I’ve been writing on bigger topics about work and the profession (bi-)weekly, so I want to do a quick recap on what I’ve done so far during the internship. I’m going to collect images for this through the rest of the week wherever it’s missing.
_ drawing elevation (by hand)
This was one of the first tasks I’ve done, and it was quickly replaced by my boss’s beautiful drawings. (Top picture is mine, second picture is my boss’s.) But it was a good chance to think about plant massing.
_ drawing elevation (viaCAD)
<insert elevation>
We have a really interesting project that is much like an urban valley, and based on the information we have, I had to produce a technical drawing. Of course, my boss eventually overtook the entire thing and created a beautiful CAD drawing, but I like to think that I played a big part in the process...
_ outdoor furnishing selection
This is still going on, so there will be more updates later-... I selected a big range of outdoor seating options, which were dwindled down through my boss’s input, then shaped by the client’s input, which became a robust five-option-packet that was delivered to the client. I gave my input on the visual significance of these items to the urban park and how that could attract patrons and create an experience.
_ faking architecture
I modeled a simple porch based on my boss’s rough drawings. We’ve presented this to the client and received some feedback. Based on that, we (likely me??) will create a technical drawing with enough information to set design standards, without the actual architectural details. It’s been cool to see my boss know architectural standards just based on experience (i.e. structure of the structure) -- inspired me to be interested in construction details!
_ simulating quick options (more modeling)
<insert clean 3 renderings>
More recently, I had to 3D model a site -- nothing specific, just massing - to help my boss understand the scale of a space. The architecture drawings were honestly unconventional (very asymmetric shapes) and creating the model made ME confused. But this helped us play out some options, and also make some design choices that were quickly revealed once we had a 3D model.
_ site visits and inventory
I’ve followed Sarah and Scott on site visits and not just to follow! I’ve helped with measurements, counting boxwoods (we counted 120), and documenting information via drawings and photographs, which inform schematic design.
_ office graphics
I’ve been pushing the progress on creating wall graphics for the office. The idea was not mine, and many ideas that were not mine were suggested, but I simplified things to facilitate the process and we are just about to put all of this up! Yay!
_ miscellaneous
I’ve done big and small CAD fixes, file organizations, listening and attending client meetings, brushed up on VRAY, memorized some plants, planted some shrubs around the office.... It’s been a lot of fun!
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I'm starting my two-week vecation this weekend, so this week has been a lot of check up and planning. I've churned out three writings so far: a pretty thorough piece for Centennial Park, one for the Nashville City Cemetery, and one for Clover Bottom that still needs to be touched up. Jessica, who works here at MHC, gathered a digital database of materials that lives in MHC. Although it's not required of me, and I can't guarentee my productivity over my vacation in Korea, I might be able to look through them and take notes.
To re-cap: I'm putting together a narrative for about forty cultural landscapes important to Nashville. (This includes the city of Belle Meade - which is a multi-part site to my project.) Since this isn't an in-depth cultural landscape report, I'm not required to find primary sources and read diaries and handwritten notes from 1780s. So I've been really trying to read multiple seconary and tertiary sources, and from there identify repeated themes and elements for each site, and construct a narrative that hits those points. The challenge is -- I am reading thousands of words across different material for each site, and the end-product needs to be -- wait for it -- 250 words! My project this summer will be the foundation for the /What's Out There Nashville/ booklet, which will be available during the tour portion (weekend) of the conference. Each site narrative has to fit into a 5 in x 5 in page with pictures ...
So far, I've managed to write a narrative between 400 and 500 words, and I've receied positive feedback. I think our tactic right now is for me to produce longer narratives like these, then my editors will reduce everything down to prepare them for the booklet.
What's on my mind this week is how we choose to remember history. I've been innterested in this theme since a summer class in Strasbourg, France where we looked at cultural memories for the city. The city itself sits on the border of France and Germany, and Alsace (the region) was claimed by France and Germany thourhgout history. There is a separate Alsacian language that's quickly disappearing. In addition to those pre-modern roots, we also talked about how Europe remembers and memorializes the Holocaust. (I'll have to revisit a lot of this material to properly remember what I've learned...I should have written blogs back then!)
