Megan Little BLA Portfolio 2018

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MEGAN A. LITTLE selected works


front cover: 6’x6’ stamp and graphite site plan Overlook, PA 2017


Fo u n d T hro u g h Tra n s l a t i o n Comprehensive Project

Tran sp o se d Pe r s p e c t i ve s Cultural Landscape Design for NPS

W hen Coal wa s K i n g Built Landscape Installation

Traver s i n g Cu st e r

Transit Oriented Urban Design

T he Crescen do Residential Design

Fo rgo tt en L a n ds c a p e s Le Notre Competition Entry

Ur ba n B l u e a n d G ree n Green Infrastructure

S t rawber r y P l a z a Technical Drawings

Ma p p i n g M y l a r Graphic Design

Pro cess Wo r k

TAB L E O F CO N T ENTS


FOUND THROUGH TRANSLATION Reclaiming a Post-Industrial Gravel Mine Site: Ross Island Location: Willamette River, Portland, OR Size: 400 acres Type: Vision Plan and Reclamation Analysis Professor: David Hulse and Rob Ribe For my capstone project, I address the underlying theory and practice of large river restoration in an urban portion of the Willamette River. My project creates interactions between sensitive habitat and people to create a new narrative-driven, culturally rich experience for the growing Portland population. Here I propose a new vision for Ross Island that reconnects people to the river while easing Ross Island from mined landscape to postindustrial ecological park. My design proposes an intense investigation of the existing industrial and ecological structures that exist on site to find areas suitable for recreation and storytelling. I also look at areas suitable for active engagement with sensitive habitat. This design proposes the following to the City of Portland: 1) Use of industrial facilities and natural colonization to create a designed, experienceable, and functional ecology on Ross Island. 2) Use of materialities and forms that are of the site and work with the site. 3) Incorporation of an interplay between recreational structures and water levels.

REFLECT


POSITION

JUXTAPOSE spine pathway

REVEAL

terraced wetland

monitoring facility

upland forest trail

RIPPLE

MASTER PLAN: Ross Island Complex


butt. slope

shallow water habitat

riparian habitat

emergent wetland

upland forest

buttressing slope

shallow water habitat

seasonal high water (+15’) seasonal low water (-1’)

seasonal high water (+15’) seasonal low water (-1’)

conceptual reclamation fill

fine sand with silt (fill)

reclamation cut slope

alluvium

remedial fill

cad cells

RECLAMATION FILL SECTIONS

irregular high water +15’ seasonal high water +5’ seasonal low water -1’

shallow water habitat

riparian scrub shrub

scrub shrub wetland

upland forest

IDEAL RECLAMATION HABITAT AND BENEFITERS SECTION

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idealized reclamation

infrastucture to be kept

idealized reclamation

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infrastucture to be kept

riparian scrub shrub scrub shrub wetlands emergent wetland upland forest

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position

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juxtapose

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reveal

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ripple

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reflect

DESIGN FRAMEWORK: IDEALIZED RECLAMATION + POTENTIAL NARRATIVE MOMENTS


STRATEGY: POSITION

STRATEGY: REVEAL

STRATEGY: JUXTAPOSE

STRATEGY: RIPPLE


POSITION: PERSPECTIVE

POSITION: PLAN n

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20

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new dock

rip rap shore line

15’ spine pathway replanted big leaf maples

10’ pervious concrete path perspective positioned gravel

california brome and blue wildrye mix


JUXTAPOSE: PERSPECTIVE

JUXTAPOSE: PLAN n

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buttressing slope

processing facility

perspective

10’ washed wood boardwalk

rip rap shore line

grid of alders and gravel


STRATEGY: POSITION REVEAL: PERSPECTIVE

REVEAL: PLAN n

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perspective

office building footprint permeable pavers

wild rye and california brome

white alder grove

gabion retaining wall

phytoremediation garden seating wall existing gravel mound

to the woods


RIPPLE: PERSPECTIVE

RIPPLE: PLAN n

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emergent wetland

woodland path

shrub scrub wetland

riparian scrub shrub

gabion retaining wall

8’ berm pathway

spine pathway

perspective



Ross Island is neither a park nor a wilderness. It’s forms and materials express it’s deepest past and most recent changes. Waves, basins, sand, silt, nature emerging from water and nature emerging from gravel. Truth and healing woven together. As a growing Portland becomes more dense and urban and the natural wonders that make it so great slowly fade: Ross Island is coming home.


