grace kinney
bachelor of science landscape architecture design portfolio
view of main street
view of new york city from route 46 bridge
Little Ferry is a small town adjacent to the Hackensack River and is located at the northern tip of the Meadowlands Region. The design intent is to densify the area and enhance the character by creating a commercial downtown along mainstreet that reconnects its residents and visitors to the water. The redesign also allows for the natural influx of water during storm events by leaving ample room for marshland close to the river with an elevated boardwalk and pier. The buildings in Little Ferry are protected from future flooding by a fifteen foot berm along the town’s border. This project was a collaboration between Ellen Gallagher, Arturo Hernandez, and myself.
housing and open space little ferry, new jersey
conceptual plan for the town of little ferry
space and use public space semi-private space private residential private commercial private business public transportation vehicular bicycle pedestrian stormwater management
section a - a’
section b - b’
section c - c’
a b
a’
c c’ b’
residential density and urban form redesign Connecting Little Ferry’s residents to the rennovated downtown is a fundamental goal of the new residential development between Main Street and Poplar Avenue. Building facades with porches and balconies combined with consistant street tree plantings help to shape the street, creating a safe and welcoming environment for residents and visitors alike. New infrastructure addresses stormwater management through greenroofs, bioswales, and a large urban farm above the parking garage, that presents local eateries with fresh food. Overall, the new residences allow for Little Ferry to densify their downtown district and provide properties close to the Hackensack river. Open parkland and a new lightrail system connecting the surrounding cities help enhance the character of Little Ferry.
shade structure over stream
phytoremediation lagoon
artistic scultpures along the boardwalk
The challenge of this project, was to transform a brownfield, adjacent to the Raritan River, a transit station, and Rt. 206 in Central New Jersey into pristine open space and wildlife habitat. Major goals in the site’s redesign included cleaning the existing water, through phytoremediation, developing apartments and mixed-use buildings that were accessible to the new parkland and the Somerville train station, human interaction and education of natural systems within the wetlands, and efficient and cohesive circulation between cars, bikes, and pedestrians. The pedestrian circulation within the wetlands area is defined by boardwalks, allowing for visitors to experience the wildlife and selected artistic sculptures while protecting the natural grasses and shrubs. This land has not been capped, because of its existing rich tree canopy, which is considered vital in its contribution to remediation through transpiration. There are multiple lagoons on the terraced landform, water is directed to be pumped to the top of the terraces, and trickle down manmade canals and through various phytoremediation ponds, here people can sit to enjoy the view from the terraced landscape and watch as the water is being cleaned by the surrounding vegetation. Because a portion of the landfill was capped for human and environmental purposes, structures supporting climbing vines were designed for shade to keep the waterways cool. The final product was a collaborative effort with classmates Ellen Gallagher, Michael Young, and myself.
brownfield ecological restoration somerville, new jersey
brownfield redesign
planting plan
plant selection process
existing vegetation Acer negundo Acer rubrum Acer saccharinum Ailanthus altissima Alisma plantago aquatica Allium schoenoprasum Ambrosia artemisiifolia Amorpha fruticosa Artenisia vulgaris Asclepias syriaca Aulacomnium palustre Berberis thunbergii Boehmeria cylindrica Carex crinita Carex flaccosperma Carex granularis Carex grayii Carex lurida Carex stipata Carex texensis Carex tribuloides Carex typhina Carex vulpinoidea Cornus amomum Dipascus follanum Eleocharis obtusa Euphorbia cyparissias Fragaria virginiana Fraxinus pennsylvanica Galium tinctorum Glechoma hederacea Gleditsia triacanthos Hesperis matronalis Hydrophyllum virginianum Impatiens capensis Iris pseudacorus Juncus articulatus Juncus effusus Juncus tenuis Juniperis virginiana
Lemna minor Lepidium apetalum Lespedeza capitata Leucanthemum vulgare Lonicera japonica Ludwigia palustris Maclura pomifera Morus alba Onoclea sensibilis Oxalis stricta Parthenocissus quinquefolia Paulownia tomentosa Phalaris arundinacea Phleum pratense Phragmites australis Plantago major Platanus occidentalis Polygonum arifolium Polygonum canadensis Polygonum cuspidatum Populus deltoides Pyrus calleryana Quercus coccinea Quercus ilicifolia Quercus velutina Rhus typhina Rosa multiflora Rubus hispidus Rubus idaeus Rumex obtusifolius Salix alba Scirpus atrovirens Sisyrinchium angustifolium Solanum dulcamara Sparganium americanum Taraxum officinale Toxicodendron radicans Typha latifolia Ulmus americana Verbascum blattaria Verbascum thapsus
