. You'll never need fertilizer, you won't have to mow, and there won't be any weeds. When will people learn to trust the natural processes that give us life? I think it starts where we feel connected to the biosphere.

Up from my roots

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:13:00 +0000

I am happy to announce that I am now an ISA Certified Arborist. Thanks to my "roots" in plant science and landscape architecture, it was a fairly painless procedure. Then again, it's easy to study for something if you love the subject matter.

As much as I already knew about trees, my perspective has been enhanced. For one, I had always underestimated how critical soil is. Not just the contents, but the structure of it. I also am thinking now in terms of the urban forest, not just each tree in isolation.

I'd like to share some tree-related goodness with you. I'm sure you'll find it useful.

a quick pamphlet on tree roots and their interactions with pavement, sidewalks and pipes. It'll give you a new perspective on roots.

an article published in Landscapes/Paysages a few months ago on soils and why they are so important (pdf). Landscapes/Paysages is the trade publication of the CSLA. The article is written in English on one side of the page and en Francais on the other side.

I may have shared this before, but if you're a real tree geek, here's a simple animation showing how trees grow.

you've got to love this video. At one point you'll see police walking buy and you'll think, "man, it's a good thing the cops are securing the area. That tree must weigh a ton!"

Bike and Pedestrian Friendly Construction

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:46:00 +0000

Here's a post in Toronto's Spacing Magazine about how pedestrians and cyclists are treated by construction closures compared to how it goes in The Netherlands.

Once again we see how far advanced our European cousins are when it comes to civility and urbanism.

The financial and ecological fallout of over-watering landscapes

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:21:00 +0000

by Matthew Sandink

Water conservation appears to be becoming the new “Global Warming.” While there is always two or more sides to any argument, we should all want to conserve water as water is one of the two substances we absolutely cannot live without (the other being oxygen.) Water use reduction in the landscape is an area of water conservation where we can make easy changes now without any significant negative impact upon the landscaping industry. While it’s true that many articles written about the state of the environment tend to demonize one group over another, water is used and abused by every single group, company, country and individual in the world and the responsibility for it’s protection lies with all of us.

In landscape water use reduction, as in all water conservation, the focus is usually placed on mitigating the over-use of this precious resource without fully understanding the “other” problems associated with over watering. Many of these issues directly affect the immediate landscape: plant death due to over-watering, damage to hardscapes and structures, and of course highly inflated water bills. The larger fallout of over watering in landscapes is a little harder to see without leaving the property.

Financial fallout

The link between energy use and water use is often referred to as “the energy-water nexus.” This references the fact that we cannot have healthy potable water in this day and age without costly water treatment. Associated with this process is the energy cost of pumping treated potable water to our businesses, homes and landscapes.

We must not forget, that for every drop of water running into the storm sewer on an over-irrigated landscape, that there is also an accompanying loss of energy. It is often argued that water is a renewable resource (certainly true) but the necessary energy used to treat water typically does not come from renewable resources. Some readers may be thinking to themselves; “I will never see these higher energy bills, so why should I care?” We must not forget that we are all taxpayers and residents wherever we live and water treatment energy costs, are carried by the already over-burdened taxpayer, you.

The issue of water treatment leads to another financial cost of water waste, municipal infrastructure costs. While there are ongoing studies with regard to this issue, enough data has been gathered to prove that many municipalities water infrastructure is designed around peak water use during the summer months.

Why would water use peak during the summer months? What’s so different about the summer? We water our turf and landscapes during that time period. Summer water peak demand is often 200%-400% higher than water demands through the winter months (extrapolated from data obtained from the OWWA – Outdoor water use reduction manual). Since the only unusual spikes in municipal water use occur during the summer months, it could be observed that city water infrastructure is being built to cater specifically to outdoor water use. By reducing our water use on landscapes to the necessary amount, many cities may not have to budget as much for infrastructure expansion. It is this expansion that is responsible for the rapid rise of water rates across Canada, and likely elsewhere.

Ecological fallout

Again, it is very easy to see how over-watering negatively affects our landscapes, but what happens when this water leaves the site?

