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Company Information Jobs and Partnerships Intern Testimonials Josh's Second Letter:Josh's Letters 4.30.2001 Dear Dan, I'm writing you as part of my responsibilities for the Extended Internship Program. This is the second update and two more should follow in June and August. The first update listed a majority of the tasks I undertook during weeks 1 through 6. This update covers weeks 7 through 13. Before I describe my duties, I thought I would include some of my non-professional pursuits, giving you a glimpse of the totality of my experience out here in California. First, my living arrangements are different. I am staying on Phoebe, a 28 foot Cheoy Lee, 1964(?) Frisco- Flyer model. There is a sort of counter-cultural tradition of "live-aboards," people that live in boats along the waterfront, but regular folks do it, too. Land is generally expensive in the Bay Area, reflective of the demand to live out here. Some people have found that it is cheaper to live in a harbor or moored out on the water. The latter represents the next level of difficulty because it lacks electricity; something readily available at most slips. There are people who enjoy that lifestyle, probably avid readers of Edward Abbey. As yet, I'm unwilling to give up power, though I have managed to survive without a television since I arrived in January. I've been reading instead. The first few months out here, I awoke every morning to the sight of harbor seals snoozing on the dock five feet from Phoebe. Sometimes I would sit outside at night, watching them board the dock, sniffing and snorting toward each other. Within the last few weeks I've noticed a new group of pups, slightly smaller and whiter than the older adults, whose hides are mottled gray and white. The harbor seals haven't been around lately, though, perhaps due to the seasonal change… or maybe they tired of my company. In one of my books I read that a mandate prevents people from getting within 100 feet of beached harbor seals. I feel fortunate to have lived within that radius, without causing obvious harm to the seals or myself. Other wildlife around my floating home includes various sea and shore birds, mostly western gulls and pelagic cormorants. A mallard has been spending time around the docks, too. One of my neighbors remarked that she'd seen two of them previously. She believes that one of them passed away. Perhaps the remaining one is guarding a clutch of eggs somewhere? I know little about ducks, but there's a library nearby… Before my summer internship last year at Carducci and Associates, I'd never set foot in California. I try to take advantage of my car on the weekends and explore. On my trip out, my sister's Spanish-speaking boyfriend Luis in-tow, I crossed the desert Southwest. Luis had never been outside of Spain before, and he also had never spoken English, either. Somewhere between my Spanish and his English we managed communication. One of the more important concepts Luis shared with me was his dislike of American food. We stopped at the Painted Desert, Arizona and Joshua Tree National Monument, California. Joshua Tree was beautifully quiet in the winter. I guess that people don't like the cold. However, there was a pleasant helping of Los Angeles smog in the air, born 100 miles west, adding a sublime mood to our visit. Luis was only with me two weeks, so we squeezed in some time at Muir Woods National Monument in Marin County, CA, slightly north of San Francisco. He holds a Biology degree from Spain and he was happy to see Sequoia sempervirens, the Giant Redwood, in person, having studied it in school. Over a century of fire suppression lent those trees some massive burls. My other travels included an overnight stay in Big Sur State Park, frequent hiking visits in Point Reyes National Seashore, visits to Fort Ross in Sonoma County (the southernmost outpost of Russian America, a.k.a. Alaska), and a stint at Olompali State Park in Marin County. My longest trip was a three-day weekend in February when I drove up to Portland and Hood River, Oregon, visiting friends and family. It was a beautiful drive through Northern California and the Willamette Valley. Jaime David, an interior architecture student at K-State, is interning in Portland for seven months. She was pleased to have a road- weary visitor. I have a few trips planned for the near future. I'm going to the eastern Sierras in May to hike through something called the "Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest." I doubt I'll get much closer to Death Valley, so I might use that opportunity to head there, too. Up north, I'd like to stay in the Sinkyone Wilderness of the Lost Coast. To the south, in La Holla, there's the Salk Institute, a Louis Kahn building of some renown. There are also many other parts of Northern California that I'd like to see, including