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
40
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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20
40
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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20
40
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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20
40
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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10
SCALE: 1’=10’
20
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