T ICA CHI TRARAC H I S
p ort f ol i o
512-445-3435 ticac@yahoo.com
SHOAL CREEK COMMUNITY GARDEN
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reCREATION CEMETERY PARK
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WEST AUSTIN FRAMEWORK PLAN
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HOUSTON’S LIVING RING
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PROFESSIONAL WORK
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TICA CHITRARACHIS TICAC@YAHOO.COM 512-445-3436
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SHOAL CREEK BOTANIC GARDEN
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shoal creek community garden
DESIGN CRITIC: ALLAN SHEARER
The 2.7-acre site is located in an area of downtown Austin composed of retail, office, restaurant, and multi-family residential. Shoal Creek flows along the eastern edge of the site and is prone to periods of intense flooding, resulting in eroded banks. The Whole Foods Market flagship store occupies the entire block directly west of the site. This proposal looks at how the site can perform in terms of: 1) ecosystem services, by managing stormwater and 2) social performance, by engaging the community with a botanic garden of strictly edible plants.
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To address flooding on the site, a series of terraced filtration beds are constructed with vegetation, sand, soil, and gravel. These “flooding gardens” slow runoff and filter water before it flows into the creek. The terracing descends to the creek, functioning as an amphitheater that highlights the ecological performance of the creek. As part of a public/private partnership with Whole Foods, there are opportunities for sponsored events like public cooking demonstrations through the Whole Foods cooking school and food festivals highlighting seasonal ingredients grown on site. The community garden beds, maintained by garden members, demonstrate the viability of urban gardens and locally sourced food.
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SITE PLAN
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paved entry plaza rain garden mobile food trucks yaupon holly “rooms” cooking demonstration “stage”
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Bowie Street rain garden raised planting beds pecan tree–lined lawn ADA creek access
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terraced planting beds platform pods widened creek path reclaimed riparian zone vegetation-stabilized banks
microclimates The trajectory and duration of high-rise building shadows cast on sections of the site throughout the day result in a variety of microclimates. This informed planting bed location and plant selection based on heat/frost tolerance and moisture requirements. 7:30 7:30 AM AM
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10:00 AM
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12:00 PM
12:00 PM 12:00
3:00 PM
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5:00 PM
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Creek Corridor: overhead vegetation and lower elevation
Creek Corridor: overhead vegetation and lower elevation
10:00 10:00AM AM
PM 12:00 PM
3:00 3:00 PM PM
With a number of high-rise residential towers within a 1/2-mile radius, a large-scale context study reveals a reasonable need for a local community garden: a place where urban dwellers can garden beyond the confines of their balconies and container gardening.
access
INCREASED CORRIDORS
CREEK CORRIDOR: Winter Microclimate Creek Corridor: tree canopy and
Summer Microclimate
lower elevationand vegetation
elevation
WINTER
SUMMER
engagement
OCCUPIABLE ROOMS
5:00 PM PM 5:00
coherence
SPACE-DEFINING WALLS
permeability
ACTIVE EDGES
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shoal creek community garden
BOTANIC EDIBLE GARDEN
GREAT LAWN
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
• Cooking demonstrations • Seasonal and local food grown on site • Curated by food preparation: grilled, steamed, etc. • Asphalt replaced with permeable paving
Seeded with drought-resistant, native turf like blue grama, curly mesquite, and buffalo grass
• Terraced planting beds filter rainwater and offset additional nutrient load from botanic garden runoff before entering the creek • Provides opportunities to enjoy the restorative qualities of the natural environment
COMMUNITY GARDEN BEDS
CREEK ENGAGEMENT • Terraced seating platform “pods” overlooking creek • Widened creek path • Gradual slope reduces erosion and sedimentation • Increased riparian vegetative buffer
GREAT LAWN TRANSITION TO PEDESTRIAN PROMENADE
BANK STABILIZATION • Invasive plants removed in riparian zone • Steep bank stabilized using vegetative strategies like live-staking • Native trees planted once bank is secure
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ipe decking horizontal joists foundation posts
concrete footing gravel existing soil
vegetation mulch planting soil
PLATFORM PODS
sand bed filter fabric gravel base
FILTRATION BEDS
shoal creek community garden
SECTION ELEVATION: FILTRATION BEDS AND PLATFORM POD
construction detail: raised planting beds
construction detail: seating
Materials like limestone and cedar are selected as a means of connecting to the historic and geologic tradition of Austin as a place. Less-conventional materials and creative construction details are incorporated as a means of clearly defining the distinct character of the site at a finer grain through integrated and innovative aesthetic elements.
