BLA Portfolio 2019 by Kate Jo Bulin

KATE J. BULIN

BLA PORTFOLIO 2019

KATE J. BULIN

University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign katejobulin@gmail.com 1 630 427 7329 http://www.linkedin.com/katie-bulin-294794129/ The following pages encompass projects done over my past three years in the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaignâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Landscape Architecture program, and a summer internship. This portfolio finishes with select photography. Starting my college career as a civil engineering major, I found my perfect fit for design and structure in the Landscape Architecture program to express both my creativity and love for the geometric form. The projects designed address the way that people use the site while thinking of how the site will evolve over time. From creating implicit movement to spaces for continuous use, the following works are 1

CONTENTS

3-6 | Ordered Disorder (2017)

Chaumont - Sur - Loire, Garden of Thought

7-10 | Campus Courtyard (2017)

UIUC South Quad, David Kinley Hall and Architecture Building

11-14 | Urbana Boneyard Creek (2017) Downtown Northwest Urbana, IL. Creek Garden

15-18 | Mary Bartelme Park Intervention (2018) West Loop, Chicago, IL. Tree Intervention

19-24 | Flock. (2018)

Pocket Park and Path System, Urbana, IL.

25-26 | The Richards Residence (2018)

Hursthouse Landscape Architects and Contractors, Wheaton, IL.

27-28 | The Garrison Residence (2018)

Hursthouse Landscape architects and Contractors, Naperville, IL.

29-30 | The Pollard Residence (2018)

Hursthouse Landscape Architects and Contractors, Glen Ellyn, IL.

31-38 | Spread Park (2018) Pilsen, Chicago, IL. River Edge

39-40 | Photography (2016-2019) National and International

ORDERED DISORDER The Chaumont-sur-Loire Festival des Jardins in France is an annual design contest based around themed gardens. This garden, the Garden of Thought, displays implied ordered and disordered thinking through an invisible grid and pathway placed over the grid. Tall sunflowers raise eyes above ground level while the daisy bushes lower eyes back down, disordering the mind of the visitor. The pebble path leading to perpendicularly laid out bamboo decks continue to disorder the mind of the visitor on which direction they should be walking. The grid, however, always keeps the mind in order.

3D Model

Material Palette Daisy bushes, stained wood, and non-ordered stone paneling 3

Plan 4

Pillar Grid Stone pillars emphasis the height of the sunflower and direct the visitor throughout the garden due to being placed along the grid. Visitors can wind between the pillars on the grid or follow the pebble path.

Section A-A Emphasising overall height differences 5

Perpendicular Bamboo

Thought Platform

Representation of the sunflowers with the bamboo paths and open lawn area

The raised platform patterned with rectangular stones blocks out the rest of the garden, bringing direct thought back to the forefront of the visitorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; minds as they are unable to gaze out at the site. 6

Campus Courtyard The courtyard between the Architecture Building and David Kinely Hall at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, through analysis, proved to be an area of poor lighting with a lack of overall use other than maintenance supply storage, garbage disposal, and a walk-through for students and staff of the university to get from one place to another. The flow of traffic is also cut off by a large hedge in the center. The ada accessible ramp is also hidden in the west side that only leads to the basement of the Architecture Building. The goal for this project was to make a space for students and staff to enjoy when not in class and to represent the University artistically and safely.

Vignettes Hand-rendered vignettes show the current state of the courtyard, locations of garbage, and the adjacent courtyard to the west of the Architecture uilding. 7

Analysis Plan Vegetation, pedestrian intensity, wind pattern.

movement,

light

intensity,

sound

Making Travel Easier The design of the new courtyard frees pedestrian travel by eliminating the hedge originally blocking free form walking. Added benches allow for continued use throughout the year in any weather while canopies will block rain/snow. The canopy also protects the ramp from rain and snow. Shade trees were added for comfort in hot weather and bench planters line the southern walls of the site for added seating and vegetation.

