Alex Weber Landscape Architecture Portfolio University of Guelph BLA 2015
RESUME RE F E R E N C E S Gavin McMillan
Senior Principle at Hargreaves Associates gmcmillan@hargreaves.com 415.865.1811
Nadia Amoroso
Creative Director and Co-Founder of DataAppeal Adjunct Professor and Sessional Instructor namoroso@uoguelph.ca 519.824.52138
PROFILE
Dedicated professional with abilities to collaborate in cross-functional and dynamic studio environments within disciplines of design and project management.
WORK EXPERIENC E Hargreaves Associates Designer
San Francisco - Feb 2016 - May 2017
Christopher Vincelli
Jack Vincelli Nursery & Garden Center chris.r.vincelli@gmail.com 514.999.3197
Mike Barker
Former Studio Professor and Sessional Instructor Principal of SHIFT landscape architecture mbarker@shiftland.com 905.713.9326
Eric Rains Landscape Architecture Design Intern New York - June – September 2014
C ONTACT (415) 509 4663 alex.weber02@gmail.com 1514 Mason Street San Francisco, CA 94107 United States
INTERESTS Photography Traveling Hockey Comedy
EDUCATION University of Guelph Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (Guelph, Ontario) - 2011-2015 Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Landscape Architecture (Alnarp, Sweden) - Semster (6) 2014 Va n i e r C o l l e g e Sciences (Montreal, Quebec) - 2009-2011
AWARDS / AC H I EVM EN TS Simpson Senior Shield Award (Academic Excellence) - Vanier College Landscape Architecture Student Society (LASS) - Guelph University
LANGUAGES
English (Native or Bilingual Proficiency) French (Limited Working Proficiency)
SKILLS Microsoft Excel 2016 AutoCAD 2016 Adobe Photoshop CS6 Adobe Indesign CS6 SketchUp Pro 8 Rihno
This portfolio is a collection of work done in the field of landscape architecture during my four years as an undergraduate at the University of Guelph. I have also completed a semester abroad in the school of landscape architecture at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Alnarp, Sweden. My four years in the landscape architecture program at the University of Guelph and study abroad in Europe have helped me develop skills relating to the design process and communication. Through completion of assigned projects, my work has represented high level of 3D Visualization in master planning and perspective scene creation. I have been able to develop hand and computer graphic skills. These skills include hand drafting, hand rendering, and proficiency in AutoCAD 2016, Adobe Photoshop CS6, Adobe Indesign CS6, Adobe Illustrator CS6, SketchUp 8 and Rihno.
Year 4
- Yorlands Reformatory Guelph, Ontario
- Case Study - Scholars Green Park Mississauga, Ontario
Year 3 - Charlottenlund Graveyard Trondheim, Norway
- Robson Square Vancouver, BC
Year 2 - Construction Drawings & Cad Details
Writing Sample Undergrad Thesis
Contact Information
Commercial Hub Rooftop Lookout
A city’s identity comes from its past. The history and the landmarks that have shaped Guelph are disappearing, and with them, the unique identity that once formed the image of the city. As landscape architects, it is our responsibility to preserve this identity, while finding solutions to allow for the expansion of urban density. Our answer for Guelph’s identity crisis is the Reformatory District. The Reformatory District will be the predominant meeting place of Guelph’s past and its future: a site unlike any other in the city where historic and cultural landscape features are set amongst future sustainable innovative initiatives.
Yorklands Reformatory
Guelph, Ontario
The vision sets the historic value of the reformatory lands above that of urban development and we aim to preserve the last untouched landmark in the City of Guelph. Seen through numerous postcards from the early 1900’s are the bucolic landscapes created by the inmates that helped establish the city; a place of pride and identity for Guelph, the waterfalls and picturesque grounds held a special meaning to the surrounding residents. The proposal sees a layered development of the past and the future, to synthesize historic and innovative aspects of the site. While the aim is to restore and maintain historic landmarks, such as buildings, stone walls and waterfalls, we layer on integrative programmatic elements that reflect the forward thinking of the Guelph Innovation District and Yorklands Green Hub. Through select design devices including form system and building aesthetics, we aim to reflect the historic elements of Guelph while integrating future developments and uses.
