Frankie Smith-Morris: Professional and Undergraduate Portfolio

Frankie Smith-Morris

Professional and Undergraduate Works

My current position as a Graduate Landscape Architect has afforded me the opportunity to work on a variety of project types, from park design on estate infill to interior tropical gardens in central London, during which time I have worked across all RIBA stages. Through this time, I have developed my own principles, morals, and questions about the roles of the built environment to the future of humanity and environments alike. I have developed a keen interest in the application of

research for real world benefits, and am looking further opportunity to enhance my own critical and analytical thinking of what landscape architecture can mean and how it can be utilised as a tool for good.

Throughout my undergraduate degree, I became particularly interested in development's effects on communities; existing and future, and how landscape can become a key tool in enhancing a person or a people's connection to what is perceived as home.

A Place Fit for People, Leeds

Heritage and infrastructure project creating a new citycentre park and supporting green infrastructure for social housing and cultural facilities in Leeds Innovation District.

(Below) Concept collages of proposed public space (Photoshop) (Right) Concept plan of early proposed interventions (Hand drawn, Illustrator)

Seeking to connect and unify one of the few open spaces in Central Leeds, the proposed city park would cap the existing ring road, creating a single expanse of public open space, populated with allotments, arts facilities and community gardens.

Within the design language there is a conscious movement towards the ornamentation and texture that exists within many of Leeds' institutional and industrial buildings. A series of cast iron arches enclose raised planters. Each arch is adorned with a gilt loop of cast iron 'fabric'; a nod to the city's past as an industrial giant of the fabric industry.

(Top Left) Rendered image of the central urban plaza and arts facility (Rhino, Vray, Photoshop) (Top Right) Masterplan of finalised design (Rhino, Vray, Photoshop)

(Above) Illustrative section through pedestrian avenue, showing adjoining planting areas and cast iron gateway (Rhino, Vray, Photoshop)

Zodiac Court, London

Community gardens, play space and workshop space, adjoining a permitted development project in South London. A community consultation led process, the outward-facing forecourt aims to provide accessible public space in an otherwise hard urban street-scape.

Concept sketch of street facing community gardens and pavilion, adjoining a sheltered commercial frontage (Hand drawn)

Professional Project

Working with ShedKM Architects, I was part of a team at Planit-IE that took Zodiac Court to planning. I worked on site analysis and concept development to create a concise design intent for the contractor to detail.

A series of public and semi-private spaces are to be linked with a cohesive design language that is explored and stretched throughout to give each space a distinct and responsive character.

Level changes within the architecture and surrounding context enable a considered breakdown of sheltered spaces. This in turn results in a more engaging journey throughout: views become framed and movement more purposefully drives a transition in character and programme.

(Above) Concept sketch for internal, play-focused courtyard (Hand drawn) (Right) Concept sketch for activated accessible threshold (Hand drawn)

2 Finsbury Avenue, London

Professional Project

A future City of London skyscraper that seeks to integrate nature as a fundamental element of the architecture. The project encompasses both exterior and interior design through from RIBA stage 1 to stage 4 across 12 months.

Concept visual showing initial response to proposed public realm (Illustrator)

Concept visuals exploring links and relationships between exterior and interior space (Illustrator)

Sketch exploring materiality as a means of level transition (Hand drawn, Photoshop)

As part of a team, working with 3XN and Adamson's Architects, I was responsible for concept and design development, visualisation, detailed drawing package and BIM modelling.

This project was an intensely collaborative interdisciplinary process, seeking to create a seamless integration between public and private space, both exterior and interior.

Each typology of planting and materiality had to respond uniquely to its setting and intended programme, eventually requiring 4 separate design packages. Interior planting was to remain as fluid and seasonal as the outdoors. Scheduled rotations of displays, instillations and events would keep the planting integrated into the every day running of the building. The landscape hereby takes on another dimension beyond flowering, fruiting, and seasonal colour.

Stage 4 design intent of planter and integrated seat over pedestal system (Vectorworks)

Rendered vignette of interior (Vectorworks, Twinmotion, Photoshop)

Armley Strategic Masterplan, Leeds

Undergraduate Project

A group project with Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning, and the Canal and Rivers Trust to develop a strategic-level masterplan for Armley and NewWortley in south Leeds. The design proposals were driven by a programme of community consultation to help ensure interventions were duly considered, justified, and responsive to residents real-life needs.

(Above) Concept visuals for art trail instillations (SketchUp, Photoshop)

(Left) Strategic masterplan of routes, instillations and connected green space (AutoCAD, Photoshop)

An art trail linking Armley and New Wortley to a proposed community hub is one of the key features of the final masterplan. These collages from pictures taken along the route of the art trail show the intention of creating large and small scale interventions that respond and reflect on Armley’s history and community. Each instillation should be an expression of where it was, urban or natural. Ultimately these works should come from the community, as a chance to have a tangible positive impact on where they live.

Frankie Smith-Morris Professional and Undergraduate Works

Concept visuals for art trail instillations (Photoshop)

Armley Park Gateway, Leeds

Undergraduate Project

A follow on from Armley Masterplan, this module was a deeper exploration of one of the proposed interventions. In this case, a public art piece that was to double as a landmark-entrance for a major park in south Leeds.

