ISAIAH RAPKO LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO
ISAIAH RAPKO LA N DSCAPE
DESIGNE R
BIOGRAPHY
510.292.0517
I’m a 25 year old landscape designer from Berkeley, California wit h a B ac hel o r’ s degree i n
isaiahrapk o @g mail.c om
landscape architecture from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. I’m interes t ed i n s u s t ai n a b l e construction, ecology, and mo dern design. I’m currently working a t a res i d ent i a l d es i gn i n San Francisco.
EXPERIENCE
EDUCATION
RANDY THUEME DESIGN
CAL POLY, SAN LUIS OBISPO
Landscape Designer | Nov. 2018 - Present
Landscape Architecture | 2012-2017
Performed many aspects of residential design including co n c ep t u al des i gn,
C o m p reh ens i v e, ac c redi t ed l and s c ap e a rc hi tectur e pr ogr a m
3D modeling, rendering, grading, and construction docume n t at i o n
wi t h c o u rs es i n c l u di n g p l a n t m a t eri a l s , des i gn stud io, and
HORTUS DESIGN Landscape Designer/Estimator | Feb. 2018 - Nov. 2018 Designed residential landscapes and created estimates for landscape designs
LPAS ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN
c o ns t ru c t i o n.
BERKELEY HIGH SCHOOL 2008-2012 R a c ed fo r t he B erkel ey H i gh S c ho o l Mo u nt ai n Bike Tea m, wi n ni n g t wo s t at e c ha m p i o n s h i p s a n d l eague titles.
Design Intern | Summer/Fall 2017 Provided assistance in AutoCAD drafting and construction documentation and rend ered landscape plans
AWARDS
SKILLS
Cal Poly Senior Show Overall Design Excellence Award
Illustrator
ArcGIS
1st Place - 2015 Design Week Cal Poly
Photoshop
SketchUp
2nd place - Lexicon Design Competition
InDesign
Rhino
ArcGIS Certificate of Training
AutoCAD
PROJECTS 01_(sub)MERGE: Coastal Resiliency in the San Leandro Bay 02_Harmony Revival 03_Chorro Flats: Finding a home for the California Newt 04_Central Coast Contemporary 05_Additional Works
01_(sub)MERGE (sub)MERGE is a proposal for a resilient bay-front park addressing sea level rise in the San Leandro Bay, part of the greater San Francisco Bay. The design aims to be a model for how the Bay Area can adapt its coastal edges to the threat of sea level rise and larger floods. Instead of using ‘hard’ infrastructure strategies like seawalls and levees, the park uses ‘soft’ infrastructure like wetlands to decrease wave energy and mitigate flood damage.
context
Project Site / MLK Jr. Regional Shoreline
Oakland Coliseum/ Oracle Arena
• •
San Leandro Bay
Elevation: 0-15 ft. 47 acres
Highway 880
Oakland Airport
sea level rise projections 70
Sea Level Rise (in)
60 50 40 30 20 10
0
2000
2020
2040
2060
2080
2100
Year
Worst-Case Scenario: 6’ Widely Accepted Scenario: 4.5'
(Cities in California are planning for this number by 2100)
Conservative Scenario: 3'
what are the options? • • • •
Expensive Subject to catastrophic failure Severes human contact with the coastline Loss of habitat and biodiversity
•
Requires relocation of millions of dollars of property Infeasible in many instances
FIGHT
•
FLIGHT
• • •
ADAPT
60" Mean Tide Inundation
Retains or increases biodiversity Allows interaction with the coastline Protection increases with time as wetlands grow
lookout spot
bay trail
beach access
soccer ďŹ eld
P
parking
community garden
housing development
picnic area
basketball court
swimming pool
walking paths
vehicular access
dining
brewery
P
detail plan 1
detail plan 2
P
0’
300’
program Zone 1: Development
• • • •
High-end single family housing units resistant to flooding and sea level rise Private piers with swimming pools, basketball courts, and community gardens Brewery and restaurant with beer garden Public plaza and pier
Zone 2: Recreation • • •
Walking and cycling trails Beach access Stair access to wetlands
Zone 3: Visualization • •
The Ring Tiered pylons: pylons at varying heights will act as visual markers of sea level rise
circulation Vehicular
• •
Highway 880 runs parallel to site Each housing unit has a subterranean, floodproof garage
Primary Pedestrian/Cycle
• •
At or above 6’ above sea level (will remain above sea level for about 150 years Incorporates path to Oakland Coliseum
Secondary Pedestrian/Cycle
• •
At or below 6’ above sea level Designed to be submerged without compromising site’s circulation
San Francisco Bay Trail
•
350 mile cycle path that will eventually allow continuous travel around the coastline of the Bay
Parking
•
109 public parking spaces total
water strategy
Current Sea Level Future Sea Level (2100-2150)
• •
5’ above current sea level Site can accommodate up to 6’ of sea level rise without flooding
edge conditions
+0” high tide
+60” high tide
+36” high tide
Brackish Marsh
Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse Reithrodontomys raviventris
Great Egret Ardea alba
Black Rail Laterallus jamaicensis Tidal Marsh
Tidal Mud Flat
California Clapper Rail Rallus obsoletus
The horizontal levee concept is a natural flood protection strategy that uses stratified wetland habitats to resist sea level rise and storm surges. At the inland edge, a brackish marsh is implemented which builds in elevation as its root systems expand. In the middle is a tidal marsh and on the bay edge is a mudflat. Sediment dredged from the nearby flood channels is used as the construction material.
