851 Northeast 7th Place Gainesville, Florida, 32601 c. 352.328.0559 e. msleigh77@gmail.com
ABOUT ME
MEREDITH S. LEIGH
I am seeking an entry-level landscape architect position. My studies have exposed me to urban design, best practices for smart growth principles, transit-oriented development, planning strategies for improved public health outcomes in the built environment, urban agriculture, urban food systems planning, and effective strategies for design communications. In professional practice, I have worked with public clients and private on recreational, commercial and residential projects as designer and project manager and have overseen landscape design projects from inception to installation. I believe that design grounded in sound cultural and contextual consideration yields site specific design that is accessible by all, and embraces a community’s heritage while looking toward the future with sustainable design solutions.
EDUCATION 2012
Doctor of Philosophy, Design Construction and Planning, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
2009
Master of Landscape Architecture, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
2001
Bachelor of Arts, History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
EXPERIENCE
2013 - Sales & Leasing Consultant, Gatorland Toyota, Present Gainesville, Florida 2012 - Landscape Designer, DR3Design, LLC, 2014 Gainesville, Florida 2009 - Instructor, University of Florida Department 2012 of Landscape Architecture, Gainesville, Florida 2008
Landscape Architecture Intern, EDSA, Inc., Ft. Laurderdale, Florida, Gainesville, Florida
2007 Landscape Architecture Intern, University of Florida Physical Plant Department, Gainesville, Florida 2004 - Teacher, School Board of Alachua County, 2006 Pre-IB World History
APPLICABLE SKILLS
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Landscape design, hand sketching, graphic design, landscape architectural rendering 3-D modeling and drafting using AutoCAD 2D & 3D, Google SketchUp and LandF/X, Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator Geographic spatial analysis using ArcGIS software Research design, critical analysis and writing Professional oral and visual presentations Layout and document preparation and production
SELECTED PROJECT EXPERIENCE 2013
The Moore Residence, Ocala, Florida The Boothe Residence, Gainesville, Florida The Leigh-Green Residence, Miami, Florida The Boswell Residence, Gainesville, Florida Heritage Oaks Community Common Area, Alachua, Florida
2012 Tall Paul’s Brew House, Gainesville, Florida The Cotton Club Museum & Cultural Center, Gainesville, Florida City of Gainesville Six Street Rail Trail, Gainesville, Florida Landscape Design, Gainesville, Florida 2007
Biomedical Engineering Building landscape design, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida Turlington Hall Loading Dock retaining wall and landscape plan, Gainesville, Florida
AWARDS & HONORS
2009 ASLA National Honor Award 2009 Howard Sebold Award 2009 Crebbin Award 2008 ASLA National Merit Award 2008 University of Florida Multicultural and Diversity Award 2008 Jodi Raab Memorial Award 2006-07 Verlander Award 2007 Joshua Lepp Travel Scholarship
MEMBERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS
American Society of Landscape Architecture, Member University of Florida Alumni Association, Member National Educators Association, Member City of Gainesville Small Business Growth Task Force
REFERENCES
Benjamin Himschoot Tina Gurucharri Peggy Carr
352.665.9344 himsben@gmail.com 352.359.0690 guruch@ufl.edu 352.392.6098 mcarr@ufl.edu
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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
“The Storytelling Tree”, rendering for The Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center Open Spaces Sacred Places grant proposal, 2012 5
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THE COTTON CLUB MUSEUM & CULTURAL CENTER
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s a designer with DR3Design, I created some renderings for clients using SketchUp Models and Photoshop.
To the left are renderings for The Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center. The design team wanted to show how the funds awarded from the Open Spaces Sacred Places grant would be used to create a butterfly garden and open art space outside Gainesville’s historic Cotton Club and below, a vision for a respite under a grove of southern magnolia trees with rocking chairs looking toward the The Storytelling Tree, a heritage oak tree once used by the local residents as a place were local elders would tell the neighborhood children stories.
TALL PAUL'S BREW HOUSE
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o the right is a rendering for the owners of Tall Paul’s Brew House. They wished to give their vacant side alley a warmer, more inviting appearance with a biergarten theme. With strung lights, climbing vines and reused whiskey barrels, the result is a cozy, warm outdoor room that the clients were very pleased with.
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CITY OF GAINESVILLE SIXTH STREET RAIL TO TRAIL I had the opportunity to work on landscape design concepts for a Public Works project. It was an over two mile stretch of former CSX railroad corridor that has been turned into a recreational trail. I designed a landscape plan that was didactic and modern while respecting the Florida plant palette. I also completed the construction documents for the northern segment of the project. The landscape plan will be installed later this year.
