katherine boucek landscape architecture portfolio
EDUCATION: THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, COLLEGE OF ENVIRONMENT + DESIGN Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, Certificate in Sustainability Overall GPA: 3.7/4.0 Academic Distinction: HOPE Scholarship Recipient, Dean’s List (4 Semesters)
ATHENS, GA August 2018
RELEVANT COURSEWORK + SKILLS: Beneficial Courses: Sustainable Building Design, Issues and Practices of Sustainable Design, Interdisciplinary Sustainability Seminar, Advanced Digital Workflows Computer Programs and Applications:
AutoCAD 2016
Adobe Illustrator 2017
Microsoft Office 2013
ArcGIS
Adobe Photoshop 2017
SketchUp 2016
Adobe InDesign 2017
AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016
RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE: LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE INTERN, Norris Design
Denver, Colorado
- Actively participated in all phases of design for various commercial, residential, and public projects May 2017-August 2017 - Efficiently ensured client satisfaction by attending client meetings and construction administration site visits
ASSISTANT FARMHAND, La Buena Vida Organic Coffee Farm - Progressively collaborated with farm owners to implement organic fertilizer and pesticide use - Responsibly maintained organic community garden and exotic fruit orchard
Captain Cook, Hawaii June 2015 - August 2015
PUBLIC RELATIONS WORK EXPERIENCE: PEER TUTOR, UGA Rankin-Smith Student Athlete Academic Center
Athens, Georgia
Katherine Boucek, LEED GA
- Diligently reinforced LAND class material to one student while gauging for comprehension August 2016 - September 2017 - Thoughtfully incorporated straightforward examples and language to convey complex topics and ideas
katherine.boucek@uga.edu (678)-381-4121 (c)
- Effectively articulated the principles of swimming to children between 3-15 years of age May 2012-July 2016 - Concisely comppsed weekly e-mails facilitating all communication between team parents and coaching staff
ASSISTANT HEAD SWIM COACH, Brookfield Country Club NEURODEVELOPMENTAL THERAPY CENTER INTERN, Jacob’s Ladder School
Roswell, Georgia Roswell, Georgia
- Enthusiastically planned guided classroom activities to complement relevant lesson material January 2014-May 2014 - Meaningfully contributed to the planning of Art in the Park, the school’s largest fundraising event of the year
I’m such a ‘Look at the moon!’ type of person.
CAMPUS + COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR, Georgia Students of Landscape Architecture HEAD EVENT COORDINATOR, United States Green Building Council Students of UGA COMMUNITY PARTNER, Athens PB&J SMALL GROUP PARTICIPANT, RUF at UGA
Athens, Georgia Athens, Georgia Athens, Georgia Athens, Georgia
PERSONAL INTERESTS: Environmental Restoration + Design Urban Agriculture Sustainability
Journaling Recipe Development Travelling
1
NPU-G
2
Ta n g l e w o o d Brier
3
Orchards at Oglethorpe
4
5
Oconee County High School Oconee River Greenway
Denver, Colorado: Three months living and working in a region with one native tree and an incredibly limited planting palette taught me the beauty of simplicity and thoughtfulness in design. Perhaps the need to utilize plant materials that would simply survive in Colorado’s harsh climatic conditions evoked my practical side, and ultimately taught me that any well conceived design can be beautiful -- if it is not implementable in the region, however, it will never be functional and therefore never successful.
Atlanta, Georgia Truly, home. Growing up, I mistakenly viewed urban areas as cold and unpleasant, oftentimes lacking character. Living in Atlanta taught me how wrong I was - that when the spirit and history of a place is honored through design, community is realized. Atlanta as a whole is evidence that urban spaces are areas of immense opportunity, and effective urban design is transformative of the lives of community members from all walks of life.
The Big Island, Hawaii Living in a three-sided tent on a densely jungled island hillside in the middle of one of the hottest summers on record was easily as far out of my comfort zone as I have ever been, yet I have never held a deeper respect for a place than I did Hawaii. Learning to cultivate for the sake of sustaining a community with healthy food taught me to work with the land and not against it, as it provides us all with all we need. The same is true of designing the natural environment; true success is acheived when we mimic natural conditions as closely as possible and honor the Earth in its truest form.
