AMELIA GRACE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO
2015
amelia.grace8@gmail.com
| ph: 07481 926118
| Clapham Junction SW8 2DZ
Design Philosophy: My intent as a designer is to create spaces that can offer people a higher quality of life. By combining my environmental ethics and a place making approach to design, I believe that high quality, memorable places can be achieved with minimal impact on the natural environment.
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[DESIGN 1]
[DESIGN 2]
[DESIGN 3]
[DESIGN 4]
[DESIGN 5]
[DESIGN 6]
[ADDITIONAL]
[CARDNO] Since joining the Cardno team as a Graduate Landscape Architect in 2011 I have been involved with several different design projects at many different stages; from inception through to completion. My key roles have included site masterplanning, conceptual and detailed design, residential and ecological planting designs, contract documentation, and producing landscape assessments and visualisations for subdivisions of varying sizes around the Wellington, Porirua and Wairarapa Region in New Zealand and New South Wales, Australia. Whilst carrying out many of these roles I have confidently taken a leading position when communicating with clients, contractors and local councils. The following is a small sample of work I have produced at Cardno over the past three years. This work has been produced using a range of techniques including hand sketching, AutoCAD, SketchUp, and the Adobe suite package, all of which I am highly proficient in.
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GREENBRIDGE EAST VILLAGE PARK MASTERPLAN “GREENBRIDGE EAST IS A SPECIAL POCKET OF LAND, WRAPPED AROUND THE GOLF COURSE AND BUSHLAND AND WITHIN SHORT WALKING DISTANCE TO VILLAGE CENTRE INCLUDING SHOPS AND SCHOOL” 1. PARK ENTRANCE 2. AVENUE OF LARGE TREE SPECIES 3. LANDSCAPE MOUNDING 4. FITNESS STATION 5. CENTRAL MEETING SQUARE 6. BBQ AND SHADE PLATFORM 7. PLAY AREA FOR YOUNG CHILDREN 8. PLAY AREA FOR OLDER CHILDREN 9. FITNESS STATION 10. BASKETBALL COURT 11. INFORMAL KICKABOUT 12. DENSELY PLANTED LANDSCAPE MOUNDING
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ENTRANCEWAY CONCEPT DESIGN EXAMPLES
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RESIDENTIAL LANDSCAPE CONCEPT DESIGN EXAMPLE
STREET FENCING OPTIONS:
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FEATURE WALL/GATE SIGNAGE EXAMPLES cardno
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PLANTING PALETTE EXAMPLE
MATERIALS PALETTE EXAMPLE
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SECTION ELEVATION EXAMPLES
CONSTRUCTION DETAIL EXAMPLES
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[DESIGN 1] Victoria University fourth year studio - Building resilience in Christchurch City, New Zealand There is a relationship between urban resilience and areas that are pedestrian friendly. At present Christchurch is not a pedestrian friendly city because it is designed at a scale for the motor vehicle user, rather than the pedestrian. The site for this project is located directly in-between the boundary of Christchurch CBD and the suburban centre of Sydenham. It is a notoriously dangerous site for both pedestrians and cyclists due to the high levels of traffic and adjacent under/over bridges. My design is a series of 4 separate interventions that together make up an overall master plan for a “gateway development� between the suburban centre and the CBD. These interventions aim to: - Strengthen the pedestrian and cyclist connections between Sydenham and the CBD; - Improve the safety and convenience of cycling and walking within the area; - Improve the quality of the streets for all users; - Encourage walking/cycling instead of private vehicle use.
Site Analysis
Master Plan
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Visualisations of Final Scheme
Colombo Street looking North
Mixed-use development
Community gardens
Railway Park
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[DESIGN 2] Victoria University fourth year studio - Creating Sustainable Community Landscapes This project focused on repairing a damaged piece of land surrounding the Ohau River on the Kapiti Coast, New Zealand. Currently the land and river are suffering from deforestation dating back to the late 1800’s and severe inappropriate land use including dairy farming and effluent pollution. To overcome the existing land use issues I am proposing a series of alternative land uses that will not only improve the ecological health of the area but also reinstate a sense of community and reconnect local people with the land. To achieve these alternative land uses I have designed a simple, low cost, intervention that can be easily deployed into the landscape by the community that will kick-start the restoration process. The simple sack device is filled with soil and different seed mixes. Over time the sack will decompose and the seeds will grow to become mature plants that will provide the benefits to the land which come from riparian, native and wetland plants.