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HERITAGE OAKS COMMON AREA
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eritage Oaks Homeowners Association (Alachua, Florida) asked for a design concept for the large vacant lot at the center of their community. They wanted a family-friendly park setting where people could gather for rest or recreation. The design plan incorporated Florida-friendly plants that shade a strong geometric circulation pattern. A large gazebo and a fire pit provide spaces for gathering. A bocce ball court under a grove of shade trees and a new playground provide spaces for adult- and child-friendly recreation.
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THE MOORE RESIDENCE Ocala Florida The clients strongly desired a tropical landscape for their North-Central Florida home, a task not easily achieved. I used a palette of Florida-friendly or native plants to mimic a South Florida landscape with broad leaf plants, cold hardy palm trees and plants with 12 a rich color range.
THE LEIGH-GREEN RESIDENCE Miami Florida The clients asked for a design that would help them organize their small backyard while giving them a space where they can barbeque with friends and soften the look of the wood fence that encloses the yard. The perspective renderings were modeled in AutoCAD 3D and finished in Photoshop.
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INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE
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As an intern at EDSA (Fort Lauderdale, Florida), I was able to work on several great projects including the conceptual master plan for East Lucaya resort on Grand Bahama (top left), villa renderings for El Gouna (bottom left) and renderings for marketing materials for a development in Coconut Creek in South Florida (above)
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These images are the result of a collaborative design charette with all of the fellow interns at EDSA during the Summer of 2008. Given a site on Ft. Lauderdale beach and program elements, we were tasked with creating a master plan for a mixed use resort/ condominium development. We succeeded with time to spare.
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This was a group effort as we all had a part in the hand graphics for the site analysis (above and bottom left), I was asked to conceptualize an appropriate entry feature (top left), and create and deliver a presentation (bottom right) to the rest of the firm on the final day.
I interned with the landscape architect at the University of Florida in 2007 where I worked on the design and construction documents of three designs that became my first built projects. I designed and drew up the construction documents for the planting plan for the newly built biomedical building on campus (below) and the planted berm and curtain wall behind Turlington Hall (above)
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RESEARCH
Dissertation: Beyond the Label: a Typology for Assessment and Mitigation of Disparities in the Urban Food Environment Abstract: In 2009, 15% of households in the United States were considered food insecure and one in four children faced hunger every day (Nord, 2010). Previous research indicated that, in the U.S., access to healthy foods has been a challenge in many urban areas. Researchers have highlighted the effect of the built environment on rates of obesity and obesogenic disease. In predominantly low-income neighborhoods where there is a paucity of quality healthy food outlets such as supermarkets, obesity rates tend to be higher. Evidence also shows that in areas where poverty rates are high, convenience stores and fast food restaurants abound and supermarkets are scarce. This study argues that, in the literature, there is still no consensus on definitions or measurements of disparities in urban food access and contends that not all “food deserts� share the same characteristics, and therefore cannot be served by the same solutions. This study’s aim was to develop a spatial typology for classifying disparities in urban food access in order to move beyond the common labeling of an area as a food desert or food insecure. The study was designed as a quantitative exploratory case-study using GIS to map three spatial barriers (proximity, diversity of availability and mobility) to healthy food access and to compare these spatial barriers to three socio-economic measures (income, age and single mothers). Tampa, Florida was used as the study site. The result was a typology of six scenarios that categorize each census block group based on its healthy food access characteristics. Results of the analysis of spatial barriers and socio-economic data revealed no correlation between any of the spatial factors and income. However, the analysis did reveal that there were a higher percentage of single mothers in neighborhoods with at least one supermarket nearby. There were also more single mothers in neighborhoods where access to public transit and vehicle ownership rates were lower. Householders 65 and older tend to have good mobility and live in areas well-served by a variety of healthy food outlets. Implications for urban planning policy and urban design are discussed as well as 18 directions for future research.
Theoretical framework of the major spatial barriers that contribute to unequal access to healthy foods Non-Spatial Factors (from Shaw) Ability Asset Attitude
Spatial Factors Location/Distance Access to Mobility Variety/Selection
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Master’s Thesis: Romancing the Seine: An Exploration into the Experience of Romantic Urban Landscapes 20
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G R A D U AT E D E S I G N S T U D I O PROJECTS
Cofrin Nature Park memorial landscape design, Gainesville, Florida, 2009. Hand drawn, rendered with prismacolor colored pencils. 22
Saint Augustine AIA promenade and visitor center, Saint Augustine, Florida, 2009. Plan, elevations and perspectives were hand drawn and rendered with AD ChartPak markers and finished in Photoshop.
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FROM MY SKETCHBOOK
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