Covered Upfront Ramp By bringing the ADA ramp to the front of the building, students will not be separated to a basement entrance. 9

Added Greenery

Covered Benches

Bringing Everyone Together The design features an extended ramp for access to the main door to show how much the university has succeeded towards ADA accessibility. Benches also sit under trees and canopies of U of I orange with outlets for charging devices between classes.

Urbana Boneyard Creek In need of a space to connect the local neighborhood to the downtown and a renovation to boneyard creek for flooding, this project enhances the downtown living while extending the needs of the residents. The community garden already in place is expanded with an added garden shed, and paths run through the entire site to continue the over 22-mile path system within Urbana. This design, influenced by interviews with locals, helps to bring the westward neighborhood closer to downtown without making their homes public through the use of a tucked away path and bridge over the creek.

BIKE PATH SYSTEM

NATIVE TREES AND SHRUBS

HOP ROWS

LIGHTING BENCH PROMENADE CONNECTION BRIDGE BONEYARD CREEK

TERRACE WITH GRASS AND STONES SCORED CONCRETE WITH BROOM FINISH DAYLILY SCULPTURES

COMMUNITY GARDEN AND POTTING SHED

OUTDOOR EATING

Analysis Montages and physical modeling depicted what could be added to the site and how. Models help to analysis how to the site interacts with the outside neighborhoods. Montages emphasis the influences for the final design

Summer Living People of all ages will enjoy the new garden via the extensive paths for walking, biking or running. The community garden is rented, but open for curiosity and play. For shade in the summer, visitors can sit under the native shade trees planted throughout the garden along with perennials that will bloom colors for the eyesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; enjoyment. Outdoor seating was added for the local cafe, and an extended promenade for outdoor festivals and events.

Curiousity Continues

Locally Influenced

Open to the public, the garden shed has open windows for learning and watching. Visitors can also marvel at the daylily sculptures inspired by the Ghetty Garden as these stay colorful for most of the year.

Hops will grow alongside the creekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge for local breweries. They will also detract playing in the creek but keep an open eyesight from one end of the garden to another. 14

Mary Bartelme Park Intervention Mary Bartelme Park is a well-known city block park in the West Loop of Chicago designed by site design group in 2010. The original design was complete with a simple native plant system, many programs and opportunities such as a playground and dog park, along with views of the city and permeable paving for sanitation. The gateway fountain is a staple to social media, and the park is continuously helping the West Loop to build a positive reputation. The intervention, however, was to plant trees that will implicitly direct visitors throughout the park. Neighbors from the apartments surrounding the park often walk from one end of the site to the other for groceries and gyms, and they will use the parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paths to get to these places

West Loop Presence The existing park is famous for its gateway fountain along with its many programs defined by the design of the park, by the chicago park district, and by the users themselves. 16

Legend

Legend Pre-Defined Programming

Pre-Defined Programming

User-Defined Programming

No Programming

Year-Round Determined Programming

Pedestrian Movement Outside Park

Pedestrian Movement Inside Park

Summer Analysis Pre-Intervention

Summer Analysis Post-Intervention

In the summertime, the park is used to its fullest potential with round the clock play; neighbors playing sports on the open field, dog owners playing in the fenced in dog park, families climbing on the playground. The park also acts as a thoroughfare between different areas of the west loop such as connecting apartments to grocery stores. Therefore, the paths of the park become main directions to-and-fro.

By adding 20 paperbark maple trees from the northwest corner to the southeast corner, this path is enhanced and will implicitly direct pedestrians where to walk. The bark stands out completely while also continuing to shade the dog park and sidewalk in the summer. In adding 27 serviceberry trees, the southwest to northeast path is enhanced with purple, blue and white colors throughout the year. The short height remains consistent with the hill of the open lawn that is used for viewing the city and movie nights.

