• masters design study I MSUD spring 2013

    This study analyzes the quantifiable impacts of low impact development features, sometimes referred to as green infrastructure, across three alternative proposals for the development of a city district along the edge of a lake and a creek. The study applies Carl Steinitz’s Framework for GeoDesign to the three alternative proposals and the existing conditions as a means of comparison in order to understand an informed decision based approach to design. I worked in collaboration with Dean Almy’s Urban Design Studio, the Texas Urban Futures Lab. The spatial configurations tested come from the work of the studio throughout the course of the semester. My analysis influenced negotiations of those configurations over the course of the semester.

    South Shore Central Alternative 3 aligns itself very closely to the SDAT recommendations.The percentage of impermeable cover has gone down to 60%, The amount of surface parking square footage has dropped by approximately 85% to about 274,000 sq. ft. Much of that previously impervious cover has been devoted to sponge park area. This alternative also sees the inclusion of a new typology of low impact development feature, permeable pavement combined with underground cisterns. The amount of rain gardens have increased to almost 200,000 sq. ft. along the sidewalks. Part of this increase in rain gardens has come from the addition of private gardens along parts of buildings where the ground floor is residential.

  • simplicity I MSUD summer 2012

    The redevelopment of Victoria Station and integration of Westminster amplifies social and experiential opportunity, articulates architectural and landscape icons, creates beneficial urban space, and addresses human, infrastructural, and natural ecology for a better London.

    group members:

    Ian Ellis + Nelly Fuentes

    featured in:

    World Landscape Architecture

    New London Landscape

    Inhabitat

    Awesome Architecture

    Presented at the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture VOICE: Forum for Student Research and Design Discussion on October 29, 2012.

    The Garden Museum, London, UK on October 23, 2012 as part of the close of the High Line Symposium and Green Infrastructure Ideas Competition with the Landscape Institute and Mayor of London.

    Presented, and on exhibit, at “Black Swans and the U.S. Future: Creating Sustainable & Resilient Societies” part of the Environmental Science Institute’s lecture series, Hot Science - Cool Talks, September 14, 2012.

  • duncan park I MLA spring 2012

    The studio began with the development of a theoretical model for how character and performance operate in landscape. We were then tasked with coming up with a program and a set of objectives for a specific site. I chose Duncan Park in Austin, TX. My proposal is to turn Duncan Park into an adventure playground centered around nature-based play and discovery. I think it’s important for children who live in the city to understand that nature is not something that happens outside of the city, out of their daily lives but rather it’s something that is a part of them. Equally important to me is the integration of natural infrastructure and social infrastructure. I see education as the link between the two entities.

  • longview arboretum I professional work 2012

    The mission of the Longview Arboretum is to enhance the quality of life in the city by educating the greater community about the recreational, educational and ecological resources of the region. The vision of the Longview Arboretum is to provide an ecologically and economically sustainable city park that reflects the character of Longview and fosters interaction between the landscape and its visitors.

    Work done with The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Ecosystem Design Group. I assisted in research conducted during site assessment phase as well as conceptual design phase. After conceptual design, I was contracted as a consultant to provide renderings for client.

    featured in:

    Longview Arboretum and Nature Center Master Plan

  • green alley demonstration project I MSUD fall 2012

    The Green Alley Demonstration Project envisions Austin’s system of alleys as an integrated and sustainable system of inhabited infrastructure. These spatial assets are being re-conceptualized to support new housing as units of production. New “alley flats” provide affordable homes that produce energy, sequester storm water and increase block density to contribute to the efficacy of existing infrastructural systems. Teams in the studio designed individual alley flats while I worked on the alley itself.

    fall 2012 design excellence award nominee

    architecture of necessity winner

     on display at Wood Summit Småland in Viserum, Sweden

  • field of remains I MLA spring 2011

    Field of Remains is a cemetery located at a quarry site to the east of Austin, TX. Our site analysis showed that the site supported four major soil types. Vegetation and habitat zone plant community choices reflect these different conditions. Our project started out by considering the role of a cemetery as public space. We believe that the construction of a place for the deceased is an opportunity to create a place for the living. We used the four major soil types and vegetation zones as a structuring mechanism for the different types of disposition.

    group members:

    Yvonne Ellis I Nelly Fuentes

    spring 2011 design excellence award I 2012 Texas ASLA honor award