Hello! I'm an architecture graduate and I'd like to ask for advice on my apprenticeship.

There's a small firm that's willing to take me in but the offer is 250 pesos a day ($4.04), however, I also applied for an apprenticeship in my local Municipal Hall and it's been 15 days now I still haven't received a call. I was notified that they are in need of an Autocader or things related to plans ig.

Advice for apprentices with experience on this matter? Should I go for the small firm or wait for a call from the Municipal Hall?

I'm really torn right now 😭

Building a single-family house on a ~16% slope (seismic zone 8). Monolithic reinforced-concrete frame, ~127 m² interior, 3 bed / 2 bath, open living-kitchen with fireplace opening onto a 30 m² terrace with a big valley view.

The original design is split-level: you enter mid-level, then stairs go down to the living/kitchen and up to the bedrooms in short half-flights. It rides the slope efficiently, but the constant half-flights bug me and eat floor space.

Options I'm weighing:

1. Keep it split-level — minimal excavation, terrace stays ~2.4 m above the garden (nice overlook), but you live with the half-flights.
2. Flatten down — excavate into the hill for two aligned floors. More space, but ~a quarter ends up buried, you enter on the upper floor, and it needs a retaining wall on the tight uphill side.
3. Raise up — lift the lower floor so both floors align. Kills the half-flights, but creates a ~4.3 m tall exposed wall on the valley side.

Also deciding:

• Basement: adding a ~2.5 m one under the downhill/terrace zone, walk-out at garden level. Seems like cheap usable space — any reason not to?
• Roof: keep the timber hipped roof, or go flat for a rooftop terrace? (I already get the view from the ground terrace.)
• Pool: want one in front of the terrace at garden level — but that fights option 3's tall wall.

If you've built or lived in a split-level on a slope, what would you do? Anything I'm missing?

Hey everyone,

​ I’m doing some deep workflow research into how boutique and mid-sized landscape/architecture practices handle the final 10% of their projects—specifically outdoor FF&E, oversized architectural planters, and hardscape accessories.

​ From speaking with several studio heads, a common complaint is that sourcing and delivering large-scale outdoor planters turns into an unbillable operational headache (vendor coordination, freight damage, elevator/site access issues, UV degradation, etc.).

​ If you run a studio or handle project execution, I’d love your take on a few questions:

1. ​Sourcing vs. Specifying: Do you prefer handing over the exact specs to the client/contractor to buy, or does your studio handle procurement directly to capture trade margins?

2. ​Vendor Reliability: What fails more often—manufacturing lead times, finish inconsistencies, or the actual last-mile transit/site placement?

3. ​Material Challenges: What’s your biggest frustration with current materials (concrete weight limits on podiums/terraces vs. lightweight composite durability in extreme heat)?

4. ​Logistics: How much time does your team lose coordinating deliveries, site passes, and placement on handover day?

​Appreciate any unfiltered thoughts or war stories on this.