I've been reading about the Hermitage a lot. I've not visited the site, but I knew that it was the home of Tennessee Hero Andrew Jackson and not much more. I've been looking through Belle Meade (once a huge plantation owned by Hardings, who were close friends to the Jacksons), Clover Bottom (plantation owned by Hoggatts, but Jackson leased a race track and betted on horses), and Tulip Grove (Jackson hand built the house for his niece Emily and her husband). There's a LOT of Andrew Jackson in Nashville and we're looking at several sites that are related to Old Hickory. And of course -- a recent project by Nelson Byrd Woltz at Centennial Park features a granite boulder installed by the Daughters of the American Revolution that celebrates Andrew Jackson's march on Natchez Trace.
Of course - The Hermitage itself was about to be converted into homes for Confederate Soilders until The Ladies' Hermitage Association (LHA) was founded in 1889 by Mrs. Amy Rich Jackson. Inspired by the success of Mount Vernon Association that preserved George Washington's home - Mrs. Jackson wanted to do the same for AJ. The LHA successfully raised the funds to acquire the home and subsequently converted it to a house museum. The group even planned to preserve the authenticity of Rachel's garden and memorial and still does today. The Hermitage is one of the few locations that thoughtfully preserved the historic characteristics of the home garden.
And a similar but different story: Clover Bottom Mansion (mentioned above) was practically abandoned in the late/early twentieth century. Even after it was acquired by the State of Tennessee, repairs were haphazard and unsatisfactory. In 1992, the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities (APTA) determined that it would take $2.3 million to restore the mansion alone, and $1.4 million to refurbish the grounds of the site. In 1994, the state moved the Tennessee Historical Commission to the mansion and refurbished it (I haven't found what funds allowed that to happen yet) -- but did not follow APTA's recommendation that Clover Bottom be turned into a living agricultural museum.
And a last small story, one that I need to look into more: there was a wonderful trainshed at Nashville's Union Station. It's gone now because the private owner determined so --...
All this to identify two things: (1) that socialite women were a major part of preserving American history, and without their foresight, what of America would still survive? We might not have Mount Vernon or The Hermitage! (2) that what does survive through time, frankly, depends on who held the property and who had the money.
I'm left with many questions: is that a very American characteristic of preservation tactics - or is it fairly universal? Were the monuments and records too 'current' for 1800s that people did not care for them much? What 'skinny-tall' estates of today will be remembered later?
Anyways, Ann and I plan on going out to the Donelson area (east of Nashville) where the Hermitage et al. properties are. I'm sure I'll learn a lot more about them then, and I'd be happy to learn how these histories are portrayed!
Next time, my open ended rambling might be about chopping up those large plantations and estates for modern development....
Below: pic from Clover Bottom’s yard near a greenway!
It’s over! 11 weeks of working full-time at a landscape architecture firm is now over. As I’ve said in almost ever post, I’ve been really lucky to work with Firma. The size of the firm (small) allowed me to get a taste of all phases of a project in both the residential and commercial realm. I think Scott and Sarah didn’t mind me too much :) and all in all, it’s been a very constructive and beneficial summer.
_ design philosophy
Two of the most used programs over the summer: InDesign and AutoCAD.
One of the last tasks I’ve had to do is to create a path diagram for a big property. This is one of the first projects Sarah started working on (in 2015?). The owners want this property to eventually become an institution, much like Cheekwood (former residential property turned botanic garden and art institution). I originally thought I was just drawing in AutoCAD what Sarah and Scott drew and call it a day, but..... I worked on it over two weeks nearly every day. I think I have some level of authority over the design now.
On Wednesday, Scott reviewed the path I had drawn and he redlined (sepia-lined?) the a printout of my design. I honestly wasn’t being thoughtful enough, because Scott immediately pointed out ‘distractions’ such as, how my 6ft path went through tree blocks. The point of these crits is to have a good design conversation, not to fix small mistakes. These common sense errors, he pointed out, distract principals (or any reviewer) and so it was best to go ahead and have those fixed before presenting anything.