(Below) Diagrammatic plan-view of instillation and planting (AutoCAD, Photoshop) (Full spread) Daytime render (SketchUp, Vray, Photoshop)

A clay model was invaluable to informing curvature and gradients: using the path itself to set up views of the surrounding park and city, to then be reinforced by a series of corten-steel frames.

The frames themselves are a nod to the wool industry and the 'tenter field' that had once occupied the park, where cloth would be stretched taught between 'tenter hooks' to protect against shrinkage. Now the fabric on the tenter frames could be used by the community, schools, and groups as a means to create a tangible expression of themselves onto where they live.

(Top) Rendered elevation showing instillation of community produced panels (SketchUp, Vray, Photoshop) (Bottom) Illustrated sketch model photographs (Clay, Balsa wood, Tracing paper, Photoshop)

Anglia Square, Norwich

Detailed masterplan for a new neighbourhood in Norwich delivering 1200 new homes, 11ha of new and enhanced public space, and redevelopment of a central public square and canopy.

Professional Project

Joining the project at the start of Stage 2, I was part of a team collaborating with Broadway Malyan Architects to deliver to planning.

I was Involved in concept and design development, detailed drawing packages, and visualisation.

Norwich's rich medieval character is to be reflected in the master-planning of this development. Historic pedestrian avenues are reinstated and give way to smaller scale through-routes and ginnels. Residential blocks are focussed around an internal, semi-public 'yard': a trait seen in much of Norwich's housing.

This incurred detailed study of materiality to reflect hierarchy of public space and incurring programming. A concise design language between each street-scape or yard would create a legible, cohesive public realm.

(Above) Exploded isometric of the layers that make up a key public space (Vectorworks, Photoshop)

(Below) Concept Sketch of a central artwork to frame a smaller public space (hand drawn)

(Previous) Render of Anglia Square, a key public space central to the masterplan (Vectorworks, Twinmotion, Photoshop)

'The Hub', Sugar House Island

Professional Project

Southern tip of Planit London's 26 acre flagship project 'Sugar House Island'. Public waterfront space, rain gardens, and activated frontage all work to create a year round destination point for East London.

Rendered masterplan 1:200@A1 (Vectorworks, Photoshop)

Working as master planners and landscape architects for all public realm in Sugar House Island, I was part of a team working with Vastint to develop this mixed use, East London based scheme to planning.

I was in part responsible for design development, visualisation, detailed drawing package, and modelling.

The Hub is a new piece of public realm that has to answer to the necessity of highquality open space in East London, bettering pedestrian connectivity across the Grand Union Canal and River Lee. There is a response to its immediate heritagerich surroundings through materiality and view finding. An open centre of flexible space is punctuated with rills that feed an adjoining rain garden. Naturalistic tree planting along the west border channels views south, towards the grade 1 listed Three Mills complex.

Clear successions of spatial qualities inform programming and use to create a free flowing space that can integrate seamlessly into its wider London context.

(Right) Rendered collages of activated public open space, rain gardens and spill out. (SketchUp, Photoshop)

(Below) Concept render of the southern edge of The Hub, with rain gardens and green. (Vectorworks, Twinmotion, Photoshop)

Battersea Park Road, Battersea

Professional Project

Accompanying landscape to the social housing fulfilment of Battersea Park. Rich and varied planting design was one of the key design tools used to create a respite from tough surroundings.

Rendered masterplan 1:500@A1 (Vectorworks, Photoshop)

Working with FBM architects, this scheme was taken from bid to Stage 3.

As part of a team, I was responsible for initial bid, concept and design development, visualisation, and planting design.

Planting was at the heart of this scheme, directly contrasting a context devoid of natural landscape. Successions of planting typologies are used to frame views and entrances, shelter spill-out and play, and inject colour, texture, and depth into a shared public space. Aside from dedicated 'wild' space, planting characters are designed to distil essences of natural landscape and amplify their key characteristics, better lending itself to matching the intensity of a surrounding mega city.

(Foreground) Series of concept vignettes illustrating how planting will enhance shifts in character (Hand drawn, Photoshop)

(Background) Early concept sketch masterplan (Hand drawn)

Grizedale Arts, Cumbria

Undergraduate Competition

(Group entry) Design competition for an accompanying building to an existing smallholding enterprise. The new structure is to serve a pragmatic function as washing, packing and storage facility.

Our proposal sought to celebrate the existing topography, while a two-part building layout is reminiscent of 'dog trot' agricultural buildings. Cumbrian slate and copper flashing are the dominant material choices, whilst architectural form and abstracted mosaic reference vernacular religious and agricultural architecture.

(Right) Illustrated render (Hand drawn, Sketchup, Vray, Photoshop) (Below) Illustrated rendered section (Hand drawn, Sketchup, Vray, Photoshop)

Redcliffe Way, Bristol

Professional Competition

(Group entry) Bristol based mixed use development with extensive public realm design.

Inner and outer characters were the key design principles in this bid. Located opposite the spectacular Redcliffe Church, ecclesiastical inspired architecture presented a dramatic curved frontage, ginnels shadowed by raised walkways, and 'cloisteresque' courtyard.

Island beds of prairie style planting contrast a formal inner courtyard and rill connecting pedestrianised road crossings with the opposite church fundeddevelopment.