ELIZABETH THOMPSON
landscape architecture portfolio
ELIZABETH THOMPSON
e: ethompson631@gmail.com t: 631.873.7290
Professional Development Bennington County Regional Commission BENNINGTON, VT Healthy Community Design Coordinator - AmeriCorps VISTA 2014-2015 Bayard Cutting Arboretum GREAT RIVER, NY Horticultural Internship Summer 2013 Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County RIVERHEAD, NY Floriculture Program Research Assistant Summer 2012 Ogden’s Design & Plantings, Inc. SAINT JAMES, NY Nursery Supervisor Summer 2011 & 2012
Education Cornell University ITHACA, NY B.S. Landscape Architecture, May 2014 Danish Institute for Study Abroad COPENHAGEN, DK Architecture & Design Program, Fall 2012
Additional Experience Fondation Claude Monet GIVERNY, FRANCE Volunteer Gardener July 2014 Heritage Park Butterfly Garden MOUNT SINAI, NY Volunteer Landscape Designer 2013 - 2014 Student Weekend Aborist Team (SWAT) ITHACA, NY Student Arborist Fall 2013
Computer Skills AutoCAD, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop
INDUSTRIAL ISLAND Urban Planning and Design Amager Ă˜st District
YARDWORKS Residential Ecosystem Design Fall Creek Neighborhood
WORK SAMPLES TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONSTRUCTED ECOLOGY Educational Ecological Design Beebe Lake
TOWER ROAD Construction Documents Tower Road
MERCHANTS PARK Community Park Design Historical Downtown Bennington
BUILDING DYNAMIC DENSITY
KEY MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
3 I
2 3
2
2
I
Altering Building Heights
Varying Facades
Open & Active Ground Floors
Residential and Public Space
INDUSTRIAL ISLAND
Green Infrastructure The Amager Ă˜st district in Copenhagen has been undergoing a major transformation from an industrial area with several abandoned buildings to one which includes community hubs for recreational and social activities. This project focused on redeveloping a dilapidated area within the district. While neighboring areas are highly active during all hours of the day, activity in the project site was limited to normal working hours because it consists mostly of industrial businesses.
The central idea of the project is to form a network of public spaces that link along pedestrians corridors while preserving historic buildings and thriving businesses. By integrating vegetable garden parcels with buildings designed for both retail and residential use along public plazas, a locally sustainable economy would be created within the site. The result would be a vibrant mix-used development, furthering revitalization efforts occurring in the surrounding area.
Public gathering spaces are strategically located to improve the sites functionality, safety connectivity and flow. Public space and circulation are designed to be dynamic and engaging yet cater to pedestrian, bicycles and vehicles functioning harmoniously throughout the site.
N UPLANS
GADE
L
UP
DE
GA
S AN
S D
VERM
LANDS
GADE
sidewalk
N
bike path
street trees
green roof
D
R EVA
L OU
SB
AG
PR
P
O
SB
G RA
R EVA UL
0’
amphitheater
plaza
business
100’
200’
residential
300’
residential courtyard
S
YARDWORKS Smith Residence
The YardWorks Project is part of a studio course in which fourth year students provide local residents with knowledge and techniques to establish healthy habitats in their yards for birds, plants and people. This project focused on the desires of a family within the Fall Creek neighborhood in Ithaca, New York, to integrate sustainable features (including solar panels, storm water management and edible native plants) into their backyard while maintaining areas for recreational activities. Plant selections and design features were included to establish a bird habitat that would contribute to Fall Creek’s larger urban ecosystem.