In 2006/07 the city of Toronto initiated a program to disconnect residents downspouts from the sewer system. The reason for this is that storm water is running off of parking lots and landscapes during rain events and is picking up every hydro-carbon, chemical and salt and taking them, untreated, into the storm system and straight into our streams and rivers. Exactly the same thing happens when you over-water a landscape and it runs off into the street or storm sewers (and local streams.)

A very easy and logical estimate, knowing how many landscaped properties exist in Canada, is that more contaminated water than any rain event could ever produce, is running every day, during the summer, into our watersheds. This factor has only come to light in the last couple of years, however there are many years of data regarding agricultural run-off contaminating local ecologies.

In addition to agricultural studies, the Ontario ministry of the environment published the “Stormwater Pollution Prevention Handbook” which in addition to giving municipalities guidelines to mitigating water run-off pollution, also clearly identifies the sources of such contamination.

Today chemicals used in the landscape (by individuals, municipalities and contractors,) hydro-carbons and many other pollutants can be traced back (on a molecular level) to their source. It is only a matter of time before overwhelming data is published directly linking excess landscape irrigation as one of the greatest threats to our watersheds, lakes and rivers.

Finally, there is an unfortunate link between all three of previous issues that when you put it into perspective sounds completely absurd.

Not only are we damaging our local ecologies and environment with contaminated landscape irrigation run-off but we are also polluting costly treated water that we all have to pay for. This contaminated water drains back into the exact same sources we draw it from, we treat it again, and again it ends up right back on the same landscapes only to get contaminated and returned to it’s source over and over. This is not how the water cycle is supposed to operate.

Is any one person or group responsible? No, we are all responsible for our water; its pollution, its re-mediation and its conservation. There are many solutions to the above issues and many of the solutions are already being put into effect but it is up to each of us to recognize that we need to change the way we operate.

Matthew Sandink is the Conservation Solutions Specialist and is responsible for Marketing at SMART Watering Systems. SMART Watering Systems is a water conservation & rainwater harvesting consulting firm with it’s roots in the landscape irrigation industry.

Good times for Green Construction and Consulting

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:39:00 +0000

I stumbled upon this article yesterday on the best industries for starting a business right now. It's interesting to note that Green Construction and Niche Consulting are listed there.

The construction industry may be in a slump, but companies that specialize in green building are bucking the trend...

It's about half way down the list.

Indoor air quality: grow your own

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:50:00 +0000

Here is an interesting 4 min video on three common houseplants being used together to provide a complete clean indoor air solution for home or office.

You can see the slide deck and read more at http://greenspaces.in/blog/ted09/

The 21st Century Park and the Contemporary City event

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Tue, 12 May 2009 00:41:00 +0000

by Brendan Kempf

This coming Wednesday is the panel discussion at The 21st Century Park and the Contemporary City event being put on in New York City by the Forum for Urban Design. The discussion is to feature James Corner, George Hargreaves, and Michael Van Valkenburgh. From the Forum for Urban Design, "discussions will range from the ways in which innovative and creative designs are redefining the park and city of the 21st century to questions about development strategy, financing, operations and management."

First announced in March, this event has generated so much interest that the event soon had a long waiting list and, in the end, was so overbooked that the Forum for Urban Design had to limit the event to members. While this means I got put on the long waiting list and likely won't be able to go, it is promising that an event centered on landscape architecture can generate so much interest. And in response to all the interest, the FfUD will be putting a podcast of the discussion up on their website. Stay tuned for an update on the discussion and a link to the podcast once it is available.

Links
Forum for Urban Design
Field Operations
Hargreaves Associates
Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates

Brendan Kempf is a contributing writer and student at Connecticut College working towards an Anthropology and Architectural Studies double major

Becoming a Certified Arborist

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:47:00 +0000

I'm currently studying for my Arborist Certification with the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). Building on my biology background, and of course landscape architecture, it seemed like the next logical step. And a fun one. After all, as a landscape architect the more you know about trees the better.

The topics of the exam include:

tree identification
tree-soil relations
water management
tree nutrition and fertilization
tree selection
installation and establishment
pruning
tree support and protection systems
diagnosis and plant disorders
plant health care
tree assessment and risk management
trees and construction
safety
climbing and working in trees

Even if you're not interested or qualified to become an arborist, you can join the ISA as a supporting member to learn more about trees and how to take the best care of them.