(Scott’s redline and suggestions over an AutoCAD plan drawing for circulation)
The next insight shared was that- for circulation, especially- he wants to design path networks that seem so obvious and simple. When a patron later sees this map, and walks along it, if prompted their response should be: Wow, this path is SO OBVIOUS and SO SIMPLE. This shouldn’t have taken that long! Scott appreciates unique and extraordinary design choices, but for the most part, his goal is to put into place that just makes sense.
_ future of the firm and reflection
Scott gave us a half day on my last day (Friday) and we went out for lunch together. I flat out asked what the direction of Firma is: was it going to be a big firm? Small firm? Scott’s answer was - the max wouldn’t exceed 8 or so. He felt that any number beyond that, the business starts to shift into more HR-related work. Not that that’s bad, but Scott wants a firm that can be focused on design first and foremost.
As I stressed to Scott and Sarah after lunch, and pretty much every single post throughout the summer, I really enjoy the firm’s dynamics. They are still currently on the small start-up side on the business spectrum. I got to work on some in-office tasks for internal usage, not just as a busy task for interns, but something for the company to really benefit from. Although Scott said these sorts of tasks would fade out as the company grows, their explicit focus on growth, for both employees and the firm itself, was very inspiring. This characteristic is something I will always seek out in my job search.
Office, on one of the last times I was in the office. The graphic wall is complete!
Overall, this has been a great experience for me to learn about the profession in a design-focused environment. I also got to acquaint with different sides of the profession: clients (residential/developer), general contractor, product reps, and nursery folks... I also learned a little bit about billing, design phases, and small things that you have to pay attention to, such as plant spacing. I really got to learn aspects of the profession school doesn’t teach, and I’m very grateful for it.
(As they know too,) I’d be really happy to work at Firma itself or a firm very similar to it. To repeat, I really want to work at a design-focused firm that also encourages individual growth in employees. Having experienced management who understands the industry and design, having colleagues who want to produce good work through collaboration - all of these are productive and constructive environments that I want to be a part of.
I will have to produce an ‘internship portfolio’ to submit, so I will post that once that’s done. That will be more information-focused, rather than my rambling reflections, so it’ll be a much more comprehensible way of seeing what I’ve learned over the summer.
<3 If anyone’s been following, thanks for reading!
Next week is my last week! I want to spend some time talking about schematic design/concept design, where I’ve spent a lot of time this summer... But I’m going to start with a general overview of design phases!
_ design phases / file organization
Firma adopts the typical and standard approach to design phases, especially for scope of work and billing. Their file management for projects reflects this to a degree. The CAD folder, inside the project folder, is divided into the four typical phases:
1- schematic design,
2- design development,
3- construction documentation, and
4- construction administration
The fifth typical phase, bid & negotiation, happens outside of AutoCAD and relies heavily on correspondence, via emails and annotated PDFs (these typically live in the sent/received folders).
I’ve been exposed to a lot of different projects in the 10 weeks I’ve worked with Firma. Today I want to focus on one project in the schematic design phase that Firma allowed me to try out ‘designing.’ For this project, the timeline for CD/SD was very short (1 business week), but otherwise went through important stages of
_ finding a new project
When new clients sign the contract, projects are added to the list of active projects. Most projects have been acquired through word of mouth: Firma does good work, and other industry people who are involved (e.g. contractors or architects) refer Firma to other potential clients.
I’ve not been to a pre-client meeting, but when Scott drafts the contract, he already has a good idea of what the project focuses are. I’ve seen contracts for very standard residential plans to a very speculative eco-tourism project (where Firma would do the SD work mainly). Prior to writing the contract, Scott probably asks the right questions and listens to the client and figures out priorities.
The project I want to talk about today is unique because, it just quickly happened. If I recall this correctly, on Monday, Scott mentioned the architects across the street had a school expansion project and that they wanted our input in the outdoor area. We started working on this pretty quickly, I believe before any formal contracts were signed. (Or that part happened very quickly after we started working.)
