LANDSCAPE  ARCHITECTURE
       Projects throughout California, Hawaii and the Pacific Rim,  with Barron Eldridge
 

 

Table of Contents

1. What Does He Do?

2. Landscape Architecture

3. Related Professions

4. Stages of Work

5
. Getting Started

6. Contact Information

7. Professional History


 

 

 





 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stages of Work
Stage 1, Orientation:  This is usually the Introductory Meeting, when the Client or the Client's rep. describes the site, the concept and current information like the budget. This also is when Consultants ask their questions and take the notes they need to form their proposals.

Code's, Covenant's and Rule's (CC&R's)
Uniform Building Codes (UBC): These documents cover everything from Plumbing and Swimming Pools to Electricity and General Construction. The Uniform Building Codes were adopted at Federal level to provide a "uniform" consistent process for building just about anything, anywhere in the United States.
Although local public agencies comply with the Uniform Building Codes, they often expand on various provisions in areas they perceive as unique to their jurisdiction. That said, most every jurisdiction has their own expanded version of the CC&R's.


American with Disabilities Act (ADA): Established in 1990, provides standards in construction that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by commercial or public projects, which includes: ramps and elevators instead of stairs to access a public place of business, controlled ramp grades, door latches, drinking fountains and parking conditions.

Project Types:
Residential
: With a private residence, the Client is usually the family team, although Residential Community's CC&R's often govern residential construction projects.

Commercial (Public): With Commercial Projects, the owner and/or developer is usually represented by a project manager, their Architect or Business Associate. This individual  presents essential information and answers questions in the Owner's behalf. This project will be reviewed relative to rules outlined in the UBC and CC&R's, and being a public project, the ADA provisions would apply as well.
 

Governmental (Public): In many ways they are similar to commercial projects, and differ primarily because of the structure presented by the Public Agency sponsoring the project, i.e. Incorporated Communities, Counties, States and Agencies of the Federal Government. These agencies are often represented by a designated Project Manager who represents the governing group, such as the City Council, Board of Supervisors, State Department of Transportation, Department of Veteran Affairs, etc.

After forming our proposal and this is accepted by the Client, this document becomes the contract between us and is bound with other proposals and governed by the General Conditions, which spell out procedure, insurance and similar legalese.  

Stage 2, Conceptual Development: This stage includes: progress meetings, supporting sketches, diagrams and ultimately, the Conceptual Plan. 

Budget: The budget at this stage is simply an "Order of Magnitude", a preliminary budget established by the Client, based on the information at hand. This is important as the "budget" shapes early development options for the Client to consider as this stage of work proceeds.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Private Residence, Marin County, Calif.
3D Quick Sketch: Over a 2D elevation of the client's new home.
Objective: To Phase Develop the property because of their 3 young children.
Phase 1: Designed and installed a fenced play area with rolling lawn, tree (play) house, trike-walks, lighting, irrigation and plantings, including: underground connections (POC's) and access to site the pool under Phase 2, when the children are older.
Phase 2: Provide drawings for installing the lap pool, entertainment center & decks overlooking the valley below.

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Product: The product of work is the conceptual plan, a scale model, computer or hand renderings in black and white or color ...or a combination of these, as required by the reviewing party(s). The intent is to define boundaries, design elements and their orientation and related site conditions, including: layout, circulation, flat work, structures, plant material and supporting sketches that conceptualize special use areas.
Lighting, building materials, the color palate and signage usually comes at a later stage of work.

Design Options: Are identified and clarified with supporting quick sketches (like the above), including: sections and elevations.

Cost: Although early in the decision making process, we usually provide an "Order of Magnitude," determined by past project experience. 

Stage 3, Preliminary Plans: On receiving the Client's "Notice to Proceed", we will start forming the documents. The Contract Documents are comprehensive plans, where clarity is a high priority. Our directions must be clear, for we can't assume the installing contractor knows what's in our head. Tight drawings, Construction Details, Construction Notes and Supporting Specifications, mean tighter bids and ultimately, fewer change orders during installation.

Product: Depending on project size, this work may include: Demolition of existing site improvements, Layout and Site Preparation, Grading and Drainage, Planting, Irrigation, Site Engineering, Lighting, and supporting details.

This work also includes:
Engineering Notes and Equipment Schedules:
Site Grading, Drainage, Lighting, Irrigation, Pools, Ponds and Water Features, Mechanical Equipment, Structures, Walls, Flat Work and Circulation Elements.
Plant Material Notes and Schedule of Materials: Soils Science, Symbols, Quantity, Size, Botanical and Common Name, Source and special directions.
Construction and Maintenance: For clarification relative to Management and Maintenance Standards and Procedures, Qualifications,  Staging and Quality Control.

With smaller project, several subjects can be combined into a single sheet, such as: Demolition and Layout, Grading and Drainage, Trees, Shrubs and Ground Covers, Irrigation and Lighting, etc. Larger projects may require more then one sheet for a single subject.

Preliminary Cost Estimate: New work is estimated in different ways to compare options relative to cost. This isn't a comprehensive estimate, but of sufficient detail for the client's review and for budgetary purposes.

Unit Cost: Calculating the finished subject by: square foot (Paving, Sod, Water Surface), units (15g.c. Trees, Light Standards), Cubic measure in yards (Gravel, Top-Soil, Cement), applying a 'unit cost' to the total that's based on past projects exhibiting similar conditions. This "Unit" factor is then influenced further by
contributing factors, such as: Site Location (Travel Distance), the political climate (Time consuming, based on past experience), the installing contractor's experience, the level of difficulty and the amount of original (additional) design required.

Stage 4, Contract Documents: This work proceeds after “Preliminaries” have been reviewed, amended and accepted by the Client and/or the contracting agency. At this stage we form comprehensive Specifications that describe standards, process, materials and level of quality required for each stage of work.

Product: After correcting, updating, adjusting and otherwise “tweeking” the Preliminary Documents to comply with emerging directions, these drawings then form the Contract Documents, which include: the supporting Specifications and a Final Cost Estimate.

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