LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO
Paul Roberts Toler
Virginia Tech BLA 2013
Education [2008-2013] Graduated from Virginia Tech’s (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) accredited, five-year professional Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program.
Paul Roberts Toler Landscape Architecture Virginia Tech BLA 2013
Contact Information
Phone: 540.793.3197 Email: p.r.toler@gmail.com Address: 1965 Ashley Lane Roanoke, Virginia 24018
Skills & Proficiencies Adobe Photoshop CS6 Adobe InDesign CS6 Adobe Illustrator CS6 Adobe Premier Pro CS4 ArcGIS 10 AutoCAD 2013 Google Sketchup Grasshopper Microsoft Office Rhino 4.0
[Fall 2011] Participated in a direct exchange program between Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture and Urban Planning and Tongji University’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies in Shanghai, China. While engaged in this exchange program, participants undertook studies pertaining to modern urbanism, urban planning, and urban culture. Experience and Awards [Spring 2013] Awarded the American Society of Landscape Architects Excellence in Landscape Architecture Studies Certificate of Honor. This award recognizes students who have achieved a sustained level of outstanding performance in their studies and show promise of making significant contributions to the profession. [February 2013] Planned and coordinated Landscape Architecture Week 2013 as Treasurer along with the President, Vice President, and Secretary of ASLA at VT. LAR Week 2013 featured guest speaker Walter Hood of Hood Studio and Teresa Gali-Izard along with Jordi Nebot of Aquitectura Agronomia. The week’s activities included senior thesis reviews, portfolio reviews, and a community garden design charette.
[March 2012] Took part in a week-long cross-disciplinary design workshop organized by Virginia Tech CAUP and KEM Studio taking place in the office of KEM Studio in Kansas City, Missouri during which teams collaborated to create a conceptual design for an urbanized riverfront district of the city. [Fall 2011] Awarded a second tier prize in a five-month long, team urban design competition entitled ‘Shanghai 2040: You Are Shanghai!’ arranged by the Shanghai Urban Planning Bureau. The proposed urban design manifesto called for projects that incorporate innovative applications of modern urbanism in ways that would build up and support the City of Shanghai on its rise to a seat of cultural and economic power amongst the worldwide network of global cities. Organizations [2012-2013] ASLA at VT Treasurer [2012-2013] Digital Mentor Collaborative (DMCO) [2012-2013] ASLA National Student Member [2011-2013] SLA Landscape Architecture Honor Society [2010-2013] ASLA at VT member Special Interests Digital Design Method Landscape Representation Landscape Process Geomorphology Urban Design
[Fall 2012 - Spring 2013] Achieved and sustained the level of academic standing of Dean’s List within the College of Architecture and Urban Planning.
“The task of architecture, designed landscapes, and urban design as topographical arts is to provide the patterns of our lives with durable dimensions and beautiful expression” - David Leatherbarrow ‘Is Landscape Architecture?’
Fall 2008 - Spring 2009
Projects
Modeling
Design Foundation Studios Opposite Cubes 4 Transformation Sculpture 4
Fall 2009 - Spring 2010 Second Year Landscape Studios Materials and Assembly Wood Joint 4 Concrete Form 4 Town of Covington 5
Representing
Fall 2010 - Spring 2011 Third Year Landscape Studios Land Analysis, Human Systems, Watershed Sensitive Design Park, School, Garden 6 - 7 Merrimac Crossing 8 - 9
Fall 2011 - Spring 2012 Tongji University Exchange Program KEM Studio, Fourth Year Landscape Studios, Construction Documents ‘Shanghai 2040: You Are Shanghai’ 10 - 11 Film Architectures 17 Norris Hall Peace Garden 12 - 13
Digital Design
Fall 2012 - Spring 2013 Fifth Year Landscape Studios Senior Thesis Project* Detroit Land Planning + Design 14 - 15 Digital Mentor Collaborative 16 Senior Thesis Project: Introduction 18 - 19
Constructing
Final Thesis Documentation - Completed Thesis Project Worksample - In Progress
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Drawing
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Materials and Assembly Fall ‘09
First Year Design Studios Fall ‘08 - Spring ‘09
DESIGN FOUNDATIONS The first-year design foundation studios incorporated students of architecture, industrial design, interior design, and landscape architecture
Transformation Sculpture: Cutout produced by the dimension of the saw
Wood Joint: Enlargement of Miter Joint and Slpine detail.
Wood Joint: Final iteration of Miter Joint Detail fully assembled
Wood Joint: Shown separated to expose hidden spline detail
Opposing Cubes: model of a theoretical cube without edges
Opposing Cubes: model of a theoretical cube without faces.
