senior portfolio

FUTUREmy goal

growing body of WORK

RESUME and other skills

DESIGNER’S STATEMENT:what LAR means to me

snapshot of STUDY ABROAD

overall JOURNEY

(page 03)

(page 02)

(page 25)

(page 01)

(page 01)

(see attached)

the academic adventures of Liz Crim

When people ask me what landscape architecture is, I always have a hard time defining it: it is a combination of urban planning, engineering, sculpture, horticulture, architecture, and other disciplines. But rather than seeing this as a shortcoming, I think this is one of the strengths of land-scape architecture. Being linked with so many disciplines gives landscape architecture a potential power that none of those disciplines can wield alone – I came to the program wanting to make gardens and other “pretty” things, but I’ve come out with a passion for transforming communities.Someday I would like to work in disadvantaged communities, like my senior thesis, working to transform the neglected pieces of cities. As my purpose in landscape architecture has changed, it has made me question why I want to be a landscape architect, why my work should be about more than beautifying. As I’ve grown as a person and as a designer, I’ve realized that what really drives my work are the ideas of Christian stewardship and regeneration. By grounding my work in these two ideas, sustainability is not a feel-good trend but an obligation, a mandate.

As I am about to embark on an entirely different adventure (my magnificent professional adventures), I am reminded of what landscape architecture has given me: (1) Vision. My time at school has given me the ability to really understand, critique, and appreciate the world around me. Whether I am travelling or exploring locally, I can begin to see not only the landscape’s problems, but its potentials. (2) Collaboration. As designers, we tend to have to assume we have the sole power to solve the world’s problems – a delusion that has created more problems than it has solved. Because landscape architecture is at the junction of so many disciplines, we are uniquely placed to work with other professionals and, more importantly, with communities to create the best solution. (3) Theory. It’s so easy to get caught up in design details that we forget to consider what’s grounding our work. Rather than limiting our work, theo-ry can become a framework that can amplify our creativity. (4) Purpose. I came into landscape architecture with the narrow goal of creating gardens, but along the way have developed a passion for trans-forming communities. This idea of regeneration allows me to think beyond mere sustainability; not merely how to preserve, but to affect positive change.

“The landscape...is a living link between what we were and what we have become.” (Margaret Drabble)

what LAR has given me

FUTUREmy goal

anatomy of a designer

overall JOURNEY

Place-making

History

Sustainability

1st year 2nd year

Hurt Park Gateway Park

Quixotic mobile stage

Freedom Park

Jessup West greenroof

Pleasure House Point

uniquely Sheffield railroad tribute park

3rd year 4th year 5th year& beyond

Currently, I’m interested in the junction of history, place-making, & sustainability (regeneration) to make better places for people.

FUTURE

growing body of WORK

exploring HISTORY

exploring PLACE-MAKING

exploring SUSTAINABILITY

exploring ABROAD

exploring INTEGRATION

Hurt Park Gateway Park

Quixotic mobile stage

Pleasure House Point

uniquely Sheffield: railway tribute park

Freedom Park

Jessup West greenroof

04-06

10-12

18-20

07-09

13-17

21-24

pages 04-09–

pages 10-17–

pages 18-24–

pages 25-26–

pages 27-30–

exploring HISTORY Hurt Park Gateway ParkRoanoke, Virginia

Neighborhood house: architectural remnants into landscapeMy intent for this design was to create a neighborhood house as part of the gateway into the Hurt Park neighbor-hood. While going through some of the oral histories of the neighborhood, I was struck by the role of the house; the two main gathering places in historic Hurt Park were the front porch (mainly for adults) and the house itself (mainly for the children).

The community of Hurt Park used to be described as a family, so why not give them a place to become one again?

Because this is meant to be a park, I flattened the house and opened up the design to allow for better accessibility and safety. Within the confines of the porch, the house is divided into several rooms which can be used as private individual spaces or several rooms can be combined into a larger area for group events.

back door

grassed parlorporch porch

hallway

grassed living room raised terrace

room

front door

Hurt Park Gateway ParkRoanoke, Virginia

page 05

hallway

grassed living room

front door

entering the house

living in the house

Neighbors, neighborhoods used to be “intertwined.” “Everybody was neighbors, everybody was friendly, & everybody got along.” – Annie Enoch, Hurt Park resident

These detail areas are from drawings that were part of a complete construction documents set for my Hurt Park design.

layout plan planting plan grading plan

Hurt Park Gateway ParkRoanoke, Virginia

page 06

A.n. var. p. I.c. ‘R’

A.f.

