MARIA ISABEL ARROYO LANDSCAPE DESIGN PORTFOLIO
MARIA ISABEL ARROYO sabelarroyo@gmail.com
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(803)608-9991
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issuu.com/mariaisabelarroyo
“Resilience in a crisis requires an abundance of empathetic creativity”
EDUCATION Harvard University Graduate School of Design MLA I: Cambridge, MA (September 2013 – May 2016) Thesis: Proposal to utilize longleaf pine conservation as a means of embedding recreational spaces within the process of suburban development in the rural American South Relevant coursework: Landscape Architecture Studio, Ecology (Soil, Plants, Landscape, Urban, and Suburban), Extraction Landscapes (Chile), History of Plants and Animals, Mobility (Moscow and Bergamo), Grading Duke University BS in Environmental Science and BA 2 in Visual Arts: Durham, NC (August 2009 – May 2013) Thesis: Installation examining environmentalism in the context of Ecuador’s 2008 constitution Relevant coursework: Design (Urban, Green Community, Theater, and Type), Hydrology, Marine ecology, Climate Dynamics, Painting, Printmaking, History (Art, Womens’, and Latinx), French Writing
Experience Adamo Brothers Construction Company Sustainability Consultant: Ridgefield, NJ (October 2018-Present) Consults staff and owner on sustainability practices and design communication for proposal writing STUDIO|BRYAN HANES Project Manager: Philadelphia, PA (December 2019-Janunary 2021)
Led production of construction document sets including: concept sketches, site detailing, and planting pallets Managed RFP and interview responses including: promotional writing and coordination of historical research Rendered perspective, plan, and spatial analysis graphics Served as guest juror for undergraduate studios Assisted in community engagement events
SALT DESIGN STUDIO Landscape Designer (Temporary Contract): Philadelphia, PA (June- September 2019) Produced concept sketches, client presentations, construction drawings/details, site plans, 2d/3d mixed media graphics, materials palettes, cost estimation, and site analysis documents Put together proposals/ responses for RFPs Managed company website Floura Teeter Landscape Architecture Landscape Designer: Baltimore, MD (March 2017 – October 2018) Produced concept sketches, client presentations, construction drawings/details, site plans, sustainability reports, 2d/3d mixed media graphics, reforestation plant lists, materials palettes, and site analysis documents Collected tree health assessment data and prepared as-built plans on-field Led educational sessions regarding urban planning and policy LSG Landscape Architecture INC. Staff Landscape Designer: Mclean, VA (August 2016 – March 2017) Collaborated on client presentations, construction drawings/ details, site plans, 2d/3d mixed media graphics, website updates, site analysis documents, and project proposals Harvard GSD History of Plants and Animals Teaching Assistant: Cambridge, MA (September-December 2015) Organized logistics of weekly course presentations and reviews (midterms and finals) Harvard GSD Sustainable Exuma Research Assistant Cambridge, MA (June-August 2015) Researched and edited two booklets in collaboration with the Bahamian Government: “Grow Fruit,” an urban fruit growing proposal covering local fruit culture and ecology “Strawtegies,” an environmental guide focusing on culturally important palm trees Harvard GSD Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure Research Assistant: Cambridge, MA (Fall 2013 - Spring 2014)
Produced graphics for Zofnass Economic Process Tool web application Wrote case study for The 2014 Inter-American Development Bank Infrastructure 360 Awards Evaluated wind farm and received the Infrastructure 360° People and Leadership Award Case study published in “Sustainable Infrastructure in Latin America: Infrastructure 360º Awards” (Link)
Eduard Duval-Carrié Undergraduate Intern to Visiting Professor: Durham, NC (August-December 2012) Trained in epoxy resin medium; one of ten resulting paintings featured in 2012 Duke Arts Festival
SKILLS Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, ArcGIS, QGIS, Rhino, AutoCad & LandFX, MicroStation, Revit, Hand Rendering, SketchUp, Power Point, Word, Excel, Squarespace, Zoom, Remote Work, Historical Research, Bilingual (English and Spanish), Public Speaking, Proposal Writing, Community Canvassing, Phone Banking
2020-2021 STUDIO|BRYAN HANES The Wolf Building: Amenities Roof Design Development Philadelphia, PA SUPERVISORS: Bryan Hanes CLIENT: The Regis Group PROJECT MANAGER RESPONSIBILITIES: • Evaluated concept sketches (Adobe Sketchbook) • Drafted as-built plan from site measurements (AutoCAD) • Drafted full DD set including: materials and layout plan, grading plan, fill plan, planting plan and site details (AutoCAD) • Evaluated paving products and planting palette • Built digital models of stairs (Rhino) DESIGN GOALS: • Accommodate a broad range of recreational activities • Revamp existing brick structures • Stormwater management • Provide shade • Give the roof a distinct visual identity BACKGROUND/CONTEXT: The Wolf is home to multiple apartments and offices within a historic industrial building. Its roof remains largely unfinished, primarily providing space for scrap storage. Seeking an opportunity to provide amenities to the building’s various residents, The Regis Group tasked SBH with designing an iconic space that could facilitate play, fitness, and relaxation. SBH provided a unique identity to the design’s programmatic demands by proposing distinct, eye-catching features: a brightly colored running path, a movie mound designed to accommodate various forms of seating styles, a stormwater feature that doubles as an intimate seating area around a fire pit, and sheltered lounges that repurpose existing built elements. The resulting design will transform the roof into a dynamic community hub for the building’s tenants.
