LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE 2022-2023
Personal Webpage: https://chanszewahnaomi.webflow.io/
Address: 47 Fullers Road, Chatswood
NSW 2067, Australia
Contacts:
EMAIL: sze_wah.chan@student.unsw.edu.au
PHONE: 614 7625 2418
In landscape architecture see a fulfilling and versatile career, yet what intrigues me most is its intersections of aesthetic, humanities, ecology, and engineering embedded in a green soul. And it is in this intricate core which landscape architecture deals with complex issues for the flourish of living beings that prompts me to pursue this field.
Stemming from a desire to compose leisure spaces for people I love, my interest in landscape architecture develops to encompass designs that focuses on climate positivity as well as wildlife conservation as I was progressing through my undergraduate and master’s degrees. Apart from having my interest in landscape architecture diversified, my academic journey has also equipped me with a strong skill in visualisation as I can communicate ideas quickly through drawing. am also well-trained in envisaging designs through 3D modelling, being able to deliver quality renderings during my current internship at HASSELL.
My intention to study master in Australia is mostly due to the country’s diversity in open spaces and natural environment, and my internship at HASSELL further strengthens my desire to continue working in Australia. I am excited with how can be working in a multi-disciplinary environment that strives the best for human experience and sustainability in designing while paying respect to existing site conditions.
To the best of my belief, what makes landscape design certainly worthwhile in doing is that design has long been merely targeting humans, and landscape architects can offer more to that. To landscape architects, the dimension of nature, which is mostly neglected by other disciplines of design, is of utmost importance. And this is particularly significant to the epoch we are now in - the Anthropocene, in which the violence we inflicted on the Earth has led to irreversible impacts. In the world of design, would tend to pursue the role of being the mediator between the intense battle of human and nature. By the end of the day, am just hoping that my work would do good to this thrilling land of unknowns that we are living in while revealing to people the beauty of it. And this should standstill as my core agenda, no matter what project am working on, where will be doing it, and whom I will be working with.
USNW SYDNEY 2022 - 2023
MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
Dean’s Honours List (Year 2022)
International Scientia Coursework Scholarship - Full tuition fee waiver
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN LANDSCAPE STUDIES
SECOND MAJOR IN FINE ARTS
2015 - 2020
Dean’s Honours List (2016-2017 2017-2018 | 2018-2019 2019-2020)
First Class Honours | Graduation GPA: 3.82
HASSELL
2/2023 -PRESENT
STUDENT OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
- Assisting in preparing design packages for including preparing CAD files, rendering master plans, perspectives and etc
- Researching and developing design narratives in conceptual stage
ARCADIA LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
3/2022 - 1/2023
LANDSCAPE TECHNICIAN
- Assisting in preparing design packages for design application stage, including drawing diagrams, preparing CAD files and rendering master plans
- Researching and developing design narratives in conceptual stage
ELANDSCRIPT LIMITED
1/2021 - 2/2022
LANDSCAPE DESIGNER
- Contributing ideas and developing landscape design details for projects in the Greater Bay Area
Adobe Creative Suite ( Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro),
PROFICIENT IN AutoCAD, Rinoceros 3D with Grasshopper, Enscape, ArcGIS, Dialux Evo Light Modelling, Soundplan
TRANSFERABLE SKILLS
Self-motivated, Collaborative team member, Positive attitude, Eager to learn
THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
8/2020 - 12/2020
- Creating the framework for design proposals and organising design packages
TEACHING ASSISTANT
- Supporting teaching in the Department of Landscape Architecture (including course material preparation, coordination, and running tutorials)
- Supporting the Department’s promotions, publications and events
I recognise the Gadigal land where I live as am working on the projects captured in this portfolio, acknowledging the Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Elders, past and present, and the communities, as the traditional custodians of the Bediagal people. I value their continuing connection to the region and the contribution of their values, language, customs and teachings across the Australian landscape. acknowledge that the Aboriginal sovereignty has not been ceded.