NPU-G: Atlanta, Georgia
NPU-G
Esri, DeLorme, GEBCO, NOAA NGDC, and other contributors
Neighborhoods
Esri, DeLorme, GEBCO, NOAA NGDC, and other contributors
Sites
Esri, DeLorme, GEBCO, NOAA NGDC, and other contributors
Ch
ah att
oo
e ch
285
Jackso James n Pkwy
NPU-G BB O CO LT FU
N
Atlanta Whittier Mills Park
Bric
k Pl
ant
Rd
NW
FULTON DEKALB
Design Problem: NPU-G is an underserved neighborhood planning unit located in Fulton County in Atlanta, Georgia. Comprised of twelve neighborhoods, each with its own unique sets of challenges and opportunities for redevelopment, the community as a whole has experienced years of disinvestment and required an updated plan for sustainable community development. The studio class partnered with the Georgia Conservancy to address challenges to the area while capitalizing on its underutilized opportunities to create a plan for redevelopment.
tt Ave Parro
2
W tN NW
W W
town Brown
rN
W
oD
Ca rd
Re ve re
o
Dr
Dr
NW
rc Ma
NW
ck e
Ferno Dr NW
Rd
Gle nlo
rd na NW
rial Indust
Jackson Way NW
W
rial dust Atla nta In
W ay N
Dr NW
Northwest Dr NW
St W atk in s
W
Lillian Cooper Shepherd Park
W
tN
rN
Dil lS
oD
Argyle Dr NW
Atlanta
Rd NW
NW
Way NW
Glenlocke Cir NW
Delray Dr NW
Northwest Dr NW
Glenrock Dr NW
nta In Atla
rN
Ma ld
tt D rre Ba
Randee St NW
dust
rial
Pkw
N
Audrey Pl NW
yN
St
Bridgeport Dr NW
St
W
Limey Dr NW
Re yS
m Sa
Pe te
Besto Dr NW
Mango Cir NW
rN
NW
rD
Dr
cto Pro
el nte Mo
Bo lto n
Rd
NW
W
tt rre Ba Rd
NW Rd Na sh
Fu lto n
In du
str ia
lB
lvd
NW
NW
English Park
St
N
W
W ald en
lB
str
ia
Waterbodies
6th St NW
7th St NW Watkins Park
Saint Peters Ave NW Watkins St NW
Morris St NW
St
lvd
ers hiv
W
C
N
NPU-G Boundary
Clark St NW
Legend
Wedgewood Dr NW
Saint James Ave NW
Wilkes Cir NW
Neighborhood Boundary
8th St NW
A.D. Williams Park
3 Field Rd NW
Watts Rd NW
Etheridge Dr NW
In
du
Brown St NW
Fu lto n
Floodplain
Community Facility Existing Park
Le e
Dr
NW
Ho llo w
ell P
kw y
High Density Commercial
NW
Elli ott S
s
Rd
Do na ld
htow
Master Plan Future Land Use
er
Ya te
Hig
Counties
NW
High Density Mixed Use Hig NW
er
Low Density Commercial 285
Low Density Multi-Family Residential Low Density Single-Family Residential
Don
ald
Le
eH
ollo
NW
Hightowe r Pl
Rd
Industrial
w hto
High Density Multi-Family Residential
Low Density Mixed Use
wel
lP
kw
yN
W
Medium Density Single-Family Residential Proposed Active Greenway Proposed Conservation Open Space
Hamilton E Holmes Dr NW
1. Enhance vehicular and pedestrian connectivity. 2. Alleviate food desert status and bridge food inequity gap. 3. Improve resident quality of life. 4. Promote community and inclusivity. 5. Protect and preserve green space.
