SBLM

Soprema, Inc recently visited our office to present green roof systems to SBLM. Green roofs are an excellent way to contribute to environmental sustainability while, in some cases, taking advantage of typically unused space as an amenity. There are two types of green roofs, extensive and intensive, each with their own design considerations and benefits.  Extensive green roofs are of shallow depths and typically consist of hardy planting medium, such as sedum, which require little maintenance and lower excess structural load capacity. Due to its shallow nature, extensive systems are not typically used as an amenity. Conversely, intensive green roofs include much deeper soils which can support grasses, shrubs, trees and, and subsequently, people.  Intensive systems have a higher demand for maintenance and structural load capacity.              Regardless of the type of green roof, the environmental benefits are evident in the areas of stormwater management, heat island re

If you’re looking to get your license, passing the Architect Registration Exam, is the most daunting step. Now that the ARE 5.0 has been released for over half a year and even though study guides are still not caught up, it can be even more daunting. Having recently passed the ARE (two ARE 4.0 and three ARE 5.0) I say, fear not! Here’s my quick advice to getting through the six exams. Start by signing up for an exam. This gives you a deadline and motivation. If you live in a populated area (i.e. NYC) it can be difficult to get the day of the week or the time of the day you want. I would usually sign up for my next exam the day I took one and would often need to pick a day two months out due to the testing centers being booked. Speaking of time, space out your exams between 1-2 months each. Take into account how busy you are. If you can only devote an hour a day to studying take exams around two months apart. If you can devote more than that pick dates closer to a month. An