AMBER HILL
MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO
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contents
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CONTENTS 04 RESUME
Profile Work Experience Community Engagement + Projects SELECTED PROJECTS 06 Boat Yard Plaza
South Park Neighborhood Seattle, WA
12 Miller Creek Living Lab
Lincoln Park Neighborhood Duluth, MN
18 Boat Yard Plaza
Time Check Neighborhood Cedar Rapids, IA
26 CONTACT
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resume
PROFILE EDUCATION 2013 Masters of Landscape
Architecture University of Minnesota 2006 Bachelor of Arts in
Sociology University of Iowa AWARDS 2014 Capstone Award
University of Minnesota 2014 ASLA MN Honor Award 2013 Student Design
and Scholarship Excellence Award University of Minnesota TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY Adobe Creative Suite ACad GIS SketchUp Premiere Pro
WORK EXPERIENCE 2011 INTERN - present
oslund.and.assoc. Minneapolis, MN Responsibilities: • Firm marketing, proposals. presentations. • Design research and documentation. • LEED documentation • Project assistance from pre-design through construction administration. Project Involvement: • Minnesota MultiPurpose Stadium • Itasca Biological Field Station • Target Field Security Update • Project Red • Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital • Shady Oak Road • Quintai International Tower • Windsong Golf Course • MCTC Urban Garden • Grace Lutheran Church
2012 LA3002 CO-TEACHER - present
University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN Responsibilities: • Course curriculum. • Preparation of design exercises and lectures. • Grading and feedback.
2010 MARKETING INTERN
Great River Greening Saint Paul, MN Responsibilities: • Volunteer communication and graphic design. 2010 RESERVE TEACHER
Minneapolis Public Schools Minneapolis, MN ESL TEACHER
2009 Hirata Juku Academy
Tsu, Japan 2008 Seo June Academy
Seoul, South Korea 2007 Sagasta High School
Logrono, Spain
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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT + PROJECTS 2013 STUDENT DESIGN
FACILITATOR FAIR School (PARK)ing Day Event Minneapolis, MN Responsibilities:. • Guidance of students through site analysis, conceptual design, design development and construction of (PARK)ing space. 2012 CURA COMMUNITY
DESIGN FACILITATOR Cleveland Neighborhood Association Minneapolis, MN Responsibilities:. • Facilitation of community engagement for Cleveland neighborhood park design. • Site analysis and development of concept alternatives. • Design documentation and project proposal.
2013 URBAN DESIGNER
Urban Land Institute / Hines Competition Minneapolis, MN Responsibilities:. • Collaboration with multi-disciplinary team to propose a design for the Downtown East neighborhood. 2011 MEDIA REPRESENTATIVE
Students for Design Activism Minneapolis, MN 2010 VOLUNTEER MATH
TUTOR Gordon Parks High School Minneapolis, MN
2008 PHOTOGRAPHER
Photography Installation Iowa City, IA Responsibilities:. • Design and promotion of independent gallery exhibition of photography. 2008 ACTOR/ASSISTANT
FILMMAKER “Landing” Seoul, South Korea Responsibilities:. • Script assistance and design direction for independent featurelength film • Lead actress 2008 WRITER
2010 VOLUNTEER
Metro Blooms Floating Islands Installation Minneapolis, MN 2008 EVENT ORGANIZER
Grassroots International Seoul, South Korea
W(hole) Zine Seoul, South Korea Responsibilities:. • Conducted and research and interviews for art and culture articles for independent magazine.