material
cedar
ipe
limestone
weathering steel
PEDESTRIAN PATH ALONG TERRACED FILTRATION GARDENS AND PLATFORM POD
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reCREATION CEMETERY PARK DESIGN CRITIC: JASON SOWELL COLLABORATION WITH RAINA MICHALOVIC AND LANA DENKELER
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recreation cemetery park
The population of Austin is projected to more than double by 2050 and with this, the need for burial space is both pressing and imminent. This proposal outlines the construction of a cemetery with an adjoining recreation park on a 990-acre site, 15 miles east of Austin. The overall site organization was informed by the surrounding context, existing land use, topographic variation particularly from two large swales that cut across the site, and hydrologic and drainage patterns noted in low-lying areas.
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The site program is composed of a cemetery, a recreation park that includes constructed wetlands and wildlife habitat, and a tree nursery. The cemetery includes a main chapel with a crematorium and three smaller chapels. The tree nursery, an outgrowth of an existing pecan orchard, is used for raising and harvesting trees to be replanted on site, and as burial markers in the natural burial area. This project reflects the cycle of life and death by highlighting natural processes that occur with the passage of time. Vegetation matures and changes seasonally, materials weather, and light and shadow change throughout the year. The park program is closely interwoven in the experience as the act of recreating and witnessing the quotidian allows mourners to move through one’s grief toward eventual solace and renewal. In relationship to the swales, zones of final disposition are located in areas that are on higher ground or where landforming has occurred. The cemetery accommodates five disposition practices: columbarium with individual niches for cinerary urns; traditional, in-ground burial; ash scattering; natural burial (interment of a body directly into a grave); and interment in mausoleum.
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columbarium traditional burial scattering ground tree nursery natural burial constructed wetlands mausoleum recreation park
Single-family housing borders the site to the west and north. The park occupies the entire western half of the site, serving as a buffer between the residential and disposition zones. The park is an amenity to the local neighborhood as well as a place that cemetery visitors may choose to engage. Remnant mining pits from the former gravel quarry operation at the southern tip of the site are rehabilitated into wildlife habitat and constructed wetland. Boardwalk paths provide access to pedestrians and bicyclists. The traditional burial zone is demarcated by the two densely vegetated swales and the tree nursery. The rolling ground plane has been graded with three major ridges and groupings of trees planted at regular intervals for seasonal display and shade during the summer.
existing
PLAN: COLUMBARIUM
PLAN: TRADITIONAL BURIAL
existing
propos
park park cemetery ceremonial
SWALES drainage
PROGRAM park/ceremonial spaces
RESIDENTIAL ADJACENCIES
residential adjacencies and access
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SPRING
SUMMER
FALL
WINTER
recreation cemetery park
TURF
BLOOM SCHEDULE
The planting scheme serves to make existing vegetation more robust coupled with the addition of climate-adapted plants that also incorporate seasonal display. To increase the possibility for users to experience enclosure along the path, the swales are thickened with lowland, wet-weather trees and vegetation to increase canopy. The edges along the Colorado River are planted using a gradient from riparian species to bottomland forest. The recreation park is planted with a mix of native grasses for the turf playing fields, and the hay fields are converted to prairie and wildflower meadows.
VEGETATION TRANSECT
WILDFLOWER MEADOW
PRAIRIE
SUCCESSIONAL GRASSLAND
MIXED WOODS
GROVE & NURSERY
RIPARIAN WOODS
WETLAND
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CHARRED CEDAR
The overall similarity of the traditional burial grave markers emphasizes the connection among all people. The rolling ground plane breaks up the regularity of the field.
recreation cemetery park
Marker materials were chosen with physical and chemical weathering in mind. The bronze name plate will oxidize to a patina. The C-shaped shelf insert for small mementos is made of cedar that has been charred to increase durability. But it will gradually break down over time and need to be replaced. The concrete marker itself will eventually begin to show signs of weathering. The ephemeral condition of each material reflects the passage of time.