((This was probably due to Scott’s good relationship with the architects- they bring us good work, we provide them good work- and being good people to work with seems to make a good relationship!))
PROJECT: NONDESCRIPT URBAN CAMPUS IN NASHVILLE
(They converted a bigbox store into a campus! How cool.)
_ site visit
(Sarah, Scott, and architect Ethan on Tuesday on site)
One of the first things to do on a project is to visit a site. Nearly all of Firma’s projects are local, and most are within 20 minutes driving distance to the office (and most-of-most are about 10 mins away). Each visit lasts about 1.5-3 hours because it involves a couple of things:
Site inventory: for some projects, we have an existing plan or survey either from the client or a contractor. While surveys are very accurate, sometimes they don’t include site elements that we need to know, such plant material. One survey we received did not have all trees on site, or ones that were demo’d.
Measurement: Again, surveys do not include 100% of the information that we need. Sometimes the plan or survey that we receive do not have recent additions. Because plans are 2D, we occasionally have to measure height (we had to do it for this project).
Site photos: We include a lot of existing photos in client presentations to orient clients and communicate our design intent. In addition to that, photos from site are great references for when..... Wait, what did that sidewalk actually look like? How is the existing canopy? ..... Nothing is a better reference than photo documentation. (Besides teleportation and time travel...)
If the client is present (as for this trip- the architect), they will show us project focuses and constraints on site and everyone will brainstorm on the spot a few quick things.
_ receiving / developing the base plan
Base on the site visit notes, we create a base plan for Firma to sketch out designs. What this process looks like depends on what’s already available. Few scenarios:
We create something from nothing. For the office building we rent from, we measured everything roughly by hand and I created a base plan in CAD.
We update existing documents. For a residential project that Scott designed, the clients ended up doing some of the hardscape very loosely according to what Scott had designed; so we went and measured the site and updated the baseplan accordingly.
We modify existing documents. For this school project, we received CAD files of surveys and other existing information directly from the client (architect). By making a copy, we ‘freeze’ (hide) layers of information we don’t need in our work, and sometimes update tree sizes.
This school expansion project included a new property that the school had acquired, so we had to combine 2 surveys together into 1 document. Aside from that and the usual layer organization, there wasn’t a lot of work to be done.
((side note: We originally received a CAD file that had all objects on 1 layer (likely exported from a modeling software); Scott advised us to request original CAD files where all the layer organization was already done from the architect.))
_ identifying goals and constraints
As mentioned before, one desired outcome of the site visit is to physically understand site constraints and objectives. For this campus project, the focus was to extend the outdoor playing area from the existing property into the newly acquired property. The building footprint would stay relatively the same (the two buildings would stay separate). The new property had a lot of ‘back of the house’ that would be converted into the play area.
The three big constraints for this project was:
The connection (”transition space” in the diagram) was a 4-5 foot elevation drop.
The design would be a similar to the existing play space, since the purpose is to ‘extend’ it onto the new property.
There would have to be an ADA path that connects the two separate levels.
(First image: the existing play area; second image: the new play area. Scott and Ethan are standing in the space right above the dumpster, behind the fence.)
When we came back to the office, Scott and Sarah immediately had precedents in mind: big slide(s)! With that in mind, I went into sketching and drawing, and researching slides.
(Slide at Shelby Farms in Memphis. Source: Shelby Farms Park Conservancy & Memphis Daily News)
_ sketch
Big marker -> smaller marker. Big moves getting more delicate and detailed. That’s the gist!
I started with this basic bubble diagram on top of the base drawing. (This developed into the program diagram above.) This helped with getting a very rough sense of how big things should be / could be, and the purpose of each ‘room.’
I made a few quick iterations in scale and talked with Scott about the options. These drawings show different dropoff designs: the current building has parking spaces right in front of the building. I suggested that we just move the handicap parking aside, Scott drew a tighter diagram, and from there I drew with a smaller marker with some of our strongest options.
This part of the process (Wednesday and Thursday) also involved research! I looked up typical slide specifications and used that to draw a general idea about where the slide would be, how long it would be, etc.
