September eNewsletter

How the Great Outdoors Becomes a Great User Experience

BY MARK BAILOR

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 seek to enjoy it. Whether that connection comes through active uses such as hiking, camping, running, walking, or playing sports - or more passive activities like seating nodes and grill areas – RVi helps set the scene so people understand the intended use of the space and can enjoy it to its fullest potential.

Take a Virtual Tour of La Cima’s Exciting New Amenity Center

BY JULIE MASTERVICH

RVi is leveraging new technology to create tremendous value for our clients and project teams. Using drones, 3D visualization, and virtual reality, we are able to better capture, analyze, and communicate critical project information. Recently, RVi has been working closely with Jackson McElhaney Architects on the design for La Cima’s future amenity center, creating a compelling fly-through video of what the facility has in store for its residents. Experiencing the project virtually at the human scale before it is built offers our clients an invaluable opportunity to better understand the design and achieve their ultimate vision for a project.

A Video Interview is still an Interview! 5 Tips to Help You Land a Job in the Remote Environment

BY MARK SMITH

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 are finding that the hiring process has changed a bit since May; almost all job interviews are now conducted online. In the span of just six months, reliance on video interviews has completely eclipsed the traditional in-office interview and become the “new normal.”

In Other News

Congratulations are in order!

We are thrilled to recognize the hard work and dedication of our new Project Director - Mike Dew in Tempe!

A true team player, Mike is an encyclopedia of knowledge who isn't afraid to go the extra mile when it comes to his coworkers and clients. A man of few words, he doesn't talk the talk but truly walks the walk. In his free time, you can catch Mike at the movies or more recently binging the latest shows and movies on Netflix, Prime, Hulu, etc at home with his family.

Welcome to RVi!

Caleb Parker has joined the Austin office as a Designer.