TRADITIONAL BURIAL
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grave marker detail
A B C D E F G
concrete (precast) charred cedar epoxy bronze plaque concrete footing (cast-in-place) steel foundation mounting bolts steel T section
COLUMBARIUM
COLUMBARIUM WALLS
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recreation cemetery park
NATURAL BURIAL REFLECTING POOL
NATURAL BURIAL CEREMONIAL PROCESSION
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mausoleum burial vault detail
A B C D E F G H
PLAN: MAUSOLEUM
epoxy concrete (precast) cedar compacted subgrade concrete (cast-in-place) concrete bench concrete (precast) charred cedar
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mausoleum construction detail
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recreation cemetery park
MAUSOLEUM AND COMMUNAL MEMORY WELL FOR MEMENTOS
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G I J K
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construction detail: mausoleum embedded under landform
A B C D E F G H I J K
perforated bronze panels bronze plate concrete (cast-in-place) corrugated slot-drain pipe gravel-filled drainage reinforced concrete retaining wall drainage gutter PVC ventilation pipe bronze bolts bronze tube bronze channel
MAUSOLEUM: CHARRED CEDAR NAME PLATES AND SIDING
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PLAN: SCATTERING GROUND SCATTERING GROUND
recreation cemetery park
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COMMUNAL SCATTERING GROUND MARKER
Located to the south of the scattering ground, an 18’ communal totem marker, adjacent to the chapel, expresses the universal condition of passing on. It signifies that the deceased remain distinct in our memory, but we can take comfort in this shared experience as a community. 10’ markers are installed on a grid in the scattering ground as a means of locating the departed’s remains. The totem and markers are lit for mourners visiting the site at night.
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fiber optic tube bronze tube bronze screws bronze plate bronze foundation mounting bolts fiber optic illuminator and junction box concrete footing (cast-in-place) concrete pavers
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communal scattering ground marker detail
RECREATION PARK
The park features wildflower meadows, turf playing fields, and a circuit of hiking/biking trails. Aside from serving the local neighborhood, the park also functions as a critical conclusion to the highly choreographed circulation of the site as a cemetery. In the sequencing of experience, mourners are given glimpes and opportunities or even directly participate in moments of living. The cemetery’s culmination in the park is an expression of our shared experience through witnessing various stages in the cycle of life. Tica Chitrarachis
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REDEVELOPMENT SCENARIO FOR THE WEST END CRITIC: DEAN ALMY COLLABORATION WITH XIWEI CHEN, JOSE GARCIA, YU-TANG HSIEH, JESSI KOCH, JINAH LEE, SISHUO LIU, JON MAUTZ, LAUREN VOGL, SAMANTHA WHITNEY SCHWARZE, ABBY WILTSE, JIHYE YUN
This proposal encompasses a semester-long student project to envision a potential development scenario for Austin’s West End. This includes West 6th Street and West 5th Street, between Lamar Boulevard and the Mopac Expressway. Following a public design charrette with residents, business owners, and developers, we developed a series of strategies that would illustrate how future development could help meet neighborhood goals. The project objectives were to: 1) scale down large blocks and parcels to integrate new development with existing neighborhoods; 2) promote density to establish significant social places that will support an urban quality of life; 3) create an integrated network of multi-modal streets; 4) provide infrastructure to support future urban rail; 5) develop a network of places that cater to local residents and the community at large; and 6) use “green infrastructure” strategies to mitigate pollutant runoff into the watershed of Lady Bird Lake and address long-term water conservation.
west austin framework plan
WEST LYNN ST
PRESSLER ST
ORCHARD ST
WALSH ST
6TH STREET
5TH STREET
FRAMEWORK PLAN
BAYLOR ST
5TH STREET
PRESSLER STREET
AERIAL OF PRESSLER STREET CROSSING 5TH STREET AND PROVIDING ACCESS TO LADY BIRD LAKE
The large city blocks are scaled down in the new block structure to increase porosity and to allow people ease to move through the urban fabric. New right-ofways are added to create new multi-modal north–south connections where there are currently barriers. The catalysts diagram (left) shows developments that are under construction, on the boards, in the planning process, or are projected to occur in the next twenty years. The site’s proximity to the urban core and Lady Bird Lake Park make it a major economic target. DEVELOPMENT CATALYSTS
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5TH STREET: MULTI-MODAL CORRIDOR
west austin framework plan
My research focused on studying traffic patterns and developing street typologies for the district that both promote connectivity and integrate green infrastructure. Each street has its own set of characteristics. The major couplet of 5th and 6th Streets, both one-way and four-lanes wide, currently favor high-speed commuting. The new typology reduces each to two car lanes, as well as adding a rail lane and a protected bike lane, thereby increasing the public realm for social programming. Certain side streets that are more intimate reference the existing neighborhood character and are planted heavily to buffer noise and provide enclosure.