_ illustrative drawing (me)
So I did it! It took a lot of “this is the right one.....” sketches, but I put together a 1″ = 30′-0″ scale drawing with annotations for what’s what. It includes the slide and ADA path that was part of the goals/challenges.
Biggest issue with the drawing? It...... doesn’t meet goal 2, where it was supposed to be the extension of the existing playspace.
The existing playspace is .... rectangles.
_ Scott’s drawing
So Scott took into consideration my drawing/idea, but tightened the concept in consideration with real considerations (bioretention area, dumpster). Scott also created this drawing at a big scale, 1″ = 20′-0″
_ presentation and annotation
On Friday we had this scanned by sending it to a graphics shop and we put it into the computer. The presentation graphics were made that day along with a ‘narrative’ (site element descriptions) that spoke to specific design intent of the schematic plan. This is one example:
4. Slide
Prefabricated embankment slide anchored to monolithic rock steps below; material to be heavy duty polyethylene resin, 12’ length; approximatedly 6’ vertical drop; assume 2 to 4 steps to access top of slide.
15. Sidewalk Connector
Existing asphalt parking spaces to be removed and replaced with turf, 5’ wide concrete sidewalk, 4’ wide tree planting strip, and concrete curb.
The #4 takes from a prefab product I found during my slide research. #15 formally writes out what was there before, and what we drew there.
_ conclusion
I’m really grateful that Scott and Sarah gave me this opportunity. This was a really quick and short exercise but a good one to get an idea of what the priorities are when it comes to schematic design!
I will do another combined post for week 9 and 10 about projects. But wanted to quickly jot down this episode of “things you don’t learn in school.”
One of the first tasks I had to do this week was to find a specific tree. We have a restaurant project where the owner wants to have a tree growing indoors. Scott (owner) interjected in the conversation to set the expectation of an indoor tree: it’s not easy. But he’s seen it done successfully in a project in Philadelphia.
(Philadelphia Comcast Center, source: Convene)
The tree used in the project was a Ficus benjamina, a weeping fig, and Scott wanted to go ahead and locate a specific 15-20′ tree that would grow indoors. Our usual nursery does not have it, nor do they “source” it (meaning, they do not find it from a different location and have it grow in their grounds). So I had to call more nurseries to locate a tree like this.
With some practice and help from Sarah, I started calling nurseries with the following script:
Hello, my name is Sue and I’m working with Firma Studio in Nashville. We’re a landscape architecture firm. We’re looking for a Ficus benjamina, single stem, that will be grown indoors. Do you have that available, or is it something you would source?
I first called a list of Tennessee nurseries I could find on Google and on nursery membership directories. Eventually the 6th or 8th person I called said, “Honey, I don’t think nurseries here would have it.” (I don’t think she said honey, but my subconscious definitely did to me.) Yes, the Ficus was a zone 10-12, and the closest we had in Tennessee were some tiny figs meant to be houseplants. None of the nurseries here had it in stock. When I talked about an “indoor tree 15-20′ tall,” most of them said “We don’t have indoor plants that big.”
(House plant Ficus benjaminina,source: Patch)
Scott mentioned that for the Philly project, they had to source it from specialty Florida nurseries. I shifted my nursery list further south, looking at Florida (even emailing the Florida Nursery Association). I checked the nursery website first (most still carried the same crapemyrtles and rhododendrons and TN) and called if there was any sign of a fig.
In that process I stumbled across a website called PlantAnt, that searched through nursery inventories across the country! All I had to do was type in the name of the plant, and it even allowed me to narrow the search by cultivar or by size.
The nursery listing weren’t always up-to-date (sometimes it was different from the website availability), but obviously there was a MUCH higher chance of these search results carrying a weeping fig. I called and emailed; some of them didn’t deliver. Some didn’t have any indoor plants. But.
WE FOUND ONE!
A very nice person from a Florida nursery let me know they knew of one, and they could source it at their nursery. In our conversation, he said that the grower was concerned about our project (the fig would not survive Tennessee climates) - which I think means that they have a good relationship with the grower? Anyways, we’ve definitely located one. And they deliver to Tennessee, too!