Conceptual Sketch of Previous Land Use
Yorklands Reformatory
Guelph, Ontario
ECOLOGICAL PROGRAMMING 1:1
Small scaled natural spaces dominated by natural features with llimited manmade features. Defined by dense vegetation
PASSIVE PROGRAMMING 5:5
Large scale open space defined by vegetative boundaries
STRUCTURED PROGRAMMING 3:3
Human-scaled space dominated by man made aesthetics and strong boudaries.
BUILT PROGRAMMING 3:3
Human- scaled space dominated by built form and defined by architectural references
To pixelate the landscape I devised a system of four major nodes which are characterized by dominant scales, materials and aesthetics. The sizes were determined by a hierarchy of uses which would be found throughout the site. A grid of 5 metre squares was drawn over the area to develop the scales. These scales were then translated into ratios from which they were implemented into the greater fabric of the form system. The locations of these nodes were determined by past uses preserved and future programming designed for the Reformatory District.
Masterplan - NTS
N
The Main Entrance: A re-purposed legion building will house art exhibition and events, including an adaptable lawn for public outdoor shows to facility the large art community in Guelph. The adjacent historic farmhouse will be restored to its former glory, and act as a community workshop for lost folk arts such as lace making, leather working and spinning, all of which was once practiced by the inmates on the site.
Open Lawn Exhibit
Extensive Nature Trails: Linking together the existing Eramosa River Trail to the west of Victoria Road, and the Beltline Trail to the south of the Eramosa River, an extensive nature trail will wind through the protected natural forest and wetlands on site allowing for recreation and ecological education. The trails also enhance linkages to larger trail networks around Guelph, optimizing on connections to adjacent residential developments. The trails will feature unique educational signage to further enhance the visitors experience
Protected Vegetative Area
Exhibit Lawns
Welcome Plaza
Exhibit Lawns Guelph Public Art Gallery
N
Detailed Plan - NTS
Scholars ‘Green Park’ Mississauga, Ontario
Pedestrian Circulation & Hot Spot Analysis
Located at the Sheridan College campus in Mississauga, Ontario, Scholars’ Green Park is a public space for students, faculty, and the surrounding community. Designed by gh3 in collaboration with Terraplan, Scholars’ Green Park features a series of outdoor rooms interwoven into a mesh of walkways. Completed in 2012, the park is maturing into a thought-provoking space for relaxation, recreation, and study. Following is a digital recreation of the parks current status. Successes The park provides spaces where visitors can view and experience their environment at different angles and perspectives. Living up to its name, Scholars’ Green Park realizes educational goals through its design. Failures The designers’ intended uses of the site have not been realized due to a lack of programming and a community preference to spend leisure time at the nearby shopping mall. Much of the site experiences uncomfortable direct sunlight which may be mitigated as the trees mature. The prevalence of smoking on site may discourage the use of the park by families in the surrounding community.
Classroom Seating Pit Perspective
N
Square One Drive
Sheridan College Hazel McCallion Campus
Duke of York Boulevard
Living Art
s Drive
A
A’
Masterplan - NTS
Sectional Elevation - A to A’
Pavilion Intersection
n
ilio Pav
m roo
ss Cla
NTS
Charlottenlund Graveyard Trondhelm, Norway
The project outlines a digital representation developed in conjunction with a master level course focused on landscape visualization. The assigned production was to visualize a chosen theme in the context of Charlottenlund Graveyard and depict this message in one given perspective scene. The perspective to the right represents this notion in theory and in practicality by systematically removing the negative perception of death within the space and redefining the presence of life through color and texture. It is this notion of life, projected from the sky which characterizes what is beyond and what history still remains.
