Br yan David Har rison MLA II, Cornell University | BLA, University of Rhode Island L a n d s c a p e H a r r i s o n @ g m a i l . c o m | 740.417.6931
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Contents 01 Pulse of the Chattahoochee Master’s Thesis & National Park Service Design Competition
02 Dolan Residence Waterfront Residential Design & Accessibility
03 Coastal Buffer Design Habitat Creation, Public Outreach, Policy
04 Technical Drawings Computer Aided Drafting and Geographic Information Systems
05 Villa di Pollio Felice Historic Landscapes, Archaeological Park Design
06 Native Plant Design Manual Publication Illustrative Hand Graphics, Habitat Creation, Public Outreach
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Lake Lanier e
he
c oo ah
t at Ch ver i R
Atlanta
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P ul s e o f t h e C ha t t ah o o ch e e Greater Atlanta Metropolitan Area, GA. The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) is one of the National Park sites chosen to partner with the Van Alen Institute of New York for a national design competition called Parks for the People. The competition goal was to “reimagine America’s National Parks.”
Project location within Georgia
Our team chose the CRNRA site north of Atlanta, GA because it was a challenge: fragmented, diverse, unfamiliar geology and a complicated urban environment across multiple counties and municipalities. For my master’s thesis, I chose to investigate the site from the perspective of urban ecology and the relationship of the community to the health of the river. The design proposal connects people mentally to their watershed. A site located at Vickery Creek was chosen to serve as the pilot for the program to address the watershed in a systematic way.
Proposed test sites in the Chattahoochee River watershed
Vickery Creek parcel & adjacent public lands
Existing conditions on site
Aerial photograph of site
Site Plan for Watershed Exploration Park; Red circles are testing stations for water quality
This 2.5 acre site, part of Vickery Creek Park will serve as a demonstration site for a water quality monitoring program to be integrated into the CRNRA. It is located at the confluence of the Chattahoochee River and the Big Creek Watershed, the largest subcatchment of the Upper Chattahoochee. It also has opportunities 5 to engage a large number of visitors and the local community.
In the design, stormwater runoff from an adjacent road is filtered through the site before it reaches the river.
(Above) Section through the Watershed Exploration Park
(Below) Abstraction of the Upper Chattahoochee watershed Legend
Berkeley LakeDuluth
North Upper Chattahoochee Watershed and Lake Lanier
Dunwoody-Norcross
Morgan Falls Reservoir
Urban
Dam
High Res
Impaired waters
Low-Med Res
Tributary
M.F. Dam
Subcatchment
Open Space
Suwanee Creek
Peachtree Creek
Chattahoochee River
Sandy Springs
Direction of water flow Big Creek
Vinings Rottenwood Creek
25%
6%
42%
Johns Creek
Sope Creek
Willeo Creek
Sugar Hill-Shake Rag
27%
Buford Dam
(Insufficient data on watershed cover)
Study Area SUWANEE CREEK
RIVER: SUGAR HILL
RIVER:
JOHNS CREEK
BIG CREEK
RIVER: NORCROSS
RIVER:
PEACHTREE CREEK
WILLEO CREEK
SOPE CREEK
RIVER:
A : 51.0 SQ MI L : 13.5 MI
A : 64.5 SQ MI L : 10.3 MI
A : 21.9 SQ MI L : 8.8 MI
A : 13.1 SQ MI L : 6.6 MI
A : 103.7 SQ MI L : 21.6 MI
A : 43.2 SQ MI L : 11.9 MI
A : 25.0 SQ MI L : 8.8 MI
A : 130.7 SQ MI L : 16.4 MI
A : 35.2 SQ MI L : 8.8 MI
SANDY SPRINGS A : 16.1 SQ MI L : 4.4 MI
Urban
30%
21%
21%
3%
17% 4%
25%
High Res
16% 2%
A : 16.7 SQ MI L : 5.3 MI 7% 2%
6%
8%
Low-Med Res
36%
68%
42%
Open Space 31%
47%
35%
DULUTH
6% 46%
27%
11%
27%
57%
14%
MORGAN FALLS
12% 10%
31%
16% 3%
7%
86%
72%
62%
7%
A : 9.0 SQ MI L : 3.9 MI
5%
9%
16%
21% 59%
17%
49% 20%
RIVER: VININGS
A : 19.8 SQ MI L : 7.8 MI
15%
13% 58%
ROTTONWOOD CREEK
18% 6%
20% 42%
16%
The Upper Chattahoochee River watershed can be broken up into smaller subcatchments to trace nonpoint sources of pollution. The watersheds have been analyzed by their cover types showing relative development levels to give insight into pressures on the watershed.