terrace plantings
green seam plantings
lagoons
slopes
Acer rubrum Carex lurida Carex stipata Cornus amomum Juncus effusus Juncus tenuis Lemna minor Lonicera sempervirens Parthenocissus quinquefolia Populus deltoides Quercus palustris Rosa spp. Salix nigra
groundcovers and shrubs
hub plantings
Alisma subcordatum Boehmeria cylindrica Eleocharis obtusa Juncus articulatus Juncus tenuis Lemna minor Nymphaea odorata Scirpus atrovirens Tripsacum dactyloides Typha latifolia Acer rubrum Acer saccharinum Aronia arbutifolia Betula nigra Cornus amomum Cornus racemosa Juniperus virginiana Lindera benzoin Myrica pennsylvanica Rhus aromatica Rhus typhina Salix nigra Salix viminalis Viburnum dentatum Viburnum prunifolium Andropogon gerardii Asclepias syriaca Chrysanthemum x morifolium Dasiphora fruticosa Dryopteris erythrosora Elymus Canadensis Fragaria vesca Gray Goldenrod Helianthus annuus Onoclea sensibilis Schizachyrium scoparium Solidago flexicaulis Solidago riddellii Sorghastrum nutans Symphytotrichum novae-angliae Trifolium pratense
Acer rubrum Andropogon gerardii betula nigra Cornus amomum Gleditsia triacanthos Helianthus annuus Myrica pennsylvanica Platanus occidentalis Quercus coccinea Solidago riddellii Trifolium pratense Viburnum dentatum Viburnum prunifolium
movement
texture
speed
The design process began by observing human activity throughout the city, eventually leading to the site of the proposed redesign, the Gesundbrunnen Train Station. Utilizing these observations, the focus became the circulation of pedestrians traversing the site as well as cultivating the opportunity of the site’s adjacency to a public park. Goals included making the space available for visitors who wanted to socialize and relax outdoors by adding seating, ideal views and connectivity to the park, and plantings for shade and aesthetics. Simultaneously, the site needed to be functional for those who had to get to their train quickly, by mapping out pathways shaped by changes in paving and orientation of benches and planters. This project was completed with a team of German students from the Technishe Universitat Berlin.
gesundbrunnen plaza berlin, germany
train station plaza final model
planting plan PLANT LIST 8 C.F.
10 H.V.
Symbol
Botanic Name Common Name Qty
Size
Notes
Trees 5 A.G. 3 A.G.
5 H.V. 106
1 A.G. 5 A.G.
16 C.F. 3 H.V.
3 A.G. 3 H.V.
CO
Carya ovata
Shagbark Hickory
7
1”
Potted
AS
Acer saccharum
Sugar Maple
14
3”
Natural Root
AG
Acer griseum
Paperbark Maple
28
1”
3 Gal. Pot
AA
Amelanchier arborea
Serviceberry
5
0.5”
3. Gal Pot
Shrubs 120
7 C.F.
2 H.V.
2 A.G.
17 C.F. 2 H.V.
3 H.V. 23 C.F.
2 A.S.
3 H.V.
112
6 H.V.
HV
Hamamelis vernalis Vernal Witchhazel
52
1”
CF
Calycanthus floridus Carolina Allspice
73
0.5”
Groundcover
GO
Galium odoratum
FA
Festuca arundinacea
Tall Fescue
15,000 Sq. Ft.
CP
Caltha palustrus
Marsh Marigold
85
LC
Lobela cardinalis
Cardinal Flower
49
Sweet Woodruff 1,640
550 G.O.
2 A.G. 120 117
Wetland
116
2 A.G. 2 H.V. 4 A.A.
15,000 SQ.FT. OF F.A.
7 H.V.
121
4 H.V.
Sod
1 A.A.
49 L.C.
119
1 A.S.
119
900 G.O.
190 G.O.
2 A.G. 85 C.P.
2 A.S.
ANNOTATED PLANTING PLAN 117
3 A.G.
GRACE KINNEY COURSE 11:550:340 RUTGERS UNIVERSITY DEAN CARDASIS, ARIANNA DE VRIES SPRING 2014 0 5 10 15 20 30 50
The focus of this design project was to create a space in an exterior courtyard behind a campus building. The site is currently a parking lot for faculty. It is surrounded by buildings on three sides and on the side that is open, there is a steep slope down the adjacent greenhouse building. The design goal was to establish an enclosed area, shaping the space with the vegetative plantings and making the design cohesive with the building facades, in order to provide students and faculty a relaxed, recreational, yet function courtyard. The plants were chosen based on the existing environmental factors, wind barriers, slope stabilization, aesthetic seasonal interest, and overall shape, size and form of the plant.
courtyard redesign new brunswick, new jersey
redesign concept
a’
section a - a’
b
a
b’
section b - b’
The sketches are from a hand drafted project located on Rutgers University New Brunswick campus. The challenge was to hand draft each of the eight buildings in a consistent section drawing, although these sketches were done quickly to aid in the production of the final product, I believe they allude more strongly to the sense of place.
sketches and renderings media: ink, charcoal, photoshop
These two renderings that were made for a concept of a coastal redesign studio. The illustrations are meant to evoke the feeling of a new recreational and natural coastline without residential development or building infrastructure. After sea level rise and flood risk analysis, it was determined that the safest route in redesigning Monmouth County is that resiliant communities were densified and those more at risk are converted into recrational and natural spaces.