LOUNGE, EASTERN ELEVATION
CIRCULAR BENCH: SECTION B
PLANTING AT SWM EDGE B2
WOOD WALKWAY AT SWM EDGE B1
START OF PAVING
WOOD WALKWAY B: DETAIL LAYOUT
MOVIE MOUND:SECTION B
DOG PARK MOVIE MOUND
YOGA LAWN
CALLOWHILL STREET
CARLTON STREET
MOVIE MOUND: SECTION A
N. 12TH STREET GRAPHIC SCALE 1" = 8'-0" 0
4'
8'
16'
32'
2020 STUDIO|BRYAN HANES Emblem 125 (Parcel 28) Amenities Plaza Providence, RI SUPERVISORS: Bryan Hanes, Hope McManus CLIENT: Torti Gallas Partners PROJECT MANAGER RESPONSIBILITIES: • Updated DD set into final CD and VE set including: materials and layout plan, grading plan, soil plan, planting plan and site details (AutoCAD) • Researched paving products • Designed custom seating for amenities plaza (AutoCAD) • Researched and selected planting palette • Coordinated street tree protection agreements between client and City Arborist • Edited Specifications (Word)
GRAPHIC SCALE 1/16" = 1'-0" 0
DESIGN GOALS: • Replace removed trees in order to maintain local tree canopy • Create comfortable spaces for seating and informal gathering • Accommodate design to cost changing measures BACKGROUND/CONTEXT: Emblem 125 will be a mixed-use building consisting of residential and retail units. Realizing the importance of outdoor space for future tenants the architect reached out to SBH to design the building’s three plazas and ground-level streetscape. With the intent of creating a unique experience within a standard outdoor program of grilling and lounging, SBH provided a design that allows for 3 levels of engagement. The first is a green roof plaza which will only be experienced visually but will accommodate stormwater requirements. The second is a passive activity plaza whose custom benches allow for a meditative relationship with the proposed plantings. The third is an active plaza with additional custom furniture elements in a flexible space that allows for games, lounging, and cooking. In addition to prioritizing street tree health on the ground level, the team took special care to select timeless yet durable materials and plants to allow for low maintenance and long term integrity.
OUTDOOR KITCHEN: BACK ELEVATION
OUTDOOR KITCHEN: SECTION A
CL
CL
OUTDOOR KITCHEN: PLAN
8'
16'
32'
64'
BUILT-IN WOOD SOFA PLANTER: ENLARGEMENT PLAN
BUILT-IN WOOD SOFA PLANTER: SECTION B
TIMBER SEATWALL AT WOOD CLAD WALL AND PAVER
TIMBER SEATWALL C: ENLARGEMENT PLAN
TIMBER SEATWALL AT ARTIFICIAL TURF AND PAVER
CL
BUILT-IN WOOD SOFA PLANTER: LAYOUT
COURTYARD A
TIMBER SEATWALL A+B: ENLARGEMENT PLAN
COURTYARD B
TIMBER SEATWALL AT STONE CLAD WALL AND ARTIFICIAL TURF
GREEN ROOF
SPRING
2019-2020 STUDIO|BRYAN HANES Taller Puertorriqueño Festival Plaza Philadelphia, PA SUPERVISORS: Bryan Hanes
Hamamelis Vernails Ozark Witch Hazel
CLIENT: Taller Puertorriqueño, Pro Bono
Amsonia Hubrichtii Threadleafed Bluestar
DESIGN GOALS: • Visual connection between the plaza and the neighborhood • Soften the appearance of harsh walls and fencing • Allow for flexible programing • Provide shade for the summer and visual interest in the winter • Improve circulation into plaza BACKGROUND/CONTEXT: Built to serve the cultural heart of Philadelphia’s broader Latinx community, The Taller Puertorriqueño building’s outdoor plaza space suffered from a barren appearance and convoluted access points. SBH proposed to ameliorate this condition by creating a “green cocoon” to define the plaza’s edge and accommodate direct pedestrian access while allowing for summertime shade. The planting palette also allows the color yellow to appear continuously throughout the year, which serves as a nod to the golden paths painted along the neighboring “El Centro de Oro” business district. As an additional nod to the local streetscape SBH also proposed sites for metal palm tree installations (like those found throughout the business corridor). While these changes will maintain the Plaza’s ability to host large events, they will also create a desirable location for day to day relaxation.