Mendocino National Forest, Lassen Volcanic Park, and Yosemite National Park. We'll see if I make the time. So, here's what I've been up to in the office. Let me apologize for the curt elaboration, but I'm really busy. Week 7 (February 26th-March 2nd): Woodcreek West Elementary/ Placer County, CA I made revisions to construction documents, focusing on irrigation, planting, details, and notes. Trimble Road Office Campus/ San Jose, CA Jim Bensman, an Associate at our office, needed some help with the Irrigation Plan for this project. When things get rushed, we help each other out on projects to get them out on-time. I worked on AutoCAD, making changes to some things that were redlined. Civic Center Cupertino/ Cupertino, CA Sarah Richards, another associate at our office, has been working on this project. I worked on the Preliminary Grading Plan and the Tree Survey, helping Sarah and Vince prepare for their upcoming meeting. Union School District Schools/ San Jose, CA I made revisions to the construction documents for seven schools. Primarily I updated our notes and index sheets, though some revisions to irrigation, planting, and details were necessary. San Mateo High Schools/ San Mateo County, CA I prepared for a site visit and meeting with the Steinberg Group, the lead architects for the project. Our work involves six high schools in San Mateo County. Robert Livermore Community Center, Livermore, CA I made revisions to the construction documents on the demolition plan. Additionally, I revised our tree protection notes, helping them become more concise and clear. Review of Work I had a lunch meeting with Bill Fee and Vince Lattanzio, both principals of the firm. We discussed my performance and progress at the firm. Week 8 (March 5th-9th) San Mateo High Schools/ San Mateo County, CA I spent the day with Vince Lattanzio, Bill Fee, and Alvin Tang, an associate at the firm. We visited the project locations and met with the architects. Edwards Elementary School/ San Jose, CA This is an elementary school that our office finished. A request for clarifications was made after the bid. Changes made before the bid are typically known as addenda. My duty was to make the clarifications, part of which involved the research of poisonous plants. Children will eat anything and we didn't want to be held responsible for anyone's death. Something that I've learned since I started work is that Construction Documents can be dangerous because of their liability. Loma Verde School, Novato, CA This is a pro-bono job. Vince Lattanzio and I did the design and detailing of an amphitheater. Two terraced steps could be paved with donor units, providing the funding necessary to pay for the construction work. Art tiles, designed by the students of the school, could be fastened to the terraces, enhancing school pride. Peninsula Jewish Community Center/ Foster City, CA There was a dilemma with this project. We had conflicting grading information from two sources. We needed to determine which set of data was "right" and then use it as a standard. Civic Center Cupertino/ Cupertino, CA I drafted some sections in AutoCAD to demonstrate the relationship between the architecture and landscape. Our office is working to get a General Plan Amendment for a mixed-use development. My work was part of a planning submittal, a part of Schematic Design. America Center Phase 1/ San Jose, CA I worked on the construction documents, inserting and modifying the design details. Week 9 (March 12th-16th) Civic Center Cupertino/ Cupertino, CA I continued work on AutoCAD, working on sections and earthwork and grading. Redwood City Hall Fountain/ Redwood City, CA I worked on the construction documents, changing details and plotting. Edwards Elementary School/ San Jose, CA I continued work on clarifications for this school. I focused on the poisonous plant materials, compiling documentation on dangerous species and determining if they were included in our design. Pacific Bay Building/ San Mateo, CA Our office uses bioswales in appropriate situations. They allow the treatment of run-off. We selected some plant materials that a civil engineer didn't agree with, according to his Best Management Practices handbook. I tracked down copies of his material and ordered them for our office to help us on our next project with similar circumstances. Peninsula Jewish Community Center/ Foster City, CA I continued work on the construction documents set for this project. We are working alongside the architects, Fisher Friedman, and when changes are made we have to react to them. In this particular instance, the changes being made are additional services, outside the original scope of billing. Week 10 (March 19th-23rd) Civic Center Cupertino/ Cupertino, CA I continued work on the AutoCAD sections and preliminary grading. I helped Vince and Sarah Richards, another associate at our office, prepare for