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Graduate Landscape Architect E M
sarah.irwin950@gmail.com 0433619357
“ I’ve had a passion for design and
the environment for as long as I can remember. Fine arts, photography, nature and environmental issues have influenced my life and way of thinking from a young age.
(2.5 yrs)
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Landscape Architect’s assistant, working part of a multi- disciplinary team with roles in design & documentation for various projects that range in scale and complexity; Collaborating in small teams of Landscape Architects, interior designers and drafts people Concept development, design documentation and Construction detailing. Being challenged with meeting project driven deadlines and coordinating within a team environment; Proficient level of graphic and computer skills in AutoCAD, Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Google Sketch-up and the Microsoft Office Suite. Proficient in the use of both Windows and Mac OS X Systems. Adequate knowledge in horticulture and plant selection specific to each unique project Can demonstrate a range of hand graphic and drawing techniques.
Landscape architecture has been the bridge that has combined all my passions together. The way landscapes shape an individual’s experience and act as a dynamic living system is what makes me most excited about the practice. As a recent graduate, I look forward to a lifetime of creating landscapes for people to enjoy and that better the environment we live in. ”
Portfolio Contents 1.
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STUDIO PROJECTS
1.0
GRADUATION STUDIO, PARRAMATTA
A collection of some of my favourite Studio Projects I completed at university.
1.1
NEWCASTLE RAILWAY CORRIDOR
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1.2
OTTO LINE COMPETITION, HAMBURG
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1.3
HORNSBY QUARRY
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PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
2.0
HOWARD PARK, GREGORY HILLS
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A collection of memorable projects I took part in during my time working at Distinctive Living Design as an undergraduate Landscape Architect.
2.1
OUR LADY OF MERCY COLLEGE, BURRANEER
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2.2
“THE MILL”, WAGGA WAGGA
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CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
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2.3 TREACY STREET, HURSTVILLE
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2.4
CHILD CARE CENTRE, THIRLMERE
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2.5
APPIN WAR MEMORIAL, APPIN
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3.0
MODEL MAKING
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3.1
MAPPING: URBAN ATLAS
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PHOTOGRAPHY
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TRAVEL & LANDSCAPES
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HAND SKETCH
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PAINTING & DRAWING
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1. 0 STUDIO PROJECTS
GRADUATION STUDIO, PARRAMATTA
DESIGN STUDIO 10
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Graduation Studio required students to undertake an individual landscape exploration for a site of our choice. The chosen site was drawn upon a greater masterplan for the City of Parramatta Council region (see below) developed from group projects in the previous semester. Our designs were to be driven by our proposed theoretical approach based on a topic within landscape architecture of our interest.
MY VISION
My topic of interest was Urban Agriculture and society’s disconnect from its food source. I attempted to design in a series of public spaces that address issues surrounding the unsustainablity of mass scale agriculture, improve the health and well-being of Western Sydney and on an individual level, reconnect the community with nature and their food source by drawing upon models of successful Urban agriculture combined with Australian Indigenous farming practices. My vision was to create a future community where agriculture is reintroduced into the Parramatta landscape in new and exciting ways. Food would be embedded into all aspects of life across all demographics, from how the community work, learn, live and play.
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES
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MASTERPLAN
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SCALE 1:2000
COMMUNITY GARDEN DETAIL NTS
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1. 1 STUDIO PROJECTS
NEWCASTLE RAILWAY CORRIDOR DESIGN STUDIO 8
This studio required us to consider the re-design and activate the Newcastle railway corridor between Newcastle Station, Civic Station and new light rail. We were required to consider not only the public amenity across the corridor, but reinvigorate connections from the harbor through to the CBD
MY VISION I was inspired by Newcastle’s dramatic topography and the different hydrological environments the city sits in between, from the weather eroded coasts to its inundated wetlands. The corridor in particular sits in between the undulating waves from the coast and dramatic topography the city lies on, I attempted to emphasize this “tension” by creating moments of wide expanse to sudden enclosed thresholds as individuals walk along the corridors East to West axsis On the North to South axsis, flooding and stormwater management prevailed to be the two largest issues on site. My proposal attempted to incorporate new catchment zones disguised as usable public spaces (see right image). Spaces including wetlands, interactive recycled water-play systems and bioretention systems that all work together in one scheme to assist in solving these issues.