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boat yard plaza
seattle, wa PRIVATE SPACE
FORMAL STRATEGY
PUBLIC SPACE
EDGE CONDITION
COMMERCIAL CONNECTION
HABITAT
PEDESTRIAN ACCESS
WATER FLOW
BIKE ACCESS
WATER STORAGE
VEHICULAR ACCESS
BIORETENTION
BOAT USE
TREE GRID
BOAT YARD PLAZA Tucked away in the industrial valley, most people in Seattle do not realize that the Duwamish River even exists. The river has served the city as a commercial and industrial navigation channel since the early 1900’s, which has earned its current epithet as a “waterway.” Serious pollution problems have been detrimental to the living species along its banks, especially the similarly forgotten community of South Park which is nestled along with the river within the industrial valley. Recent EPA Super-fund status of the river offers an opportunity to leverage clean-up efforts to invest in public infrastructure and address the needs of the South Park community. The design proposed for South Park subverts the environmental equity issue of having a low-income, ethnically diverse and underserved population near a toxic waterway into an opportunity for iconic public space and a seamless experience between nature, culture, industry and the revived Duwamish River. The vision proposed for South Park consists of a phased program of accentuating the existing character of the South Park Marina and creating a cultural hub focused on the activity of boat-making.
SEATTLE, WA
DUWAMISH RIVER
SOUTH PARK
SOUTH PARK CHARACTER
SOUTH PARK BOAT YARD SITE
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
SOUTH PARK NEIGHBORHOOD
BOAT YARD DISTRICT SITE
DUWAMISH RIVER
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MARINA
SITE PLAN
PHASE 1
1 Docks 2 Boat Ramp 3 Boat Parking 4 Plaza 5 Allee Room / Passage 6 Promenade 7 Red Fence 8 Bosque Park + Cafe Space 9 Corten Flood Wall 10 Salt Marsh + Mud Flats Restoration 11 Boatyard 12 The Boatyard District
IDENTIFY CULTURAL HUB + RE-PURPOSE
PHASE 2 DUWAMISH RIVER
GREEN STREETS + COMMERCIAL GROWTH
PHASE 3
SOUTH PARK PROPOSED BOAT YARD DISTRICT
PLAN OBJECTIVES The design of this public space aims to create an inviting and culturally unique atmosphere that allows for interaction between diverse groups. The plaza, being completely integrated with the activity of boat making, creates a reason to use this public space that does not require participation in commercial activity, which is important for a low-income community. The space supports cultural activities and offers an artistic/craftsmen identity to a community that can be profitable both economically and socially.
MUD FLATS
COMMERCIAL CORRIDOR ACTIVATION
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boat yard plaza
seattle, wa
URBAN BOSQUE PASSAGE ROOM
SILVA CELL DETAIL
Pavers Root barrier Geo-textile
SECTION
LAYOUT PLAN
Root ball Aggregate base course Geo-grid
Spike prepared sub grade SILVA CELLS
URBAN BOSQUE AND MARINA ACCESS
TREE PITS WITH PERFORATED DRAIN PIPE
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE Storm-water is the single most contributing factor to water pollution in the Duwamish today. The Boatyard District Plaza makes use of green infrastructure to mitigate the pollution from runoff entering into the river, slow down the rate of water and decrease the overall volume entering into the Duwamish. A series of bioretention cells line the allees of trees which filter runoff and exfiltrate the water into a system of Silva Cells which offer void space for water storage in addition to allowing trees to grow larger in a less compacted condition. DOCKS
SILVA CELLS UNDER PUBLIC PLAZA
MARINA
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BOATYARD + SCULPTURAL RED FENCE
THE DOCKS
BOATYARD TO THE DOCKS
BOATS The Docks allow the neighborhood of South Park to have access to the river’s edge and to watch industrial barges along the river. The Boat Yard Plaza is a place for individuals to store and work on their boats, equipped with private storage units. The space is intersected with allees that offer public access for viewing boat-making activities.
BOATYARDS WITH PRIVATE STORAGE + PUBLIC ACCESS
RED FENCE
PROMENADE
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boat yard plaza
PUBLIC/PRIVATE RENEGOTIATION Pairing the private use of space (boat-making/dry marina) with a public plaza challenges the notion of what public space can be. The promenade to stroll on, the allees of trees with benches, and the open plaza at the water’s edge all offer South Park a “Front Porch” for the community. The gritty marina where residents work on the boats also makes the space feel like the back yard. A simple sculptural red metal fence separates these two uses but is completely permeable, changing spacing at varying degrees as one walks along it. The fence is an abstraction of the renegotiation of what is public and what is private. Will people respect the boundaries of the dry marina even though they have free access to the space? Will people make paths through the boats and treat that space as completely open?
