Connection with nature through outdoor exercise is a passion for many people. But when you think about it, “the outdoors” is a very large and undefined space. As landscape architects and planners, part of our job is to help provide context for this vast space and to help define the user experience for those who... Read Full Post ›
As the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the nation earlier this year, design firms everywhere cautiously put their hiring plans on hold. As a result, design school grads entering the workforce this spring found an unsettlingly quiet job market waiting for them. Today, with many firms returning to “recruiting” mode, those candidates still looking for work... Read Full Post ›
Occasionally as landscape architects we are tasked with designing an environment for a user group that we ourselves belong to or have belonged to in the past – such as designing for a college campus or a neighborhood park. But more often than not, we must put ourselves in other people’s shoes. Not every project... Read Full Post ›
I am now three years out of grad school, and one thing I have observed that one of the most important considerations in life and in business is how you treat people matters. This simple, yet sometimes overlooked principle begins when you step in the door of the office and interact with your coworkers, and... Read Full Post ›
In the course of practicing landscape architecture, we become quite familiar with the steps in the design process: site analysis, schematic design, design development, construction documents, bidding, and construction administration/observation. As a young landscape architect, I can remember finishing a set of construction documents, completing the bidding phase, and feeling a great sense of relief... Read Full Post ›
The depth of our collective business relationships is dependent on two different types of trust: professional and personal. Becoming a trusted advisor is about balancing the two. If you stop and think about it, we are all a trusted advisor to someone. We give advice to our friends, family, and colleagues daily, challenging them to... Read Full Post ›
Landscape Architecture is not just about knowing your plants, or designing a retaining wall, or being able to answer the age-old question, Why is my grass turning brown? (Please don’t ask us about your grass.) Inherent in the profession of landscape architecture is the need to understand how people live; the ability to recognize what... Read Full Post ›
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt every aspect of our lives, at RVi we are coming to terms with the fact that the virus is also impacting the way we design community amenities. In early March, we were forging ahead with the design of amenity centers as though everything would soon return to normal.... Read Full Post ›
Over my 15-year career I have had the great opportunity to be surrounded by some tremendously talented individuals. Having grown up in a livestock/row-cropping family in Northeast Missouri, I can sense those who were raised in a similar environment, just like an incoming rainstorm. Most farm kids have underlying characteristics rooted within them, such as... Read Full Post ›