Concrete Form: The final casting form stood 3’x2’x1.5’
Transformation Sculpture: Instead of a prompt, a process was given; to make a continuous cut along two axes of a length of 4x4. The four quarters were then turned outward exposing the intersection of the axial cuts.
The Design Foundations studios provided a fundamental vocabulary of design relevant to all disciplines of the School of Architecture + Design. From there, conceptual designs were brought into the world of material and dimensional considerations with special emphasis on fundamental elements of landscape architecture. Concrete Form: The intent of this project was to impose the realities of construction and assembly upon one’s design. Considerations included mechanical conventions, material economy, efficiency, and material properties.
Town of Covington, Va Spring ‘10
Second Year Landscape Studios
COVINGTON, VA
Below: A collage made up of aerial imagery, GIS layers, and photos of the natural and built environment surrounding an isolated residential community.
This project began with a site visit led by the studio professor. The following phase was a class-wide effort to create a town masterplan based on the information synthesized from the site visit. From that point onward, the work continued as individually defined site designs.
Right: sketch of a greenway design built on the disused railroad bed. Center: detailed illustration of a planter bed on the vine bridge. Far Right: photoshop rendering of the proposed greenway’s vine bridge
This work developed into a greenway project serving as a much needed linkage between an isolated residential community and an expansive town park featuring ballfields and an outdoor stage. The detailing of the greenway responded to the vernacular precedent of the industrial railroad.
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Heritage Park Blacksburg, Va
Third Year Landscape Studios Fall ‘10
PARK. SCHOOL. GARDEN. Below: An experiential study of Heritage Park. The park exists as the Town of Blacksburg’s largest nature park. This study explores the spatial patterns of the natural environment.
Heritage Park: GIS Map of the park locating streams, wetlands, roads, and structures
Paul Toler Heritage Park: Experiential Study Aug. 26, 2010
The scope of this project took place at three levels: - Nature park: a park masterplan design to balance programmed recreation with nature immersion - School grounds: given the plans for a small Montessori school building the task was to
design the grounds in a way that emphasized the school’s education philosophy while responsibly managing the site’s hydrology - Play garden: a portion of the school grounds that most immediately facilitates the children’s immersion into the environment
Heritage Park: Preliminary park masterplan and trail system
Montessori School Site Design
The play garden designed for the Montessori School grounds emulates the finger-like terrain of an alluvial fan. The high ground reaches outward to the outdoor classrooms nested in the tree line while the lower troughs channel runoff through a selection of grasses and shrubs best suited to the wetted, hydric
Park. School. Garden. Heritage Park
soils. A network of stepping stones trace playfully across the garden creating an immersive experience. This design does not intend to replicate nature in all of its complexity, rather it provides moments of sensory experiences similar to nature.
Above Left: Sketch looking across the Alluvial Garden Above: Site plan of the Alluvial Garden
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Vaughn Farm Property Blacksburg, Va
Third Year Landscape Studios Spring ‘11
MERRIMAC CROSSING
Below: ArcScene zoning model for the Merrimac Crossing development proposed for the old Vaughn Farm site.
The site given for this project had a long standing agricultural heritage. The challenge stated was to study the land across its many scales and design a new development to suit the trending expansion of Blacksburg, Virginia into the greater Montgomery County. The work progressed in teams of four throughout the analysis and district development stages then became individual in the site design stage. Right: character sketches of existing site elements Center: County-scale GIS map of political and environmental features Far Right: preliminary plan for Merrimac Crossing
Merrimac Crossing is structured by a hierarchy of housing typologies, development densities, and the immediate terrain.
Merrimac Crossing Village Green
Below: Illustrated Plan of the Marrimac Crossing Village Green. The Green is located in the town center and is framed by a civic building that houses a library and a community daycare service.
The Village Green addresses a central boulevard that features a light rail transit stop. The LRT connects Merrimac Crossing to nearby centers of population and commerce. This puts Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford all within a 20 minute commute. The form of the building in conjuction with the landscape frames a strong view into the adjacent heritage farmlands. Merrimac Crossing was planned with particular sensitivity to the local topography. Therefore, the develop rises and falls in a stepped fashion across the subtle ridges of the landscape.
Above: a diagram of the relationship between the edge of the development and the neighboring agricultural land.
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Tongji University Shanghai, China
Urban Design Studio Fall ‘11
SHANGHAI 2040 ‘Shanghai 2040: You are Shanghai!’ A five-month urban planning and design competition set in Shanghai, China.
Adaptability Concept: The inherent capacity of something to embody change as a fundamental characteristic of its identity.
Resiliency Concept: The potential of something to persist in its original character in the face of change.
Above: Flexibility Concept: An urban planning theory focusing on the advantages of adaptability and resiliency.