The premise of this studio is exploring scenarios for a major new public space and street upgrade for this site. The northern frontage to Jack Evans Boat Harbour provides opportunities for connecting directly with the water’s edge with a redesigned Bay Street. Wharf Street has potential to be a high street however is currently a wide car-dominated street. A feasibility study is currently underway to extend the Gold Coast Light Rail from Coolangatta to Tweed Heads, along Wharf Street. This presents an opportunity to re-imagine Wharf Street.
“Recapturing the area’s past with its native wetlands and river, we aim to construct a wetland magnetic core amidst its commercial surroundings , in order to visualize the city’s forgotten wetland and running channel.
In addition to being a palimpsest, the wetland magnetic core and the boulevards is a part of the bigger stormwater treatment network, as well as a new definition of urban space to the site, striving to attract both water flow and human flow.”
The project aims to create a green infrastructure including constructed wetlands, bioswales with native vegetation that can capture stormwater, prevent the surrounding area from flood, purify and reuse water. The design principle seeks to achieve a sustainable and ecological balance for the site.
The project aims to create a attraction of human flow by distinguishing features of the area such as fine grain shops, local vegetation community with some special species. In addition, to attract visitors, a part of the Wharf Street is turned into a plaza, creating a public open space for users.
ECOLOGICAL STRATEGY : HYDROLOGY - WETLAND WATER FLOW
WATER FLOW DIRECTION
WATER FLOW DIRECTION: TOWARDS JACK EVANS HARBOUR
This sectional diagram shows the flow of water between our constructed wetlands, with a small gradient of 1%, the water will flow from one wetland to another naturally through pipes.
LIGHTRAIL STATION
SERVICE ROAD PARKING
ENTRANCE ART INSTALLATION - CLOUDS
ECO-TOUR
PLAYGROUND
SEATING AREA
THE ALLEY
RESTING AREA
ALFRESCO DINING AREA
CYCLING TRACK
UNSW | LAND7202 MASTER STUDIO 4: CONSTRUCTED ECOLOGIES | TERM 2 2022
To aboriginals on the land, water is their lifeblood, and rivers and creeks are the veins and arteries of Mother Earth, being the source of life. The Salt Pan Creek has also once been a vital support to them where the aboriginals hunt fishes and get water from. However, due to a history of water supply development, many of the riverways have been filled up with concrete, resulting in a lot of dead spaces that disconnected people from the water. In addition to that, under climate change, the concrete waterway constructed in the past fails to perform its function to cope with the higher flow of water nowadays, resulting in flooding issues, like how solidified arteries lose their elasticity to control blood flow. The creek we now have are like dead arteries, losing their pulses. And the project aims to reactivate the lost pulses through the lens of a section within the whole catchment area using landscape design tactics.
The project site, No.13 that am working on in particular, is located away from the Bankstown centre and residential area, and is closer to the Padstow industrial area.
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Design strategies mainly include how we can make the best use of the underustilised spaces surrounding both the creek and the industrial area and reactivate them by incorporating recreational elements. Water-sensitive treatment is another goal of the project as well, to mitigate the flooding issue that the existing concrete channels do not have enough capacity to deal with.
The design itself mainly composes of four highlights. The first one is the renovation of pavement in which the current narrow pedestrian pavement is widened with the addition of a two-way cycling lane to improve the connectivity of the site. The second highlight aims at making the parking lot greener by replacing the asphalt paving with permeable paving that allows stormwater to penetrate through. The third one is the softening of the hard, concrete edge of the creek, making it more permeable to water in dealing with flooding. The fourth one is a sunken plaza that is proposed on an abandoned desert land within the site. The sunken plaza functions as a space for recreational activities like playing basketball and skateboarding during the dry seasons while acting as a stormwater catchment tank during rainy days.