Some other tree related resources:

some great photos from the University of Guelph Arboretum
info on tree care at Tree Help dot com
a great blog on native plants in Ontario
online seminars for arborists
how to identify and control noninfectious diseases of trees
a handy online tree identifier key from Ohio
a really cool blog on arborsculpture (growing living sculpture with trees)
and a great visualization of how trees grow

and please read about tree roots and the problems they don't cause

Earth Day 2009

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:15:00 +0000

Happy Earth Day!

Here's a message of hope befitting of such an occasion.

Toronto Ahead of the Curve on Tree Growth and Stormwater Management

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 03:12:00 +0000

by Leda Marritz

Stormwater “Proof of Concept” Streetscape Installation on The Queen’s Way, Toronto, Canada

Toronto Water, the city’s water authority, was trying to solve the problem of managing stormwater runoff from ordinary rain events. They had been unable to meet municipal water volume and quality treatment requirements because there was no system for detention, retention, or cleaning. Toronto Water wanted to test a new combined tree growth and stormwater management infrastructure product, the Silva Cell, on its capacity to manage surface runoff.

In conjunction with Ryerson University and Deep Root Canada Corp., the city installed a proof-of-concept installation on The Queensway, a commercial area between Moynes and Berl Avenue in Toronto.

Pave-Al, the contractor, excavated two trenches for two Silva Cell systems, each two frames deep and with spots for two tree openings, that straddled the sidewalk area and the parking bays.

The Silva Cells were filled with a bio-retention soil mix (80% sand, 20% soil) that has a 20% water holding capacity. All of the rainwater runoff is collected in the city’s standard stormwater catch basin. In effect, the Silva Cell is being used to create a giant bio-retention swale underneath the sidewalks and parking bays.

A bio-swale can keep the surface runoff out of the stormwater system for 24 hours and filter out pollutants from the water. A typical rain event in Toronto is 0.09-0.12” (2-3 mm) in 24 hours, and 50% of Toronto’s annual precipitation events are less than .19” (5 mm). The Silva Cell system was sized and laid out to manage the runoff from a 2” (5 cm) rain event in 24 hours.

The system captures all of the run-off from the crown of the street to the building face and from one end of the block to the other. All of this water is cleaned, retained and detained by the bio-retention soil. The system also meets AASHTO H-20 loading requirements to support the weight of vehicle parking.

The entire installation took 3 days, with a crew of 5 workers, and provided a total of almost 600 ft3 (16 m3) of bio-retention soil per tree.

An 8” (20 cm) PVC pipe runs from the street catch basin into the top layer of the Silva Cell system, delivering all of the surface runoff from the roadway and adjacent sidewalk into the bio-retention soil. A perforated PVC pipe then distributes the surface runoff evenly throughout the soil and the water infiltrates through the soil until it reaches the bottom of the system.

At the bottom of the trench is a perforated drain line that will carry any excess overflow into the existing city stormwater system.

Depending on the site, the runoff that percolates to the bottom of the Silva Cell system can be infiltrated into the subsoil to help replenish the aquifer.

As the two trees in each of the trenches mature they strengthen the efficiency of the stormwater management system by evapotranspiring large volumes of rainwater out of the soil through their roots systems and up out through their canopies.

The City, with assistance from Ryerson University, is installing monitoring equipment to track the flow quality of infiltration and quality of water in and out of the Silva Cells. The first set of performance data is due to be available in Fall 2009. With the help of the Silva Cell they are hoping to meet their regulatory requirements in areas where they couldn’t before.

Installation Summary

Total bio-retention soil per tree: 688 ft3 (19.5 m3)
Number of Silva Cells: 260 frames, 130 decks
Installation date: October 2008
Installation type: Trees and stormwater
Water volume treated: 656 ft3 (18.5 m3) based on a 2” (5 cm) storm event
Watershed area treated: 8,288 ft2 (770 m3)

Leda Marritz is a marketing manager at Deep Root Partners, LP, an urban landscape products and ecosystem services supplier.

Should I pave my property?

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:03:00 +0000

Here's something that's very important that most home owners don't know about when paving their driveway, building a patio, or watering their garden.