A.a. ‘VQ’

A.m. ‘SoS’

& Abbreviations

80%

Gra

ding

Pla

n

0 16 32

Scale: 1/8” = 1’

80%

Lay

out P

lan

0 4 8 16

Scale: 1/8” = 1’

exploring HISTORY a railway tribute parkSheffield, Yorkshire, UK

The site was an elevated railway near Sheffield’s city cen-tre, the project was to make it like the High Line. How do you transfer a contemporary project to a completely different context? My concept was “Uniquely Sheffield: a rail tribute park.” By grounding it in Sheffield – highlighting both the existing character along the railway and significant views and landmarks of Sheffield, and connecting to Sheffield’s bicycling network – I hoped to create an appreciation for the patterns, plant communities, and wildlife habitats unique to the rail line.

uniquely Sheffield: a railway tribute park

concept drawing

tactile palette: users can experience the park more

fully by being able to touch (or perceive) all of its elements

a railway tribute parkSheffield, Yorkshire, UK

meadow tall shrubs & grasses forest

The site has the potential to be a crucial part of Sheffield’s Habitat Action Plan (HAP). The vegetative communities along the path are all habitats for endangered local bird species.

a place for people & wildlife

page 08

a railway tribute parkSheffield, Yorkshire, UK

A linear park designed as a set of separate walking and biking trails,

each offering a different experi-ence, letting users experience the

uniqueness of the rail line – the pat-terns, plant communities, history, &

habitats unique to the rail line.

Bringing out pieces from the entire history of the rail line for the public to enjoy – from the 1800s to today.

Using vegetation to highlight significant views or buildings in

downtown Sheffield.

the journey

exhibiting history highlighting views

exploring PLACE-MAKING Quixotic mobile stageKansas City, Missouri

KEM Studio is an architecture and industrial design firm in Kansas City, Missouri. For the past few years, they have hosted an interdisciplinary design workshop for Virginia Tech students from architecture, landscape architecture, industrial design, and interior design. The project is meant to stretch students’ imaginations by collaborating with other disciplines and encourage them to think outside of the box. Our project was to design a mobile stage for Quixotic, a dance/music/light show troupe.

KEM Studio: interdisciplinary design charette

experience:curiosity frame performance branding

page 10

Quixotic mobile stageKansas City, Missouri

Attracting a crowd and sparking an interest through an iconic form.

A tool that is open for interpreta-tion and manipulation. It frames the

environment in which it sits.As darkness falls, the stage begins

to pulsate with light, drawing a crowd for the show.

curiosity

frame

Quixotic mobile stageKansas City, Missouri

The stage is designed to be able to be easily manipulated, transforming into a variety of shapes for a unique

show every time.

An opportunity for Quixotic to showcase their brand identity

through their performance and a ‘brand mark’ left by the stage. The

mark becomes part of the land-scape, highlighting where Quixotic has been and making people stop

and wonder .

performance

branding

page 12

exploring PLACE-MAKING Freedom ParkArlington, Virginia

Concept: art radiates from the Artisphere (a contemporary art museum) into the city, transitioning from the urban fabric into the artistic world. As the park rises high above the streets, the user is transported from the harsh urban environment into a dif-ferent world, an escape into art, nature, and solitude. This park provides a refuge from the city life by bringing awareness to art in nature and creating personal and community spaces. The orange traces weave through and tie the landscape together, highlighting different features and experi-ences along the journey: an arch that flies gracefully over your head as you enter, a bench to sit on, a sculpture to climb on, and always a line to follow.

an urban escape into art

1

2

34

5

6 7 89

West Entrance: corridor through trees and arching sculptures, viewing platform over North Lynn Street and Progression Pool

Wire-frame pergola over seating area/outdoor event area

Seating island separating the seating area from the walkway

Garden walk from North Lynn Street entrance

Circular seating platforms with moveable privacy/sculpture panels

Central water feature

Grassy mounds with climbable sculptures

The Arches: overhead arching sculptures running through mounded flower beds

North Entrance: circular entrance wall framing the entrance, welcoming the visitor into the site

1

2

4

9

6

3

8

7

5

page 13

Freedom ParkArlington, Virginia

The West Entrance to the park is framed by an allee of arched sculptures, which echo The Arches near the North Entrance. The

Progression Pool is visible just beyond, the stepping stones are made of plexi-glass and mimic the shape of the Twin Towers

(adjacent residential property, owned by the same development company.)