SUNKEN
PLAZA
GREEN CARPARK LEGEND
PAVEMENT RENOVATION
COMMERCIAL BUILDING
LANDSCAPE PLAN | SCALE 1:500
Pedestrian Routes
Pit shops
UNCUS USITATUS
BAUMEA RUBIGINOSA
This material is an open-weaved sheet of natural coconut fibre thread that is 100% biodegradable. It helps to reduce soil erosion, retain moisture and promote plant establishment.
ACCOYA® WOOD DECKING PAVERS
UNSW | LAND7312 CAPSTONE STUDIO: PART 1 | TERM 1 2023
ROCKDALE WETLAND CORRIDOR DESIGN | ROCKDALE NSW, AUSTRALIA
LANDSCAPE DESIGN STUDIOS | ECOLOGICAL DESIGN
The southern end of RWC is rich in inter-tidal mudflats and is the roosting site for a lot of shorebirds (Rockdale City Council 2014). These roosting sites are epitomes of how ecosystems and their services are threatened within RWC as a large part of the mudflats had been reclaimed and inundated due to past sea level rise events while more of them will be further engulfed due to future rise of sea level.
Area prone to be inundated (Low confidence; 2100 with +2m rise in sea level)
Area of mudflat prone to be inundated (Low confidence; 2100 with +2m rise in sea level)
GUIDING FRAMEWORK - EXISTING PROTECTION ACT/ STRATEGY/ AGREEMENTS ON BIRD PROTECTION IN AUSTRALIA, AND ASIA-PACIFIC
Good design ensures that shorebird habitats and bird populations are protected and enhanced in the RWC
** with an aim to restore shorebird population to 1980 level of acceptance (Refer to page 27)
Good design ensures that more land is secured for bird habitats and flood mitigation in case of sea level rise in the future
** with an aim to restore shorebird population to 1980 level of acceptance (Refer to page 27)
Good design ensures that the community is involved in the protection act to promote environmental stewardship
SCENARIO 1 - INCREASE VEGETATION COVER/ INSTALLATION OF MOTION SENSOR LIGHTINGS
SCENARIO 2- WIDENING & SOFTENING OF EDGE OF WARADIEL CREEK
SCENARIO 3 - HEIGHTENING OF SAND DUNES AS NATURAL FENCE AGAINST SEA LEVEL RISE & HUMAN DISTURBANCE / OPEN SPACE ACQUISITION
DIGITAL MODELLING AND RESPONSIVE TECHNOLOGIES (INDIVIDUAL WORK)
UNSW | LAND7321: LANDSCAPE TECHNOLOGY 2 | TERM 1 2023
ROCKDALE WETLAND CORRIDOR RESPONSIVE DESIGN |ROCKDALE NSW, AUSTRALIA
LANDSCAPE DESIGN TECHNOLOGIES | DIGITAL MODELLING AND RESPONSIVE TECHNOLOGIES
LANDSCAPE DESIGN TECHNOLOGIES | DIGITAL MODELLING AND RESPONSIVE TECHNOLOGIES
Terrain Model of the Site, (with contours at 0.5 m), Drawn by author with information on contours derived from (IntraMaps n.d.)
CURRENT CONDITION - EXTERNAL LIGHTING
EXTERNAL LIGHTING INTERVENTION AND LANDSCAPE PERFORMANCE SPECULATION
External Lighting Intervention (Before), Photo taken by author Diagrams showing wavelengths that are not suitable (LEFT) and suitable (RIGHT) for birds (Department of the Environment and Energy (Australia) 2020)
Two examples have been included here to show design progresses. The one above shows the design progress in LAND7201 Master Studio 3: Public Realm, with how from a pencil to a more coloured sketch, the ‘stepping stones’ design slowly evolved to the fully rendered plan. The example below is from LAND7202 Master Studio 4: Constructed Ecologies, demonstrating how physical model aids in three dimensional thinking, and thus helping in developing the final design for the project.
