Nikolai Fjelstad De Santiago - Portfolio 2018

BED+MLA Accelerated design work Nikolai Fjelstad De Santiago

01 profile

Contents

02

03

Undergraduate Work:

LA 3001: Strictly Landforms

LA3001: Vegetated landforms

04 05

LA3001: Final Model

05 LA3514: Waterfront park

06 Saint Anthony East Neighborhood Association BED+MLA Accelerated Work:

07 LA 5201 Making spaces: Invisible Cities 08 LA 5771 TECH: SKOK HALL 09 LA 5201 Making spaces: Tea in the Anthropocene 10

LA 5201 Making spaces: Father Hennepin Park

profile

Nikolai Fjelstad De Santiago

my academic work thus far in the domain of landscape architecture has opened my mind to the endless possibilities of the designed environment, through new perspectives and strict discipline. i am seeking to continue my education in the accecelerated landscape design and planning and masters of landscape architecture program. i have chosen a group of work that shows the diverse range of disciplines in my knowledge.

#: 651-399-1602 e: fjels021@umn.edu w: issuu.com/nikolaifjelstad

Education

Experience Internships

Saint paul college

generals / auto technician degree 2012-2015 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

-Bachelor of Environmental Design

Landscape Design and Planning

Fall 2015 - Spring 2017

-BED+Accelerated MLA

Fall 2017- current

Saint Anthony East Neighborhood Association

-Fall 2016 - fall 2018

-Responsibilities // sketch and plan layout, help construct

-Project // Community Commons park, northeast

Minneapolis, mn

Como Zoo and Conservatory - Horticulture intern

-Fall 2017 - Spring 2018 -Responsibilities// Plant, prune, dead head, collect rhysomes, transfer plants, and more.

Languages English 1st language Spanish

2nd landguage

Softwares Adobe Sketchup Autocad

Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign

La3001: Landforms

class LA3001 semester Fall 2016 project description

With the topography given to us in the site description, we were given the freedom to choose a geometry we would like explore. i chose an irregular angular geometry to work with because i wanted to break away from the organic curves of the site and give a sense that it is not nature but sculpted landform produced by humans. as this site was intended for little humans; children, the metaphor which drived the design came from Bob Dylan himself, “chaos is a friend of mine.�

along with the site came areas of recreation we had to include in decide where they are located. third from the tallest layer of cardboard is where the designated drop-off zone would be. a large gathering area would also have to be included, i tackled this thinking about ancient roman gathering area which were amphitheaters. there were to be two campsites, and a few more areas for recreation.

LA3001: Vegetated landforms

class LA3001 semester Fall 2016 project description

Using the previous model as the floorplan we were to choose an area a fourth of the size and expand that into a 11x17 inch model. I chose an area that moved the user through the site mainly guiding them along the landforms themsleves, creating paths and open areas using vegetation in certain areas.

having the freedom to choose our materials, i went with a more organic look for my vegetation. gathering spruce and yew branches, flowers and twigs to make up the canopy, gave my model a naturalistic feeling of the camp. due to the nature of the river, beaches run alongside the banks and i demonstrated this by using crushed up sandstone found locally.

LA3001: Final Model

class LA3001 semester Fall 2016 project description

in the last model we were to combine two geometries, what i chose was radial and irregular. the site was an urban space near the mississippi river which gave me the idea to create a rainwater filtration system ultimately cleaning the runoff water before it enters the river. Also to sequestrate some of the urban heat island effect, many trees would cover the canopy, keeping keep temperatures down low. Giving the user the chance to reach out to the river on the circular bridges creates movement through the space all the way up to the river.

my interntion of this urban park was to create an area in which people could physically watch the water filtration and at the same time be aesthetically pleasing. using a diverse range of trees from collumnar cypresses to tall decidous and coniferous trees, this site has a space for everyones preferences.

LA3514: Waterfront park

class LA3514 Making the mississippi semester spring 2016 project description

for this project we were to create a waterfront park that tackled an issue relating itself to the river. my concept was to filter the river water through a channel and back into the river coming out clean. a skatepark on the west bank campus would also tackle an issue, the issue of property damage caused by skateboarders, bmxers and scooterers. the park would in theory have information about the river and what you could do to help.

Saint Anthony East Neighborhood Association

Collaborators Joe walsh Project description

I got involved with saint anthony east neighborhood association (saena) due to one of my classes that offered a service learning experience. The position at SAENA was for a landscape design intern which included getting to know the site and the neighborhood by going door to door. The park we are going to be designing is called community commons park in northeast minneapolis, it is owned by Saena and is not apart of the minneapolis parks and recreation. the project is still in the begining stages awaiting approval on the following steps which would include helping the non-profit association build the design.