CORTEN FLOOD WALL AND SCULPTURAL RED FENCE
seattle, wa
RED FENCE VARIED SLAT SPACING
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BOATYARD TO THE DOCKS
STREET
PUBLIC/PRIVATE BOAT YARD PLAZA
RED FENCE
PROMENADE
SALT MARSH + MUD FLATS
red fescue
saltgrass
songbirds
rabbits
snakes
pickleweed
sand spurry
arrowgrass
green-winged
canvasback
ruddy duck
HABITAT + INDUSTRY The existing polluted soil is replaced with restored salt-marsh habitat, which is among the most productive types of landscapes on earth. Creating a habitat area that is inaccessible is a key factor to this design. A large corten steel floodwall separates public space activities and the natural processes so important to this critical habitat. The weathered steel flood wall maintains the same datum height as the landscape below it drops from upland to mudflat, transitioning from an industrial feeling to the soft natural area.
PROMENADE OVERLOOKING SALT MARSH RESTORATION
LOWER INTER-TIDAL
tufted hairgrass
UPPER INTER-TIDAL
UPLAND BEACH
PLANTS AND KEY SPECIES
shrimp
clams
worms
shiner pirch
starry flounder
salmon
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miller creek living lab
duluth, mn
LINCOLN PARK
DULUTH, MN
MILLER CREEK LIVING LAB Exploring Remembrance and Resilience in Cedar Rapids, IA. The design strategy treats water as a resource by pairing ecological, economic, and community interests with the development of a water research community resource center and restoration park. All urban creeks in Duluth are treated as the main conveyance pipes for the city’s storm water infrastructure which is detrimental to the ecological health of Miller Creek, which is one of 16 trout streams in the city. The creek runs through Lincoln Park neighborhood which has historically been under-served but is currently seeing new investment. The design strategy is to create a public space and resource center that: • • • •
meets the needs of the community by filling the gap in food availability restores Miller Creek and the Estuary for water quality, storm water surge mitigation, and habitat investigates urban water related issues around Miller Creek, storm water BMPs, and the St Louis River offers neighborhood, city, and regional visitors a learning experience paired with recreation
SITE PLAN 1 Community Resource Center Library 2 Entry Plaza + Farmer’s Market 3 Auditorium 4 Community Farm HQ + Kitchen 5 Water Research Center 6 Research Labs + Outdoor Classroom 7 Living System Water Treatment 8 Experimental Plots 9 Parking Lot Storm-water Research 10 Regional Food Hub 11 Community Farm 12 Community Orchard 13 Greenhouse 14 Cross City Trail 15 Lawn Mounds 16 Underpass Wetland Restoration 17 Rail Bridge 18 Wetland Monitoring Station
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CREEK FLOW + BUILDING MASS
HYDROLOGICAL SYSTEMS
ECOLOGICAL/ RECREATIONAL ASSETS
COMMUNITY ASSETS
LIBRARY AND AUDITORIUM CONNECTION TO CREEK
COMMUNITY LIBRARY
MILLER CREEK
AUDITORIUM FLOW LEVELS Summer flow
MICHIGAN STREET COMMUNITY ORCHARD AND CREEK
STREET
CROSS CITY TRAIL
COMMUNITY ORCHARD
OBSERVATION DECK
Spring Flow
BIKE PATH
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miller creek living lab
LINCOLN PARK FOOD ACCESS
duluth, mn
COMMUNITY ASSETS The Community Resource Center and Library provides a place for residents to learn and act on water issues on a personal level, and is adjoined by the Entry Plaza, a multi-functional space that will host the Lincoln Park Farmers Market and other community events. The Community Farm Headquarters and Kitchen supports the market, Farm, Orchard and Greenhouses on the site while serving as a resource center for neighborhood gardening efforts. The nearby Regional Food Hub further expands the capacity of the local food system in Lincoln Park and Duluth as a whole.