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The Vision The vision for this project includes restoring the edges of the Ohau river, improving water quality, and offering alternative land uses for the surrounding land. This was achieved through riparian planting, creating community crop fields for local people to grow, harvest and sell vegetables, restoring the patch of historic wetland that has been severely degraded due to farming, and re-vegetating the back dunes with native plants to provide habitats for birds and other wildlife. The benefits of these land use changes will be extensive, not only ecologically but also culturally, economically, recreationally, and educationally. To be successful the vision relies heavily on the participation of local people and communities.
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Existing Site Issues
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The Solution
Detailed Site Design The result of successful land use changes of this site will not only help to educate and reconnect people with the land, but will also enable positive ecological benefits for the land and waterways. As more people get involved with the restoration process and the health of the site improves, cultural values and understanding of the land will be reinstated, habitat for wildlife will be provided, biodiversity will be promoted, and valuable resources will be renewed for future generations.
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[DESIGN 3] Victoria University third year research elective - New York City Space This project was undertaken during a class trip to New York during semester 3, 2010. It examined the historic grid systems of New York in terms of pedestrian and vehicle movement. To do so, two major intersections were analysed - one in Manhattan, and the other in Brooklyn. By investigating these two intersections that are located in significantly different boroughs of New York City I was able to explore an important issue in urban design: the relationship between pedestrians and vehicles. Factors I analysed included: street layout, volume of pedestrians and vehicles, number of lanes per street, direction of traffic, height and use of surrounding buildings, and economy of the two areas. It was determined that all of these factors influence vehicle and pedestrian movement and safety. My aim was to test how these movements were being dealt with, and ultimately how successful the intersections were in terms of pedestrian safety.
The Two Intersections New York City has arguably one of the most famous street grid plans in history. The first intersection I analysed was the crossing of Houston Street with Broadway in Manhattan. This intersection runs with the historic grid layout of Manhattan while the second intersection I analysed, the Atlantic/Flatbush intersection in Brooklyn, runs against the gird of the surrounding streets. Both intersections are multi-laned, two directional thoroughfares and deal with large quantities of traffic. Although vehicle volumes vary slightly at each intersection, all four roads are considered to be busy, arterial roads in New York City.
Broadway and Houston Street Intersection
The different grids that each intersection sits within have caused surrounding buildings to evolve in diverse ways. Buildings enclosing the Houston/Broadway intersection are much more uniform and fit perfectly within the Manhattan grid plan. In comparison, buildings surrounding the Atlantic/Flatbush intersection are fragmented and fit the best way they can within the space available. Broadway and Houston Street
not to scale
Atlantic and Flatbush Avenue Intersection
Atlantic and Flatbush Avenue
Sectional Comparisons
Atlantic and Flatbush Avenue
Broadway and Houston Street
Being in two completely different boroughs of New York City means that the size, height,
When
and use of the buildings that border each intersection vary significantly. Because the Houston/Broadway intersection sits directly within the busy shopping district of SoHo,
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the majority of buildings are either retail or commercial and attract high volumes of
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pedestrians during shop open hours - generally 8am-7pm. In comparison, the sole large
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building surrounding the Atlantic/Flatbush intersection is the Atlantic terminal which
looking
at
the
actual
pedestrian crossings of the two intersections, I compared the length
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of each crossing with the amount of time people have to cross..
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is a busy transport hub. This means a high number of pedestrians pass through this intersection in the morning and afternoon of each workday.
Atlantic and Flatbush Avenue
Broadway and Houston Street
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[DESIGN 4] Victoria University third year studio This project involved selecting an appropriate site, and then designing the layout and configuration of a new rural subdivision in Pauatahanui approximately 35km North of Wellington, New Zealand. This rural area has incredibly high scenic and ecological value. This explains the need for any new developments to be designed in ways that minimise negative effects and preserve essential landscape amenities and ecologies. I have provided a sample of the extensive landscape assessment I went through in order to choose an appropriate layout. This assessment ensured that the site I chose had the capacity to absorb development without losing the essential real and natural character.
Site Assessment In rural areas the location, layout, and lot density of a subdivision influences the landscape character by affecting the proportion
Chosen Subdivision Site:
of structures to open space, which in turn determines whether development dominates or nestles into the landscape. When choosing the site for my rural subdivision I took into account the rural character of the area, the size of the development, the location, slope, sun exposure, access, existing vegetation, existing
boundaries,
surrounding
drainage systems.
