MELISSA HOHENSEE
Melissa S. Hohensee melissa.hohensee.12@gmail.com (224) 330 0942
TABLE OF CONTENTS REGIONAL DESIGN STUDIO
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BRONZEVILLE COMMUNITY REDESIGN
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FUNERAL HOME PARKING LOT DESIGN
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MORROW PLOTS PERIMETER REDESIGN
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MUMFORD HOUSE DRAWINGS
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DRAWING PROGRESSION
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ARBORETUM DIGITAL RENDERINGS
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QUARTERNARY MAPS, GLACIAL LAKES, AND MORAINES
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LASER CUTTING AND MODEL MAKING
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WORK EXPERIENCE
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RESUME
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REGIONAL DESIGN STUDIO Fall 2015
West Loop
East Loop
Connection Phase Hickory Creek
Jackson Creek
Prairie Creek
Forked Creek
Rock Creek In the US, there are 1,823 total Superfund sites listed on the National Priority List. 72 are in Illinois, making it 7th in the US for most Superfund Sites. We chose to concentrate on 18 sites that fall within Will and Kankakee counties and remediate and repurpose them to enhance the future of these towns. Our system is one large loop made up of 4 smaller systems. The West Loop uses Superfund sites and the Des Plaines River to create a water-based system that increases community space in both counties. Preventing development along waterways will protect natural systems and future infrastructure. The East Loop is connected through both existing and proposed systems like the South Suburban Airport, highway 57, high-speed rail development, and biking and walking trails. The connection phase breaks up future development and makes the loop more permeable. Setting this property aside will retain habitats, provide areas for recreation, and protect the floodplain from development. Along with design, we propose a legislative approach. The 30% Plan is a legislative rule that requires developers who are buying property to set aside 30% for parks, trails, preserves, or contribute to buying property along the proposed system. This minimum standard and a tax-freeze for current residents will help prevent sprawl and loss of character. Urban sprawl has created contaminated, disconnected sites that detract from the individual character of Illinois towns but through phased remediation and reconnection of Superfund sites, river systems, and transportation systems, defined and guided development can reclaim the character of individual places.Our goal is to turn negatives into positives.
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Project in collaboration with Brendan Cloney
REGIONAL DESIGN STUDIO Fall 2015
As Cook county development blended into Will county, undesirable and contaminating industries were pushed to the peripheries. Industries lived and died and what was left behind was damaged, disconnected sites that affected the area around them. Instead of leaving these spaces as gaps in development, they could be remediated and turned into a system of healthy connections to other Illinois towns that used to harbor harmful industries. As development progresses, remediated spaces can define and guide the development that will inevitably surround them. As development expands, an interconnected system of verdant trails, parks, and preserves aid Will and Kankakee counties in retaining their individual characters. The connection of natural systems and transportation systems will keep the features of these places strong but flexible so they can endure the changes the future might hold.
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Phase 4
Phase 5
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BRONZEVILLE COMMUNITY REDESIGN Fall 2014
Bronzeville is a neighborhood on the south side of Chicago with a rich cultural history. In the early 20th century, Bronzeville was a land of opportunity for African Americans looking to escape oppression. In 1939, the Ida B. Wells housing projects began construction. Decline began in the 1960s when middle class African Americans moved to the suburbs & took their commerce with them. The construction of the Dan Ryan & large public housing units created physical barriers between businesses & their clients. Neglect caused problems like gangs, shootings, & drug dealing. By 2011, the Ida B. Wells Homes were demolished. Improvements to the once tormented area began but the site of the old projects remained. The housing projects & their problems created a ripple effect of other issues for the community around them. Now, the site should become the center of a ripple effect that brings about change for the positive. The design takes into account the history of the area & supports the community’s efforts to revitalize. A museum dedicated to the neighborhood would educate & describe the ebb and flow of the neighborhood. Mixed income housing provides options for a variety of people. Green space, public gathering areas, community gardens, & a pre-school facilitate a sense of community. Businesses within the plan provide employment & easy access to stores like coffee shops, grocery stores, & boutiques. Bioswales, street trees, & curb cuts provide a more modern approach to drainage.