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1. 2 STUDIO PROJECTS
OTTO LINE COMPETITION, HAMBURG DESIGN STUDIO 7: GROUP PROJECT This group task focused on East Hamburg, Germany. The topic of the Otto Linne Prize is associated with Hamburg’s future urban development. The main canal that runs through Hamburg is dominated by mostly commercial and industrial structures, criss-crossed by narrow paths and a tangle of tracks, bridges and access roads. In-between there are minor canals, waterways and allotment gardens. The landscape of this tidal bay provides a special backdrop. But the landscape lends itself to be disconnected and sense that is barren of human life.
OUR VISION Our vision was to bring the fractured community together by emphasizing the canals that transect through the site as key public spaces as well as functional routes of for water transportation. We tried to achieve this by creating three key open spaces for public amenity known as “hubs” adjacent to the canals. By transforming these unusable spaces to key areas of social gathering, we hoped that it would encourage future commercial and residential development alongside the canals edge that is currently dominated by monotonous industry. Furthermore, we included bike and kayak networks transect through the site and open space “hubs“ that further strengthen community connections and linkages to Hamburg’s greater CBD.
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1. 3 STUDIO PROJECTS
HORNSBY QUARRY
DESIGN STUDIO 6 The Hornsby Quarry located in Sydney was once owned by a private business from the early 1900s until 2002. When was deemed unprofitable the Hornsby Shire Council was legally obliged to buy it. The Quarry is deemed to be “historically valuable, ecologically important and visually spectacular. Hornsby quarry is located in a small pocket of protected national park surrounded by medium density housing.
MY VISION I was inspired by its visually spectacular qualities, environmental value and recreational potential. I wanted to maximize the experience of Hornsby Quarry for all user groups by creating a dynamic, multi-sensory park whilst minimising as much environmental impact as possible. I tried to achieve this by maintaining its existing and visually dramatic postindustrial state of the quarry lake. I implement a waterfall that functioned as an aeration system keeping the water purified from algal blooms making it safe for public amenity. I also tried emphasizing the site’s visual amenity through various lookouts, a hierarchy of pathways, disability access into the steep quarry, and elevated boardwalks as well as a multipurpose amphitheater for community or private events
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PROFESSIONAL
P R A C T I C E
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2. 0 PROFESSIONAL PRAC T IC E
HOWARD PARK , GREGORY HILLS
Howard Park is a recreational park designed for children of all ages and now forms a vital part of the town centre precinct development. The concept design was done by Senior Landscape Architects in the Distinctive office. My involvement in this project was mainly during construction documentation and tender phase. My key responsibility was to assist with producing the construction plan set, design/ draft custom objects and produce long sections within the whole project, I also liaised with consultants and produce RFI’s during the construction phase under supervision.
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2. 1 PROFESSIONAL
OUR LADY OF MERCY COLLEGE, BURRANEER
PRAC T IC E
Our Lady of Mercy Catholic College is a K-10 all girls school located in the Sutherland Shire council. The project brief required our team to develop a DA and Construction package. The landscape design needed emphasize passive recreation, outdoor learning and spiritual reflection while still considering the site’s existing heritage building, heritage trees and steep topography. Project Involvement: -
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Preliminary research, including Council DCP and Australian standards Setting time-frames within an assisting team Site visits, photos and landscape analysis Concept Development: hand sketching, hardscape and softscape palette selection. DA Documentation Package CC Documentation Package Concept development for a custom Public Art Structure Closely communicating with the client and various consultants to reach deliverables. Participated in consultant meetings
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2. 2 PROFESSIONAL
THE MILL, WAGGA WAGGA
PRAC T IC E
“The Mill“ in Wagga Wagga is a post-industrial heritage flour mill that will undergo a $37million Hotel redevelopment, accompanied by mixed used commercial businesses including retail and restaurants. The Distinctive landscape team were appointed to redesign its streetscape, car park and plaza space. The landscape design was inspired by a modern take on the Italian Piazza that maximizes uses for public amenity, private events and celebrates the outdoor dining lifestyle.