Graveyard Lookout
Central Plaza Polygon Seating Structure and Spiral Art Installation
Robson Square is a landmark site in the geographic heart of downtown Vancouver. In addition to being one of downtown Vancouver’s premier public spaces, several key civic institutions are located in Robson Square. The Square is home to the Provincial Law Courts, government office buildings, and the Vancouver Art Gallery. The city’s only outdoor skating rink is found in a lower level that extends below Robson Street. The University of British Columbia (UBC) downtown satellite campus, UBC Robson Square, is also located on the lower level. The goal was to enhance the cities sense of community, encourage active forms of transportation (walking) and benefit local business. Considering this given framework, the design proposes a space that provokes interactive connectivity between people and the environment. Strategic technological installations include 7ft tall visualization walls, information booths, and structural art installations consider the given demographic and site context. The surface form system is inspired by a computer circuit board, applied as a temporary instillation, the units appear white during the day and later illuminate at night. Providing an immediate point of attraction and paralleled guide through the space. The site embraces selective themes of time and connectivity within its bureaucratic context to activate the spaces most valued assets.
Robson Square Vancouver, BC
N
Masterplan - NTS
Polygon Seating
Visualization Walls Optimal Temperature Visualization
Yearly Usage See VIVA Vancouver Installations
Clock Seating
Cross Through on Foot Visit as a Destination Watch People Eat/Drink
Circular Units
Sit & Relax Meeting Destination 0
Circuit Luminescent
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Summer Months Venders Other Protest/Info
Site Base
Selling Socializing Phone Use Busking Art Eating/Drinking Technology Use Activity Watching 100
80
60
40
20
0
Population Density Visualization
Surface Illumination Night Scene
Construction & Cad Details
Writing Sample Literature Review Undergrad Thesis
“The Urban Bus Stop In The Act Of Waiting”
The growth in public transit has become in a very simple sense a social contract (Tadeo, 2010). Services, which have marked Americans with over 10.7 billion cycles in 2013, have become the highest annual ridership percentage in almost 60 years (Tadeo, 2010). With an increase in the use of these systems, the benefits and challenges people face have become a global phenomena. Since its inception, the most evident challenge our system has faced is undoubtedly the time we spend waiting for our services to arrive. Today our urban transit waiting spaces have been in limbo rather then an icon of innovative progressive design. In large city facilities in which public transit and people are synonymous, our urban waiting spaces represent very little physical and social identity. In many cases surrounding the greater Los Angeles area, bus stops limit passengers to wait on advertising benches, completely restricted and unprotected from the fast pace traffic, and fluctuating weather patterns it is accustom to (Suisman, 1997). This absence of urban waiting space is also evident at the highly regarded Victoria Station in London (Kärrholm & Sandin, 2011). With much the spaces categorized as restaurants, limited accessibility to time and ticket services, and most importantly its scattered waiting benches, completely disconnect from the central space entirely (Bakerson, 2010). Most notably, Hauptbahnhof Berlin, Berlin’s Central Station, opened in 2008 currently denotes 60% of its square footage for retail facilities (Bak- erson, 2010). Highlighting their dysfunction for the people and its connection to the environment. In the past waiting places such as these were “rendered accountable” (Kär- rholm & Sandin, 2011). Since then waiting spaces have been drastically shaped in line with cultural trends and economically driven environments (Bakerson, 2010). Despite such conditions, little has been done to improve our urban waiting spaces in the context of public transit. Research findings suggest our innovators of today have skimmed the first layers of what has been done. Elaborating on technology, art, advertising, and psychology as key contributors in pursuit to mitigate the rising problem. Moreover, much of the following findings lack a cohesive package of these variables, and fail to address the need for productive interaction amongst and these spaces. The aim of this paper is to explore these variables in extended detail in the context of waiting for urban transit, and justify the potential these spaces can attain.
Address: 1514 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94133 United States
Contact Info: E: alex.weber02@gmail.com P: 415.509.4663