Legend

Pre-Defined Programming

User-Defined Programming

No Programming

Year-Round Determined Programming

Pedestrian Movement Outside Park

Pedestrian Movement Inside Park

Winter Analysis Pre-Intervention

Winter Analysis Post-Intervention

In the wintertime, however, the park simply works as a thoroughfare for the neighborhood. As the weather gets colder, less pedestrians want to walk around and enjoy the park, but they will take the shortest path from place to place if they do walk. The park connects several apartment buildings to grocery stores, indoor gyms, and convenient stores, but is less used for its programming.

The design also enhances the wintertime. The paperbark maples hold onto the snow uniquely and the color of the bark stays year-round, continuing to provide the directional service and ornamental value. The serviceberries will be short enough to still notice even in the wintertime when tall skinny trees are often lost in the cityscape of downtown Chicago. This design will overall increase pedestrian usage year-round by implicitly directing users where and how to walk while providing new and fun trees to gaze at. 18

Flock.

Carle Employee FCU Magic Needle (Historic Johnson Oil Refinery)

Broadway Food Mart Leale Park

Darts

Crystal Lake Park

Main Carle Campus

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Flock. aims to combine the pride that Urbana, IL. takes in its eclectic art and extensive path system with the increase in orchard oriole habitat both on site and throughout the surrounding neighborhood and university. By adding jobs to the local community, increasing the property values of nearby homes, and increasing student enrollment and tourism, Flock. is a home for the orchard oriole and a public oasis to urbana just north of the downtown. Flock. turns the former CSX rail line into a biking and walking trail with added vegetation and more permeable surfaces for drainage. History is kept with re-purposed rail crossing lights, the original rail line, and the johnson oil refinery as the new cafe and rail road themed lab escape. Changes in topography keep the visitor engaged while indirectly moving them in the pattern of a bird’s flight. With colorful vegetation and extensive programming, Flock. is key to the “217”.

Residential District

Historic District

Conceptual Urban Space in Downtown Urbana

the former rail line created a distinct linear alley through urbana. the concept creates movement based from bird flight patterns like spirals and straight-aways.

Av e

Orchard Oriole Behavior Orchard orioles enjoy groves of trees over heavy clusters to nest away from traffic and forage away from nests 21

Partial Sun /Shade Mesic / Moist Mesic Soil Provides Nesting, Insects, Fruit and Nuts Partial Sun / Shade Mesic / Moist Mesic Soil Provides Nesting, Insects, Fruit and Nuts

Partial Sun Mesic / Moist Mesic Soil Provides Nesting, Insects, Fruit and Nuts

Seasonal changes paint the “bird’s eye view” and create directionality year-round. 21 different plants are used throughout the site to enhance the seasonal quality. groves of trees help make orchard orioles feel at home. Changes in topography keep the visitors engaged while experiencing the flight patterns of a bird first hand.

Full / Partial Sun Mesic / Moist Mesic Soil Provides Nesting, Insects, Fruit and Nuts

Plant Palette

Seasonal Diversity in Programming 23

Seasonal Diversity in Section 24

The Richards Residence The Richards family in Wheaton, IL. came to Hursthouse Landscape Architects and Contractors for a new front connection to the main street for guests and an auxiliary connection to the driveway. The family expressed interest in a front patio or axial area as well as a possible fruit tree orchard on the east side of the house where there is an existing berm creating about 4 feet of grade change from the foundation of the house. With direction from my supervisor at Hursthouse, I created sketches of a rectilinear concept and a curvilinear concept. a plant palette was created including hardscape materials. To compliment the stucco home, blue stone was chosen as the pathway material with a paver band on the primary path. All viewpoints are framed with specimen trees or shrubs for a full walking experience from both the primary and auxiliary connections and for the views within the home from the kitchen or dining room.

Existing Site 25

Preliminary Sketch

Concept A to Final Design

Concept B to Final Design

A curvilinear walkway to the main road as well as a connection to the driveway. Minimal foundation planting and simple orchard. Front walk way leads to a small gathering area with seating for guests or waiting.

