Pat Loheed Landscape Architect

Dover Square was created with PerspectiveTools and SketchTools over a photograph.

We are a four-person landscape architecture firm that co-habits a studio office space with Loheed Design Partnership, an architecture/urban design firm, in Somerville, MA. Although LDP's principal Phil Loheed, my husband, is our office's computer "Guru", I am responsible for the initial link to Engineered Software CAD program over ten years ago. A landscape architect friend, who had spent three months researching programs for Peter Walker's firm in San Francisco, brought the program out on my portable hard drive and gave us a demo on a weekend in Maine after a lobster dinner! More recently, my curiosity about the SketchTools peaked Phil's interest and brought a beneficial involvement in the development of the PerspectiveTools and SketchTools, which promises to have broad application for studying landscape alternatives.

Over 35 years in the field, one begins to understand the difference between landscape architecture and architecture. As landscape architects, we work on a much larger number of projects (we have 50 active projects now), over longer periods of time, so speed and economy of motion, and ease of archiving are major concerns. At PL/LA, we are often involved in the start-up of projects when people are trying to patch together site information and base map data from a variety of different sources. Many times illustrative plans and renderings are a major permitting requirement. Most of the easily built upon sites in New England have been utilized and new construction is being proposed on sites that are marginal because of wetlands, soils, rock formations, or they are on infill or rehabilitation sites involving a greater density than might otherwise be allowed. Many of amenities extracted by site plan reviewers are landscape related and best seen in color and in perspective view. Hence our affection for the PowerCADD program and WildTools, which have great range and flexibility when combined with PhotoShop, PageMaker, and Illustrator.

Then later, our involvement comes near the end of projects, when the landscape is being implemented. We are often rushed or under time pressure to update plans, buildings, and issue changed site plans. Of course budgets are often strained at this point, because there have been changes during the construction process. Owners and architects are often looking for the landscape to be modified (read reduced) in order to save money. It is an asset to have a program that allows incoming information to be incorporated and updated easily. We make a lot of use of the DWG translators.

But by far, it as a small employer, that I see the major advantages of using this program. These lie in its intuitive tool formats and ease of learning. In addition to managing a small design firm, I have taught at the Boston Architectural Center since 1972. Currently I serve on the Practice Curriculum Committee were we evaluate students for degree credit based on work experience and am advising three thesis students. So I see CAD drafting work from over fifty students a year. In our office we have found that new users can be up and running, doing productive work, in less than two weeks training time. We try to use the program as a design tool, not just a drafting program. While some have proved more facile, even an "oldster" like this 59-year-old principal of the firm, easily picked up the program.

Pat Loheed

Pat Loheed

Brian Groen

Juli Riemenschneider

Pat Loheed/Landscape Architect is a four-person landscape architecture firm that co-habits a studio office space with Loheed Design Partnership, an architecture/urban design firm, in Somerville, MA.

Pat Loheed has a BSLA from the University of Michigan, a MLA from Harvard Graduate School of Design, and a year of Ph.D. studies in Urban Studies and Planning at MIT. She is a registered landscape architect and is the mom and sometimes email correspondent of two filmmaking children in Los Angeles: Kristin, 27, who works at the American Film Institute and Matt (MJ), 32, who is a partner in Spootwerks a post technical production company and a writer for a tv dating game show, "The Fifth Wheel". She is also a teacher and thesis advisor at the Boston Architectural Center, a degree granting college.

Juli Riemenschneider has a BSLA from Cook College, Rutgers University. Juli has three wonderful daughters under ten: Hillary, Lydia, and Alexandra plus a great electrical engineer husband Keith who pitches in so she can be a mom and have a career. Juli has fifteen years of experience in both the public and private sector. PL/LA was her first job experience with CAD, since it was not a part of the curriculum when she was in school.

Brian Groen is a recent graduate of North Dakota State University with a BSLA in Landscape Architecture and a BS in Environmental Science/Horticulture. He is also a former Peace Corps volunteer in Togo, Africa. Brian came with excellent PC CAD experience and easily mastered our PowerCADD program. He has a girl friend, but he hasn't introduced her to the office, yet.

Pat, Juli, and Brian work at PL/LA a landscape architecture and planning firm that shares an office studio location with Loheed Design Partnership. We
provide recreation planning, site design, historic landscape restoration, planting design, and support a variety of architectural, engineering, and transportation related projects.

Pat Loheed/Landscape Architect, 1310 Broadway Suite 103, Somerville, MA 02144 Telephone: (617) 623-4366 Fax (617) 623-4362
Emails: Pat patloheed@aol.com Brian bkgroen@lycos.com Juli juli.plla@verizon.net website: www.LDParch.com

Drawings by Pat Loheed/Landscape Architect

Commonwealth Avenue     Courtyard & Historic Block    Trails & Garden     Campion Center Courtyard     

Dover Square     Downtown Framingham     Lafayette Square     Playgrounds & Spy Pond     Winfield Robbins Gardens