A section through the proposed site shows water being collected from the bridge road surface to be treated through the floodplain.
keerC yrekciV
Visitors explore the interactive watershed monitoring stations; Education groups learn about the watershed hands-on
Water quality will be tested at data collection stations and habitat can be created through floodplain reconnection. The design of the Watershed Exploration Park engages the public by making the watershed visible and interactive while serving the park as a recreation area.
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Open yard and water views
D o la n r e s id e n c e Pembroke Pines, FL. The homeowner of this lakefront property desired wheelchair access to the waterfront. Goals for this project were to create a shaded gathering space for parties and barbecue, to have accessible routes, to be closer to the water, and to create a space with a rich subtropical feel. The design makes a strong use of the variety of textures and colors available in South Florida’s growing environment while including a significant portion of native vegetation. 2’ x 2’ travertine pavers are specified for the patios and the CoolDeck at the south edge of the pool has been extended for safety.
Current back yard has little access for a wheelchair
Concept for paved travertine patio with shade pergola
Residential Planting Design & Hardscape Plan
The design brings an accessible route as close to the water as possible, within grade limitations and housing covenant setbacks. Views to the water are maintained from within the residence with low plantings and framed on either side. A specimen gumbo limbo will be central to a new gathering space which shows off the homeowner’s Hibiscus and Heliconia collections on the east side of the property. A dense tropical planting of palms, bromeliads, broad leafed elephant ear and variegated ginger will transform the western portion from open yard to private strolling garden. 9
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Warwick Neck coastal buffer planting plan
C o a s t al B uff e r D e s ig n Warwick, RI. With over 400 miles of coastline, maintaining the health of the coastal waters and the shoreline habitat is essential to residents, businesses and visitors in Rhode Island. Coastal buffers act as critical wildlife habitat, slow stormwater runoff and filter pollutants, and help to slow shoreline erosion. The goals of this buffer restoration program are to provide ecological function while maintaining pleasant aesthetics. For a homeowner in Warwick, expansions in their home’s footprint triggered expanded buffer requirements. Along Warwick Neck Road a narrow and extremely tough-on-plants site is the subject of ongoing buffer experimentation for which I designed an iteration.
Installation of coastal buffer at Warwick Neck
Other aspects of the program revolved around outreach efforts towards homeowners living within the coastal management zone.
Warwick Neck coastal buffer one year later
Residential coastal buffer planting plan
Training Invasive Plant Management Certification Program
Coastal Landscapes Program URI & CRMC
A partnership between the URI Outreach Center and CRMC to facilitate cooperation among property owners, green industry professionals, and regulatory agencies to protect environmental quality and encourage environmental stewardship in Rhode Island...
Coastal Landscapes Program
What is a certified IM?
Native Coastal Buffer Design Buffer Planting & Management Invasive Plant Management
A green industry professional that has completed 16 hours of training and passed a written exam.
Why are we training Invasive Managers?
Invasive plant species thrive on Rhode Island’s highly developed landscape. Certified Invasive Managers are trained to manage invasive plants for the purposes of restoring habitat and increasing biodiversity.
Site Assessment Sustainable Landscaping
Past Projects
Warwick Neck Coastal Buffer Restoration Demonstration Site
The successful restoration of a coastal dump site to a healthy saltwater marsh with a CRMC approved coastal buffer.
LID for Stormwater Management
Current Projects
Native Plant Design Manual for Coastal Areas What is it?
Invasives being removed, September 2005
Excavation of Debris, March 2006
Completed Excavation, March 2006
Planting the Buffer, September 2006
Restored Saltmarsh, July 2008
Buffer Plantings Augmented, October 2008
This manual addresses habitat restoration, stormwater management, and resource conservation through the use of “native plant systems” and the implementation of Low Impact Development (LID) treatment practices on residential lots. The manual acknowledges the value of native landscape restoration in the face of climate change.
Who should use it?
1) Coastal homeowners who require a permit for landscape management under the CRMC Greenwich Bay Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) regulations. 2) Coastal homeowners who desire to voluntarily improve habitat, stormwater management, and resource consumption on their landscape. 3) Professionals contracted by coastal homeowners to conduct landscape management in coastal areas.
Where can I find it?
Contact Kate Venturini, Coastal Landscapes Program Manager Email: kate@uri.edu Phone: 401-874-4096
Where can I find a Certified Invasive Manager? Contact Kate Venturini: kate@uri.edu Learn more at www.uri.edu/cels/ceoc
Coastal Landscapes Program outreach poster
URI/CRMC Turf Protocol
Recommendations for sustainable inputs to lawn areas within CRMC jurisdiction.
