23.0704 CS Urban Design Portfolio by ColterSonneville

COLTER SONNEVILLE PORTFOLIO

Landscape architect Urban designer Arborist

Drawing

- David Rutlin

”

team began by reviewing and summarising relevant planning documents, as the London Plan, SDP, and Islington Local Needs Analysis, which provided insight as we geo spatially studied the site’s constraints and opportunities.

Through an iterative process of experimentation with typologies, heights, densities, solar exposure, defensible space concerns, ideal retail and institutional locations, and open space, the form of the masterplan took as we arrived at our final design solution.

▼ Final masterplan

“

is an intensive way of looking

Professional Work Broadstone Rooftop Pool and Lounge Dripstone Ecology Masterplan Landa Park Masterplan Tomochichi Courthouse Public building Creek Show Art Installation Dallas Water Garden Masterplan UCL Projects Urban Design

Wind

UCL Thesis Major Research Project Art Pursuits Academic Work

Creek Show

Austin, TX | Asakura Robinson

Creek Show is an annual 10-day festival of luminescent art installations along a stretch of Waller Creek in downtown Austin. The event raises the visibility of the planned Waller Creek Park District, an ambitious vision to revitalize both the creek and a chain of parks. Installations were selected by a jury of creek stakeholders.

My team’s submittal for the show comprised of common iconic poolside furniture treated with a DayGlo powder-coat finish, activated by high intensity LED black lights. A neon sign enticed and cautioned visitors: NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY

The exhibit entertained more than 15,000 visitors, allowing them to experience an immersive and highly interactive cabana club on the creek.

Dallas Water Gardens

Dallas, TX | Asakura Robinson

The Dallas Water Gardens is a proposed public-private partnership to create a vibrant public realm adjacent to the high speed rail station that is currently in development. Situated along the original meanders of the Trinity River, the project would also signifigantly improve the water quality , public access, and ecological function of existing neglected flood con trol ponds that were created by the Army Corps of Engineers. As project manager, I worked closely with Tetratech hydrologists and the NCTCOG to create a project that dreamed big, but was scientifically rigerous.

THE RIVERS/ HIGH SPEED RAIL ROAD NETWORK (APPROXIMATE)

CONCEPT DIAGRAM- POND 4

CADIZ ST CADIZ ST RIVERFRONT BLVD POND5 UNDERPASS CONNECTION TO POND 5 UNDERPASS CONNECTION TO WIER FOREST BUFFER BETWEEN LAND USES WATERFRONT AMPHITHEATER WATERFRONT AMPHITHEATER CABLE-STAYED PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE PROPERTY LINE FUTURE RIVERFRONT BLVD PEDESTRIAN CONNECTION CONCRETE PATH ELEVATED WALKWAY/DECK LEGEND WATERFRONT PLAZA WATER CASCADE PLAZA CADIZ ST ENTRY WATERFRONT PLAZA MULTI-USE PATH (10’) 100 YEAR FLOOD PLAIN FUTURE COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS ADJACENT TO PROMENADE PATIOS OPEN UP TO PROMENADE TREE-LINED SERVICE/ PEDESTRIAN DRIVES (15’)

CONVEY STORMWATER VIA GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE WETLAND RECREATION PLAZA FUTURE RIVERFRONT BLVD PEDESTRIAN CONNECTION DEARBORN ST 399 400 398 397 396 400 399 401 402 399 400 401 402 401 398 399 396 396 398 CHAINLINKFENCE CHAINLINKFENCE BARBWIREFENCE BARBWIREFENCE

DALLAS WATER GARDENS 0 80 160 320 MIXED USE/ COMMERICAL ZONE PROMENADE/ ACTIVITY HUB POND EDGE POND 4 POND 5 NATURAL POND EDGE SLOPE TERRACING OPPORTUNITY MINOR ENTRY WATER ACCESS POINT MINOR ENTRY/ SKYLINE OBSERVATION AREA MAJOR ENTRY/ OBSERVATION POINT MINOR ENTRY DEARBORN STREET ENTRY CASCADING TREATMENT TERRACES BRIDGE WATER ACCESS POINT

Scope note: Image above was created by an employee under my supervision

Broadstone Roof Deck

Fort Worth, TX |TBG Partners

Situated at the fringe of rapidly developing downtown Fort Worth, The Broadstone offer 345 housing units and extensive amenity spaces. This third story roof top deck has incredible views of the downtown skyline. There were many design challenges to overcome. Surrounded by four stories of dwelling units, which required shade studies and careful plant selection.