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LEEK FUNERAL HOME SITE DESIGN Fall 2014
Leek Funeral Homes are a local business looking to expand to a new location. Two main concerns are the flow of traffic and the pedestrian experience. Both are complex issues because of the emotionally charged state of the users and the wildly fluctuating number of cars in the parking lot. The new design caters to the user experience while still addressing drainage needs through the use of swales, curb cuts, and native plantings. An entrance patio provides a place for congregation before and after ceremonies. Both the grove of trees and a small supplementary walkway provide space for individual reflection and an opportunity to temporarily escape the sensitive situation in the funeral home. The parking lot, although functional, is also a well designed space in that water is controlled through the use of swales and careful grading to make sure water drains in the appropriate directions.
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LEEK FUNERAL HOME SITE DESIGN Fall 2014
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MORROW PLOTS PERIMETER REDESIGN Spring 2014
The objective of this project was to emphasize the importance of the Morrow Plots on the UIUC campus. These plots are the oldest experimental corn fields in the United States and the second oldest in the world but they are hidden behind tall hedges and marked by dull placards. Over time, the plots have reduced in size and importance. The design is focused around user experience as one moves through space. As the patron moves perpendicular to the panels, their view of the plots changes. Reminiscent of running past a picket fence, the quick snapshots of the plots create interest and change over time. Thick metal panels at different heights provide the opportunity for seating while also separating views for passers-by. A thin metal edge on the inside perimeter allows for views to continue all the way across but keeps pedestrians from entering the plots.
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MUMFORD HOUSE DRAWINGS Fall 2013
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The Mumford House is the oldest structure on campus and was originally created as a model home for the school’s experimental farm. The house was relocated and left in a state of disrepair after years of neglect. The objective of this assignment was to make the Mumford House a destination for fine and applied art students with a design that takes into account the history of the home. You created this PDF from an application that is not licensed to print to novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) This design focuses on both the agrarian history of the home and the legacy of the prairie in Illinois. Both native tall grass prairie and a functional kitchen garden were incorporated in the design to pay homage to the previous landscapes. In order to strengthen the connection to other rural homes and create a space for students outside of the house, the design suggests expanding the size of the porch and creating a patio. Tall native trees like oak supplement the connection to the past while being functional and providing shade. The sunken area allows for a different perspective of the home and vegetation. The house itself could be used as a gathering space or gallery after repairs.
10 You created this PDF from an application that is not licensed to print to novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com)
DRAWING PROGRESSION Fall 2013
Line Weight Drawing
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Graphite Drawing
Charcoal Drawing
ARBORETUM DIGITAL RENDERINGS Fall 2013
This President’s home, arboretum, and the facilities buildings are three under utilized spaces on the UIUC campus that needed reprogramming and redesigning. One of the necessities of the space was a streetscape in order to facilitate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists along a major road. In order to make the space more useful, the design calls for the facilities building to become a visitor center and greenhouse for the surrounding arboretum. The arrangement of the arboretum gives a sense of order. It is established using dynamic geometry, deliberate vegetation, and a hierarchy of spaces. The visitors can explore, learn, and experience the expression of the space. The view from the new arboretum buildings allow for a variety of opportunities. Visitors can choose to explore the meadow, pass through the assemblage of trees, or stroll into a lawn that gives them access to the main geometric garden in the center of the space. The central lawn space lends itself to being an entrance to many other areas of the garden including prairie, meadow, the central geometric garden, ordered collections of trees, and less organized groves of trees. Access from the lawn space provides a passage to explore the promenade of trees and farther back, an irregularly patterned grove. The variety of spaces lend itself to numerous experiences through the seasons.
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QUARTERNARY MAPS, GLACIAL LAKES, AND MORAINES Fall 2013
You created this PDF from an application that is not licensed to print to novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com)
You created this PDF from an application that is not licensed to print to novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com)
This project is centered around Kankakee River State Park and the opportunities and restrictions that the landscape provided for future development. Kankakee River State Park is a complicated mixture of interconnected systems and the factor affecting the park that I focused on was the glaciers that had been in the area. This map shows the depositional history of central and northern Illinois. The soil and topography was created through the melting of glaciers during the Wisconsin Glacial Episode about 16,000 and 13,000 years ago. The continuous advancing and retreating of glaciers exposed and covered different depositions of materials.