Browntown Rd NW
NW
1 ay M
Design Solution: The idea of sustainable redevelopment was addressed at the neighborhood, NPU, and site scale with the following goals for the community in mind:
Esri, DeLorme, GEBCO, NOAA NGDC, and other contributors
r ive eR
James Jackson Pkwy NW
Strategies for Urban Redevelopment and Urban Agriculture Implementation in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia
Proposed Park Future Phase of Proctor Creek Greenway Chattahoochee River Trail Chattahoochee River Trail and Greenway Hollywood Trail River Park Trail 1 inch = 500 feet 0
500
1,000
Data Sources: City of Atlanta, Fulton Co, ARC, FEMA, GA DRN 10.06.2017
Feet 2,000
Chattahoochee, Atlanta Industrial Park, English Park, and Brookwood Heights Future Land Use Master Plan
tN
W
1
Enhancement of pedestrian connectivity is achieved through a proposed multi-use greenway bordering the Chattahoochee River.
2
3
A typical streetscape implemented consistently throughout the NPU helps to promote both pedestrian and vehicular connectivity, as well as inclusivity amongst NPU residents. This also works to give a stronger sense of place to the community and define it within the broader fabric of urban Atlanta as a whole.
Urban gardens located in every neighborhood work to alleviate hunger and promote a healthy lifestyle for NPU residents.
suitability analysis proximity to proximity to proximity to results + site schools parks trails selection slope tree cover
hydrology
zoning
vacancy + ownership
Site Suitability Analysis
Alternative Design Concepts
A: West Highlands Urban Farm B: Carey Park Urban Garden
Existing NW Atlanta Charter School
Wildflower Meadow Student Trial Garden
Existing Park
Parking
Site Enlargement Scale: 1”=10’
Farm-to-Table Marketplace
Brewery + Hops Garden
Fruit and Nut Tree Orchard
Site A: West Highlands Urban Farm Master Plan Scale: 1”=100’
Existing Urban Agriculture in Atlanta: Under Mayor Kasim Reed, an urban agriculture program aimed at providing healthy food within a half-mile to 75% of all Atlanta residents by 2020 was implemented in 2016. AgLanta Grows-A-Lot grants 5-year renewable licenses to individuals or groups for maintaining an urban garden or an urban fam on vacant, city-owned property. 2017 was the program’s pilot year, and currently there are three pre-identified urban garden sites and one urban farm site available for adoption. Several others, including an Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill, are already bustling community hubs. Though the success of the program is already evident in increased community engagement with urban agriculture, access to land is currently what is preventing the program from expanding further.
Goals of Site Specific Design: 1. Foster community by promoting a shared goal 2. Support the existing AgLanta program by identifying one additional urban farm and urban garden site 3. Provide a framework through suitability analysis to easily locate additional feasible farm and garden sites as the need for them reveals itself
Alternative Design Concepts
Compost
Greenhouse
Playground
Native GA Plant Walk
Utility Shed Existing Multi-family Residential Wildflower Meadow Herbal Medicine Garden Vegetable Garden
Produce Distribution Boxes Gazebo Parking
Fruit and Nut Tree Orchard
Children’s Trial Garden Community Garden Plots Entry Signage
Site B: Carey Park Urban Garden Master Plan Scale: 1”=40’
Ta n g l e w o o d Brier: A study of plant form, texture, color, and seasonal habit to inform entry design in Denver, Colorado
Winter
Spring
Summer
Autumn
color
texture
form
Design Problem: Plant attributes, namely form, texture, color, and seasonal attributes worked to support established neighborhood theming to create a cohesive entry planting design.
Design Solution: To highlight neighborhood signage, soft plant forms with bright seasonal color are specified. Fine textures are placed in front of the signage with coarse textures anchoring the sign to the landscape on the ends. Plantings are grouped repetitively to mimic the form of a unified, tangled brier. Plant choices are made with Denver’s hardiness zone in mind.