WINTER
SUMMER
PROJECT MANAGER RESPONSIBILITIES: • Project Management • Updated plan (Rhino and Photoshop) • Updated renderings (Rhino and Photoshop) • Researched and selected planting palette • Provided research of site and neighborhood • Put together design presentation for client (Indesign)
Pennisetum Alopecuroides ‘Hameln’ Dwarf Fountain Grass
Yucca ‘Bright Edge’ Bright Edge Yucca
FALL
B
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WEST HUNTINGDON STREET
D A ESPALIER TREE
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B CANOPY TREE C
ORNAMENTAL TREE
D SHRUB E
GRASSES
F
PERENNIAL PLANTING BED
G BENCHES H SCULPTURE BASE
I
A
F
I
EXISTING STRING LIGHTS
J
GATE A
2019 STUDIO|BRYAN HANES 200 South 12th Street Philadelphia, PA SUPERVISORS: Bryan Hanes CLIENT: BLT Architects PROJECT MANAGER RESPONSIBILITIES: • Project Management • Updated SD plan and sections(Autocad) • Updated plan renderings (Photoshop) • Produced atmospheric renderings (Photoshop) • Provided research of site and neighborhood • Put together design and product research presentation for client (Indesign) DESIGN GOALS: • Honor the site’s connection to historically marginalized communities • Improve circulation while providing visual screening • Encourage seating and informal socialization • Provide refuge from summer heat BACKGROUND/CONTEXT: BLT’s building and plaza on the intersection of Carmac and Chancellor Street, required the demolition of the block’s unoccupied buildings. While lacking the “facade integrity” necessary for historic designation, two of the affected lots had some historical significance. The first was the Carmac Baths. In business from 1834-1984 this bathhouse was home to an active subculture of gay men who utilized the built-in private anonymity to find acceptance and partnership. The second was the former residence and restaurant of Henry S. Minton, a luxury restaurateur and one of the most prominent self-made African-American businessmen of the abolition era. Finding a common thread of pleasure, community, and acceptance in these sites; SBH proposed “a garden of delights.” The design incorporates the use of mist, shade structures, and movable seating to allow for casual gatherings while providing protection from the summer heat. The design also proposed murals to evoke a sense of pleasurable relaxation on adjacent exposed walls.
2020 STUDIO|BRYAN HANES Graphic Updates Philadelphia, PA SUPERVISORS: Bryan Hanes CLIENT: STUDIO|BRYAN HANES DESIGNER RESPONSIBILITIES: • Updated plan renderings (Photoshop) DESIGN GOALS: • Provide texture and visual interest to serviceable but lackluster plan renderings BACKGROUND/CONTEXT: As a part of an ongoing process to widen the scope of available projects to reference for RFPs, awards, and marketing materials SBH put together a dossier of previously completed projects that had yet to be built but also lacked eye catching graphic material. Individual staff took on the responsibility of updating the graphics of 1-2 projects over the course of available hours throughout the year. Plan renderings received the most attention due to their association with projects that had a heavy emphasis on construction documentation at the expense of highly polished imagery.
PROJECT STATS: - TOTAL PARK AREA = 251,911 SF (5.8 AC) - PROJECT DISTURBANCE = 6,189 SF (0.14 AC) - PERCENT OF PARK BEING DISTURBED = 2.5% - 5 SMALL TREES BEING REMOVED / TRANSPLANTED - 11 NEW TREES BEING PLANTED
2019 SALT DESIGN STUDIO McMichael Park Phase 1 Philadelphia, PA
WEST COULTER STREET
EXISTING STREET TREE TO REMAIN
EXISTING CONCRETE SIDEWALK
SUPERVISORS: Sara Pevaroff Schuh and Katrina Rogus
PROJECT LIMITS, TYP.
CLIENT: Philadelphia Parks and Recreation
EXISTING TURF LAWN, TYP.
6' ACCESSIBLE PATH (EXPOSED AGGREGATE CONCRETE)
APPROXIMATE FOOTPRINT FOR "MODIFIED STANDARD" GRASS BLADES CLIMBING STRUCTURE
EDGE OF PLANT BED (4) UNDERSTORY TREES
CURVED WOOD BENCH SEATING; (8) SEGMENTS TOTAL
(13) SHRUBS
DESIGNER RESPONSIBILITIES: • Plant ID • Adjusted base plan to meet up-to-date site information (AutoCAD) • Designed multiple schematic options of playground based on updated base plan and different playground equipment arrangements • Produced section renderings of playground schematic options (Photoshop and InDesign)
(10) TREE COOKIES PLACED IN LAWN; SIZES VARY
(3) STEPPING STONE SLABS
(5) STEPPING STONE SLABS
POURED-IN-PLACE SAFETY SURFACE
PROJECT LIMITS, TYP.
(12) SHRUBS
EDGE OF "NO MOW" ZONE
(3) UNDERSTORY TREES SINGLE LOG BALANCE BEAM
(2) UNDERSTORY TREES EDGE OF PLANT BED
(2) BACKED BENCHES
EXISTING UTILITY POLE AND OVERHEAD LIGHT
TRASH & RECYCLING RECEPTACLES
EXISTING TURF LAWN, TYP.
