Rounding out its third year, our annual Auctus Innovation Competition challenges RVi employees to come up with an innovative idea in line with RVi’s mission that can be meaningfully advanced in a year’s time. With a lot of great entries to choose from, this year’s winner truly honed in our purpose statement: to inspire people... Read Full Post ›
If we just step back a moment and consider the entire picture when it comes to creating the built environment that surrounds us, we quickly realize what a complex and technically complicated endeavor it truly is. It requires a bevy of specialized experts working together to achieve a successfully built project. That’s why communication and... Read Full Post ›
For many outdoor enthusiasts, the sights and sounds of a good camping trip are nostalgic and universal: a crackling campfire, the smell of woodsmoke and roasting marshmallows, the sense of being disconnected from stress and surrounded by nature. The whole experience of camping may as well be an antidote specifically designed to counteract the maladies... Read Full Post ›
As a recent graduate from the Landscape Architecture program at Kansas State University, I have had a lot of practice taking notes. But looking back on my old school notebooks, I’ve noticed that most of my notes aren’t notes at all – they are doodles of birds, faces, hands, or whatever happened to be in... Read Full Post ›
It’s known that nature is good for us but its precise impact on our well-being can be challenging to articulate. An important new study from Aarhus University in Denmark found that when children grow up surrounded by green space, they have up to 55% less risk of developing a wide range of mental health problems... Read Full Post ›
They say everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame. Mine came this month when I was interviewed by our local PBS station, KLRU, for their Decibel program. This particular segment focused on Austin’s Water Pressures, and for my part we focused on how stormwater is handled at Mueller through a series of water quality ponds.... Read Full Post ›
One of the criticisms of design for the built environment is that it can sometimes become more about the designer than the client or the end user. At RVi our approach has always been focused on what’s best for the client, the user, and the community as a whole – and we seek to understand... Read Full Post ›
When managed well, public engagement in the design process can build momentum and support for the project, solve problems, and help ensure the project is as responsive as possible to the community’s needs and desires. With decades of public involvement under our belts, we offer the following tips for planning and executing a successful public... Read Full Post ›
RVi’s brand refresh is not just a marketing exercise; it is an opportunity for self-reflection and self-improvement in all that we do as a firm. Our annual Auctus Innovation Competition challenges RVi employees to come up with an innovative idea that can be meaningfully advanced in a year’s time. This year, all entries focused on... Read Full Post ›