Landscape Architecture Portfolio - Charles LaGreca

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Resume education

skills

May 2020, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA GPA 3.18

AutoCAD InDesign Photoshop Illustrator Lumion

awards

Skilled

Nominee for Louisiana Chapter of ASLA’s Honor and Merit Award Recipient of Tiger Excellence Scholars Award, Challenge Talbot Memorial Scholarship, Nicole Davis Scholarship, and the TOPS Honors Award

experience

affiliations

Drafting details and planting plans in CAD, editing project reports in InDesign, conducted slope analyses in Civil 3D

College of Art + Design Council Member 2016 - 2017 LSU’s ASLA Student Chapter Fundraiser Coordinator 2017 - 2018 Member of National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Society for Collegiate Leadership & Achievement, and Phi Sigma Theta National Honor Society Photoshop Timeline Collage of Baton Rouge

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SketchUp Sketching Hand Drafting Physical Modeling ArcGIS

After Effects Premiere Pro Rhino 3D Civil 3D

Learning

Design Workshop, Aspen, CO Landscape Architecture Intern, June - August 2019

LaGuardia Design Group, Water Mill, NY Landscape Architecture Intern, January - April 2019 Drafting basemaps in CAD, rendering in Lumion, modeling in SketchUp, and Photoshop edits


Contents Academic Work

Ecological Design

Blackwater Wetland Park

Installation Design

Rock, Paper, Scissors, Gun

Site Design

Urban Creek Retirement Resort STEM Co-Park

3 7 11 13

Professional work LaGuardia Design Group Design Workshop

15 17

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Blackwater Wetland Park central city, la

Although Central is a diverse town with a thriving school system, one can quickly observe that flooding is the most pressing issue the community faces. Due to its proximity to downtown Baton Rouge, Central evolved from urban sprawl and was not thoughtfully developed, which led to a large amount of its citizens’ homes being damaged in the 2016 Flood.

1968 - National Flood Insurance Program created

Made flood insurance available for the first time

1950’s - Amite Diversion Canal Built

Leads into the Blind River and deposits into Lake Maurepas

Blackwater Bayou Watershed Design Focus Area Waterways 3


1979 - Federal Emergency Management Agency created “A nation prepared”

2016 - Historic Flooding 1983 - Historic Flooding 10 inches of rainfall and 50 hours later, the Amite and Comite Rivers flooded. Introduction of the idea of Comite Diversion Canal

Over 20 inches of rain within a 36 hour time period lead to flooding of the Comite and Amite Rivers and all of their connecting waterways

2020-2023 - Proposed completion of Comite Diversion Canal

Construction should begin in 2019 and will take 3-4years to complete

conceptual section

The Blackwater Wetland Park will address stormwater at all scales. The smallest interventions start at the green street scale and grow in impact towards the Comite River.

conceptual perspective

The Blackwater Wetland Park focuses on the western edge of Central City’s Boundary-the Comite River and the Blackwater Bayou Watershed. The design transforms and broadens the existing wetlands into a larger connected system. The new wetlands are strategically positioned in alluvial soil with high permeability in order to manage stormwater in flood situations. Green streets connect the Blackwater Wetland Park to Central’s core density area. The condition of the larger green spaces would be heavily forested, performative, and an escape from the suburban life, and the green veins would provide a more programmed, recreational green space that would gradient into the natural areas. In the wetland forests, there will be kayak opportunities, campsites, and a large bike loop along Central’s forests, bayous, and the Comite River.

View of Wetland Walking Trail 4


framework plan

Blackwater Bayou Watershed Central City Boundary Project Area Green Streets Bike Trail Alluvium Subdivisions Waterways Roads

Blackw

0 mi. 5

2 mi.

4 mi.


section a 63’ 38’ 3 miles This 3 mile long section displays alluvial soil’s permeability and shows the benefits of developing wetlands in alluvium instead of the terrace soil.

Alluvium

natural systems

A

A

Alluvium Wetlands Rivers water Bayou Watershed Central City Boundary

0 mi.

er M m w at a nag

0 mi.

G reen

ing

4 mi.

S tr

s

r

4 mi.

We

Sto

Roads Subdivisions Core Density Area Commercial Zoning Commercial Corridor Blackwater Bayou Watershed Central City Boundary

eet

program types

tl a n d

Tr

a il s

R e c r e a ti o n al G

r

n Sp

pp

O

ortu n iti e s

ac es

C a m pi ng

Tr

ee

Tent

B ike

a il s

Fo r e s t s

Kayak

infrastructure

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Rock, Paper, Scissors, Gun baton rouge, la

While traveling in Mexico City, I was entering the local shopping mall with some other students after dinner. Immediately, an alarm began to sound, and we saw everyone from the inside of the mall running towards us...trying to get out the building. My reaction is “THERE’S A SHOOTER.” I hear a girl in my group shout out to me, “Relax...it’s just an earthquake!” I am relieved, and we all began to smile and joke around again. This moment was a wake-up call for me. I began to ask myself questions... Why was my first reaction that there was active shooter, and why was I relieved when I found out it was an earthquake? Is this reaction unique to Americans? Is gun violence America’s most prevalent “natural disaster?” Before this moment, I had never had much of an opinion on gun violence or gun laws, but, as I begin to pay more attention, I realize that this is an issue that our country faces. Guns have become normalized in America’s culture, and, my home state, Louisiana is one of the worst. Guns are a weapon that dehumanize

life. When someone is holding a gun, they can not comprehend the power they carry. Think about if we added “Gun” to the game Rock, Paper, Scissors... some things are just too powerful to be thrown into the mix. There is a lack of understanding and education about the abuse of gun ownership in Louisiana. It is important to bring the dialogue to Louisiana, and Louisiana State University is a good place to begin. The chosen site is an alleyway formed by the walls of the Huey P. Long Fieldhouse and the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletes. It is located between the Indian Mounds and the PMAC, and, because of the new Nicholson Gateway development, it receives a substantial amount of foot traffic. in Louisiana

967lives are taken by guns in an average year.