ENTRY PLAZA TO URBAN FARM
URBAN FARM
ENTRY PLAZA ON MARKET DAY
URBAN FARM HEADQUARTERS
PLAZA ENTRANCE FARMER’S MARKET
COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER
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LIVING SYSTEM WATER TREATMENT AND DISCHARGE TO MILLER CREEK
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miller creek living lab
LINCOLN PARK HYDROLOGY
duluth, mn
WATER RESOURCES The Water Research Center provides space for scientists and policymakers to explore innovative solutions that can be applied in Duluth and elsewhere, taking advantage of proximity to Miller Creek and the Research Labs, the Experimental Plats, the Living System, the Wetland Restoration, and the Monitoring Stations. More research labs and Outdoor Classrooms provide space for students and other community groups to participate as well as an opportunity for various related public entities to collaborate on urban water research.
LIVING SYSTEM
EQUALIZATION TANKS
AERATED LAGOONS
LIVING SYSTEM CANTILEVER OVER ROCK OUTFALL
CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS
SAND FILTER
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RESEARCH LABS + MILLER CREEK
HIGHWAY UNDERPASS PARK + WETLAND RESTORATION
HIGHWAY UNDERPASS PARK
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floodable
cedar rapids, ia CEDAR RAPIDS FLOOD MANAGEMENT AND GREENWAY
EXISTING RIVER’S EDGE + USACE LEVEE WINTER/FALL TYP. LEVEL (703’)
SUMMER/SPRING TYP. LEVEL (707’)
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA
CEDAR RIVER
FLOODABLE Exploring Remembrance and Resilience in Cedar Rapids, IA. FLOODABLE addresses the issues of urban river flooding and neighborhood erasure with a design that intersects a memorial of a lost neighborhood with the interpretation of the daily and extreme fluctuations of the Cedar River. The premise of the design is that remembrance is necessary in order to build resilience; we learn by remembering and communities are more likely to create adaptive strategies and be prepared for future flooding if they are able to visually register the risk of flooding. 2008 FLOOD EXTENTS
TIME CHECK GREENWAY
100 YEAR FLOOD (724.4’)
QUAKER OATS
KINGSTON GREENWAY
2008 FLOOD (731.12’) DOWNTOWN
MAY’S ISLAND
CZECH VILLAGE GREENWAY
AMPHITHEATER LEVEE
TAYLOR NEIGHBORHOOD
BASE 100 YEAR
TIME CHECK NEIGHBORHOOD DESTRUCTION
500 YEAR
2008 FLOOD
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25 YEAR FLOOD
50 YEAR FLOOD
100 YEAR FLOOD
NEW LEVEE PROFILE
500 YEAR FLOOD
DESIGN STRATEGIES TREE CANOPY
USACE 3:1 LEVEE CLAY CORE
CEDAR RIVER
LEVEE LANDFORM
VEGETATION
FLOODABLE TIME CHECK 1 New Community Development 2 Floodplain Raised Boardwalks 3 Fishing Piers 4 River House 5 Sunflower Foundations Garden 6 Houses in the Hills 7 Inundation Pier 8 Boardwalk 9 Undulating Bridge 10 River Beach 11 Levee + Path 12 Datum Wall 13 Time Check Gardens 14 Open Lawn 15 Promenade
TIME CHECK NEIGHBORHOOD
HUBBARD ICE COMPLEX
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floodable
cedar rapids, ia
RIVER HOUSE MONUMENT
FOUNDATIONS MEMORIAL
INUNDATION PIER
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MONUMENTALIZATION
FLOOD BASEMENT RIVER GAGE
The subtext of the design addresses the socio-economic issues of low-income communities being more likely to be affected by both flood disasters and city re-shaping flood protection plans. The foundations of homes are reconstructed and erected as monuments to honor the neighborhood that was erased in order to protect the city from flooding. The house of the last person living by the river becomes a concrete structure representing the tenacity of the human spirit in the face of unprecedented disaster. The Basement Flood Gage brings a visitor directly in confrontation with the risk associated with living in proximity to a river and register the constant change of the levels. The Inundation Pier brings the visitor face to face with the surface of the water and from time to time when the water spills it will dramatically mark the seasonal flux of the river. FLOOD BASEMENT RIVER GAGE