Vagrant Shrew Sorex vagrans
horizontal levee
detail plan 1
High-end single family housing on the bayfront helps to fund the project. Private access to the bayfront and amenities (basketball courts, swimming pools, community gardens) combined with its sea level rise resistant design makes it a desirable place to live.
detail plan 2
The entry plaza invigorates this area of Oakland by creating a space for pre- and post-game activities. The building includes a restaurant, brewery, and beer-garden. The columns that support the building continue into the water as a marker of sea level rise.
sea level rise visualiztion: the ring
0� sea level rise
60” sea level rise
36” sea level rise
02_Harmony Revival The town of Harmony has experienced periods of prosperity and abandon during its many years of ownership changes. Located south of Cambria on Highway 1, Harmony is ideally located to attract tourists road-tripping along the coast Current owner Alan Vander Horst has plas to renovate the town with a retrofit of the Harmony Valley Creamery Association building. A restaurant, called Bower and Baker, as well as a wine lounge and cheese shoppe are planned. The design aims to facilitate an economic revival of Harmony by providing opportunities for visitors to enjoy items purchased from the creamery building. The three areas that aim to do this are the public picnic area, outdoor dining area for the Bower and Baker restaurant, and the Bower and Baker beer garden.
California Native Garden
Relocated Gazebo
Beer Garden Pop-Up Structure Bower & Baker Outdoor Seating Bower & Baker Beer Garden Public Picnic Area
Pottery
Creamery and Restaurant
The Bower and Baker beer garden would be the center of activity in Harmony. On normal days visitors would be able to enjoy a local beer under a pergola planted with hops. On special occasions, the area could be rented out and customized to suit the occasion.
The public picnic area has three picnic tables that can each easily seat eight people. Throughout this area are galvanized steel troughs which would be planted with culinary herbs for use in cheese production and in the restaurant. Adjacent to the picnic area is the outdoor dining area, where patrons of Bower and Baker would be able to enjoy their food under a wisteria-covered pergola.
03_Chorro Flats: Finding a home for the California Newt Group Project with Juliana Welch
California Coastal Newt prey: Slugs, worms, moths, snails, crickets, and woodlice.
migratory season: During winter
months,The California Coastal Newt travels up to 3 miles to find to a creek or pond, in orderto lay eggs and reproduce. The amphibian undergoes physical changes during the journey, such as fin-like tail structure and smooth skin.
predators: Crayfish, Bullfrog, and Mosquitofish feed on larvae and eggs, and are invasive to the California Coastal region
Morro Bay’s Chorro Flats is a coastal California wetland which begs to be revitalized. As a perfect habitat for the endangered California Newt, and an ecological gem which is threatened by invasive plant and animal species, this is a comprehensive plan to restore it to health.
Infographic by Juliana Welch
Minimum impact, maximum immersion is an overarching goal by which we put visitors into the shoes of the newt. A system of trails represents the migratory journey and life cycle of this amphibious species, native only to California.
Because the California Coastal Newt has very specific habitat needs, ArcGIS was used to determine a suitable location for the design area. We chose to focus on Southern California coastal counties (San Luis Obispo to San Diego) because the newt is most endangered in these counties. Firstly, we selected for vegetation that matched the newts’ needs: evergreen forest, mixed forest, and shrubby chaparral and grasslands. For visitor access, we selected areas within 5 miles of a major highway. We then selected areas of low fire risk to decrease chances of the newt’s habitat being threatened by wildfires. Finally, we selected for areas within one mile of a stream, which are crucial for the newt’s reproductive cycle. These selections resulted in 150 site locations in 10 general areas. From these areas, we selected three for further review: Morro Bay, Carpenteria, and Ventura. After examining the qualities of each site based on infrastructure and aerial imagery, we selected the Morro Bay location for our newt habitat preserve.
Program Elements Water Basins
Trail Network
Bird Sanctuary
Parking
Migratory Pathways
Ecotones
Information Center
i
Elevated Pathways
Water Filtration
A
A
Focus Area: Entry and Education The following pages show detail plans for three areas within the master plan. Entry to the habitat preserve showcases a winding road lined with native willow and bay trees. The parking lot features a demonstration swale which shows the newt basin system used elsewhere in the preserve. An ADA accessbile boardwalk trail (Tadpole Trail) connects the entryway and parking lot to the visitor’s center, an elevated building and observation area. The seasonally flooded creek that runs adjacent to the visitor’s center partially irrigates a native meadow area with picnic tables. A breakwater prevents the meadow and visitor’s center from severe flooding. Section B-A
Section B-B
Concept Drawing
Floodplain Barrier
B Visitor’s Center
Migration Loop Trail
B
Tadpole Trail
Parking Lot
Demonstration Swale
B
A
Focus Area: Migration Loop Underpass
Focus Area: Newt Walk Observation Bridge
04_Central Coast Contemporary Inspired by Andrea Cochran, I used contemporary theory to design the planting around an Aidlan Darling designed house (built in Paso Robles). Linear massing plants are juxtaposed by the free and flowing forms of Muhlenbergia rigens. Amongst the Muhlenbergia, architectural agaves punctuate the landscape. Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’ forms a foundation planting that accentuates the tan and cor-ten steel walls.
grading plan
44
43
planting palette
42
41
40 39
F.F.E. 43 F.F.E. 42 F.F.E. 41
38
37
36
Lavender and Echium candicans provide a unified ower color that complements the muted tones of the other plants. Of the eight existing olive trees, four were left untouched and three were transplated to other areas in the property to make room for a pool. All of the plants have low water requirements suitable for the hot, dry summers of the Central Coast.
05_Additional Work: Monday Club
05_Additional Work: Crescent Bench Group Project with Arturo Zaragoza and Daniel Shafir-Schorr
Thank You. isaiahrapko@gmail.com 510.292.0517