Concept Layout
Existing Features:
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waterways,
and
natural
Planting Plan
Building Placement
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Buildings have been located on naturally occurring building platforms to minimise earthworks. Only
Vegetation is a key landscape element that can be manipulated to mitigate adverse visual effects of
sites with the ability to absorb development have been used for building locations and all hilltops and
rural subdivisions. Careful selection of plant species is crucial, and new vegetation needs to reflect the
ridgelines have been left free of development. Existing and additional vegetation has been used as a
typical vegetation character of the area and be suitable for site-specific conditions. Vegetation chosen
backdrop to anchor and camouflage all buildings.
for this site included a range wetland plants, native shrubs and trees.
Wetland - Shallow/standing water area
Shrubs - Boggy/damp/dry areas
Trees - Screen/Shelter belt
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[DESIGN 5] Victoria University third year technology paper - Landscape Construction Drawing The aim of this project was to redesign a piece of considerably sloped terrain within Wellington City and prepare a set of construction drawings that emphasized the design intent. The main design move was to change the users’ experience of the space depending on where they are within the site. Lookouts have been strategically placed so that as the user moves from the bottom to the top of the hill (or vice versa) they get different views from each level. The lookouts towards the top of the hill are much narrower and frame a specific view, where as further down, the views keep getting wider and show more of the surrounding context. This continues until they reach the bottom terrace where they will be exposed to a 180 degree view of Wellington City.
Central Paths
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A set of terraces cascade down the hill and are connected by a central path. This central path is used to draw the eyes either up or down the hill, maximizing the experience
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the user gets from the change in levels. The central path
Section: Terrace six 1:50
has been designed to be considerably narrower and very constricting towards the top terrace and much wider and generous in width towards the bottom terrace.
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Section: Terrace four 1:50
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Section: Terrace three 1:50
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Amelia Grace - 301027659 LAND 321 Project three: LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY
TRUBY KING Path Sections 1:50
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Section: Terrace one
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[DESIGN 6] Victoria University third year studio - Emergent Urbanism This project involved designing temporary interventions that would be deployed throughout different sites within Wellington City, New Zealand. The aim was to manipulate the way people move through these sites, making their paths much more structured. The intervention I designed was in the form of free standing boards that would differ in materiality depending on site location. It was intended that people would leave messages on these boards and to do so they would need to walk specific paths through each site.
Wire mesh
Glass
Corten
Location All three chosen sites have a high number of pedestrians passing through them each day. They are, however, generally occupied by very different types of people. The type of people that occupy these spaces will initiate what type of messages will be left at each site, and will also determine the materiality of the intervention boards. BB
Site 1 - Manners Mall
Because the layout and size of the three sites are very different, people move through each one differently.
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Currently none of the sites are very controlling of the way people move.
- Shoppers - Business people - Students - Families
Site 1 Site 2 - Waterfront/Edge of Frank Kitts Park - Walkers/joggers - Families
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- Tourists - School groups
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Site 2
- Generally younger people - Skateboarders
Site 3 - Waitangi Park - Skate park
- Walkers/Joggers 1:5000
- People accessing waterfront
Site 3
Sectional Studies
Detail 1
Section AA 1:500
Detail 6 Section GG 1:250
Site 1
Section BB 1:500
Detail 2
Section CC 1:500
Site 2
Detail 7
Section HH 1:250
Section DD 1:500
Detail 3
Section EE 1:500
Detail 4
Section FF 1:500
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Section II 1:250
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Board Details
Detail 3 1:5
Detail 2 1:5
Detail 1 1:5
Detail 4 1:5
Detail 5 1:5
Detail 6 1:5
Detail 7 1:5
Diagrammatic Movement Patterns
Site 1
The intervention boards within this site will force people to walk through the centre island, resulting in the pedestrian movements being less scattered. This will cause people to spend less time on the road and could potentially make the site safer for pedestrians.
Site 1 looking West
The intervention boards within this site will
Site 2
be arranged so that people have to weave through them, resulting in pedestrians spending more time in the site instead of just passing through. The boards will also double as protection from the wind. On windy days people can stand behind them to shelter themselves.
Site 2 looking North
The intervention boards within this site
Site 3
serve the purpose of breaking up the direct path that draw people in. This will make the boards the dominant feature on the site and introduce the idea of discovery. As people walk through, more boards will be revealed.
Site 3 looking East
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ADDITIONAL CREATIVE WORKS Landscape Painting
Photography
Computer Modelling
Physical Modelling
Freehand Sketching
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Thank you.