August eNewsletter

To be a Better Designer, Never Grow Up

BY WES GENTRY

Occasionally as landscape architects we are tasked with designing an environment for a user group that we ourselves belong to or have belonged to in the past – such as designing for a college campus or a neighborhood park. But more often than not, we must put ourselves in other people’s shoes. Not every project that comes through our office is targeted to someone like me. We design for the young, the old, the sick, the fit, for moms, for dogs…and personally, I don’t fit into any of those groups. So, how does one do this? For adults it can be very challenging, but in reality, kids do this thing all the time. They just play pretend. It involves imagination and a lot of empathy (which is something I’d argue the world is sorely lacking right now). It might sound like the lesson learned at the end of Lifetime Christmas movie, but I’m going to go ahead and say it. We need more childlike wonder. We need to never grow up.

777 Tower Team Completes First Building in ASU Novus Corridor

Last month, our team completed construction on the 777 Tower, the first office building to be built in Arizona State University’s 350-acre Novus Innovation Corridor. Developed by Ryan Companies in partnership with ASU’s real estate subsidiary University Realty and Novus master developer Catellus Development Corporation, this 6-story building includes 160,000 sf of multi-tenant office space above 8,000 sf of ground-floor retail and restaurant space designed by DAVIS. The main landscape architectural component incorporates an exterior public plaza and garden with a water feature and large shade canopy, which is intended to draw people into the space for lunch breaks, pre-game activities, food truck opportunities, and other events.

The Golden Rule Also Applies in Business

BY KELLY UHRICH

I am now three years out of grad school, and one thing I have observed that one of the most important considerations in life and in business is how you treat people matters. This simple, yet sometimes overlooked principle begins when you step in the door of the office and interact with your coworkers, and extends beyond the walls to your clients, stakeholders, and the way you design projects.

In Other News

Welcome to RVi!

Kyle Barichello has joined the Tempe office as a Project Manager.
 

Congratulations are in order!

Join us in celebrating the following individuals on their milestone anniversaries.