Mackenzie Yeager Landscape Architecture • Selected Works
Fascinated by people and their behavior, I am content to spend my time navigating crowded city streets, seeking out adventure. Good design is, inclusive. practical. sustainable. surprising.
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Contents URBAN BAYOU
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JC HARMON
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GRANDMERE
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MERGING MAADI
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LEADERSHIP
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Portland Japanese Garden | Pencil | 2018
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URBAN BAYOU Calling Attention to the South’s Natural Ecosystem
New Orleans, LA
In the heart of the French Quarter, one of New Orleans’ oldest neighborhoods, is Urban Bayou, a plaza that highlights the tension between natural and industrial by symbolically bringing elements of the swampland ecology to the heart of the city. Sinuous pavement patterns recollect the organic, delicate nature of floating vegetation. Stark, orthogonal concrete “planks” represent the sheer will of maintaining traditional building structures on the ever-changing landscape. Unable to keep the swamp completely at bay, certain “ruptures” appear to seep a different concrete pavement from underneath. Bald cypress trees with Spanish-moss-covered branches evoke the vegetation of the bayou while various seating options provide café seating for the adjacent café. Curved bench seating and clustered stone seating come together to create a surreal sense of the swamp.
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Site Design Studio 2017 | AutoCAD Civil 3d, Rhino, Adobe Photoshop, Hand rendering, 3d Modeling
office and residential
cafe and retail
alley
cafe seating
building entrance
bench seating
Plan Pl P lan an
Urban Bayou seeks to educate the public while providing a functional and unique public space. While the plaza is located in the heart of New Orleans, it evokes qualities of a swamp to remind users of the original ecology of the Mississippi River Delta.
Curving wooden benches evoke the sinuous nature of moving through the swamp.
An expressive pavement pattern defines the design concept through the juxtaposition of curved and straight lines.
The plaza provides ample space for gathering, walking and pausing. The adjacent cafe benefits from outdoor seating.
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LASER-CUT STUDY MODEL 7
Conceptual sketches showing early pattern iterations.
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JC HARMON Creating Safe and Innovative Learning Environments
Argentine, KS
As a high school located in the tight-knit community of Argentine, JC Harmon is an important place for students and families. Originally designed in the 1970’s, the school is outdated and unsafe. Those entering the building must pass by metal detectors and security guards. The new design explores alternative safety methods in addition to conventional techniques. Along with fellow architecture students, the studio tackled the design in 3 phases. First, a masterplan for the overall community was developed to address the needs of students’ families. Second, modular learning environments were created based on the fundamental concept of having constant views to nature. The third stage involved a comprehensive building and site design.
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Site Planning and Design Studio 2018 | Designed collaboratively with Takoda Ray | Adobe photoshop, AutoCAD Civil 3d, Rhino, SketchUP, Lumion
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multi-use field futsol courts existing trees bus overflow parking bioswale
amphitheater
power lines
service entrance fishing pond
a
community pavilion
22nd street
plaza
main entrance a
observation deck
steele road staff parking
SITE PLAN 11
1� = 200’
3-Tiered Stormwater Retention
Riparian species catch and filter runoff. Pond serves as a catch basin during heavy rainfall.
Prairie wetland catches overflow during major storm events.
The design focuses on having views to nature from every classroom along with natural lighting. The back of the school opens up onto extensive grounds complete with futsol courts, a practice soccer field, baseball field, community gardens and a walking/running track. Containing the entrances to two formal doors in the front and back of the school minimizes the need for extra security measures like metal detectors. The grounds extend to the west where a community pavilion and fishing pond give local residents a place to hold events, take a relaxing walk or fish for crappie.
power lines bioswale
lawn seating open-air cafeteria seating
observation deck student plaza
outdoor study space
JC Harmon
1� = 60’
main entrance welcome courtyard
DETAIL SECTION a-a
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GRANDMERE COMMUNITY CENTER Bringing the Community together
Manhattan, KS
The Grandmere Community Center is an addition to the First Christian Church of Manhattan located just northwest of town. The final site design includes a building that can hold up to 100 people, a car drop-off, plenty of parking spaces, a retaining wall adjacent the street, accessible ramps and pathways, lawn areas, a playground and a gazebo with a view of a large bioswale. The project was carried out from design development through construction documents. The finished product includes a detail plan, earthwork diagrams, stormwater drainage plan, lighting plan, technical grading plan and construction details.
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Construction Implementation 2017-2018 | Designed collaboratively with Josh Baragree, Grace Mader and Rachel Cross | AutoCAD Civil 3d, Adobe Photoshop
bioswale first christian church
retaining wall weirs
community center lookout pavilion
lawn
drop-off
playground
SITE PLAN
1� = 40’
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CUT AND FILL DIAGRAM
GRADING AND LAYOUT
WATERSHED DIAGRAM
RETAINING WALL PROFILE
Proposed Prop osed Gra Grad de d
24"x14"x2.25" Indiana Limestone Concrete Seat Wall Wall Cap Cap 2 Chiseled Chiseled Edges Edges 1'x2' 1' 2' Limestone 2' i Brick B i Pattern Veneer F Fascia Fasc iia
1/2 Mortar Joint Type S #4 Rebar Reinforcement in Concrete Conc rete Pie Pierr and and Footin Footing g
RETAINING WALL SECTION
LIGHTING PLAN
FOAM SITE TOPOGRAPHY MODEL
6" Topsoil 4" Clay 4
Aggregat Aggr egate e Ba Backfi ckfill ll
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MERGING MAADI Connecting Cairo to the Nile
Cairo, Egypt
As a crucial part of Egypt’s identity, the Nile river should be readily accessible to all. However, in recent years, land directly adjacent to the river in Maadi, a southern district of Cairo, is largely owned by private businesses creating a barrier to lower economic classes. Merging Maadi presents a comprehensive plan to rejoin citizens of Cairo with the river through the creation of a green network throughout the city. This continuous trail includes plaza and park spaces along the way to give pedestrians a destination or place to pause on their way home. The trail continues onto the nearby islands allowing people to stroll close to the water and experience a range of natural ecology. Phase 1: Devised a master plan for the Maadi area along with 2 teammates Phases 2 and 3: Individually created detailed designs for a park and segment of the trail
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Advanced Landscape Studio 2018 | Collaboration with Caleb Parker and Kate Larkin | AutoCAD, Rhino, SketchUP, Lumion, Adobe Photoshop
As part of the master plan, a proposed public dock provides a shaded trellis for commuters to wait for their water taxi, as well as space for informal vendors to set up shop along the Nile.