Master Plan Linework Hand-drafted in pen, rendered in Adobe Photoshop
Winterberry Holly
Sedum Cauticola
Gibralter Bush Clover
Autumn Blaze Red Maple
Goldenrain Tree
Autumn Glow Muhly Grass
Tempelhof Hinoki False Cypress
Sulphureum Fairy Wings
Southern Magnolia
Planting Plan Produced and labeled in AutoCAD
Section View of Neighborhood Entry from Road Rendered in Adobe Photoshop
Orchards at Oglethorpe: Large-scale residential planning +design project located on a 3.8 acre lot in Athens, Georgia. An investigation of density and low impact development in urban infill housing projects, agrihood design, and the benefits of sustainable edible landscaping within communities. Design Problem: This abandoned 3.8 acre lot is located in a residential neighborhood adjacent to a community park and low density commercial shopping areas. The goal of this project was to create a new community within the existing cultural fabric of Athens, Georgia. Design Solution: Study of effective agrihood design in the nearby Serenbe community of Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia informed programming elements of this community design that respond to a need for sustainable, independent food production. The Orchards at Oglethorpe offers a modern take on a mixed-use development, and brings a farm-to-table lifestyle option to Athens’ predominantly urban framework while paying homage to Athens’ pastoral history.
1
Edible bioswale plantings of blueberries, lavender, rainbow chard, and rosemary encourage foraging and self-sufficient food production within the agrihood.
2
View of the elevated boardwalk walkway made out of reclaimed wood, shaded seating area, pond accessibility, and surrounding native plantings. This space creates an escape on the edge of the community where nature is accessible.
Oglethorpe Avenue
Native GA Buffer Plantings
1
Clover Street
Outdoor Kitchen
Sunset Drive
Playground
Community Garden Plots
Fruit Tree Orchard
Wildflower Meadow
2
Recreational Meadow
Gilmer Street
Illustrative Agrihood Master Plan Scale: 1”=30’
Oconee County High School: Client-driven service learning project + campus planting design. A study of both the impact of entryway design on approach as well as the importance of unifying multiple areas of the same site to achieve a sense of place unique to the space. Design Problem: A prominent high school wants the landscape design of each campus entryway to reflect the hard work, success, and stature within the community of both its faculty and students. Design Solution: Drought tolerant, native plant materials create feelings associated with rooms in traditional southern homes to create welcoming and calming spaces throughout the OCHS campus. Minimal hardscape improvements and the ability to phase design instalation adhere to tight budgetary restraints. This design was voted most successful by a panel of local landscape architects and school administrators for its welcoming nature.
Black Eyed Susan Butterfly Weed Creeping Phlox Fire Spinner Ice Plant Inkberry
1
A sculpture garden softens the harshness of the bus lane and student entry
2
Modernized community entry signage
3
Welcoming main entry view from road
Purple Coneflower Autumn Muhly Grass River Birch Sweetbay Magnolia
B.
A.
1
3
D. C. 2 Illustrative Campus Entry Master Plans A. Main, formal entry :: Foyer B. Main student entry :: Front Porch C. Community Entry :: Backyard D. Faculty Entry :: Patio
Oconee River Greenway: Public greenspace planning + design. A natural extension of the North Oconee River Greenway trail system celebrating local artisan culture, recreational outdoor activity, and a slower quality of life with ample time to appreciate, reflect, and create.
1
Design Problem: Currently, the North Oconee River Greenway ends just as Athens begins, which severs pedestrian connectivity to the existing greenway. This greenway extension thoughtfully and sustainably connects the urban framework of Athens to the existing greenway.
2
Design Solution: This greenway extension is a sustainable connectivity solution as it requires minimal grading, and native plants are proposed. Alternative modes of transport are encouraged with both bike and walking paths. Local artisan culture is supported through rotating art exhibits and various sculpture gardens, and interaction with nature is encouraged through river access and educational signage.
3
4 Design Process Graphics: Site Inventory, Composite Analysis, Alternative Design Concepts
Wildflower Meadow Kayak Launch Point
Gazebo
Pedestrian Bridge to Existing Greenway
1 1
A sculpture garden with climbing rocks, study spaces, a calming water feature, and native plantings encourages rest, relaxation, and contemplation.
Parking Facilities + Food Truck Area
2 Native GA Piedmont Plantings
Rotating Local Artist Sculpture Exhibit
Illustrative Greenway Master Plan Scale: 1”=100’
2
A multi-use trail brushes the river’s edge to create a scenic recreational environment while celebrating and preserving Georgia’s native plantscapes.
katherine boucek