25 YR FLOOD 721.5’ TYP RIVER 715.5’
0’
10’
20’
FOUNDATIONS + PIER FLOOD HOUSE
HOUSES IN THE HILLS
BASEMENT FLOOD GAGE
INUNDATION PIER
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floodable
cedar rapids, ia
SIDEWALK FISHING PIER AND DISINTEGRATING STREET
NEIGHBORHOOD + RIVER RIVER CUT
PROGRAM INTENSITY
FLOWING PATHS
STREETS + SIDEWALKS
EXISTING STREET GRID
SIDEWALK HIGH / STREET LOW
0’
50’
100’
FISHING PIER SIDEWALK
0’
10’
20’
page_23 FOUNDATIONS IN THE HILLS
UNDULATING BRIDGE
UNDULATING BRIDGE - FLOOD CONDITIONS
RIVER RISING, COMMUNITY REVEALED The Houses in the Hills are foundations intersecting landform that are treated with a moisture retardant that reveals after a rain, the marks and stories of Time Check residents, creating an ephemeral experience and alluding to the fate of these homes after the flood. In the southern portion of the park the streets which are now walkways fade into the river as the sidewalks transition to boardwalks, offering an experience through the floodplain and a varied experience during flood events. The sidewalks terminate as fishing piers that jut out into the river, a symbol of the tension between community and the river on this site. Throughout the central portion of the site is a path that undulates and takes the visitor over and perpendicular to the remaining streets below, calling them out as sculptural elements to read as an expression of neighborhood presence and remembrance. When the site floods (to 724.5’) these streets are powerfully revealed as a symbol of the strength of community that is forged during a flood. Those streets flood at 725.5’ and the Undulating Bridge offers an experience over the flooded site.
UNDULATING BRIDGE OVER REMNANT STREET
UNDULATING BRIDGE TYP RIVER 715.5’
DATUM WALL
REMNANT STREET
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floodable
cedar rapids, ia
FOUNDATIONS + SUNFLOWERS GARDEN
FOUNDATIONS + SUNFLOWERS GARDEN
FLOOD TOLERANT NATIVE SPECIES
Switchgrass
Little bluestem
Butterfly milkweed
Cardinal flower
Black-eyed susan
New England aster
Sunflowers
Rough blazing star
Golden alexander
Wild bergomot
Paper birch
Black oak
Bur oak
Honey locust
Cottonwood
Balsam poplar
Black willow
Bigtooth aspen
Swamp white oak
Sycamore
Sandbar willow
Silver maple
PRAIRIE PLANTS
Indiangrass
UPLAND TREES BOTTOM-LAND TREES
COMMUNITY GARDEN
Prairie dropseed
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FLOOD CHRONICLE WALL
REGROWTH The Time Check neighborhood has been nearly wiped out and is still in the process of rebuilding. The Time Check Promenade will be constructed from the reclaimed wood from the remaining structures on the site as well as with the concrete collected from the demolition of some streets. The space will offer a community garden on top of the levee, an open lawn and riverfront beach, as well as pathways through native Iowa wildflower prairie gardens and the floodplain forest with fishing piers. The Sunflower Foundations Garden recalls the story of a burst of unexpected sunflowers that emerged from the scattering of bird-feeders as the flood waters receded. The greenway as a whole balances the remembrance of the disaster and hope for the future.
WALL CONDITION HIGH AND LOW EXPERIENCE
CONTACT AMBER HILL 2650 University Avenue Saint Paul, MN 612.594.1412 amberhill423@gmail.com www.amberhill.info