Blog » Ideas

Things That Last

Mark Weisman — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:23:06 +0000

In this temporal world I place great value on things that last. It’s probably why I have a fountain pen collection, a 15 year old leather valise, a design firm that’s almost 30, and a 33 year marriage. The perfect test for any item, idea, relationship is not when it’s new, but rather how its ages over time. The longer the time frame, the greater the value of the item, idea, relationship and the more precious it becomes. It’s why we still celebrate the wisdom of age, the timeless idea and buildings that last.

These same values carry over to my design firm as well. We are grounded in the desire to create projects that improve with age. We have developed particular expertise in the design of our green projects to avoid common mistakes others make:

Design which underestimates frost damage impacts
Choosing correct soil type/volume for long term plant health
Design for the inevitable poor maintenance
Underestimating hot sun & irrigation interruptions
Inaccessible drainage which cant be visually verified
Irrigation not designed to fail
Poorly resolved planter waterproofing

We celebrate finished firm projects that will age gracefully while adding value for our client and the community. It’s a temporal world, but good thoughful design lasts.

Focused Talent

Mark Weisman — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 18:42:02 +0000

Image by Debra Mersky

You may have heard that we have an ad out for a landscape architect and we have been interviewing applicants. There is lots of local available candidates with expertise out there and we want to find someone who fits in with our firm to expand our talents! This process has made it clear to us that a lot of people are in flux right now, and it has been enlightening to see what talented designers are doing when there is a lack of landscape architectural design work. We are interested in hearing from anyone who has found a non-traditional focus for their talent, particularly in ways that help our communities.

Color in the Landscape

Mark Weisman — Fri, 07 May 2010 17:07:26 +0000

I was reminded by my trip to the Leeward Islands how color can be utilized to stimulate the senses. The island colors of St. Kitts and Nevis were reflected not only in the landscape, but in the built form and even the food!

The restored plantations and manor houses exhibited colors that were vibrant but perfectly suited to this hot climate. The combination was so pleasing to see and experience! Our next slew of projects will benefit from this awareness of color and its impact on our daily lives.

Nature in the City

Mark Weisman — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:57:34 +0000

Deschutes River near Bend

Our recent trip to Bend, Oregon underscored how important it is to connect people to the natural environment. Bend has done a fabulous job of developing their park and trail system to access the abundant natural resources which surround the City! Hats off to the forward thinking City planners for a job well done.