a meeting. Robert Livermore Community Center/ Livermore, CA I made changes to the construction document set, reflecting a new tree survey our office received. Vacation Karen Hinkle, my girlfriend came to the area for Spring Break. I took Thursday and Friday off to go and check out the area. However, she became ill on Friday and we pretty much stayed indoors. Too bad. Week 11 (March 26th-30th) Civic Center Cupertino/ Cupertino, CA I continued work on this project, drafting sections and making changes to the base drawing. Edwards Elementary School/ San Jose, CA I wrapped up the clarifications set for this project. Clarifications are similar to an addendum but they occur after the bid. They were requested by the School District and were actually design changes. These were drawn on 8.5 x 11" pages, different from our usual 30 x 42 and 24 x 36 formats. Week 12 (April 2nd-6th) Civic Center Cupertino/ Cupertino, CA I continued work on this project, drawing a zoning plat master plan, displaying the proposed zoning changes that would accommodate a mixed-use program. Edwards Elementary School/ San Jose, CA I continued to wrap up the clarifications set. Loma Verde School/ Novato, CA I continued work on this pro-bono job, hand-drawing details and plans. Peninsula Jewish Community Center/ Foster City, CA We made changes to the construction documents to reflect changes to the grading. Hillsdale High School/ San Mateo, CA I set up the base drawings for Hillsdale High School, one of the six San Mateo Schools that our office is working on. Aragon High School/ San Mateo, CA I did similar work here as I did for Hillsdale HS, as they are both part of the same project. Alhambra High School Performing Arts Center/ Martinez, CA Paul Donnelly, another associate at our office, explained changes that needed to be made to the CD set, revising planting and irrigation. Week 13 (April 9th-13th) Aragon High School/ San Mateo, CA I made adjustments to the base drawing, setting up the "xref" tree. When we draft using AutoCAD, we use external references of the architecture and civil drawings we are sent. This allows us to make changes to our set and insert the updated drawings from other offices with minimal disturbance. Later in the week I drew the Schematic Landscape Details, a 30 x 42" bond paste-up sheet, with instruction from Vince Lattanzio. He and Sarah Richards helped finish the drawing before the delivery people arrived. I finished all of the drawings in one day and we sent them to a reprographics service for copies and reductions. These drawings were later placed in a booklet specific to this school. Similar booklets were made for five of the six schools, one of them being tied up due to outside matters. Hillsdale High School/ San Mateo, CA I did the same kind of work as above on this one. Loma Verde School/ Novato, CA I continued work on Loma Verde, doing some more hand drawings. Week 14 (April 16th-20th) Aragon High School/ San Mateo, CA I did a cost estimate using the Schematic Landscape Plan and the Schematic Details I drafted during the previous week. The cost estimate went in a booklet that several people in our office helped put together. They were Vince Lattanzio, Sarah Richards, and Alvin Tang. Hillsdale High School/ San Mateo, CA I did the same as above. Mills High School/ Millbrae, CA I drew the set of Schematic Details and Plans, similar to the work I did on Aragon and Hillsdale High Schools. Week 15 (April 23rd-27th) Burlingame High School/ Burlingame, CA I wrote the project description for this school, another of the six in San Mateo County, CA. The project description was inserted in a booklet titled Landscape Architectural Schematic Design Presentation. Several people in our office worked on putting the booklets together; it was a team effort. This is similar to the texts we compiled for the other schools. Mills High School/ Millbrae, CA. I spent time color-rendering the reduced plan and writing the project description. Both were part of the previously mentioned booklets for each school. Aragon High School/ San Mateo, CA I revised the cost estimate for re-insertion within the aforementioned booklet. Hillsdale High School/ San Mateo, CA I revised the cost estimate and the plans for re-insertion within the booklet. America Center/ San Jose, CA This project is in the Design Development phase, and I analyzed the plantings along the project's entry road and the central courtyards. Part of the design includes an arrangement of boulders within bosques of trees. These are intended for viewing and for interaction, perhaps even sitting. Sherman Street Park Plaza/ San Jose, CA I'm currently working on the cost estimate for this project. Part of it involves a large decorative serpent sandblasted in the paving. I hope this answers any questions you might have. Sincerely, Joshua M. Bender |
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