Project Involvement: - Preliminary Research and concept development - Setting time-frame deliverables within a team - Assist senior landscape architect to produce concept design - Landscape DA Documentation. - Hardscape and Softscape palette selection - Assist senior interior architects with Google Sketch-up model
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2. 3 PROFESSIONAL
TREACY STREET, HURSTVILLE
PRAC T IC E
Treacy Street, Hurstville is a hotel development in the commercial heart of the busy suburb of Hurstville. The Distinctive landscape team were required to design and produce DA and CC documentation for the Public domain space adjacent to the hotel as well as the Community Rooftop. The Rooftop design brief required the team to create a landscape inspired by Chinese Zen gardens but also be low maintenance and by able to withstand the conditions of the exposed rooftop environment
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Project involvement: -
Design revisions in the DA phase Photoshop plans and sections Preparation of CC Drawing Package Product selection Preparation of a Schedule of Works Liaising with Project Managers during the construction phase regarding on-site issues
LVL 13 Rooftop Design, Revision H
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2. 4 PROFESSIONAL
CHILD CARE CENTRE, THIRLMIRE
PRAC T IC E
For this Childcare Centre Project located Thirlmere I was invovled in developing a landscape concept sketch, accompanied with a product, material and softscape palette (taking into account childcare design guidelines), the preparation of DA landscape plans under Wollondilly Shire Council DCP requirements and liaising with consultants to meet tight time-frame deliverables. All prepared in accordance with Australian Standards, BCA Code, State & Local Government and Authorities reuqirements.
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2. 5 PROFESSIONAL
APPIN WAR MEMORIAL, APPIN
PRAC T IC E
The Appin War Memorial was a Pro-Bono Project appointed to Distinctive Living Design by the Wollondilly Shire Council and The Appin Historical Society. My role in this project was to develop of a landscape concept for a war memorial site, including a custom Cenotaph and proposed laser cut corten steel sculptures as well as a surrounding landscape treatment that required low maintenance. I also assisted in the Masterplan phase of Appin park and engaged with community groups and residence through community seminars and surverys.
(Left and Right) 3D Modeling of Cenotaph (Middle) Indicative imagery.
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3. 0 CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
MODEL MAKING The way landscape is constructed through 2D contours drawn that are then actualized in a 3D model has always fascinated me. They help convey spatial ideas and give me a better understanding of designing landscape as form, rather than a two dimensional drawing. The following pages show samples of finished presentation models for final Studio presentations: 1. Graduation Studio, Studio 10 2. White Bay, Studio 5 3. Hornsby Quarry, Studio 6
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3. 0 CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
MAPPING: URBAN ATLAS
This project required us to research the development of a city over time. Through research and visual communication, we were to clearly demonstrate the changes a civilization had with its landscape, from its urban built from to its manipulation of the natural environment over the centuries. My chosen city for this research assignment was Turin, Italy.
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4. 0 PHOTO
GRAPHY
TRAVEL & LANDSCAPES Photography has been a hobby of mine from a young age and has influenced my choice to become a landscape architect today. I have always had an excitement to try and capture the perfect moment in a landscape through composition, framing and timing. The travels I’ve had have been life changing. Travelling spurred my love for finding how each city had its own personality, how experiences and interactions are made can be so different with each new environment presented. I love discovering more about your surroundings by exploring, and watching how people move through a space.
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5. 0
PAINTING & DRAWING
HAND SKETCH
Drawing and painting from a young age has influenced my way of perceiving landscapes and visually communicating my ideas in Landscape architecture. From quick hand sketching in the concept stages to incorporating painting into my perspective montages. I view a landscape in the same way I would paint: I’m constantly looking for form and composition, the contrast between light and dark, its core colour palette . At university before I began any site analysis I draw to understand a site for its core qualities - it’s spirit of place. Here is a collection of some of my favourite previous hand sketched and painted works.
CAPTIONS
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“Dancers pt 1” Oil on Canvas. 2013
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“Dancers pt 2” Oil on Canvas. 2013
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Indigenous Aboriginal Farming Studies, Pencil. 2019
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Tree Studies, Charcoal. 2014
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“Magazine Portraiture” Acrylic on Canvas. 2011
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“Georges River ” Oil on Canvas. 2012
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