Underneath the surface of the ground there is water. Virtually everywhere, if you drill deep enough you'll find ground water. Sometimes the ground water is just a few inches below ground, as at the beach. When the water level is above the ground, we call it a lake or stream or river, creek, pond, or spring. It's then surface water. It's all connected.

Where does ground water come from? Rain and melting snow, which percolate down through the soil until they reach and join the ground water. This is the ideal scenario. When rain is allowed to percolate through the soil it waters plants. Particulate matter like air pollution gets physically filtered from the water, while chemical pollutants get taken out and metabolized by bacteria in the soil. The end result is water pure enough to drink. Evian, for example, comes from springs in Evian, France. Springs are places where groundwater pours out of the ground, pure and clean.

To be clear, it's not as if there are underground rivers flowing as they do on the surface. In some areas this is true (limestone Karst topography), but in most areas ground water is just like wet sand where the water between sand particles moves about 50 feet per year. That's a very slow rate of flow, so it takes a while for impacts to be seen, and a lifetime for pollution to dissipate.

As mentioned before, rivers, lakes and streams are fed by ground water. Some comes from over-ground run-off, but the majority of water in a natural water body comes from ground water as it moves from below ground level to above ground level--or rather as ground level falls below the waterline.

This means that the water body is clean, and it also means that the water is cool. This is important, because cold water holds more oxygen than warm water, and thus cold water can support more diverse aquatic life and is less susceptible to nutrient imbalances like the ones that cause algal blooms and other problems.

But when you pave a piece of ground with something impermeable to water, like a driveway, a concrete patio, or a house (with its roof), the rain that falls is usually collected into a gutter or pipe and funneled into the sewer.

The sewer runs downhill, connecting to more and more sewers along the way from parking lots, roads, and everywhere else that rainwater is caught on its way down. This sewer water doesn't get a chance to be filtered by the earth, or cleaned by soil organisms, or cooled by the ground. It rushes down the sewer pipes collecting pollutants, silt, sand, oil, garbage, and everything else that gets washed off of our roads, driveways, and rooftops and is put down the sewer drain. Then it dumps straight into the lake or ocean, depending on where you live. Warm, polluted, and full of silt and debris that chokes fish, buries plants and habitat, and then... ultimately gets back into your body in your food and drinking water.

Meanwhile, the clean cool streams that should have been filling up on groundwater don't get a chance because the rain went into your gutter instead of into the ground. Sometimes when too much land gets paved it causes streams to dry up and the life that was once in them is killed. Fish, insects, plants and the birds and other animals that depend on them for food or habitat are gone. This can affect ecosystems further downstream including our lakes and oceans.

Sometimes wells dry up when too much land is paved and the ground water can't recharge as fast as it's being withdrawn. This happened where I grew up.

The solution is easy. As the saying goes, knowing is half the battle.

Disconnect your downspout. Let the water from your roof top trickle into your lawn and down into the soil to get re-purified as it recharges the ground water aquifer. Or better yet, collect it in a rain barrel and use it to water your garden. Save your potable tap water for drinking and cooking, and give your garden the rainwater that hasn't been treated with chlorine or your water softener.

And when paving, use permeable pavement whenever possible. Choose unit pavers (bricks or cobble stone) over concrete whenever possible. Choose gravel or permeable pavement over asphalt when ever you can. Don't make your driveway or patio any bigger than necessary. And pass on this message to help spread the word. Water quality is an important thing that we can all easily improve if we know our role in the hydrological cycle.

Accurately Measure a PDF markup from CAD or hand drawings

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Heiler) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 07:40:00 +0000

by Cheri Stringer

Bluebeam PDF Revu is used to view, edit and markup PDF files.

In addition, both the Standard Edition and CAD Edition allow the user to accurately measure distance, area, perimeter and volumes in the PDF file.

The program also supports batch conversion of Microsoft Office or CAD files for sharing with coworkers, outsourcing agents, contractors, subs and clients.

In my business I use Bluebeam PDF Revu to:

Communicate drafting changes to my outsourcing agent, contractors, etc

Illustrate construction phases

Accurately measure design elements for concise estimating

Why is this a valuable tool for landscape architects?

First, Bluebeam PDF Revu provides an array of powerful tools for professional landscape designers and architects to spiff up their files with color and make certain elements stand out.