I took a lead role in designing the amenity space, including an elaborate pool with shade structures that doubled as water features.

During the schematic design process, I was careful to maximize views from all major programming areas, which resulted in clear viewsheds along an eastwest axis. In addition, I worked with the architect to design translucent safety panels to reinforce the deck’s relationship to the urban core.

Dripstone Master Plan

Concan, TX | TBG Partners

Site analysis kicked off this large scale master planning project with two full days of cave spelunking, hiking, and floating the crystal clear Frio River at this spectacular 1,900 acre cattle ranch in the Texas Hill Country.

The ranch is located over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone, an environmentally sensitive area full of karst features such as caves and fissures.

My work included a comprehensive analysis of the environmental and development patterns influencing the property.

These opportunities and constraints led to a vision for a compelling, ecologically-based conservation destination built around respect for the incredible natural character of Dripstone.

Frio River

Development Constraints

Land Suitable for Development

Land planning on an environmentally sensitive site often comes down to one thing, what do we value? For this project, we viewed constraints as strengths that would be off limits to any development:

• Viewsheds from the guest lodge- to ensure vistas would be free of obvious habitation

• Mountain Protection Zone- the highest and most prominent elevations remain wild and unmarred

• Floodplain and riparian areas- with the highest biodiversity, act as habitat corridors

• Steep slopes- to prevent erosion and protect rocky cliffs

• Cave & Streams- buffered to best protect these fragile aquatic resources

• Forest Protection Zone- protecting all clusters of old growth hardwood trees

VIEWSHED FROM MAIN HOUSE MOUNTAIN PROTECTION ZONE 100 YEAR FLOODPLAIN SLOPES OVER 10% CAVE & STREAM BUFFER FOREST PROTECTION ZONE

The Sotol plant, typical of dry slopes above the Frio

PROPOSED SITE PLAN

Landa Park Master Plan

New Braunfels, TX | Asakura Robinson

Situated at the source of Comal Springs (the largest in Texas), this park is the jewel of the New Braunfels park system. The park’s first visitors arrived by train, but the rise of automobile ownership in the 20th century dramatically fragmented the park’s layout.

The heart of the master plan includes strategies to decrease automobile traffic, reduce impervious cover, consolidate parking areas, and enhance the rich ecological heritage of the park, which includes several endangered species. Diverting thru- traffic and designing a bicycle and pedestrian oriented “festival street” are among my most important contributions to the plan.

MINI-ROUNDABOUT

The mini-roundabout proposed for the connection between Landa Park Drive and the bypass road is a traffic design that has proven to significantly reduce intersection crashes. Though not yet widely used in the United States, it is becoming more popular, and has been implemented successfully in numerous neighborhood locations in Austin. With its small footprint, the mini-roundabout can adapt to tight locations while still providing space for planting. Typical designs often include a raised curb or rumble strip at the edge of the

0’ 150’ 300’ 600’ LANDA STREET FREDERICKSBURG ROAD 12 11 10 13 14 18 18 15 15 17 16 16 19 20 16 18 21 7 29 28 7 2 30 31 30 31 18 22 23 18 18 24 24 24 18 25 26 2 27 29 15 33 32 7 8 7 6 5 2 4 3 2 1 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 LEGEND Landa Street Shared Lane Bikeway New Gateway Signage New Decorative Fencing Redesigned Parking and Pocket Green Refurbished Mini-Golf Facility New Off-Street Trail Redesigned Parking New Staff Parking Redesigned Train Depot and Plaza Restored Landa Haus New Staff Parking and Trash Enclosure Landa Lake Esplanade New Pavilion Redesigned Landa Park Drive New Stormwater Planting Feature Revegetated Slope Grow Zone Refurbished Boat House and New Dock New Promenade Refurbished Dance Slab Repaved Dropoff Area New Limited Access Drive New Traffic Circle and Bypass Drive New Consolidated Parking and Trailhead Reforestation New Trail under California Blvd. New Buffered Bikeway New Trailhead New Off-Street Trail New Playground Loop Promenade New Crosswalk New Parking New Train Hall New Nature Play Area