NPS facilities

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NPS facilities

TRANSPOSED PERSPECTIVES Interpreting Lost Narratives

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Site: Vail and Vickers Ranch, Santa Rosa Island Location: Channel Islands National Park, CA Size: 84 acres Type: Cultural Landscape Professor: Robert Melnick Inspired by a collection of historic photos provided by the National Parks Service, the aim of this design is to use photography to push the past forward, to propel the present, and to pull the future within our frame of view. Visitors are compelled to fill in the gaps between photography and reality, as they experience both time and history as objects grounded in place. My design includes a series of laminated glass “portals” etched with historic photos and rendered perspectives of the future. These portals create a “then and now” experience when matched with the existing landscape features. They provide an opportunity to be reminded of the past, while plunging into the possibilities of the future.

boardwalk existing fences portals # n

framed views


bed and breakfast

visitor center

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1

foreman’s house

5 beach access

pier


Cinematic Experience

Continuity

Sequence

Chosen Scheme

view of boardwalk exit towards eucalyptus grove

wood post flush grade with boardwalk

trail

6”

8’ nonslip metal catwalk

2x2’ wood bench

6’ catwalk seating area


view of portals towards cattle barn

14’x 14’ tempered glass panels

steel frame for structural reinforcement 8’ doorway

6”

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concrete footing

6’ boardwalk

concrete footing

6’ non-slip metal catwalk


final installation

WHEN COAL WAS KING Overlook Field School Installation Site: Fuller Family Estate Location: Waverly, PA Type: Built Installation Materials: wood, muslin, acrylic, plaster Construction Time: three days Professors: Katie Jenkins and Parker Sutton

“When Coal was King” visualizes the binding between coal, people, and landscape. A piece of anthracite cast on a plaster pedestal is situated below a tensile frame, establishing a room within the woods. As the sun moves overhead, the orange oculus illuminates not only the pedestal, but our obsessive glorification of coal. By tethering the structure to the trees, the fragility and temporal quality of the room mimics the instability of a coal mine. Surface and subsurface become planes within the space, experienced through layers of materiality that allude to the structure of a coal mine. Viewers are asked to enter the space, to experience the closeness, and to reflect on the antiquated values of Pennsylvania’s once booming coal industry.



cm2 : com bottom, res top 1-3 stories

cm2 : live/work studios 11 studios / 2 stories

sin

access to parking and loading dock

permeable paver parking

TRAVERSING CUSTER Transit Oriented Urban Design Site: Future Custer Max Line Node Location: Barbur Blvd, Portland OR Size: 17 acres Type: Urban Planning Professor: Rob Ribe Working with Trimet, Portland’s public transit agency, this studio asked students to redesign Barbur Blvd and the surrounding neighborhoods for a light rail. My design looked at weaving stormwater infrastructure, medium density housing, and plaza space into an existing neighborhood node to create a gradient of use and development at the Custer Max Station. Drawing connections to the vernacular landscape and cascading hillsides of Southwest Portland, this design provides Portland with a model for place based development along the future Lavender Max Line.

Birds Eye View of Custer Node towards St

retail space

12’ sidewalk

stormwater bump out

two w


cm2 : com bottom , res top

ngle 2-way car lane

cm2 : com bottom , res top

green corridor up to stephen’s creek

2-way bike lane terraced rainwater garden

green street plaza extension

plaza at max line stop

custer central market

tephen’s Creek

way car access

Custer Node Focal Area Plan 2050

residential

side running bike lane

sedum strip

plaza & cafe

12’ sidewalk

commercial

1”=10’

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20

Plaza and Stormwater Infrastructure Section


live work townhouses

ADA accessible ramp

permeable autonomous

extension of hills

stormwater swale Storm Water Basins and Automated Vehicle Parking On Custer Year: 2040

View of Stormwater Basins on Custer


green

corrid

or

residential

patio

retail and cafes

terraced rainwater planter

Rainwater Planters and New Mixed Use Development on 13th Ave Year: 2040

View of Rainwater Planters on 13th ave


view of terraced steps from the river

THE CRESCENDO Embracing the River’s Dynamism

infiltration from rain and house runoff

Site: Garlin Residence Location: McKenzie River, Vida, OR Size: 1 acre Type: Residential Design Professor: David Hulse The fourth studio in my undergraduate sequence asked us to work with EWEB (Eugene Water Electric Board) and a homeowner to come up with creative designs for EWEB’s new Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP). This program was designed to provide homeowners on the McKenzie River with yard alternatives that are conducive to protecting and supporting riparian habitats and water quality. The specific home I worked with had large amounts of lawn grass that provided my homeowner with an expanse of outdoor activity space. My approach was to create opportunities for an array of activity space closer to the house to minimize impact on the riparian area. In order to protect the riparian area, I designed a native planting plan, which included pervious steps to slow down and filter water before it reached the river.

native plants slow down and filter runoff

clean water is redirected off of the stairs and into the McKenzie river


yarrow yarrow

echinacea

echinacea

rush

rush

red twigged dogwood

red twigged dogwood tufted hair grass

tufted hairgrass pacific willow

pacific willow

LAWN

cor-ten steel edging BANK STABILIZERS

basalt sawn risers and treads

RED ALDER GROVE

cor-ten steel and pea gravel paths

NEW OREGON ASHES

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SCALE: 1’=10’

