Renee Dillon
Renee Dillon Contact
Experience
Email: rdillon@uga.edu LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ReneeADillon ISSU: issuu.com/reneedillon
Graduate Assistant, University of Georgia (2013-14) Created Site models. Created Digital site maps. Produced layout mock-ups for an e-book. Designed posters and banners. Graded papers.
Education University of Georgia College of Environment and Design Masters of Landscape Architecture, 2015 Thesis Title: Exploring Possibilities for Encouraging Flood Resilience in Binghamton, NY Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Bachelors of Science, 2008 Science of Natural and Environmental Systems Thesis Topic: Mycorrhizal Colonization of A. saccharum
Involvement
Service Technician, Cornell University Exp. Station (2006-08, 2010-12) Performed greenhouse maintenance and plant care activities including potting, pruning, and watering. Farm Worker, Early Morning Organic Farm (2011-12) Performed farming tasks including planting, harvesting, and pruning. GreenApple Corps, NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation (2008-09) Provided environmental education to students and adults. Assisted public at environmental outreach events. Performed ecological restoration and urban forestry work.
Charrette Participation Atlanta Beltline Vertical Charrette (2014) Rocksprings Neighborhood Charrette (2013) Athens Business Corridor Vertical Charrette(2013)
Research Asst., University of Michigan Biological Field Station (2007) Helped manage an outdoor experimental site. Monitored and adjusted ozone, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide gas concentrations in experiment plots.
Communication Layout Editor of Georgia Landscape magazine (2014) Member of Georgia Landscape magazine (2013)
Awards
Programs
AutoCAD, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Sketchup, ArcGIS, Microsoft Office
2015 ASLA Student Merit Award (2015) Student Merit Award, ASLA Georgia Chapter (2014) Bartow Wright Rankin Scholarship, University of Georgia (2014) Student Honor Award, ASLA Georgia Chapter (2013) Distinction in Research, Cornell University (2008)
I am interested in the integration of ecological function with environmental expression. I believe that designs should be inspired by place, amplifying and showcasing features that make that space unique while retaining or restoring environmental function.
1 9 13 19 27 Redefining the Riverfront
College Avenue
Busan Bay Filtration Park
Reconnecting Griffin
Graham Sculpture Garden
This Athens, GA site has been awaiting redevelopment, formerly functioning as a rail side industrial parcel. The charge of this project was to redesign the parcel as a pedestrian-focused multi use district. In addition, my goal was utilize this parcel as a means to reconnect downtown Athens to the riverfront.
Transition A grid is used to organize buildings according to the downtown Athens grid and a series of rays and curves are used to organize according to the river curvature. As one walks toward the river, buildings transition from a grid arrangement to a curved river orientation. Material and form of buildings are intended to reflect a transition of old to new, utilizing traditional Georgia materials (such as wood and brick) to execute contemporary forms.
Access A typology of river access, from visual to physical, was created with the intention of promoting river access throughout the development.
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Downtown Grid
River Curvature
Infill Layout
Redefining a Riverfront 2
Broad Street Robotic Parking Small Shops with Housing Rail-to-trail Project
Existing Restaurant Historic Potterytown with Infill
Oconee Street Drug Store Cafe Using Existing Structure Grocery Store Bosque Plaza Raised Lawn Fitness Center
Boat Launch Flood Meadow
Small Shops with Housing Lower Plaza Large Restaurant
Robotic Parking
Wetland Restaurant Stream Confluence North Oconee River Railroad Trestle Bridge
Terraced Buildings
Floating boardwalks Oxbow Stage River Slope Seating Riverfront Shops
River Overlook
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Reuse and Ecosystem Services
Existing buildings and structures with historic character are preserved and integrated into this redevelopment, aiding in the visual transition of old to new and reducing unnecessary construction.
Green roofs are used on all large roofs to retain rainwater, provide private green space to residents of this private/public landscape, and provide visual river access to site visitors.
Tree cover is maintained on steep slopes to reduce erosion, protect the existing stream corridor, and provide shaded oases to visitors.
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Utilizing Topography In order to resolve a steep slope, inset buildings function as retaining walls. These buildings are topped with intensive greenroofs, providing park-topped terraces which overlook the river. The top terraces are intended as a coffee shop and a restaurant, and the bottom terrace for incubator offices. Intensive Greenroof
12’ Tall buildings
12’ Retaining walls cut into steep slope
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River Access
River access has been achieved within this district on a gradient, from visual access to physical access.