EDGE OF PLANT BED EDGE OF "NO MOW" ZONE
EDGE OF "NO MOW" ZONE (18) PLAY STUMPS (6) STEPPING STONE SLABS
(12) TREE COOKIES PLACED IN LAWN; SIZES VARY
EXISTING CANOPY TREE TO REMAIN, TYP.
MIX OF SMALL AND LARGE BOULDERS
6' ACCESSIBLE PATH (EXPOSED AGGREGATE CONCRETE)
DOUBLE LOG BALANCE BEAM EDGE OF "NO MOW" ZONE
(2) UNDERSTORY TREES
PLAYGROUND-GRADE MULCH EDGE OF PLANT BED SWINGS WITH TWO REGULAR BELT SEATS AND ONE ALL-INCLUSIVE "BIRDS NEST" SEAT TIMBER EDGING
BACKGROUND/CONTEXT: McMichael Park is a 5.6 acre public park surrounded by a community of retirees and a burgeoning population of young families. Though popular and well maintained by local volunteer groups, the park has few spaces that fully meet the recreational needs of children. This has sparked some community conflict regarding the parks future with the older residents vocally opposing the presence of a playground, fearing it would disrupt the park’s “natural and peaceful” atmosphere. SALT Design Studio worked with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation on a design of a new nature-play space at McMichael Park through an iterative creative process that relied heavily on community input. The resulting proposal makes use of elements like logs, boulders, berms, and equipment made from natural materials to create a space that feels at home in the park’s woodland context, while facilitating creative play.
PROJECT LIMITS, TYP.
DESIGN GOALS: • Mimic nature in order to encourage free-form play • Refine schematic plan to accommodate on-site conditions • Provide Philly Parks and Rec a series of playground options ranging from a fully customized nature play space to a playground using standard pieces from the city’s main supplier
EXISTING TURF LAWN, TYP.
1
0'
SCHEMATIC DESIGN SITE PLAN SCALE: 1" = 10'-0"
5'
10'
20'
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2019 SALT DESIGN STUDIO Locust Avenue Multi-Family Development Philadelphia, PA SUPERVISORS: Sara Pevaroff Schuh and Steve Buck CLIENT: 704-720 E. Locust Ave., LLC. DESIGNER RESPONSIBILITIES: • Collaborated on site design • Drafted schematic planting plan (AutoCAD) • Researched and selected planting pallet • Produced plan rendering image (Photoshop and InDesign)
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DESIGN GOALS: • Select plants that do well within a stormwater management scheme and require minimal maintenance • Provide a sense of refuge and curiosity within limited planting space • Meet city stormwater management and street tree requirements • Minimize impermeable surfaces • Provide client with images that can communicate design intent to community BACKGROUND/CONTEXT: SALT DESIGN STUDIO was commissioned by the 704-720 E. Locust Ave., LLC. to provide a schematic landscape design and planting plan for the purpose of screening, beautification, and stormwater mitigation. The design features a green roof, a whimsical bioswale, robust street tree plantings, and a front yard with diverse strata. Within the limited planting area SALT’s design accommodates small scale recreation; the bioswale features a dry river encouraging limited exploration, while the front yard provides a shaded and mildly screened outdoor relaxation space for residents.
ST
LEGEND
ST / LEBANON AVE INTERSECTION
NEIGHBORHOOD LANDMARK & SEATING
EXISTING
GREEN BUMPOUT (GSI) WITH STREET TREES
TREE
2019 SALT DESIGN STUDIO Upper Lancaster Avenue Corridor Master Plan Philadelphia, PA
PROPERTY LINE / R.O.W.