The custom markup tools allow for the addition of text, highlighting, lines and multipoint shapes with a range of line weights, colors and shading.

This is especially useful in the installation phase of the design where clear communication of landscape plan elements is essential to a successful project. Bluebeam PDF revu makes this easy by allowing the markups to be placed on the finished plan as an overlay. The overlay can then be changed at any time without affecting the underlying drawing, and the additions can also be integrated with the file for printing and sharing.

Second, if you don't use Cad, Bluebeam PDF Revu can speed up the estimation process with its built in measurement tools. The measurement tools allow you to quickly calibrate a hand drawing that has been scanned and converted to a PDF. Once the plan is calibrated you can calculate length, perimeter, area and volume accurately for budget studies.

Are there any drawbacks?

This program doesn't come without a few drawbacks. First, it only runs in the Windows operating system, so if you have a Mac you would need to use "Bootcamp" or "Parallels" to run Bluebeam PDF Revu.

Second, if you draw your plans by hand, you need to have your plans scanned and converted into PDF format before the programs benefits can be used.

There are also some minor printing issues I have discovered. You can't create any delicate distinctions of line width in the program. For instance, lines created within Bluebeam PDF Revu, especially the smaller line widths, are wider when printed. Also, dashed lines do not line up on the printed plan like they do on screen.

Last, the files can be a bit large sometimes once coloring is added. Fortunately there is a work around for this that reduces the file size while preserving the scale, dimensions and file attributes.

How does Bluebeam PDF Revu compare to other similar products?

Compared to its closest rival, "Adobe Pro Extended", Bluebeam PDF revu provides a staggering array of features missing from Adobe such as measuring tools, color shading, line width control and multipoint shape controls to name a few.

Adobe Extended Pro is really meant for a general audience that is not working with technically demanding layouts and details present on most landscape designs.

At $699 Adobe Pro Extended is also considerably more expensive and lacks the integration into CAD programs.

What's the cost? Is it worth it?

Bluebeam Revu Standard Edition is $149 and the Bluebeam Revu CAD Edition is $199. They also give volume discounts if you buy more than 5 seats.

Both editions allow you to measure distance, area, perimeters, volumes and comes with a built in calibration tool that is really easy to use.

The standard version allows conversion of a wide range of file types to PDF and integrates with Microsoft office programs providing one button controls within each program for PDF conversion.

The CAD version adds on integration with Solid works, AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT providing a tool bar inside AutoCAD for stamping, batch conversion and other useful tools.

Bluebeam PDF Revu has paid for itself many times over in my landscaping business by increasing productivity and enhancing my communication with clients, contractors, coworkers and subs.

In summary, Bluebeam PDF Revu has powerful tools that enhance the presentation and communication of landscape plans. The program has a powerful array of tools that are particularly useful for design professionals in the landscape industry.

For more information and to purchase the product, visit the Bluebeam website at www.bluebeam.com.

This article was written by Cheri Stringer, owner of TLCgardens LLC of Colorado, and originally published by LandscapeLeadership.com.

Landscape Architecture Education

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 07:29:00 +0000

What kind of education do you need to become a landscape architect?

How much education do landscape architects have or need?

In North America, Landscape Architecture is often done as a bachelor's degree in 4 or 5 years. The pre-requisites differ from school to school, but generally it would be advisable to have taken some senior year art classes in high school and some sciences as well. Geography is closely related to landscape architecture, too. But Landscape Architecture is such a broad field that you'd be well-served by any high-school curriculum. As long as your grades are good. Admissions to Landscape Architecture programs are usually pretty competitive, again depending on the school. If you're still in high school and think you're interested in landscape architecture as a career, check ahead to see what kind of classes will help you the most at the schools you're interested in.

Many schools (and the number seems to be rising, at least in Canada) offer Landscape Architecture only at the graduate level. This means you'll need a bachelors degree in something else before you can apply to the Masters of Landscape Architecture program. You can enter with virtually any undergraduate degree, again as long as your marks are good. In my masters class, we had people with all kinds of undergraduate degrees: jazz performance, forestry, geography, biology, philosophy, engineering, architecture, divinity, and fine art. Believe it or not, these are all advantageous backgrounds to be able to bring to landscape architecture. When you design human habitat for a living, everything else becomes a related topic, as I've written about before. My masters of landscape architecture class modeled for our school's website one day in studio. I'm in the blue shirt.