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This is the map of the glacial lakes in central and northern Illinois. The map depicts areas where lakes and moraines had formed and affected development. The lakes are in dark gray and moraines are in light gray. A moraine is formed as a glacier moves, pushing sediment and debris along its edges and dropping material it has collected in its path. A glacial lake is a body of water that has filled in the void left by the glacier with melted glacial water. The northwest corner of the map shows where water originally escaped and then spread farther south. This escaped water collected and created glacial lakes that still exist today. All these factors affect the landscape today. They determined where people could and could not build for a long period of time until technology developed to move large quantities of earth. All of the material deposited affected how vegetation grew, where could be developed by humans, and the way the area was shaped.
LASER CUTTING AND MODEL MAKING Spring 2014
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Contour model using AutoCAD and laser cutter
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MILIEU DESIGN LLC Summer 2015
Moran residence
Smigiel residence
Mount Prospect, IL
Glenview, IL W LINCOLN STREET
PERGOLA
BLUESTONE AND PAVER PATIO LAWN
RESIDENCE STOOP
LAWN
POOL
UTILITY POLE
FIRE HYDRANT
BLUESTONE AND PAVER PATIO
STOOP & STEP DRIVEWAY
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PROPOSED POOL DECK MILIEU DESIGN MORAN RESIDENCE- 2229 W. LINCOLN STREET- MOUNT PROSPECT, ILLINOIS 5.22.15
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MILIEU DESIGN LLC Summer 2015
St. Michaels Church
Davis residence
Barrington, IL
Mahomet, IL
Rosa ‘Radrazz’ Knock out
Berberis thunbergii
Syringa pubescens subsp. patula ‘Miss Kim’
Picea abies cupressina
0’
Nepeta x faassenii
Euonymus alatus compactus
10’
Hemerocallis
20’
30’
40’
Huerchera caramel
50’
Echinacea sunrise
Perovskia atriplicifolia
Saint Michael’s Episcopal Church 647 Dundee Avenue Barrington
Rosa ‘Radrazz’ Knock out
Gallardia
Hemerocallis chicago apache
Sedum autumn joy
Echinacea
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VILLAGE OF VERNON HILLS PUBLIC WORKS Summer 2014
Variegated Japanese Silver Grass
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus’ Coleus Wave petunia Petunia x hybrida
Canna Sweet potato vine Ipomoea
batatas Wave petunia Petunia x hybrida
Salvia Salvia nemorosa ‘May
Night’ Bee Balm Monarda ‘Petite Delight’ Tickseed Coreopsis ‘Creme Brulee’ Cheddar Pink Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Firewitch’ Speedwell Spike Veronica ‘Giles Van Hees’ Sage ‘Salvia nemorosa Marcus’ Geranium Geranium ‘Tiny Monster’ Chosen by Josh Hansen of VHPW 17
Hibiscus Common
Rush Junus effusus Coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata Alyssum Lobularia maritima
RESUME Education
Landscape Architecture, 2016 University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana Urbana-Champaign, IL Bachelors of Landscape Architecture with a concentration in Natural Resource Conservation in progress
Areas of Expertise Adobe Creative Suite Rendering SketchUp
AutoCad Model making Laser cutting
Design research Exhibit installation Customer service
Experience
Design Intern Milieu Design LLC Wheeling, IL My duties included creating landscape design renderings, designing client presentations, generating planting plans including plant selection and installation, surveying sites, creating base maps, and site plans. I learned how to create estimates and proposals, complete permit applications, and accurate construction documents. Reference: Pete Wodarz
Park Maintenance Vernon Hills Parks Department Vernon Hills, IL My duties were varied from day to day. My daily maintenance work included general park care and the upkeep of softball, baseball, soccer, and lacrosse fields. Other duties included cleaning facilities, cutting grass, collecting trash and recyclables, and special event care. Reference: Matt Emken
Affiliations
President of the Student Chapter of ASLA at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 2014-2015 Vice President of the Student Chapter of ASLA at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 2015-2016 Student ASLA member | 2014-Present
Activities and Interests Intramural soccer Intramural broomball Yoga Reading
Public Works Street and Grounds Staff Vernon Hills Public Works Vernon Hills, IL My daily maintenance work included planting, deadheading, and general upkeep of planting beds, medians, and other prominent public spaces. Other duties included special event organization, set-up, and takedown. General upkeep of roads, sidewalks, and drainage structures were also regular tasks. Reference: Pete Nielsen 18
Melissa S. Hohensee melissa.hohensee.12@gmail.com (224) 330 0942