Greenroof
Building Terrace
River Slope Seating Overlook
Floating Boardwalk and Boat launch Landing
Boat launch Landing
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River Slope Seating
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Riverfront Shops
Stage
Floating Boardwalk
Wetland
North Oconee River
Existing Stream Confluence
Restaurant
Existing Park Across From Development Visually Connected
Railroad Trestle Bridge
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This site is currently a small roadway across from a University of Georgia entrance. The charge of this project is to convert the space to a pedestrian plaza, functioning for both daily activity and large event use.
Water Quality The location of the site, at the base of a long sloped roadway, inspired a focus on water quality within the design. A diagonal paving pattern runs perpendicular to the slope and contains gratecovered runnels, channeling runoff to a stormwater wetland. The wetland serves as a unique focal point of the design and contributes to water quality awareness in downtown Athens.
Flexible Space This space requires both daily and special event use. Because of this, a large emphasis is placed on movable and removable furnishings; encouraging comfortable pedestrian-scaled daily use while allowing for a large stage and festival tents.
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Section illustrating underground runnels and wetland.
College Avenue 10
View from edge of the Cafe Area looking toward The Grove.
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Stormwater Wetland: Captures site rainwater
The Grove: Elevated platform exaggerating existing topography
Species: Acorus calamus, Liatris spicata, Iris breviculis, Carex stipata, Agrostis scabra, Saccharum giganteum
Grove of Koelreuteria bipinnata
Concrete seating nooks
Large bluestone pavers
Cafe Area: Large are of movable seating for area businesses
The Multipurpose Area: Large area with flexible features to allow for multiple uses
Grove of Koelreuteria bipinnata
Striped pavement of concrete, bluestone, and metal grates allowing for water drain to wetland
Concrete and bluestone pavers
Oversized umbrellas can be removed to allow for a concert stage
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This vacant bay side site, located in Busan, South Korea, has been redesigned as a public waterfront park. The goal of this design is to bring awareness to, and experiment with, new technologies for urban pollution mitigation. At the same time this park is designed to incorporate familiar Korean garden and park elements with the contemporary design forms favored along the Busan coast.
Filtration This park utilizes a 3 filter approaches to pollution mitigation experimentation. Particulate pollution in Busan involves both local fine dusts, Mi-sea-mun-ji, and “Yellow Dust�, Hwang-sa, pollution originating in China. This is filtered using a small urban forest of evergreen and pollution resistant trees. Chemical pollutants, primarily NOx and SO2, are oxidized using a Titanium dioxide coated structure (technology developed by Alcoa). This neutralizes the hazardous effects of these compounds. Stormwater pollutants are treated, instead of washing into the bay, by infiltrating through permeable pavement into the soil of the urban forest maintained using Silva cells.
Integrating Form This site, though currently a large concrete slab, has high cultural significance to Busan. During the Korean War this area served as a fish market, providing much needed food to the starving people of Busan. To pay homage to this cultural value, I incorporated traditional elements of Korean culture into this design. It is important that the design still melds into the existing contemporary coastline that Busan is striving to develop. For this reason, form abstraction and hierarchy are necessary to integrate Korean tradition with contemporary architecture.
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Form abstraction of a Korean Pine pine cone, a significant tree within Korean culture, to create a sculptural element.
Busan Bay Filtration Park 14
Walkable Sculpture Room with Cafe
Entrance with Overlook Bridge
Overlook Cafe Street Curb moved back from road
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River Promenade
Boulder
Bay Plaza
Woodland Room
Bay Overlook
Possible River Promenade Expansion
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Integrating Korean Culture and Contemporary Form Traditional Materials Stone is an important element in Korean gardens and parks. Irregularly-shaped boulders are common to the natural landscape and are often showcased within traditional gardens. Korean black brick is a traditional material. Rectangular stone benches are frequently seen in parks, often used to play Baduk.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/marksnape/6233193765/
Symbol as Texture Water and the Korean Pine are elements in South Korean gardens that in this design are reduced to symbols. A water feature in this dense, litter-prone site is not practical. Instead the water trigram, gam, is represented in paving. Korean Pine needles compose a texture used as an indentation in concrete paving and as the sculpture’s screen texture. Gam
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Korean Pine
Park as a Filter Using evergreen trees, a titanium dioxide-coated sculpture, and permeable soils this park filters particulate, smog, and runoff pollutants. Pollution-tolerant, Evergreen Trees
Particulate Pollution
TiO2 Coated Sculpture + Sun + Water NO2 NO SO2
SO2 Harmful Smog NO
NO2
O2-
O2-
NO3-
OH
O2-
NO3-
SO3Harmless Oxidized Compounds
OH SO2
NO3-
NO3-
SO3-
SO3-
OH
Rain and Runoff Permeable Paving
Soil Filtered Water
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This project is a collaborative effort between the University of Georgia Landscape Architecture department, Environmental Planning and Design department, Carl Vincent Institute of Government, and the City of Griffin, Ga. The design focuses on reconnecting the city of Griffin through redeveloping an active railroad corridor that bisects the city.