It's good to have some construction experience, too. You're going to be drawing blueprints for things to be built; the more you understand about how they will be built, the better you'll be at designing them.

You should have some knowledge and interest in plants, but in fact plants are a rather small (but important) part of what we do, in the grand scheme of things. It's never too late to learn how to identify and care for plants, but you'd rather start as soon as there is much to learn.

I would advise working at a nursery, a landscape construction company, the local city parks and recreation department, the city planning department, or a landscape architecture firm as an intern or assistant if at all possible. The more you know ahead of time, the better prepared you'll be and the more you'll get out of your landscape architecture education once you do get in.

Other related articles:

More than just Green Roofs and Green Walls

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 08:00:00 +0000

by Brendan Kempf

The typical public misconception of landscape architecture is that it is completely separate from building architecture and that landscape architects mainly deal with plants. This is not true. Landscape architecture is at its best when it is part of the design process from the beginning of conceptual design. Landscape architects are often involved in planning, land use planning, and master planning. But one role for landscape architects within the sphere of building design is through elements such as green roofs and green walls.

As interest in natural daylighting increase, so does the possibility of having lush, vibrant indoor landscapes. There have been many studies done that show how natural daylight and proximity to plants increases both people's happiness and effectiveness at work. One study even showed that patients in hospital rooms that looked out on to green roofs typically recovered faster and could go home sooner.

Indoor landscapes. Image via www.barkowleibinger.com

The design of green walls is one way for landscape architects to have a greater role in the design of buildings. Green walls are essentially vertical planters and can support a wide range of plants, depending on the conditions. Both interior walls and building facades can be be used as green walls, creating vertical landscapes that are embedded in the structure of a building.

Image via Achinect.com

Green roofs are another opportunity way that landscape architects get involved with buildings. There is no cookie-cutter approach to green roofs. Each comes with specific siting conditions, sun exposure and micro-climates that must be carefully considered in order to design a successful green roof.

In addition to a number of powerful environmental benefits, green roofs can also make great amenity spaces, especially in dense urban areas. People have been using and enjoying roof top gardens since the 3rd century BCE!

In addition to the detailed knowledge required in choosing proper growing mediums and plants for a successful green roof, landscape architects can also lend their skill in crafting pleasurable outdoor spaces.

Image via Flickr

More information on Green Roofs and Living Walls:

“View through a Window May Influence Recovery from Surgery” Ulrich, Roger S. Science, 1984. Vol 224
NYT article on Patrick Blanc, green wall pioneer
Green wall installation by Young Architects Boston Group
ASLA Green Roof

Brendan Kempf is a contributing writer and student at Connecticut College working towards an Anthropology and Architectural Studies double major

Careers in Landscape Architecture

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 07:28:00 +0000

Landscape Architecture is a very diverse field. There are many careers in landscape architecture and an education in landscape architecture can lead to many careers at the fringe of, or beyond, landscape architecture.

Although a masters or bachelor degree in landscape architecture it is a very practical professional degree, it can open a lot of doors that you might not expect. Certificates in drafting, 3D modeling, landscape design and other more technical courses are generally more skill-specific and geared towards certain jobs. But they can still lead to a rich career path. Once you get a job in landscape architecture you will find many areas of interest and specialization. Some landscape architects come from a technical background and gain the theory as they go. Some landscape architects come from an academic background and learn the technical stuff on the job. There are many roads in this career path.

It came as a shock to me to discover that my formal education was only the beginning. School was so intense and busy that I felt like an expert when I was done. Landscape architecture and architecture are such complex professions that it can take half a lifetime to really master it. Even after 8 years of university education.

But it's the transferable skills that will make you a better person for whatever jobs you end up doing. One of the reasons why landscape architects end up working in such a wide range of jobs is the breadth and diversity of skills we are trained in while in school.

Design is a critical thinking and problem solving process and uses many of the same habits of mind as research and scientific investigation. There is also a creative aspect at the core of this design and problem solving skill set. In design we learn to quickly develop and evaluate alternative solutions to a problem, while factoring in all the many parts of the problem. Design is never one-dimensional. There are environmental factors, cultural, historical, political factors, market factors, and ecological factors tightly intertwined in any piece of land. Changing and improving that land requires integrating all those factors within the budget, the expectations of the client, and the needs of the end users. This is what makes design such a complex tasks, and why training as a landscape architect can prepare you for all kinds of things.