So, this assignment is over for now. Firma typically does not *find* a tree to be used in a project, but because this was a very specific and special condition, and a situation that Scott has experience with, we did the legwork to locate a particular tree for this scenario. (Usually, Firma will select plants for a planting plan and a plant schedule, and the contractors would locate the plants on their own; they would also be responsible for finding substitutes and informing Firma about those changes.)
We’re still in the early stages of this project - we don’t even have a base plan - so I’m not sure what we will do with this information. More on that next time!
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Gist of this week’s post:weather hard. Plant fickle. Client unpredictable. Future unpredictable. LA hard. Work!
Featuring: pretty zinnias that were part of the planting plan.
...Continuing the thoughts on site photography-
One topic we discussed this week was regarding client expectations. The site photography was one part to document past projects and hopefully get “red dot” material (to display as marketing material online) ... But, no matter how I flatter myself, it was primarily a chance to revisit and reconnect with old project and clients. Looking through the site photographs with Scott and Sarah, I picked up a lot of insight about individual projects and common challenges in the profession.
_ fickle landscapes
Designing natural landscapes, as in, designing spaces with natural material, is really difficult. I’ve been shielded from this reality being in school. For many projects, I’ve genuinely just put together a random plant list based on search results on Missouri Botanical Garden. “It tolerates clay and poor soils? Then it belongs on my natrualization project!” has been my attitude.
One of the first things I remember hearing at Firma was about plant spacing. Lacing nursery or field background, I learned about that for the first time last semester, where - again - I just looked up “common spacing” and just populated a plant schedule with what popped up on Google. But here were two experienced LAs, still trying to figure out what spacing worked and what didn’t. This wasn’t just the lack of research - but wanting to build confidence about saying “Yes, this plant, in this spacing, in these conditions, will likely fill in X years.” But plan spacing is just one of many factors that determine a success or failure of a project.
There are many reasons why plant installation could work or fail. While design choices (like spacing) play a big part in that outcome, another cause could be just... unknown happenstance. For example, Scott’s property in Nashville had beautiful Vinca minor as groundcovers when he moved in. Sarah had seen some successful Vinca minor groundcovers too around town, so several of their earlier projects have Vinca minor groundcovers in their planting plans.
(Successful Vinca minor coverage - from Google image search :( sorry)
BUT-- as they have learned, and my pictures on site have further reinforced - Vinca minor does not grow very quickly in this area. The spacing they’ve spec’d on their plant schedule were certainly not enough to cover the growth, and in some cases they were entirely lost. After Firma figured this out, they stopped using Vinca minor in their design because of its high risk.
Scott said that Nashville has difficult weather. The hots are hot and the colds are cold; so tropical plants that might thrive in the summer humidity and heat barely survive in the winter and vice versa. Being outside for a few hours midday is taxing for me, and some *not quite full sun* plants felt and succumbed to the Tennessee sun. (For example, mondo grass is listed as “full sun” plant on many websites, but that’s not the case in Nashville! They thrive a lot better in part sun.)
Add to that, one last big variable are: the plants themselves. They just might not be fit for survival. For instance, Scott ordered and installed Mexican feather grass in his backyard. Two batches were brought in - one batch survived, the other didn’t. (He said that these would be replaced by the contractor/nursery.) Despite everyone’s efforts, plants just might fail, regardless of the installation conditions.
This all sets up a fantastic stage for client expectations...
_ client expectation
Scenario that Firma encountered:
Clients wanted screening. Firma planned for screening coverage that would fill in over 3 years. Nope. Clients wanted screening, now. So the spacing, and the plant sizes speced in the plant schedule, all had to be readjusted.
From client’s expectations to setting client expectations - ... Through the picture taking process, I’ve been able to see a lot of residential projects that involved three parties: the designer (Firma), the client (owner of property), and the contractor. If we assume that Firma is a constant, then clients and contractors are difficult to predict. (note: Firma has moved to working closely with one contractor company, and thus has more consistent expectations now, but before that...)
