By: Katie Labelle, Project Director When you experience a well-designed outdoor space, you notice immediately. Whether it be an intricately designed garden or a master planned community, good design can tell a story, evoke emotion, provide direction, and enhance user experience. But where does good design come from? How do you get there? As landscape... Read Full Post ›
Almost a decade ago, an innovative group out of Tucson worked to develop a new concept in housing – one that combined some of the key benefits of a single-family home with the lower commitment of a rental community. The single family built for rent (SFBR) concept was born, at the hands of the industry... Read Full Post ›
By: Jeff Farr, Project Director Here at RVi, our two core services of Planning and Landscape Architecture allow us the distinct pleasure of being involved with a project from the very earliest stages of planning a raw piece of land, through construction and seeing those plans and designs come to life. However, not all projects... Read Full Post ›
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... Read Full Post ›
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... Read Full Post ›
By: Alan Mackey, Project Director In the course of practicing landscape architecture, we become quite familiar with the steps in the design process: site analysis, schematic design, design development, construction documents, bidding, and construction administration/observation. As a young landscape architect, I can remember finishing a set of construction documents, completing the bidding phase, and feeling... Read Full Post ›
Earlier this month, the Ellsworth Ranch community took a major step forward when the Queen Creek Town Council approved the rezoning of the 190-acre development. RVi has been working with developer Taylor Morrison, land use attorney Shaine Alleman of Tiffany & Bosco, civil engineer Wood Patel, as well as the Town of Queen Creek and... Read Full Post ›
Landscape Architecture is not just about knowing your plants, or designing a retaining wall, or being able to answer the age-old question, Why is my grass turning brown? (Please don’t ask us about your grass.) Inherent in the profession of landscape architecture is the need to understand how people live; the ability to recognize what... Read Full Post ›
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt every aspect of our lives, at RVi we are coming to terms with the fact that the virus is also impacting the way we design community amenities. In early March, we were forging ahead with the design of amenity centers as though everything would soon return to normal.... Read Full Post ›