Future Projects
Sustainable Coastal Landscape Stewardship Program
This new program will certify “Sustainable Coastal Landscapes” designed using the Native Plant Design Manual.
Coastal Landscapes Program logo
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SketchUp model of residential deck
T e ch n ical D rawi n g s
Kingston, RI. I am proficient in Microstation, AutoCAD, ArcMap GIS, SketchUp and Rhino. I’ve included some of examples of my technical work here. Plans for residential deck construction. GIS analysis for site planning of a sustainable high school. Construction details for a redesign of a University of Rhode Island campus space.
Framing plan for residential deck
Stair section detail
GIS wind speed analysis used to site sustainable high school
Stair facing detail
ADA accessible ramp detail
Connection details for residential deck
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V illa di P o lli o F e lic e Sorrento, Italy. This design symposium was hosted in Castellammare Italy, home to several ancient Roman villas, and a city aspiring to host an archeological park to be the central tourist destination for the region. The Sorrento villa site, speculated to be the home of wealthy merchant Pollio Felice, is unlike many of the more preserved sites in the plain around Mount Vesuvius. The site has been exposed to the sea for nearly 200 years and it is a local resource. Access to the site is difficult, and interpretation is needed to tease out the form and purpose of the original structure and villa gardens. Our group’s site design serves to interpret and frame its relic beauty while preserving the rustic character of the site and the extensive vernacular uses by locals.
Sorrento (A), the Campania region of Italy
5 KM
10 KM
2 KM Castellammare
Vico Equense MODE OF TRANSPORTATION CIRCUMVESUVIANA AUTOMOBILE PEDESTRIAN FERRY
VILLA di POLLIO FELICE
SORRENTO 15 KM
Travel modes from new tourist center
Site of Villa Ruins Design Intervention
Aerial imagery of site
Sorrento Harbor
Travel modes from Sorrento to the villa
Productive agriculture on an ancient ruin.
Moving views of ruin and regrowth, harbor and city.
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1 Km Walk to Main Road; Utilizes Existing Materials Paving Materials Change at the Threshold Ruin Foundations Show Through Paving Patterns
Ruin Foundations and Walls New Columns
Current Threshold; obfuscation
New Paving Material
Chestnut Deck Raises Visitors Above Grade
To the Olive Grove
To the Villa Ruins Dramatic view of Mount Vesuvius
Threshold Design: paving and circulation changes, interpretation of ruin
My contribution to the site design was to create an entry space at the threshold of the ruin. The journey to the villa is a channeled and narrow walk. At the space we designated the Threshold, the confinement suddenly expands to give you a long distance misty view of Mount Vesuvius (a reminder of the natural forces that buried this coast) and presents the site visitor with a choice of paths: Left into the olive grove, or continue down. Both choices offer a sense of mystery as the destination is obscured. Material selection is immensely important in archaeological interpretation. In the design new stylized columns begin a rhythm into the regular spacing of the orchard while vernacular materials, volcanic tufa paving and chestnut wood decking and details, direct you to the olive grove and overlook. Material choices call out hidden walls and foundations and enhance the visitor experience.
One of the final international presentation boards
Section through visitor kiosk and upper terrace of ruins
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Na t iv e P la n t Si t e S o lu t i o n s Kingston, RI. The Native Plant Site Solutions book has been through many incarnations. It was originally developed through a partnership between the University of Rhode Island Outreach Center and the RI Coastal Resources Management Council as a way to address coastal buffer management for homeowners on Narragansett Bay. The plant systems were designed to be native, salt-tolerant, and adaptable for a range of conditions found in the coastal environment of Rhode Island. The work helped me to become intimately familiar with the native coastal vegetation of the Northeast, understand coastal policy and gave me freedom to explore hand graphic illustration.
Illustrations in the book depict Plant Models: templates for native plant design groupings. This is Model #9, for small spaces or steep slopes prone to erosion
Example plant system plan
Publication cover by Kaitlyn Lamb
Illustrative diagrams to show examples of Low Impact Design at home
Model #6, full sun, wet feet, compacted soils
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Tha n k y o u f o r y o ur t im e .
Bryan D. Harrison LandscapeHarrison@gmail.com 740.417.6931
Stair ornamentation at Prospect Park, New York, NY
Sculptural Wall at Teardrop Park, New York, NY
Quick concept sketch for new plaza space on URI campus
Drip line explanation drawing for planting design manual
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