Writing, expressing ideas graphically, and speaking are also core to what we do. Our work must be explained, explored, collaborated on, demonstrated and sold before it is actually built, landscape architecture demands that we become experts in expressing our ideas to others.

We work with people, too. Helping groups such as city council, a family, or a group of stakeholder citizens come to a consensus over a design problem is also something that we do often. In this capacity we are moderators, mediators, and facilitators as well as leaders of groups and group processes.

These are some of the main transferable skills that we gain while learning technical skills such as horticulture, construction materials, concrete, landscape lighting, building code and much more. So you can see that there are many careers in landscape architecture. Landscape architecture school is only the beginning, and there are many options from there.

Does Your City Have a Landscape Architecture Internship for You?

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:48:00 +0000

by Brendan Kempf

A thread about unemployment over on land8lounge that was originally started in January has gotten a lot of activity this week. Several posts suggest finding ways to volunteer or intern in ways that relate to landscape architecture. The upside is additional experience that could be very valuable once the economy does improve.

A surprising place for finding internships is actually a city's Parks and Recreation department. New York City's Parks and Recreation offers around 50 different internship opportunities. While some of the internships for office work or public education, there are several relating to ecology, horticulture, and graphic design. In fact, there are internships relating directly to ecological restoration as well as the Fresh Kills Park project.

I suppose since New York has an illustrious place in the history of urban landscape architecture it should be no surprise that they have opportunities. Maybe your city's parks and rec department will be offering some interesting internships, too. It can't hurt to look! And if you do find some interesting ones, let us know in the comments.

Brendan Kempf is a contributing writer and student at Connecticut College working towards an Anthropology and Architectural Studies double major

AutoCAD Commands: Control + numbers

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 08:03:00 +0000

Here are the AutoCAD hotkey commands for each number in combination with the Control (Ctrl) key, and a few other quick keys:

ESC cancel changes, cancel grips
TAB cycles osnaps
SHIFT (on object selection) removes objects (this setting can be turned on and off)
DEL erases objects (hold when pointing)

Ctrl+0 toggles clean-screen mode (2004+)
Ctrl+1 displays Properties Manager Window
Ctrl+2 displays Design Center Window
Ctrl+3 displays Tool Palette (2004+)
Ctrl+4 displays Sheet Set Manager
Ctrl+5 displays Info Palette or Project Navigator
Ctrl+6 displays dBConnect window
Ctrl+7 displays Markup Manager
Ctrl+8 displays Quick Calculator
Ctrl+9 shows/hides Command line

AutoCAD tips: Views, the UCS, and rotating the drawing

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 06:55:00 +0000

One of the most useful and confusing features of autocad is the UCS, the user co-ordinate system. Many people confuse the views and UCS's, so I'll try to clarify here.

The difference can make a huge impact on your work. The last thing you ever want to do is to rotate your model in model space so that north is up. This actually changes the model, and if others have referenced your work into theirs, rotating the model can cause serious problems with project co-ordination. Often you'll have a model drawn in real world co-ordinates where true north is up, and then a UCS set for Project North to make drafting easier.

First, understand World UCS. Model space represents the world, in real units with north straight up. This is World UCS, or real-world co-ordinates.

Then there are any number of User-defined UCS co-ordinate systems. These are what allow you to make project north striaght up, even if your site sits with compass pointing 17 degrees East of North.

When you change to another UCS your crosshairs rotate, but the model does not rotate in model space. This is analagous to turning your set square to a new angle while leaving the drawing taped in the same place on your drafting table. You aren't rotating the model, just rotating your drafting tools. This way you can draft lines parallel to the new UCS without having rotated the model. This is really handy when you want to draw lines or dimensions parallel to a wall or property line, especially if using the Ortho setting. Your dimensions will also display their text relative to the UCS that is active when a dimension is created.

The view controls whether or not your crosshairs sit parallel to the screen, but has no impact on drafting. View is analagous to turning your head when looking at your drafting table. It just makes it easier for you to read and draw, but has no bearing on the relationship between the UCS (your set-square) and the model (your drawing).