DECORATIVE PAVING
PAINTED BIKE LANE
DECORATIVE CROSSWALK RAIN GARDEN (GSI)
PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS PAINTED BIKE LANE
CLIENT: Overbrook West Neighbors (OWN)
DECORATIVE PAVING
N 0’ 15’ 30’
60’
PAVED BUMPOUT
DESIGNER RESPONSIBILITIES: • Collaborated on plan rendering (Photoshop) • Researched precedent examples • Collaborated on boards for community meeting (InDesign) • Participated in community meeting
MALVERN AVE / N 62ND ST INTERSECTION
DECORATIVE INTERSECTION / CROSSWALK PAVING
DECORATIVE PAVING
DECORATIVE INTERSECTION & CROSSWALKS GREEN BUMPOUT (GSI) WITH STREET TREES
STREET TREE CONCRETE PAVEMENT
PAVED BUMPOUT
GREEN BUMPOUT (GSI) PAINTED BIKE LANE
DESIGN GOALS: • Slow vehicles down and encourage pedestrian traffic • Propose local branding and open programing opportunities • Present the plan’s ideas in an accessible manner • Modify and refine the final plan based on community response
BIKE SHARE
62ND ST PLAZA EVENT / POP-UP SPACE WITH DECORATIVE PAVING, NEIGHBORHOOD LANDMARK TREES, PLANTINGS & SEATING
N 0’ 15’ 30’
MALVERN AVE. TO N 61ST ST / LEBANON AVE
N 61ST ST / LEBANON AVE TO N 62ND ST
STREET TREES PAVED & GREEN VERGE (GSI) PAINTED BIKE LANES PEDESTRIAN STREETLIGHTS ON-STREET PARKING STREET FURNISHINGS
STREET TREES PAVED VERGE PAINTED BIKE LANES PEDESTRIAN STREETLIGHTS ON-STREET PARKING STREET FURNISHINGS
60’
AV ON AN LEB
VE EA
ST
IN
ST
DB
ST
61
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HA
ST
TH
N
N 0’ 30’ 60’
N 63RD ST TO MALVERN AVE PAINTED BIKE LANES PAVED VERGE ON-STREET PARKING PEDESTRIAN STREETLIGHTS STREET FURNISHINGS
N
W
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ST
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62
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ST
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N
ST
N 62ND ST
RD
63 633RD & 63RD MAL MA M A VVER VEEERRN TRRROOLLLE TRO LLLLEEY LOO OOP OP OP
60
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ERBR ERBRO BRROOO OOK OK OK
N
TYPICAL SECTION A
LANCASTER AVE
N
BACKGROUND/CONTEXT: SALT DESIGN STUDIO worked with Overbrook West Neighbors (OWN) to secure a Corridor Enhancement Grant from the Philadelphia Commerce Department in order to develop a Master Plan for Upper Lancaster Avenue between N. 63rd and N. 56th Street. Located in Philadelphia’s Overbrook neighborhood, the corridor is host to a high amount of truck traffic while lacking the amenities for pedestrians and cyclists. Following an analysis that identified significant hazards and resources (via input from the community). SALT developed a plan that makes use of Green Stormwater Infrastructure, pop-up event spaces, pedestrian bumpouts, corridor greening, and opportunities for neighborhood landmarks in order to create a new vision for the corridor. The plan will provide a long-range traffic slowing blueprint for this section of Lancaster Avenue. The resulting corridor will thus be able to accommodate the community’s main requests: facilitation of local events, increased foot traffic for local businesses, and a safe walking experience. Following the plan’s development SALT led a community meeting to present the proposal and acquire any additional input before the production of a final report.
GREEN BUMPOUT (GSI)
PAVED BUMPOUT
MA
SUPERVISORS: Sara Pevaroff Schuh and Steve Buck
CURBLINE
120’
2018 FLOURA TEETER LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS Baker Street Garden Baltimore, MD SUPERVISORS: Joan Floura and Kyle Mundy CLIENT: The Baltimore Station (Pro Bono) DESIGNER RESPONSIBILITIES: • Sketched schematic design iterations • Refined hands sketches into renderings (Photoshop) • Researched material planting palette • Drafted plan of client’s preferred design option (AutoCAD • Produce presentation of material and planting palette (InDesign) DESIGN GOALS: • Transform a vacant lot into a relaxing gathering and contemplation space for local veteran community • Physically and visually unify the garden’s three proposed spaces, paying special attention to accessibility • Use paving to honor existing desire paths and provide wheel chair access to all three spaces • Provide more comfortable seating options by augmenting the shade tree canopy • Use ornamental tree planting to frame the memorial and to allow for privacy in the discussion circle
INITIAL CONDITONS
INITIAL PROPOSAL
OPTION 1
OPTION 2
OPTION 3
OPTION 4
BACKGROUND/CONTEXT: The Baltimore Station provides “innovative residential treatment” to veterans seeking to transition out of homlessness, poverty, and addiction. In 2018 they reached out to FTLA for assistance in drafting a plan for a healing/memorial garden that had been very loosely sketched out by the organization’s members. The plan consisted of four elements: A paved area with seating and chess tables, a memorial space, a circle of seating boulders for group therapy style discussions, and a walkway that would formalized an existing desire path on the site. The design team realized that FTLA could provide more than just a drafted CAD plan and proceeded to generate four design options that incorporated the proposed garden elements while accounting for affordability, scale, accessibility, and comfort. Excited by the four new visions of the garden the client selected one design and requested that FTLA provide construction documents for the selected plan and a rendering to be use to encourage fund-raising efforts.