A rectilinear walkway to the main road and driveway. Front patio with a central planter, extensive foundation planting and a playful orchard path. 26

The Garrison Residence Under direction from my supervisor at Hursthouse, I completed an initial detailed site measure to begin designing. The garrison family in Naperville, IL. wanted to connect their first-floor kitchen back door to their basement back door which both exit to the back of the house. They also desired a side yard feature which was designed as a fire pit space for entertaining. The exterior deck was tiered and kept open concept with the only hand railings being on the east and west sides of the top deck. The silver maple which was on site was in decline, so with help from an arborist we decided to remove the existing tree and replace it with a new marmo maple tree for the southern exposure on the decks. The family repainted the exterior of the house to an olive-green siding with black trim and window frames which guided the material palette.

Existing Site 27

Preliminary Sketch

Final Design The family favored a prairie style plant system. On the south side yard, we designed a sweeping meadow mix of different ground covers that as a guest walks to the back yard, they are immersed in a different kind of meadow the entire time. Due to being in the historic district of downtown Naperville, the family opted for antique street pavers for the path systems to the front of the house and to the garage. We also extended their front door landing which connects to a screen porch. Extensive perennial beds keep the back garden colorful against the new olive-green home exterior.

Preliminary Sketch to Final 28

The Pollard Residence The Pollard residence was both a grading challenge and a property boundary issue. The family wanted to create a new layout for their driveway which currently is only 8 feet wide between the two houses. They also expressed how they use their driveway as a patio space and only drive down to the garage in winter, so material and pattern choice was crucial such as a herring bone pattern of pavers for the turn. With direction from my supervisor and from the sales meeting at Hursthouse, I began with initial sketches on possible front entry patios and a wider walkway to accommodate the narrow drive and the steep 5 foot grade change to the street from the front door. I also sketched ideas for a patio space differentiated by clay pavers within the asphalt drive for the family to use summer, spring and fall.

Preliminary Sketches

Existing Site 29

Final Design Due to the constraint of the driveway, we proposed tapering the driveway to the garage to allow for easier turning without needing a curve to also extent the lawn space. All new planting was proposed for both foundation planting and a shade tree to shade the expanded patio space. Retaining walls were added

to the front of the house to level a patio space while adding foundation planting to the front of the patio to screen from the street. Overall, the property expanded lawn space while creating the outdoor living spaces that the family could use year round. 30

Spread Park

Main Site: Pilsen Neighborhood

Flooding of the river will fluctuate depending on season, weather, or time of day.

Moving Water Across the Site

Conceptuals and Diagrams

Allowing the River to Flood

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Preliminary Analysis and Modeling

Public access can also be subjective by access of the planted terraces, becoming more difficult progressing to the river front with wetland terraces

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Accessing the Site

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Turning Coal Pollution to Pollen Power

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Sycamore

Light-Weight Seeding

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Evening Primrose

Lacebark Pine

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Pollinating

Pinus Bungeana

Oenothera Fruticosa

bud Red

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giving the appearance of floating if not flooded. They are similarly planted with pollinating grasses and flowers which can survive above and below water. In total, this design is influenced and influences Chicago from the city’s most famous features to the overall planted environment in which it encompasses.

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Pedestrian access is suggested via paved terraces, sloped and flat, for programming and recreational use

Flooding of the river will fluctuate depending on season, weather, or time of day.

Scaling Down the Chicago Grid System

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The buses can drive within the terraces on a sub-terrain road system with areas for parking, leading to the renovated maintenance facility. Access is available from Cermak Rd. and Throop St. to both the parking and maintenance facility

The sun will heat the upper side of the canopy, drawing pollen upwards into the canopy to then be swept into the stack by wind

Main Site: Pilsen Neighborhood

Allowing the River to Flood

Turning Coa

Capping Noise with Sub-Terrace Bus Access

The pollen and seeds will be released from the canopy and spread throughout Chicago by wind power in the direction of wind for any given day

