LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
JAMES STEPHENSON
P O R T F O L I O
+ Graduate Landscape Architect with background in industrial and transport design + Run LEAFWORKS, my garden design + build company on the side. Good to get the hands dirty!
JAMES STEPHENSON Drawn to schemes that preserve and enhance the nature and character of
their sites. Successful spaces are always treated with a subtle approach; one that frames the character and unique features that give a site its individuality.
‘Messy ecosystems, orderly frames’ is a philosophy coined by Joan Nassauer. This philosophy involves giving nature the space and freedom to
develop as it will and only controlling it in terms of the space allocated for it. Neat, hard edges create a clear boundary and make the chaotic nature acceptable to the human eye. This is all part of designing for biodiversity and habitat creation, which is key. A plan which can increase the viable
habitats for a multitude of species is essential, especially as the space left for wildlife in our world is increasingly reduced.
Regarding garden design, the herbaceous perennial movement has had a strong influence on garden creation. Embracing the beauty of native and ecologically supportive flowering plants right through into winter as the dead flowers and seed heads create a drama of their own. Bold, striking flowering species planted in swathes within a sea of perennial and
evergreen grasses. The relatively low maintenance, beautiful 'wild' meadow aesthetic combined with the ecological benefits these planting schemes offer fascinates me.
Instagram : alfresco.architecture
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BRICKWORKS Manchester School of Architecture : USE Year : 2021 Soft Skills : Creativity, problem-solving, teamwork Technical Skills : Drawing, Photography, Rhino, Blender Key Words : ecology, meadows, daylighting, woodland
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Full Project : issuu.com/alfresco.architecture/docs/use_2021
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Selection of rendered viewpoints from around site,
chosen to show range of atmospheres created in a relatively small space. Enclosed sheltered woodland walks ranging up to exposed meadows with large vistas.
Use of boardwalks to protect and enhance the habitats found on site. Metal grating allows for
light to reach the floor below boardwalks so plants and grasses can still grow.
Benches designed to be modular and part of a family of varying sized units. Places specifically to
create areas of pause and in a location that allows for users to feel out of the way and away from people using the site as a through way.
Gabion dam created to dam the daylighted Fallowfield Brook and create a pond habitat.
This also means that we have areas of the site dedicated to wet and marginal planting and the associated species.
Full Project : issuu.com/alfresco.architecture/docs/use_2021
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GA site plan drawn at 1:100 @ A2. One of several plans created, however this one focuses on
the main features, landmarks and areas of the site.
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Modeling the gabion dam at 1:20 scale.
Preliminary model of site and surrounds
effectiveness of proposed design and
and existing old railway bridge. This
This process allowed us to determine
get a feel for the materiality once the whole model was together.
including contours, vegetation, buildings
understanding allowed for an informed choice as we narrowed down to our final site selection.
Full Project : issuu.com/alfresco.architecture/docs/use_2021
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Section view through site, main plant and tree species identified. Gives far greater understanding
of the feeling of spaces, the heights of vegetation, level changes and more easily understood scale due to showing humans interacting with site. Created at 1:100 @ A2.
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Ecological Interventions : Upper : Vertical nesting site created for sand martins. Follows precedent as seen in various RSPB sites around UK.
Left : Bat friendly lighting of site at night. Blue light
deters bats so red allows human and nocturnal bats to use the site in harmony. Used in some small towns in Netherlands for street lighting.
Project : issuu.com/alfresco.architecture/docs/use_2021
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Manchester School o f Architecture : 1st Year Project Year : 2020 Soft Skills : Communication, presentation, responsibility Technical Skills : Adobe Suite, Rhino, Vray
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LANCASTER CANAL QUARTER
The Green Yard project in Lancaster Canal Quarter. The aim here was to allow historical
buildings and remnants to exist as new functional elements, whilst serving as reminders of the sites history. New green, parkland areas of ‘artificial nature’ will be created at a large scale. The parkland will melt into the urban areas of the site down old roads,
through voids and into small courtyards. Framed always by the old iconic buildings on site.
LANCASTER CONTAINER VILLAGE Competition Winner for Client : David Nuttall Year : 2020
We entered this project into a competition to design a container village for Lancaster. Site
visits, sketching, modeling in Rhino and rendering in V-ray led to the creation of our final proposal.
This project won the competition and we began to work alongside the investor David Nuttall to bring the project to fruition. Unfortunately Covid has put a stop to the realisation process, for now.
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DRAWINGS Manchester School of Architecture : Various Projects Year : 2020/21
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GEOLOGY GARDEN Manchester School of Architecture : 1st year project Year : 2020
Tasked with creating a new scheme to improve
the sad and tired existing Geology Garden on Manchester University campus.
Utilised the different stone types currently on
display by having them as the seating surface for the benches. The down lights fitted underneath draw attention to the benches day and night.
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DIGITAL ARTWORK The Australian Garden : Paul Thompson / Taylor Cullity Lethlean Year : 2019
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Limited by Covid to a virtual study tour this digital artwork was part of a larger body of work researching The Australian Garden in Melbourne, Australia.
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LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
JAMES STEPHENSON
P O R T F O L I O
GET IN TOUCH +44 7837 070 163
jamesedwardstephenson@gmail.com
www.linkedin.com/in/james-stephenson-alfresco-architecture/ Manchester