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pedestrian blvd
Rendering by Kate Larkin
metro station
maadi island trail pedestrian bridges naturalized area
metro line
sunrise park
elevated ped. bridge central plaza
metro station theme park kayak beach
park sequence
splash pad fountain
private docks
pedestrian spine
public ferry
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MASTER PLAN
roundabout 1� = 200’
Merging private businesses with public trails represents Maadi’s desire to promote economic and social equality.
handicap accessible
ferry docking
public overlook
A green network is incorporated into the city streets of Maadi, providing park and plaza spaces while creating a guiding path to the Nile. From metro station to riverside, the vegetated spine makes Maadi more safe and pedestrian friendly. Redirecting traffic from the coastal highway to surrounding streets makes the river more visually and physically accessible.
Users personalize the spaces by pursuing their unique interests.
Several businesses along the waterfront are redistributed to provide more public access points along the Nile. Amenities such as kayak beaches, swimming holes, lookout points, marketplaces, gardens and public transportation docking diversify the riverfront, giving it a good mix of private and public use.
private dock
plaza connects to trail public overlook
3 RIVER ACCESS OPTIONS
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Parking and Drop-Off Maadi Club Club Entrance Embedded LED Lights Picnic Area
Splash Pad
Proposed Tree Existing Tree
Gardens
Lawn Area
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SUNRISE PARK
1” = 25’
Customizable LED lights embedded into the pathways create an interactive and inviting experience. Extending lights into the surrounding crosswalks expands the visual experience to those inside vehicles or nearby high rises.
Sunrise Park is located in an existing round-a-bout in the northeast quadrant of Maadi, near the popular membersonly Maadi Club. Several mature palm and cypress trees exist on the site and are decorated with lights every holiday season, making the place a popular social media destination. The final park design retains almost all of the existing trees while adding circulatory pathways, a picnic area, flexible lawn space, gardens, a splash pad and copious seating. Furthermore, the design promotes vehicle and pedestrian safety by creating a more direct parking and dropoff area for the Maadi Club. Four illuminated crosswalks are added to guide pedestrians safely to the park.
SYNTHESIZED ANALYSIS
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Pedestrian Bridges
Floating Boardwalk
Contructed Islands
Indoor Market Boardwalk Overlook Trail Loop
Elevated Boardwalk Overlook
Seasonal Plantings
Existing Recreational Infrastructure
MAADI ISLAND TRAIL 23
1” = 100’
Outdoor Seating
Currently, Maadi Island is divided by militarysanctioned agrigulcture on the north end and carnivalstyle programming on the south. The Island boasts ammenities including a ferris wheel, pony rides, popular wedding venues, boat rentals, expensive dining and more. The Maadi Island Trail design capitalizes on open green space and transitions the existing amusement park into a peaceful place that celebrates the natural ecology of the Nile. Concrete pavement, manicured lawn and highly programmed elements are phased into modular plots of vegetation with bisecting pathways. The main path winds through trees and riparian vegetation on its way through the site. At several places, users can break from the main path to explore floating boardwalks on the Nile or travel upwards to experience the trail from above.
Ramped boardwalk becomes accessible entrance to the elevated trail.
Constructed islands host natural vegetation and agricultural commodities while providing visual interest and wildlife habitat.
“Floating” boardwalk grants intimate access to the Nile.
“Floating” docks and constructed islands draw people to the water’s edge
Modular plots are created by biescting pathways.
Rhythmically placed palm trees are seemingly disrupted by paths.
Elevated boardwalks provide an alternate trail experience
Elevated boardwalk allows visitors to experience a unique view of Maadi.
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INVOLVEMENT Structural Change and Brownfield Recycling Bochum, Germany Summer 2018 I was able to attend the first DE-US.net
PHOENIX-SEE EAST, DORTMUND
summer school collaboration between German, American and international students. The four-day experience included two full days of lectures followed by lengthy discussions. Each student provided carefully prepared notes and discussion questions on one of the lectures. Topics ranged from climate change infrastructure finance to structural change specific to the Ruhr region. The other two days were spent viewing reclaimed brownfields in the area. Many of them are popular tourist destinations, event spaces and residential areas.
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WESTPARK, BOCHUM
Parking day 2018 involved creating and constructing a twelvefoot tall tree from plywood. As head of the tree committee, I devised the final forms of the branches and modeled them in Rhino to be cut by the CNC router. Once the pieces were cut out, I helped arrange and assemble them.
Parking Day Tree Committee Head
Manhattan, KS
DESIGN FEATURED IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE MAGAZINE 26
THA
Mackenzie Yeager
macken5@ksu.edu
+636.795.6070