Common community park is located on the intersection of central avenue and broadway street in northeast minneapolis. from the street level this park is a hidden gem with rolling hills that would otherwise be missed due to the elevated street and sunken greenspace. SAENA being a non-profit organization and not being apart of the minneapolis parks and recreation, the budget is low which has restricted larger plans for the park.

For now, Saint Anthony East neighborhood association is planning on adding a rain and pollunator gardens on the north side of the park. intertwined in the gardens will be nodes for people to gather or hangout.

LA 5201 Making spaces: Invisible Cities

semester Fall 2017 project description Invisible cities was a project that compiled ideas that came from a passage in a book called Esmeralda.

This passage expressed lot of attention to detail. It seemed that the reading was describing venice, Italy, with zigzag paths, arching bridges over canals and different paths one could travel each day to get to the same place. The first model had simple but strict rules. We were to build our models above grade, we could choose any size modules though there had to be one square and two rectangle. Each piece also had to meet at a 90 degree angle.

For the first model I used one large square and two smaller rectangles.

For the Second model, the rulers enabled us to explore subgrade as well as above grade. we were also allowed to change our module.

the third model was composed of both the first and second model. as the instructions were given, we were to run our models through the bandsaw. After dividing the models, we were to reconstruct a model using the new pieces. Our fourth and final model was a refined version of the third model but you had the freedom to add or take away.

LA 5771 Tech I: Skok Hall Design

semester Fall 2017 project description In our Landscape infrustructure and technologies class the proffesors Joe Favour and Joe Koepke taught us how to manually grade a site without the use of GIS technology. Once we gathered the information to grade the site, this info also was used to create a topography map. After establishing the topo, we were given three design options that we we to choose one and reconfigure the topography, detail the materials, and finally creating a planting plan. All work was first drawn by hand then digitilized to Autocad.

The design option I chose was option-A. This design from the begining caught my attention, As it seemed more inviting and relaxing to me versus the others. Although we did not get to design platforms or paths, the options gave us enough freedom to recontour the surrounding landscape and also desing the planting scheme. I wanted to create a sustainable landscape so I made the planting plan heavy with plants that are good for rain gardens and swales.

I created ribbons of different colors and heights of grasses that give it a simple aesthetic. For the paths I used Flagstone paths and limestone seating elements, shown in the detail plan.

Tea in the Anthropocene was a project located in Father hennepin Park in Minneapolis. The instructions were to explore the site and choose a location that would be further studied and designed. The location that I chose was the peak of an island was somewhat of a dead end. Thinking about what would a contemporary tea house and garden would look like in this urban setting struck several ideas looking around at materials.

Thinking about the most recent history that was present in this area lead me to the once very present use of barges and steamboats at st. anthony falls.

Scanned by CamScanner

Tea in the Anthropocene

LA 5201 Making spaces:

semester Fall 2017 project description

Barging Into the Fututre

For the design of my tea house and garden I located it on the peak of the island. I wanted the tea garden to be the canopies of different floodplain trees as you enter the site. Continuing to the waiting area, the path becomes suspended over the water on a rustic steel bridge.

The tea house itself is made of recontructed and fabricated shipping barges. This structure had the ability to fluctuate with rising and lowering water levels

LA 5201 Making spaces: Father Hennepin Park

semester Fall 2017 project description

Our final project was to take ideas and aspects from the Tea in the Anthropocene project and resign the whole Father Hennepin Park on Main st. SE which is close to the stone arch bridge and downtown Minneapolis. Furthering my research on the traffic of shipping barges at the st. anthony falls lock and dam, I used ideas, dimensions, and materials from the barges to propel my Father hennepin park design. Sketching ideas that were influenced by materials found around the park and inside what the barges transported, such as piles of gravel or coal. Thinking about circulation for the park, I took into account the bicycle commuters path coming from the train yard direction which created a vain that split the park into separate programmable areas.

The central path of the park would be furnished with an allee of gingko trees previously found in the park. The topography of the park would change as well, creating mounts and swales that created sustainable bioretention and filtrations areas.

Barging 100 years into the Fututre

What I thought would be a marker for the era that we live in is to include a skatepark in the new park. This skate park would help in the collection of runoff water from the impervious surfaces. for the area that is covered in mounds, this area was meant to be occupied for festivals and recreation. Other areas of the park include patios for a farmers market and individual grilling patios.

Thank You. Nikolai Fjelstad De Santiago #: 651-399-1602 E: fjels021@umn.edu