Porous Pavers
Solar Panels
Rain Barrels
Three Tiered Canopy
- contribute toward reduced stormwater runoff and pollutants
- a south facing roof receives full-sun creating a cleaner way to power the home
- permits homeowners to harvest rainwater for their lawn and landscaping usage
- structured plant community support biodiversity - provide birds with habitat structure consisting of three levels of canopy
IV 5
VC 5
VO 3
F
CC 5
E
C B
SNA 5
LB 5
SO 12 SA 3
D
Ex
SH 5
Legend
VA 3
VL 3
A
A porous pavers
AM 3
B solar panels
SN 3
EP 5
IV 3
PV 1
VC 5
C deck expansion D rain barrels
E vegetable garden
0’
F compost
PV
Botanical Name
Common Name
Height
Prunus virginiana
American Choke Cherry
20 to 30 ft
VL
Viburnum lentago
Nannyberry
14 to 16 ft
VO
Viburnum opulus
American Cranberry Bush
8 to 12 ft
LB
Lindera benzoin
Spicebush
8 to 12 ft
VC
Vaccinium corymbosum
Vaccinium corymbosum
6 to 12 ft
IV
Ilex verticillata
Winterberry
3 to 12 ft
CC
Corylus cornuta
Beaked Hazelnut
4 to 8 ft
VA
Viburnum acerifolium
Mapleleaf Viburnum
3 to 6 ft
AM
Aronia melanocarpa
Black Chokeberry
3 to 6 ft
SNA Symphyotrichum novae-angliae New England Aster Symphoricarpos albus
Snowberry
3 to 6 ft
SN
Sorghastrum nutans
Indian Grass
3 to 5 ft
EP
Echinacea purpurpea
Eastern Purple Coneflower 2 to 5 ft
SH
Sporobolus heterolepis
Prairie Dropseed
SO
Symphoricarpos orbiculatus
Coralberry
2 to 3 ft
Corinus conidensis
Canadian bunchberry
3 to 8 in
Pachysandra procumbens
Allegheny spurge
4 to 9 in
PP
10’
Bloom Duration and Fruiting Season
20’ fruiting
blooming
3 to 6 ft
SA
CCO
Attributes
5’
2 to 3 ft
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
North Campus
Beebe Lake is an undervalued yet critical junction between Central and North Campus activities. The lake also borders the recreational opportunities of The Plantations. The site selection of Beebe Beach offers a unique opportunity to create a transparent filtration system which also serves as an educational tool where students may learn about ecology and water systems. The design integrates and celebrates the interconnection between ecology, community and recreational activities.
Plantations Beebe Lake
Central Campus
D
Circulation
F
E low vegetation high vegetation
Vegetation
A
C
H
shallower
B
deeper
G
Water Depth
0’
Visual Access
50’
Legend A pool
B boardwalk C wetland
D stairway
E flow forms F terrace
G settling pond
Site Selection
H pump house
This project was to revitalize the streetscape of a central transportation corridor on Cornell’s campus. The design strengthens transportation alternatives of bicycles, pedestrian and bus routes while implementing green infrastructure practices for storm water management. The following is a sample of the final construction document set that includes layout, grading, planting, lighting, furniture and supporting details.
TOWER ROAD
EET US 7 - NORTH STR
PLEASANT STREET
Merchants Park
MAIN STREET
Downtown Bennington, VT After completing my undergraduate degree, I worked for the Bennington County Regional Commission in Bennington, Vermont as the Healthy Community Design Coordinator under the AmeriCorps VISTA program. VISTA, or Volunteers In Service To America, is a national service program operated by the Corporation for National and Community Service. VISTA members serve for one year in a community working on initiatives to eliminate poverty and build local capacity to strengthen the entire communities. Bennington is located in Southern Vermont. Like many rural communities, Bennington struggles with lack of population density and infrastructure to support economic development. As the Healthy Community Design Coordinator I worked on a variety of initiatives to increase bike-pedestrian access, expand open space, increase access to healthy food and promote home energy efficiency. The design of Merchants Park was one project I worked on during my year of service. Merchants Park is a centrally located yet underutilized green space in the historic downtown of Bennington. The initial design process included facilitating the input of local residents and business owners in identifying the site’s assets, limitations and possibilities. Ideas and concepts generated during the charette guided the final design ensuring that the space fosters healthier lifestyles and social activity throughout the community.
PLEASANT STREET A
B
Corridor
US 7 - NORTH STREET
Entry Plaza
C
Analysis A develop drive thru canopy as performance space
Multi-Use Lawn
B expand approach to plaza space behind the Bank
C multiple focal points
Overhang Amphitheater
0’
0’
10’
10’
20’
20’
50’
perspective of drive thru transformed into a performance space