2017-2018 FLOURA TEETER LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS I-270 Congestion Management Progressive Design-Build Montgomery/Frederick county, MD SUPERVISORS: Megan Maffeo CLIENT: Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration DESIGNER RESPONSIBILITIES: • Participant of field work team for 3 months • Conducted analysis of tree, forest stand, and hedgerow data within project limit of disturbance (ESRI ArcCollector) • Tagged trees and input their health data into GIS dataset (ESRI ArcCollector) • Assisted in updating permitting plans based on updated limit of disturbance information (MicroStation) • Update planting calculations (MicroStation and Excel) DESIGN GOALS: • Preparation of Permit documents based on accurate on-site conditions. • Protection of savable trees near limit of disturbance BACKGROUND/CONTEXT: FTLA provided inventory and analysis of existing vegetative resources, design of tree protection measures, and permitting forest impacts. Members of FTLA’s fieldwork team used ESRI ArcCollector software on iPads connected to GPS transmitters with submeter accuracy to field locate limits of forested areas, hedgerows, and specimen trees. The resultant field data was then incorporated in the base files for roadway design. The I-270 project was separated into thirteen subprojects for design and permitting. The design team provided recommendations for tree protection measures included on Erosion and Sediment Control Plans, and planting plans for bioswales and microbioretention facilities as part of the design strategy to manage and treat stormwater runoff. The team then prepared and submitted permit documents and applications for all forest impacts to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources as either a Roadside Tree Permit of Reforestation Law Permit.
2018 FLOURA TEETER LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS UMB Library Plaza Baltimore, MD SUPERVISORS: Lydia Kimball and Kyle Mundy
4 55.97 +
55.58 56.75 + +
55.26 +
6
5%
56.25 +
1
pe
Slo
2
CLIENT: RK&K Engineering
3
+ 56.37
+ 56.45
3
DESIGNER RESPONSIBILITIES: • Collaborated in schematic design iterations for gateway plantings • Refined hand sketches into renderings (Photoshop) • Put together PDF presentation of schematic design options (InDesign) • Provided 3D models for final planting bed and seating wall options (Rhino)
5
DESIGN GOALS: • Compliance with ADA standards • Decrease coverage of impermeable surfaces • Adherence to the plaza’s geometric design (of particular importance because the plaza is visible from the library’s upper story windows) BACKGROUND/CONTEXT: The University of Maryland Health Sciences and Human Services Library plaza is almost completely ADA accessible with the exception of the plazas’s western entrance. There, a slight change in sidewalk grade was resolved with a single step which has proven to be a tripping hazard, a barrier to accessibility, and possibly built on a degraded foundation. RK&K sought FTLA’s assistance in the process of redesigning the plaza’s entrance in order to make a simple grade resolution excise into an opportunity to bring some site aesthetic improvements. The FTLA design team provided the client with renderings depicting five possible grade resolutions. UMB settled on a design that extended the length of the adjacent planting bed which allowed for a gentler slope into the plaza that would allow for grading with no additional railing and at a low relative cost.
WHERE WE SHOULD BE
WHERE WE ARE
2018 FLOURA TEETER LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS APA Maryland Annual Meeting Recap Lecture
WHAT DESIGNERS PROVIDE
PLAN FOR INCLUSIVE NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION DEIGN FOR MIXED INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS
SUPERVISORS: Self Directed
WHAT EMPLOYERS PROVIDE
LOW WAGES + ABUSIVE WORK WAGES SCALED TO PRICE OF LIVING + HUMANE WORK ENVIRONMENT ENVIRONMENT
CLIENT: FTLA Academy
WAGES SCALED TO PRICE OF LIVING + HUMANE WORK ENVIRONMENT
WAGES SCALED TO PRICE OF LIVING + HUMANE WORK ENVIRONMENT
WHAT SOCIETY PROVIDES
INSTRUCTOR RESPONSIBILITIES: • Attended APA MD annual meeting and took notes • Researched topic of YIMBYism and controversy surrounding California’s Senate Bill 827 • Drew diagrams of housing issues (InDesign) • Produced and presented summary of meeting and research (InDesign)
MARKET PRICE HOUSING
MARKET PRICE HOUSING
FREE HEALTHCARE + FREE EDUCATION
FREE HEALTHCARE + FREE EDUCATION
SUBSIDIZED HOUSING/ RENT CONTROL
UNIVERSAL SUBSIDIZED HOUSING
TRUE REVITALIZATION
GENTRIFICATION / CRISIS
GENTRIFICATION: ECONOMIC CRISIS AND REVITALIZATION SPECTRUM
DESIGN GOALS: • Share multifaceted urban issues into a sharable diagrammatic form VISITORS NEW RESIDENTS
LOCAL BUSINESSES
$$
VISITORS
MONOPOLIES
$$
ART $$
$$
ART
CURRENT RESIDENTS
CURRENT RESIDENTS
SERVICES
$$
$
GOODS
$
$
NEW RESIDENTS
SERVICES
$$ $
$
$ $
EMPLOYEES
$$
$
EMPLOYEES
$$
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$
$$
GOODS
$$
$
$
$
HOUSING
HOUSING
ECONOMIC BALANCE
ECONOMIC CRISIS
GENTRIFICATION: HOUSING AND PUBLIC ART
HIGH POLITICAL INFLUENCE
MONIED UPPER CLASS THAT DOES NOT WANT AMENITIES THAT BRING IN NON WHITE/POOR/ MIDDLE CLASS/ YOUNG PEOPLE
BIG MONEY
DEVELOPERS READY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF DEREGULATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF ECONOMIC GAIN AT THE EXPENSE OF THE LOCAL POPULATION
CONFLICT FOR CONTROL
YIMBY
POWER CONFLICT
PO
TB
W
IC
FL
ER
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LOCAL POPULATION THAT SEES DEREGULATION AS THE BEGINNING PROCESS OF AN ECONOMIC PILLAGE
NIMBY
CONFLICT FOR CONTROL
W
FL IC TA
NIMBY
OLD MONEY
PO