If the UCSFOLLOW command is on (=1) then the view will automatically change when you change to a different UCS. It also regenerates your drawing, so can slow you down in larger files. If UCSFOLLOW = 0, then when you change to a different UCS your view of the model won't rotate, only your crosshairs will change to the new UCS orientation.

I'm a visual learner

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:28:00 +0000

I don't usually post things like this, but this one struck a chord with me.

I'm a very visual person. If I hear a number, I have to visualize it in my mind. Once I see a number or a name in my mind's-eye or see it written or better yet write it myself, I'll remember it. I was a chemistry tutor and lab instructor for three years because chemistry is easy for me. I can visualize the molecules flying through space and reacting according to their electro-chemical shape. Physics, not so easy: I can always imagine the frictionless cube sliding down an incline and accelerating, but couldn't remember the formulas. Guess I should have written them out more often.

Isn't it maddening when you are about to explain something and you ask the other (non-designer) person if they have a pen and paper and they just say no and stand there doing nothing, waiting for you to keep talking? Get me a pen!! A stick! Finger paint! Anything!

Once I drew by scraping a key on the back of an envelope and then rubbing soil from a flower pot across the ridges to reveal my sketch.

A note to non-designers: we spend all day talking and thinking in sketches and diagrams. If you're going to hang out with designers, have paper and pens ready.

Paradigm shift for Landscape Architecture? Where is Technology taking Design?

noreply@blogger.com (citydan) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 07:24:00 +0000

I've been reading The World Is Flat lately and it has catalyzed a lot of my thinking on the future of landscape architecture and design.

Last century, Landscape Architecture, Architecture, Engineering, and other spatial design professions worked in 2D on paper (and mylar, vellum, etc.) This was the dominant medium that they used to explore ideas, collaborate, record and distribute their work. It's hard to imagine something more durable, economical, and useful on a construction site than a paper set of drawings. But is paper the best way to do the design? Does it really make sense to be designing a 3D space in the confines of a 2D medium? Even 2D CAD?

Sure they built a lot of models--real world physical scale models out of wood, clay, foam, etc. These are great tools to explore how a design might work out (at 1/8th real size), but very expensive, fragile, difficult to change, and hard to show to anyone who's not in the room with you--all the disadvantages of a thing that takes up real-world space.

Technology has come such a long way in such a short time, that I wonder if we're in the final stages now of "the old way" of doing things in the design business. I think we're on the cusp of a new paradigm in spatial design.

Hand drawing won't go away. Hand drawing will always be a valuable and effective way of expressing one's self. But there will be (and already has been) tremendous change in the way designers work. Technology has already revolutionized industries such as animation, journalism, accounting, graphic design, and computer programming. Undoubtedly we will see more and more change in the way landscape architects, engineers, and architects conduct their businesses.

I can imagine a future, not too far away, where the bulk of design work is done within an immersed 3D digital environment. If you think this sounds silly, then you haven't seen SketchUp, MicroSoft Virtual Earth, or SecondLife yet. It's already happening.

photo: Elif Ayiter

How will these kinds of technologies change the design professions? When will the revolution begin?

With a powerful web-based project management interface, a designer could take clients and stakeholders on a virtual tour of the project before shovel ever hits soil in the real world. It would be as easy as having a meeting in Second Life. Designers could prove how good their work is in cyberspace before anyone spends a penny changing meat-space (the real world). Clients and stakeholders could see that their money is being spent on building excellent 3D environments, not just on great renderings and pretty pictures.

How will construction documents and specifications be produced from the 3D models? This I'm still not sure of. I would love if someone figured out how to do away with specifications, contracts, and all the other admin work we have to do just to get something built. I'm so jealous of web designers and graphic designers. For them, the pretty picture is 90% of the work. For us the pretty picture is the end of the fun part and the beginning of 90% of the job: administration.

Ideally it would be: "Here. This is the virtual site. Now copy it into the real world. Just set up your mesh-work of laser levels and GPS devices, and they'll project the model into the real site. Then just colour inside the lines with brick, steel, mortar, stone and plants."

How will the technological advances that are happening all around us right now change the world of design? What kind of work will you be doing in five years?