So, in addition to the already not-100%-guaranteed future of plating itself, the judgment of designers, and the responsibilities of the client and contractors- there are a LOT of variables when it comes to planting design. Scott told me that he tries to communicate to clients that any plant choices could fail, and that maintenance and plant replacement is up to the client.
When I visited and documented these dozen residential projects this month, that advice (or omen?) did not land 100%. There were many examples where everything set well: the clients managed the projects well (either by their own hand or by hiring their own contractors), plants were looking pretty healthy, and things were coming in nicely. And then there were projects that didn’t look 100%. :(
Some quick examples:
DEER ATE HOSTAS :(
This is supposed to be a raingarden - the remaining plants are setting in, but the surrounding plants did not quite make it for whatever reason.
Clients planted Zinnia and they are out of control - and so are the yews, that were meant to be hedged for a classic look.
These transplanted boxwoods are .... not in the right position. (The biggest one is supposed to be in the back to frame the rest)
---
So those were three examples, all encompassing misjudgments from the designer (plants forsaken by deer), client (not keeping up with maintenance for 100%), contractors (making their own judgment), and sometimes we just don’t know what went wrong. (The raingarden)
Despite all of that, we definitely have wonderful landscape in the world. Hopefully Firma’s own work (photographed by me!) will go online and showcase that, too.
_ reflection
While we were talking about this, Scott told me something I had never thought before: maybe turf isn’t the most evil thing in the world. When he first started, he drew bigger plant beds so he would reduce the amount of turf on site. But.... Not all clients are diligent at maintaining designed landscapes, whereas most people in this area can maintain a lawn. Between a barren plant bed and a grass lawn, the grass lawn does perform better than an entirely barren bed of mulch.
That is probably also why “Nashville (Middle Tennessee) landscaping” (or whatever region) all look so similar. While we can say “oh, most landscape designers in this area use the same plants” and be dismissive - it could be a strategic and experienced choice to choose plants that will, in fact, mature and grow.
...
As I usually end the posts- I’m really glad to have this exposure and experience. I’m glad I got to take some photos for Firma - even if the photos are not perfect, it’s been a great opportunity for me to build my photo portfolio (I am really into taking project photos) and also to see projects that are 2-3 years old - many that are just now filling in and coming into shape.
I’ve been taking project photography and having great existential crisis about my photographic skills. I’ve put some time into framing and editing the shots. Here’s a few of my favorites:
I’ve learned a lot just by reflecting on my own photos. Just by revisiting these today I see some parts I can re-edit and improve. I’ve bought some polarizing filters to combat the harsh July sun, too.
Of course, the pictures look good because the project looks great! I got a planting plan for each of the projects and took notes on what parts and angles to take pictures from. I tried to take more panorama pictures, or put together (merged) adjacent photos.
Starting again with a nerdy anecdote... My partner and I started working through Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, which is sincerely one of the best fantasy/(retro) sci-fi stories out there with a lot of heart. One of the biggest themes in the show is dependence - not in a toxic “co-dependency” way, but constant reminders that someone cannot do something alone ... This is often manifested in situations where absolute strength is helpless - e.g. the fire alchemist cannot use his flames during rainpours, and thus have to rely on his subordinates; a brilliant alchemist is helpless during a natural childbirth etc. .... (For reference, alchemy in this world might as well be magic- but a scientific one that requires equal amounts of resources to perform the transmutation.... Super cool stuff!)
Pretty cool spread of the major characters in the show - everyone shown here are in one way or another reliant and indebt to someone else. This echoes the larger theme of the show- that everything is connected, and alchemy reveals that.
So, this week’s topic... workplace hierarchy and relationships! and ‘continuing education’!
This week is a bit wordy so .... ellipses........
_ feedback
A catalyst event for this topic was getting feedback from Scott. Essentially he let me do some work that he knew I couldn’t do perfectly (drawing elevations on CAD - something I do not have a lot of experience with) and gave me feedback on my shortcomings. At this point, I started to understand that the work (product) I produce at work (workplace) is external to myself- that critique to my work (product) is not the same as myself being critiqued, Had I not started to compartmentalized that, I would have probably been hurt from his through and fair feedback that was a great insight to creating better drawings.