Moving Water Across the Site

Scaling Down the Chicago Grid System

Cana

River can flood terraces or reveal those that were previously flooded

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Enclosed terraces return water to ground level soil

The pollen and seeds canopy and spread wind power in the d given day

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Access to the site from Cermak Rd. will always be available as the water will not reach

a lp ta sa Ca ecio n Sp rther

The diverse Pilsen neighborhood is also home to the now closed Fisk Generating Station a coal power plant that served Chicago since the early 1900’s. Residents desire a space to experience the river, as well as connecting a new park space to other local spaces. This new area is also a great location for revenue opportunities to take shape, as well as a CTA bus maintenance and storage facility. Spread Park aims to combine the city’s plans with the community’s desire. While keeping the smoke stack and the original Fisk building, the design envisions expansion for flooding, naturalizing the water’s edge, and keeping the tradition of Chicago’s prominent grid structure close in mind. Spread Park includes a grid of 30’ x 30’ terraces of pavement accessible to all with larger spaces for playing fields, open air markets, event spaces, and more. The project will also develop a series of microclimates of Chicago. These individual microclimates, planted with wind-pollinated and light-weight seed producing trees, shrubs, grasses, and perennials, with the help of a large glass canopy, will transform the smoke stack from a pollution source to a pollen-spreading apparatus. Conceptuals and Diagrams Sending pollen and seeds via wind and heat throughout Chicago adding to the landscape of more than just Fisk, Spread Park increases biodiversity, just as the coal was spread across Chicago originally causing health problems. The included plants are selected from a Chicago Park District approved list. When the pollen and seeds are spread from the smokestack, they travel to different parks in Chicago to the plants that they match. Finally, as the terraces get closer to the river, they dissolve out to allow for the ability to flood. The terraces are inspired by the Chicago Riverwalk Riverfront Room. They can be flooded while

Pollinating and Light-Weight Seeding Plants

Full Section Spread Park was initially designed in full section to understand the design of the under-terrace bus movement, the wetland terraces, the inner workings of the pollen and seed spreading smoke stack, the shape of the canopy, and the bridges. Facing East, Spread Park is dense in plant life and programmable opportunities both above and below the terraces.

Stack Section The detail section shows a closer view of the smoke stack and under-terrace bus system. With a renovated smoke stack, visitors are welcome to enter the stack from terrace level to view the pollen and seeds as they collect and move up to the top. Buses move safely underneath the terraces with minimum heights of 14â&#x20AC;&#x2122; clearance. Both paved and planted terraces are welcome to visitors. 35

River Section The riverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge is softened with wetland terraces that can be flooded. By planting an ecosystem that can survive both above and below water levels such as with river birches, the terraces can survive any time of year. The new wetlands help to clean the river allowing for fish and other wildlife to feel more at home. The glass bridges extended from the green roof offer birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eye views of the wetlands and views of the neighborhood.

Neighboorhood Life From the north end of the park, visitors are welcome to explore the open spaces between the terraces. Buses can safely exit and enter the under-terrace street to available parking or the maintenance facility. The main walk-ways are also fully ramped allowing for full ADA accessibility. Materials of light concrete and stone pavers keep the park bright and airy. The canopy can be seen from almost every angle of the park, but the best views 37

are from the green roof above the bus maintenance facility. The green roof is designed with a free-formed path for running, walking, or other leisure activities. The seeds and pollen are easily viewed from this height as they enter the modified and renovated stack. Views of the Chicago Skyline are dramatic behind the dense planting.

A New Adventure Views of the sunrise across the Chicago Skyline are emphasized from the glass bridges, while access to the terraces allow for adventurers to get up close to the ecosystems that thrive in and along the Chicago River. Keeping the original faรงade of the Fisk building offers a contrast to the light grey concrete and glass materials keeping the history of the industrial corridor. 38

Photography Memphis - 2017 New York City - 2018 Cyprus - 2019 And Counting...

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KATE BULIN