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N


BIORETENTION TOOL KIT

1st and 2nd Terrace

bio retention drift plantings basalt steps riparian woodland nodding onion

tufted hair grass

echinacea

carex

yarrow

Douglas Spiraea

western sword fern

quaking aspen

douglas fir

snowberry

tufted hair grass

silver birch

oregon grape

sedge

rush

vine maple

osoberry

lupine

bleeding heart

western sword fern

deer fern

1st Terrace

rush

red twigged dogwood

WOODLAND RIPARIAN TOOL KIT

MEADOW/ WOODLAND TOOL KIT

2nd Terrace

planting palette tool kits

meadow

river

section of the Garlin Residence backyard 1’=5’

rush

pacific ninebark

pacific willow

oregon ash

red alder


view of roundabout meadow

view of driveway


FORGOTTEN LANDSCAPES Le Notre Design Competition Site: Network of Gravel Quarries Location: Dachau, Germany Type: Interdisciplinary Competition Team: Julia Frost, Ryan Kiesler, Derek Rayle Award: Honorable Mention A largely overlooked feature of peri-urban landscapes is the scarring of highway construction. When the Autobahn was constructed, cement aggregate was quarried directly from the path it cut through the land. These small, often single-use quarries remain adjacent to the highway, though time has contributed to their evolution. This project transformed these quarries into small lakes that have the opportunity to increase connection to natural amenities and historical context. By periodic, minimal interventions, we aim to continue the Autobahn project that began in the 1930s. The goal is to increase the ecological, social, and transportation efficiency of the existing infrastructure for future generations.

The interventions are represented by a few simple forms. Symbolic landscape cairns increase visual connectivity and are a beacon off the side of the fast-paced Autobahn. They draw attention to landscapes that are often overlooked. Small additions of green space around the lakes will provide open-ended recreational and ecological opportunities. Eventually, bike paths will connect these imprints, meandering nearby the highway and supporting other velocities and modes of movement.


München - Nord Position : 48.1351° N, 11.5820° E Lakes

Natural W ater

Volume of la ke

Town Boundar y

Agricultural

Depth of la ke

Bicycle Routes

Agricultural

Amount extracted

Autobahn 92

Agricultural

Dachau Autobahn Transect

proposed quarry design that weaves new bike paths and riparian buffers into existing quarry infrastructure




recreational gravel pond

proposed bike path connects recreational spaces

generation (-3): beginning of Autobahn 92 construction

new light-rail line

generation (-1): Infill and disorganized development of resulting lakes created through gravel extraction


ecological gravel pond

generation (1): implementation of landscape cairns to draw attention to this forgotten landscape feature and provide viewpoints of the valley

wind power pond

generation (2): Redevelopment of the lakes with social health, recreation, and ecological productivity in mind.


basalt fountain detail

green wall detail

STRAWBERRY PLAZA Detailing a Pocket Park Site: Strawberry Plaza Location: Lebanon Oregon Team: Jill Stone, Grace Ledbetter Type: Technical Drawings Professor: Brad Stangeland A complete set of construction drawings for a small scale plaza in Lebanon, OR. While the schematic design was provided by Stangeland and Associates, we as a team were able to establish unique detail and design elements within the provided guidelines. This project emphasizes the interdependence of constructibility and elegance, while providing a new public space for the local community of Lebanon, OR.

green wall footing detail


layout plan

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grading plan

lighting plan


URBAN BLUE AND GREEN Flood Adapted Ecosystem Intervention Site: Amazon Creek Location: Eugene, OR Size: Neighborhood Type: Ecological Intervention Team: Derek Rayle and Whitney Holt Professor: Bart Johnson

In looking to the future of Eugene’s hydrological management, we have proposed a series of interventions on both the neighborhood and park scale that can act as a framework for the larger Eugene urban matrix. The flood adapted ecosystem intervention is intended to be a model for future development and planning within Eugene, while looking intensively at the ecological problems that exist due to current landscape relationships and urban conditions. It also aims to expand habitat areas for our various management species, most specifically, the Mink.


existing conditions: Frank Kinney Park

intervention: Frank Kinney Park

ecological benefiters: Frank Kinney Park


travel to

the great piped plains

Greetings from BOAT RIDES METHYLENE CHLORIDE

72,000 miles of crude oil pipelines to see across North America!

SWEET AROMAS LIKELY CHEMICAL BURNS!

WASHINGTON, WV

MAPPING MYLAR Eco-Tourism Posters Site: Mylar Production Networks Type: Graphic Design Professor: Roxi Thoren

In a 10 week long seminar, I studied the various affects of waste on our landscape. I chose to focus on plastic mylar and trace its imprint on the land. By creating a series of Tourist Posters inspired by National Parks graphics, these images are meant to project our future and challenge the way that we view our waste systems and the landscapes that result.


Welcome to

PIpELAnD NATIONAL PARK

1.3 MILlIOn GALlOnS Of OIL SpILlED EVErY YEAR!


Proce ss Wo rk



MEGAN LITTLE meganalittle95@gmail.com (805) 217-0219


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