Anyway, that I thanked him for his critique later and we had a good conversation about feedback. He let me know that he’s been working on how to deliver his critique over his professional career, but also never ‘holds back’ on it, because dishonesty and passive feedback, hurts everyone on the team. (He also complimented me that I take feedback well...!!!)
I’ve always been interested in management and business practices, so I’ve been trying to be acutely aware about workplace relationships and interactions at Firma, internal to the team.
_ workplace hierarchy and relationship
Firma has two employees: Scott (owner) and Sarah (landscape designer). I have not had a thorough discussion about what Firma is supposed to be, but it has been a duo more-or-less since the firm’s opening in 2015. Scott has hired interns regularly to supplement the work, but I do not believe there’s been a third employee yet. (Scott mentioned that he had the chance last year, then the work decreased- so not biting the bullet might have worked out.)
From the 6 weeks I’ve spent with Scott and Sarah, I can definitely tell that both people are growth-oriented, smart, kind people. I can feel the trust that Scott and Sarah have for each other, and by extension the trust they have in me to find and accomplish tasks. This has been a very productive environment to learn in, and one that I am acutely studding.
Scott does all of the business management side. The winter “extern,” who was at Firma for a week or two, had the impression that Scott focused more on the management side and Sarah did majority of the design work. I totally do understand that, though - Scott spends a lot of time answering emails, setting up and going through time sheets, and responding to clients. But he is definitely the final voice on a good majority of stuff- all material that goes out to the client goes through Scott. Scott is approachable and available, although I’ve picked up that Sarah wants to make sure I go through her first- since Scott is handling a lot of stuff that we cannot do.
Sarah started at Firma more-or-less right after she graduated, and since then her presence on projects grew, along with her confidence and familiarity on workplace organization. If I have a question about absolutely anything, Sarah has the answer to them - and when she doesn’t, she’s not afraid to ask for Scott’s attention and feedback.
Sarah’s and Scott’s growth in the history of Firma are evident. They both acknowledge failures in previous projects as lessons. For example, they spec’d a 3 gallon buckeye bush and received a tiny... tiny.. little twig! And from there, they’re cautious to include a height for shrubs in addition to the industry standard gallon sizes. Past projects are remembered as forms of cautionary tales and precedents, and used to inform current and future projects.
_ workplace evaluation and more feedback
Going back to critique and feedback - in our conversation, Scott said that he values honest feedback much more. He shared that he’s seen instances at Olin where the senior/manager held back on giving proper feedback. This lead to this unknown ‘critique’ of an employee being brought into the breakroom, and then being released onto the employee during evaluations. “Employee evaluations shouldn’t be surprises,” Scott told me (dramatically reenacted in my mind), and I became a better leader because he shared that story.
Sarah did her workplace evaluation during the internship (I think around the anniversary of her date of hire). I don’t think that there was an in-person meeting to actually discuss workplace evaluation. She shared the templates with me. There are three parts: Performance Evaluation Form which speaks to professional responsibilities, accomplishments, and goals; Professional Development Form, which asks questions about skills and PD (talents contributing to the office and around the office). These forms are likely borrowed from Scott’s former office that had a lot more employees; but I value and appreciate that these evaluations are being used between Scott and Sarah.
The questions and answers to these forms, like mentioned before, should not be a surprise to the evaluator or to the evaluated. But I think there’s something great about formalities and taking time to process and think through your work.
_ conclusion
My passion for workplace productivity and management processes come from my liberal arts background... Aristotle said, “Politics is happiness,” and that has taken one form as spatial design (landscape architecture) and another as workplace happiness. Oh, and, the shock of graduating from a liberal arts degree and confronting ‘adulthood.’ :(
Working at Firma has been a great assurance that there are people who value work-life-balance without sacrificing the quality of work. Design school and academia, deservingly, infamous for being toxic.. and workplace happiness (it’s a workplace, dammit!) is rarely a priority.
I hope to retain these experiences to change the school year into a more productive experience for my peers ... If not, to hold onto it and remind myself that I’ve only got one year left.