Pedestrian Connectivity Transforming this corridor from a barrier to a pedestrian node was the focus of this design. This was done using three railroad crossings and the lateral corridors between them.
Celebrating the Rail The railroad passing through Griffin is the reason the city was developed. Within this design we wanted to embrace and utilize this history transforming this barrier into a focal point of the city. The design of this corridor mimics the pathways and rhythms of the railroad. Materials used are either of the railroads themselves or evoking the feel of the railroad, including: rail ties, rails, gravel, and wildflowers.
Low Cost and Impact The City of Griffin had a low budget for both the development and maintenance of this project. Reclaiming materials along the tracks and selecting low-cost materials, such as gravel, kept costs down. A simple wildflower and native tree planting plan reduces the need for landscape maintenance after establishment.
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Closed Fence Cuts Existing Fence New Crossings Existing Crossings
Reconnecting Griffin Renee Dillon, Lucie Siggins, and Manasi Parkhi 20
Three Railroad Crossings
The new crossings are placed at quarter-mile intervals and tied into existing fabric to support pedestrian preferences and create neighborhood-scaled connectivity.
Pedestrian Shed Diagram
4 1/
Existing Crossings
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4th St. Tunnel
ile m
1st St. Crossing
Crossing 1: At-Grade
Crossing 2: Under Rail
Crossing 3: Utilizing Existing Crossings Over Bridge and At-Grade
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Crossing 1 This crossing occurs at the entrance to Griffin. The new crossing is at-grade, utilizing flat topography. Welded rail sculptures welcome visitors to Griffin and are spaced in order to visually encourage cars to slow down before the crossing using spacing and rhythm.
Constant 45 mph
Constant 35 mph
Gradual Slowing City Entry
Welded Rail Sculptures
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Crosswalk
Exaggerated size of crosswalk draws driver attention Rail Sculptures Griffin Entry Sign (Requested by City)
Concrete Strip At-Grade Crossing Rail yard
Gravel melding into wildflower planting evoking spontaneous rail-side plants
Railroad Property Line
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Crossing 3 This crossing occurs at the end of the rail yard encouraging connections between an existing at-grade crossing , an existing bridge crossing, the Griffin Welcome Center, and an existing rail trail. New Railroad-side Cafe and Plaza to activate the space
Incorporated Existing Parking
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Existing Bridge
The green space at 5th Street park contains a series of sculptures which frame the rail. Many of these sculptures contain swings, providing opportunity for movement.
Reused Rail Tie Framing Structures and Swings
Railroad Property Line
Pathways originate from a remnant rail path
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This hypothetical location within the Blue Ridge Mountains is a forested lot slated for redevelopment as a museum and sculpture garden. The charge of this project was to design and choose sculptures for the sculpture garden.
Movement The design of this sculpture garden is inspired by the choreography of Martha Graham. The intention of this design is to encourage visitors to experience movement visually and physically. Martha Graham is famous for her repeating theme of expansion and contraction within her choreography. This theme is reflected in the sculptures selected and the garden pathways. Boardwalks rise, fall, and meander through the forest and meadow, allowing users a large range of movement throughout the site. Maintaining natural landscapes encourages further movement of rustling leaves, birds, and insects within the landscape.
Low Impact Maintaining the integrity of existing ecosystem functions is important to this design. Pathways are primarily boardwalks, limiting disturbance to the forest floor while still allowing for pedestrian access. The majority of the woodland is conserved and utilized as an element of the design, showcasing another level of movement in the landscape.
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Art of Movement, Martin Duffy
Joie de Vivre, Penny Hardy
Blue Dancer, Alexander Archipenko
Graham Sculpture Garden
“All that is important in this one moment is movement. Make the moment important, vital, and worth living. Do not let it slip away unnoticed and unused’ -Martha Graham
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Experimenting with Form This design seeks to represent Martha Graham’s theme of expansion and contraction within the landscape. A diagram expressing this theme was created and then projected in 3 form vocabularies: Rectilinear, Irregular, and Curvilinear. Expressing Expansion and Contraction
Form Vocabulary Experimentation
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View of Mountains Joie de Vivre Penny Hardy
Boardwalk Meadow
Forest Waving No. 1 Wenqin Chen
Forest Floor Path Blue Dancer Alexander Archipenko
Mowed Meadow Path Art of Movement Martin Duffy
Forms in Movement Barbara Hepworth Formal Plantings Knot #04 Damon Hepworth Reception Plaza
Museum
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Renee Dillon rdillon@uga.edu www.linkedin.com/in/ReneeADillon issuu.com/reneedillon