MASTER PLAN 4

Typical

Proposed mini-roundabout on Landa Park Drive looking south from the stone bridge. mini-roundabout in a neighborhood context Flexible/ Festival Street conceptual graphic Roundabout conceptual graphic

Tomochichi Federal Courthouse

Savannah, GA | Asakura Robinson

This modern courthouse annex is located on a civic trust lot designated by the 1733 Oglethorpe Plan of Savannah. The $27 million dollar building designed by Page Architects and Hoar Construction enhances security and provides modern work spaces for courthouse employees while respecting the community’s interest in preserving Savannah’s historical charm. As project manager, I worked with local architectural historians to re-use the site’s existing 1800s-era asphalt pavers and granite curbs in a new pervious paver streetscape design that bisects the trust lot. Storm water is directed towards rain gardens and the long term success of street trees is assured through the design of a silva cell system. In addition, I worked closely with the design team to improve pedestrian circulation on the site by locating a flush curb and security bollards at the building’s entry.

Scope note: Image above was created by Page Architects

Mitigating Urban Heat Island Effect Through Climate-Sensitive Urban Design

UCL Major Research Project

Exposure to excessive heat is responsible for thousands of deaths and emergency room visits annually in the United States. Due to climate change, Texas cities have been warming faster than the rest of the world. Within 25 years, the number of 100 F days is expected to double.

Adapting cities to this new climate reality is critical to ensure the vitality of public spaces and the health of urban dwellers. This major research project (MRP) evaluates the most effective means to reduce UHI at a neighborhood scale in a humid subtropical context. The MRP presents two massing frameworks and nine toolkit items that can be used by architects and urban designers to lower the air temperature and improve human thermal comfort.

TOOLKIT MECHANISMS

Street orientation (wind)

Prevailing summer wind

30°

Street length (wind)

Street orientation (solar)

Which design mechanisms are proven to reduce UHI?

The literature review determined that three mechanisms reduce ambient air temperatures and UHI - urban form, materials, and trees & vegetation. Some of the tools are made up of overlapping mechanisms, as shown here.

URBAN FORM

Street orientation (wind)

Street length (wind)

Street orientation (solar)

Deep urban canyon

Materials

Cool pavements

Cool roof

Downhill cooling

Park cool islands Tree canopies

TREES & vegetation

.05 2.2

summer wind

Downhill cooling Park cooling

Prevailing

Green roof

Refined concept

MASSING FRAMEWORK - MEDINA SHADE CANYON

Applying the concept

Civic streets Narrow canyon streets Sun plaza H/w 0.8 Short 20’ 25’ 30’ 30’ Medium H/w 1.0 H/w 2.2 Narrow 30’ 12.8’ H/w 1.0 Civic 30’ 30’ H/w Sun Umbrella H/w Typologies Medina H/w Typologies

URBAN FORM

Diagonal street grid for mutual solar shading

Narrow street. H/W 2.2

Civic street. H/W 1.0

Green roof at all buildings

Sun plazas with deciduous trees. Allows light in winter. Provides shade in summer

Long street length (civic) facilitates wind velocity

Streets aligned within 30 degrees of summer wind direction (south)

trees & vegetation

Standard pavement at narrow canyon streets (less solar radiation)

Cool pavements at civic streets

materials

Cool pavements at sun plazas (more solar radiation)

Note: cool roof not used. Interchangeable with green roof

Toolkit Breakdown

MASSING FRAMEWORK - SHADOW UMBRELLA

Applying the concept

Open space at center of block, NE & SW corners

Shortest buildings on the east

Refined concept

Tall buildings on the west and south

Wide tree margin on the west

and arrows) east block,

SHORT OPEN OPEN MEDIUM MEDIUM TALL TALLEST CHICON ST 12TH ST Sun Umbrella H/w Typologies

Tree canopy. Most existing trees preserved

East-west oriented paths are narrow to reduce solar exposure

Additional trees at western edge for solar protection

Urban canyon. H/W 0.8 min

North-south oriented streets are cooler. No East-West streets