BACKGROUND/CONTEXT: The 2018 APA MD conference boasted an exiting agenda of topical presentations: Public art, urban redevelopment, and the rise of the YIMBY movement. While the presentation proved highly informative, responses to issues of gentrification were minimal. Meanwhile, the presentation of YIMBYism flattened California’s current housing conflicts as a clash between “those who want to build more apartments” and “those who are against building apartments” without much of an explanation of each party’s motives or concerns. This prompted some additional research into the topic of gentrification and YIMBYism. After accessing some local news articles, podcasts, facebook groups, subreddits, and personal blogs a clearer picture of this conflict began to emerge. In the case of the Bay Area; gentrification conflicts and economic crisis were a result of development policies that allowed for rapid monopolization, poor wages, and management of housing real estate as liquid assets. Further examination of the NIMBY vs YIMBY conflict reveal the shared desire for affordable housing and accessible urban amenities among young professionals and working class families- an interest that sits in conflict with the goal of unregulated real estate development and the legacy of economically enforced segregation. The resulting presentation was presented as a part of the in-office lunch lecture series, FTLA Academy.
LACK OF DIALOGUE
NON WHITE/POOR/ MIDDLE CLASS/ YOUNG PEOPLE DEMANDING COMMUNITY AMENITIES
LOW POLITICAL INFLUENCE
A UNITED COMMUNITY
THE FOUR SIDED YIMBYISM CONFLICT: CURRENT STATE
YIMBYISM CONFLICT IDEAL STATE
NEW MONEY
YIMBY
2016 BERGAMO eMOTION The Waiting Game: Space as Spectacle Bergamo, Italy and Cambridge, MA COLLABORATORS: Lee Ann Bobrowski, Ambrose Luk, Marta Carrara,Ghylaine Meukeu, Alba Pinotti INSTRUCTORS: Stefano Andreani Allen Sayegh STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES • Collected field data and site photographs • Led brainstorming session with Italian collaborators • Produced Renders (Photoshop and Illustrator) • Drafted/Modeled beacon prototypes (Rhino) • Wrote final project report DESIGN GOALS: • Produce a positive vision of the transit experience by depicting the bus stop as an opportunity for safe relaxation and recreation • Cross cultural and cross discipline communication of resulting design BACKGROUND/CONTEXT: Harvard GSD’s Responsive Environments and Artifacts Labs and the University of Bergamo led a transportation course to produce a futuristic design investigation (Bergamo of 2035.) The course formed “Topic Teams” consisting of GSD’s design students paired with UniBG’s Engineering students. “The Waiting Game” was a response to local congestion. Following a brainstorming session where the GSD students listened to their Italian peers discuss the commuting experience. Unlike most old European cities, Bergamo is a very car dependent city with poor transit. Unreliability and nighttime safety concerns also discourage bus use. While the design team understood that the heart of their response would require a larger bus fleet with broader and more frequent service, they realized the experience of taking the bus needed a positive transformation. Dividing bus stops into three general typologies (Small Local, Medium Local, and Large Regional) “The Waiting Game” proposes the deployment of “Beacons” that would serve as the stop marker but could also function as a source of light, soothing scents, heating, cooling, and projected entertainment. The large stops would have the added feature of looking more like covered park than a conventional stop. The result is a series of activated urban spaces that put the commuter at ease at all hours and conditions, while also providing an iconic marker for ease of orientation and exploration.
2015-2016 MLA THESIS: Park Palustris INSTRUCTORS: Jill Desimini BACKGROUND/CONTEXT: This thesis utilizes the Longleaf Pine’s (Pinus palustris) cultural and ecological importance throughout the American South as leverage for embedding a system of public forests within the civic framework of a demographically shifting rural community; among whom persists limited access to their abundant natural surroundings. At the scale of the park, the design acts as a celebration of the longleaf pine from an experiential standpoint. Moving to the county-scale the design demonstrates a speculative plan for rural development that accommodates conservation and publicly accessible nature. This resultant public forest system is organized as a gradient of access and design control between four typologies. Speculatively this system can be expanded into similar lowdensity regions throughout the rural South. TYPE 1 Parks will make use of grading manipulations and plant selection for the purpose of an experience and aesthetic effect, but will have minimal behavioral restrictions. These parks are intended for teenagers, and young adults; people that don’t want their behavior limited and value privacy. TYPE 2 Parks will have more behavioral restrictions. In these parks the aesthetics are based on openness and tactility aimed at young children. The design aims to allow some un-structured activity but provide a sense of safety. TYPE 3 Parks will have an educational function. Visitors will still have the ability to touch and walk among the plants. However, the experience will be a choreographed walk through a curated planting palette. TYPE 4 Parks will start as an existing longleaf forest or mixed evergreen forest, which through the addition of a path and a few strategic clearings will allow entry with minimal disturbance to the existing forest. This thesis proposes a route to a physical immersion; where the longleaf carves out (for both new and old Americans) spaces for play, discovery, and connection. At any scale the end goal is twofold. First, to give people access to the land that already surrounds them and second to encourage the revival of an ecologically and culturally valuable landscape that also happens to be very beautiful and fun.