This project was sponsored by Tongji University College of Architecture and Urban Studies and the Shanghai Urban Planning Bureau. The competition proceeded in teams of four made up of Chinese
and International students. At the conclusion of the competition this project was awarded a second tier prize. Using analogous methods of change found in the natural world; adaptation, metabolism, and resilience became the cornerstones of this project. Seeking a more resilient future for the city of Shanghai, the final product was focused on a new system and interface through which the growth of the city can be monitored, regulated, and intervened upon.
Lujiazui Central Business District
‘Shanghai 2040: You are Shanghai!’
Below: Four diagrams of Lujiazui, Shanghai’s central business district, illustrating its patterns of development and the life cycle of its architectural components.
In order to test the applications of the newly developed system of urban growth, it was tested against several situations unique to the city of Shanghai. Shown here is the case of Lujiazui, the central business district of Shanghai.
The first diagram above analyzes the life cycle, basic program, and distribution of architectural elements. The second defines the area of focus for the potential intervention. The third establishes options for intervention such as
redevelopment, renovation, or a change in programming. Lastly, the final diagram realizes the potential for large scale interventions to create more well connected, fully functional urban quarters.
Above: photo of Century Ave. showing the isolation and compartmentalization of the architectural elements
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Construction Documentation
Fourth Year Landscape Studio Spring ‘12
NORRIS HALL PEACE GARDEN
Below: Peace Garden Masterplan. Virginia Tech campus at Blacksburg, Va
Layout Plan excerpt showing a system of curved retaining walls adjacent to the existing building
Planting Plan excerpt locating large canopy trees, small ornamental trees, and low-lying shrubs.
The Norris Hall Peace Garden was first proposed by the Virginia Tech Center for Peace Studies and Violence
Prevention. This design incorporates priorities expressed by the public in a series of community meetings.
Site Design Model
Norris Hall Peace Garden
This set of photos serves to communicate the spatial and sequential qualities of the design.
This collection of photos document a 10 Scale, site design model constructed to represent the built features, vegetation, and topography of the garden design. Participants of the community meetings were able to relate their ideas to the model
The Norris Hall Peace Garden is designed as a retreat from the expansive and loosely defined university landscape. The garden is structured largely by its natural elements: trees, shrubs, and topography. A few key, built features help to negotiate the grade and create functional gathering places. The planting palette was selected for yearround interest. As the seasons change, various rooms of the garden blossom into focus as others wilt. The garden can be appreciated in passing moments, unexpected minutes, as wells as entire hours.
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Detroit By Design
Fifth Year Landscape Studio Fall ‘12
DETROIT BY DESIGN This studio project was dovetailed with an AIAsponsored competition entitled ‘Detroit by Design: 2012’
Activate. Consolidate. Bind.
Roads, Streets, and Highways
Economically Productive Zones
Population Density by census tract
Typical Detroit long-block development pattern. Commercial buildings line the thoroughfares while single family homes fill the interior blocks. Residential BlockOrganizations Organizations Residential Block FiveStory Story Perimeter Perimeter Apartments / Lofts Five Apartments / Lofts
P erimeter Pocket Courts
Perimeter Pocket Plazas
Historic Sites Buffer
River and Stream Buffer
Pedestrian Buffers Eight Story Inner Block Apartments
Eight Story Inner Block Apartments
This project began as a team effort to ascertain the origins of Detroit’s remarkable decline through extensive analysis conducted both remotely and on site. It became clear that the nature of the issues at hand was beyond the grasp of conventional geospatial analysis. Detroit was built upon a culture of growth and production. The city, as a cultural environment, had reached its carrying capacity.
Local Ground Local Ground level LevelRetail Retail
Inter-Block Passage Inter-Block Passages
Diagrammatic arrangement of various residential block design configurations.
New Block Design Masterplan
Detroit by Design
This new block masterplan creates a more dense, complete, and effective usage of the traditional long-block development pattern.
Long-Block Pattern
Building Footprints
Residential Blocks
Mixed Use Core
Right: building massing model of residential blocks
Mixed Use Market Building
Podium Style Apartment Building
Street Front Arcade
Facade Articulations Market Arcade
Residential Open Space
Center: podium style apartment building with street front arcade
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Far Right: Mixed Use building with market arcade
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‘Activate the core. Consolidate resources. Bind the fringe.’ These are the principles of the design strategy set forth to return Detroit to a city of a functionally efficient proportion. The mixed use cores reinforce the pedestrian street corridors while maintaining their proximity to the interior residential blocks. The varied components of each block configuration establish complete communities which accommodate the live-work patterns of the residents. The density of this design also balances the concentration of the built environment and the immediate open spaces.