5th and 6th streets
walsh street
6TH STREET: INCREASING THE PUBLIC REALM
ORCHARD STREET PERSPECTIVE
The vision of livable streets provides for multiple modes of connectivity through the district: pedestrian, bicycle, transit, and automobile. A critical component of the street infrastructure is incorporating strategies for mitigating surface pollutants contained in the water flow across the district. This network of sustainable green infrastructure consists of bio-remediative elements, including major bioswale strips on major north–south streets, green roofs, water catchment, and recycling.
orchard street
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TEXAS T-BONE MEGAREGION
Texas T-Bone Megaregio
houston’s living ring
RAIL, INHABIT, NAVIGATE, GROW Formerly the site of Houston’s busy Grand Central Station, the proposed development area is now an isolated, static, mono-programmatic space, bounded by highway, railroad, and hydrologic infrastructure. The site is further contained within a strata of several more loops: Loop 610, Sam Houston Tollway, and the Texas T-Bone high-speed rail corridor. The volume and layers of overlapping systems around the perimeter, along with the proximity to downtown Houston, the revitalized section of Buffalo Bayou, and the quickly emerging development surrounding Washington Avenue, generate enormous pressure and opportunity around the site. The Living Ring reframes the notion of the “loop” as a means of enclosure by creating a district constructed out of a socially permeable programmatic ring. The ring supports housing for a variety of incomes, retail, and day care, and it promotes equality through social programs such as allotment gardens. The program is supported by the transit station that supports high-speed commuter rail and provides a link to the expanding light-rail system.
SITE AS CENTER OF HOUSTON Site as Center of Hou
2012 ULI DESIGN COMPETITION CRITIC: SIMON ATKINSON
COLLABORATION WITH SAMANTHA WHITNEY SCHWARZE, JOSE GARCIA, XIWEI CHEN, AND HOWELL BEAVER
VIEW OF ALLOTMENT GARDENS AND RAISED GROUNDSCAPE, LOOKING DOWNTOWN
PHASE 1: YEARS 1–3
PHASE 2: YEARS 4–5
PHASE 3: YEARS 6–10
Train station Insignia office and condominium towers Public, open-space park over I-45 Market-rate housing “Groundscape” and pedestrian bridges
Affordable housing SRO housing Market-rate housing Grocery/food co-op Day care/incubator kitchen and restaurant
Additional office space/retail Additional market-rate housing (higher price point) Pavilion Library with pedestrian bridge extension
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DEVELOPMENT
CIRCULATION
PROGRAM
PARKING
STREETS
THE DISTRICT OF DISTRICTS
Office/ Research Retail
houston’s living ring
Office/research
INFRASTRUCTURE
Affordable housing/ SR0/community
Market residential/ retail Train/library
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BUFFALO BAYOU EXPANSION
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PROPOSED VISION PLAN FOR WHITE OAK BAYOU
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NEW “GROUNDSCAPE” WITH PARKING AND STREET CIRCULATION BELOW
BAYOU
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SOLAR ARRAY
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ALLOTMENT GARDENS
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SCOPE OF EXTENDED VISION PLAN
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RECENT BAYOU REVITALIZATION PROJECTS
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EXISTING RAIL LINES
Library Community Arts Center Day Care/ After School Care Train Station Parking SRO Housing Affordable Housing Market Rate Housing Condo Tower “Groundscape” Park Bridge
SECTION A-A
Sesquencentenial Park/ Buffalo Bayou
Franklin St
Inner Road
Rail ROW
Interstate 45
Smith Street
I-10 on/off Ramp
Section A-A
Artisian Pl
ELEVATED GROUNDSCAPE
BELOWGROUND STREET NETWORK AND PROGRAM
Section B-B
SECTION B-B
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ROBERT BROWNING PARK EMPLOYER: McCANN ADAMS STUDIO This project encompasses a proposed park within the Mueller Development. Community mailboxes flank the central entrance to the space, so this edge is a regular stop for residents. The park is programmed with an outdoor food stand, cafe seating, and a pÊtanque playing court. Large canopy trees and a steel structure provide shade during the summer. The latter also acts as an armature for decorative lighting that both invites and provides visibility at night. As part of the development’s green infrastructure, vegetated rain gardens are planted along Robert Browning Street to slow stormwater runoff and filter pollutants. I helped produce the CAD master plan and incorporated edits from the civil engineer and principal designer.
professional work
ARCHITECTURAL MASTER PLAN
FOOD STAND AND OUTDOOR SEATING AREA
The perspectives were rendered from a 3-D SketchUp model I produced independently. All three drawings were created as experiential presentation aids. The perspective (left) highlights the rain gardens along Robert Browning Street and helps to give a sense of the elevation change between the sidewalk and the central court. The bird’s eye (below) is a view of the site looking southeast. VIEW OF RAIN GARDENS FROM NW CORNER ACCESS POINT shade structure
concession stand and cafe seating
hillside berm
community mailboxes
rain gardens
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