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https://everytownresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Every-State-Fact-Sheet-Louisiana.pdf

Louisiana Gun Deaths by Intent 50.4% Firearm Homicide 46.8% Firearm Suicide 1.5% Unintentional Firearm Death 0.8% Undetermined Firearm Death by 0.5% Shootings Law Enforcement


73% of all gun deaths among children and teens are homicides 73 leading cause of death & Firearms are theamong children and teens in Louisiana. In 2018

92 children

and teens died by firearms

76 died of motor vehicle accidents

28 died of cancer Louisiana’s

firearm

81.6%

death rate is higher than the national average

22 died of suffocation

In the U.S. there are 11.4 firearm related deaths per 100,000, on average.

With a rate of 20.7 deaths per 100,000 people, Louisiana has the 2nd highest rate of gun deaths in the US.

19 died of drowning

site context Design Building

Tiger Stadium

The Quad

Memorial Tower

Middleton Library

The Site

PMAC

Indian Mounds

Nicholson Gateway

With the new Nicholson Gateway development, the site has received an increased amount of foot traffic.

N 8


existing site imagery Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletes PMAC

The Site

site plan

Huey P. Long Fieldhouse West Entrance

PMAC

concept sketches

East Entrance

Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletes 0’

16’ 32’

64’

Because of the alleyway’s compressive qualities, a canopy installation was chosen to make the most impact for the site. Through these conceptual explorations, the scale and luminosity of candles was the driving inspiration for the final design. 9


The final design features hanging lights that are meant to evoke floating candles in the sky. Candles are used at vigils, and, by using their symbolism, a contemplative tone is created for the site. Within the fixture itself, a single “teardrop chime” hangs inside a glass cylinder to create a sound quality for the site. The sound quality is enhanced by meditative ambient music. The lights are fixed to the wall and hang from wires. The hanging lights are hung on the same plane, but reach down at different levels that react to the ground plane and stairs. The candles form a ceiling floating 12’ above the ground. perspective renderings

led lamp frosted glass

1” 4” 5” 7”

tinted glass 17 1/2”

stainless steel teardrop windchime

2”

10


Urban Creek Retirement Resort baton rouge, la

The Urban Creek Retirement Resort will promote social interaction, physical activity, and mental stability. The community is designed as an idealistic version of a New Orleans village for Louisiana’s aging population. Through research it is shown that a familiar environment is important to maintain mental stability; therefore, local vernacular architecture is proposed to immerse the resident in Louisiana. Urban Creek is also a place for the public to enjoy themselves through shopping or dining centered around a lake, which will promote interaction

between the residents of the community with the other citizens of Baton Rouge. The types of shopping offered at the resort will also be directed towards the residents’ enjoyment, such as an art shop, book store, salon, thrift shop, pet store, and a pharmacy. Urban Creek is proposed as “continuing care facility,” so there are several types of housing for the residents based on their needs, such as assisted living townhouses nursing home facilities, and an Alzheimer’s unit.

B C B C

11

0’.

240’

480’


section b

0’

40’

section c

0’

40’

perspective rendering

View of Pool Courtyard

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STEM Co-Park

baton rouge, la The Career & Technical Education Center (CTEC) and the Automotive Training Center (ATC) share a central green space that is now unused. Since many of the students need to walk between the two facilities, clear circulation was designed from ATC’s parking lot to the entrance of CTEC. The design provides three unique areas: a central plaza, a covered seating area, and a wetland boardwalk. The central gathering space incorporates sculptural lounges, grass landforms, and a circular allee of trees. The main pathway intersects the area and maintains clear views to both facility entrances.

The covered seating area uses architectural overhead structures to provide not only visual interest to the site, but a shelter from the elements. This area could be an outdoor classroom for the facilities or a shaded dining area during lunch. The wetland boardwalk will be a place of study and mediation for the students and faculty. The boardwalk will be anchored by a 3’ retaining wall that will “sink” one end of the loop into the landscape while the other end is raised above the wetland.

Central Gathering Space

CTEC

ATC Covered Seating Area/Classroom

Meditative Wetland Boardwalk 13


perspective renderings

View of Central Gathering Space

View of Wetland Boardwalk

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Professional Work Samples

laguardia design group, water mill, ny

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Rendered Lumion Perspective, Modeled in SketchUp


While interning with LaGuardia Design Group, I was able to spend a lot of my time working in SketchUp and Lumion. My first opportunity to professionally work in these programs is exhibited in the images on page15. In this project, I modeled this courtyard in SketchUp between

the existing architecture and then rendered two views in Lumion. Shown on page16 is a CAD drafted planting design sheet that I drafted, which included plant labels, plant counts, hatching, and plant spacing.

Drated CAD Planting Plan

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design workshop, aspen, co

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During my time at Design Workshop, I was able to work on several CAD details for residential projects. I also was responsible for preparing several presentation booklets in InDesign and conducted slope analysis in Civil 3D.

Drafted CAD Entry Gate Detail.

Drafted CAD Illustrative Section Elevation of Waterfall Cliff Detail

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