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Parametric Design Rhino + Grasshopper
Digital Mentor Collaborative Fall ‘12 - Spring ‘13
DMCO
The Digital Mentor Collaborative is an interdisciplinary, student-led organization sponsored by the School of Architecture + Design.
Variation One
Variation Two
Above: Four variations of a panelized truss system for a curved surface. Right: Complete Grasshopper definition for the above variations Far Right: enlargement of the initial inputs for the definition
Variation Three
Variation Four
The Digital Mentor Collaborative was founded in 2012 by a group of students who shared a common interest in digital design methods and their implications on the practice of architecture and related fields of design. DMCO established a series of peer-to-peer and special guest led workshops. Parametric design became a recurring subject of these workshops. Demonstrated here, parametric design generates forms based on parameters defined by the user.
Film Architectures Fall ‘11
PHOTO ESSAY
Above: ‘Community Center’ Above Center: ‘Urban Redevelopment’ Top Right: ‘Defensible Amenity’ Bottom Right: ‘Frantic Infrastructure’
Tongji University Shanghai, China
This preliminary photo essay later provided the context for a short film assignment.
As the first assignment of the Film Architectures course, students were asked to begin with photography as the medium with which to
explore a narrative of the highly urbanized landscape of Shanghai. Great consideration was given to composition and dialog between the images just as one would orchestrate the scenes of a film.
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West Rivers District Kansas City, Missouri
Senior Thesis Project Fall ‘12 - Spring ‘13
SENIOR THESIS: PREFACE
Country
Below: Cover Illustration of the final thesis project documentation
Total Population: 316,358,000 Area: 3,794,101 Sq. Mi. 9,826,675 Km2 Density: 88.6/Sq. Mi 34.2/Km2
Region
The West Rivers District Kansas City, Missouri
An Urban Confluence
A convergence of the rivers, the land, and the city. Paul R. Toler BLA 2013
Total Population: 2,035,225 Area: 7, 952 Sq. Mi. 20,596 Km2 Density: 260/Sq. Mi 100/Km2
County Total Population: 463,202 Area: 319 Sq. Mi. 826 Km2
Using the analogy of the urban confluence to describe an ideological union of river ecology, urban function, and the public domain; this project explores the multitude of design implications originating from this distinct paradigm. This project has been realized in the very particular context of the West Bottoms district of Kansas City, Missouri. While the historic, topographic, and aesthetic contexts of the West Bottoms remain unique, its greater relation with Kansas City bears great semblance to sites throughout the United States that exist as products of declining urban riverfront industrial institutions. These lands, many as there are, have played an invaluable role in the making of the urban landscape and will continue to be formed and reformed according to prevailing cultural motivations. This project seeks to re-frame the increasingly outmoded cultural motivations which are responsible for the condition of these lands.
Density: 1,630/Sq. Mi 594/Km2
District Total Population: 936 Area: 17 Sq. Mi. 950 Acres Density: 55/Sq. Mi 21/Km2
Senior Thesis Project Study Models
Senior Thesis Project Exposition
The rivers are the enduring nature of the site. The nature of the rivers are the truth of the site beyond all else.
The Land has guided the rivers just as they have carved the site out from the land. They continually fashion one another.
Exposition: From the outset of this project, a lens, or theoretical framework was established to provide a distinct approach to understanding complex sites, not only for this project but for future works as well. The theory of topographic convergence was developed to be this lens. Topographic convergence is an approach to understanding place in terms of its surface and depth as interface and archive. It is also recognized that the understanding of place is subject to one’s perception, experience, and knowledge.
implications originating from this distinct paradigm. The concept of the Urban Confluence was conceived of as an approach to the consequences, and equally numerous opportunities, presented by the current conditions of declining urban riverfront industrial institutions which have emerged all throughout the United States. The West Bottoms presents a rich topographic condition, a greatly dynamic river system, as well as a progressive city in the midst of redefining its developmental priorities.
Study: Using the analogy of the Urban Confluence to describe an ideological union of the river, the land, and the city; this project explores the multitude of design
Design: At one conceptual level, The West Rivers District design acts as a model for any number of sites throughout the country that are experiencing a similar
The City is the most enduring representation and accommodation of the land and its nature. The City is an indivisible production of a distinct culture.
decline in urban riverfront industrial institutions. As the project progressed and became grounded in place, the work could no longer be treated as a model, rather it had to become a distinct production indivisible of the site. As a response to the rivers, the land, and the city as a production of its people; this project was conceived as a realization of a distinct design paradigm which recognizes the capacity of a design to embody variability in its nature rather than to stand in the face of change as an outside agent.
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LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO
Paul Roberts Toler
Virginia Tech BLA 2013