2015 SEXY BEAST MKAD: Crests, Chasms, and Chaos INSTRUCTORS: Martha Schwartz, Markus Jatsch BACKGROUND/CONTEXT: As an object the car is neutral and non-autonomous. Yet, its presence has left a decided mark on Moscow’s physical and cultural landscape. On one hand, Cars pollute, cars kill, cars frustrate, and cars anger. On the other hand, the car is freedom: by shrinking the world it can become a vessel for adventure, by enclosing its driver it offers mobile privacy. The shortcomings of the ten-laned Moscow Automobile Ring Road (MKAD) come from its ability to magnify frustrations and smother freedom with traffic. It is a monstrosity yet it is monotonous. It is a monumental construction yet it is nothing more than a route. If the resulting commute must be long and ecologically destructive then it should be a flirtation with death. The ground itself then should be a haven for play, mischief, and subterfuge. As the soil morphs into the car’s promise of freedom, MKAD becomes an adventure, a destination, and a route into the future. In anticipation of The MKAD’s future obsolescence (from the creation of a more robust subway system), this plan harvests the inactivated space between the MKAD’s major intersections. Intrusive landforms break the efficiency of the direct straight line and force the driver to sharp geometric turns. These mounds and depression create enclosed spaces that open themselves up for occupation. In some instance we have enhanced pulloffs that allow drivers the space to pull over, hang out, and drive recklessly. While other spaces cater to private human activity and public venues. The asphalt zones are kept open to allow a more free form type of driving with the opportunity for pedestrians to watch. Within the human zones the larger space is divided into mini plazas that provide seating and a platforms designated “art” and “performance” spaces. The landforms themselves serve as a geometric expressions of Moscow’s economic future. Smooth sloping paths cut through the terraces while stepped paths cut through the slopes, allowing for a constant registration of the contour marks. For contrast the slopes are left bare while the terraces are planted with a gradient of hardy grasses. The resulting tiered landscape will hint at the future mining activities in Moscow’s outskirts, following the global drop in demand for oil and natural gas. The landscape thus acts as a physical example of what opportunities may emerge in an extracted earth.
2014 CORE STUDIO II: Franklin Park Zoo INSTRUCTORS: Luis Callejas and Anita Berrizbeitia BACKGROUND/CONTEXT: Small enclosures, outdated use of cages, and Boston’s winters create harsh conditions for the most of the animals featured in the Franklin Park Zoo. While zoos have been historically used for entertainment, most contemporary zoos have shifted towards goals of conservation and education. In the case of zoos with smaller facilities in less hospitable climate zones, the goal of species preservation can be better achieved by hosting smaller local animals like insects, reptiles, and amphibians. However, though these animals are easier to augment and require less resources, it is the large charismatic mammals that draw in the most visitors. This design takes on the task of conserving a less charismatic animal through the creation of a charismatic habitat. The zoo is replaced by a park composed of a gradient of water tolerant maples, a fractal system of paths, and a matrix of vernal pools. The vernal pools allow the park to function as a hatchery for three species of New England Salamanders under threat: Ambystoma jeffersonianum, Marbled salamander, and Ambystoma laterale. Meanwhile, human visitors are able to seek leisure within the salamanders’ landscape by moving though the winding system of paths or by dipping into the wadding pools interspersed within the matrix of the vernal pools.
2013 ADVANCED VISUAL PRACTICE: Pachamama, Plushies, and Pluronationality INSTRUCTORS: Merrill Shatzman, Bill Fick, Bill Seaman, and Tory Bend BACKGROUND/CONTEXT:
Two years of research into petrochemical exploitation within the context of Ecuador’s 2008 constitution (which granted legal right to Pachamama or Mother Nature) resulted in a thesis and an installation piece. The thesis was presented as a book with a series of illustrations that reflect on the theme of nature as a human entity. The installation piece examines the link between environmental rights and human rights by focusing on the destructive cost of Texaco’s oil extraction in the Ecuadorian rain forest. The installation consists of a constructed “oil spill” occupied by five hand sewn plushies. These stuffed people act as a sculptural representation of the Ecuadorian communities that have suffered physiologically and socially from decades of poor management and extraction practices in their territories by foreign and domestic oil companies.
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