1

The formal seating area offers a place for people to sit, relax, and eat lunch in the shade of the

pergola. Located off the main pedestrian path and surrounded by lush plantings, it offers a

comfortable escape.

2

page 14


At night, the sculpture garden walk is illuminated by lights embedded in the plexi-glass borders around the flower

beds and in the benches.

A view up the staircase from North Lynn Street to the main corridor of

Freedom Park. It leads through a series of flower gardens up to

the central water feature.

4


The Arches linking the decorative planted mounds along the entry way from North

Kent Street are the first things the viewer experiences after entering the park.

At night, the Arches are illuminated by lights embedded in the sculptures,

accentuating the path.

8

page 16


At night, the North Entrance is comes alive as lights highlight

the signature walls.

9

Walking along the street, the orange wall can’t help but intrigue visitors to

get a closer look and be introduced to Freedom Park.

exploring SUSTAINABILITY Pleasure House PointVirginia Beach, Virginia

The site, Pleasure House Point, is the future site of the Save the Bay Foundation, and the assign-ment was to create a wildlife park that also provided opportunities for education and recreation. The design (which was a team effort - the masterplan was rendered by a colleague) focused on highlighting the characteristics and potentials of the site through a series of boardwalks and trails. Rather than concentrating the educational areas around the building, we spread them around the site, highlighting different habitats: e.g. a bird observatory, a series of tree houses, and a floating boardwalk that protected an oyster colony.

sustainable recreation: balancing social & natural ecology in a park

page 18

Pleasure House PointVirginia Beach, Virginia

The bird observatory allows visitors to appreciate the

site’s native wildlife.

The treehouses allow visitors to experience the site from a

new perspective.

Pleasure House PointVirginia Beach, Virginia

One of our goals in the project was to show visitors how the Chesapeake Bay could be reclaimed by using the bay’s historic natural filters. To that end, we proposed the revival and connection of existing wetlands and the constru ction of sea walls, artificial sand dunes, and an artificial oyster reef (shown here).

page 20

exploring SUSTAINABILITY Jessup West greenroofSheffield, Yorkshire, UK

This project applied lessons of habitat research (see next page) to adapt an existing greenroof so that it can serve as a viable habitat and accommodate people as well. The roof is broken up into the main habitats a hoverfly needs to survive: woodland, wetland bog, and wildflower meadow.

sustaining wildlife: building a greenroof habitat

Part of Sheffield’s urban planning is the Habitat Action Plan (HAP), which is devoted to preserv-ing the biodiversity in and around the city of Sheffield. In conjunction with the University of Sheffield, the city has developed a strategy for creating a system of greenroof habitats through-out the city, targeting different endangered spe-cies (birds and invertebrates) in the region. Be-fore designing a greenroof for Jessup West, one of University of Sheffield’s buildings, we were split into groups to research the habitat require-ments of a different endangered species, as well as case studies of conservation efforts.

Jessup West greenroofSheffield, Yorkshire, UK

understanding the subject: habitat & life-cycle research of the hoverfly

page 22

To recreate the woodland (important in the egg and adult stages of the hoverfly), I echoed the interior ventilation system (top left) to create connected log structures (top center, bottom left)that would both provide wood for the hover-flies and support pockets of wildflower meadow (important for pollination), which need more drainage and greater rooting depth. The logs also function as a dividing line between sub-strate depths (top right). I altered the existing walkway layout (bottom center) to open up views to the entire greenroof, while preserving habitat size and quality.


mimicking architecture to create habitat


priority habitat range of species recommended from Sheffield Open Mosaic Habitat on Previously Developed Land

sample of species from Pictorial Meadow Green Roof Seed Mix. Also includes calcareous grassland species and local sedums. Proven successful in Sheffield greenroofs (Sheffield HAP).

page 24

sustaining wildlife: building a greenroof habitat

Durham

Yorkshire Dales

York

Nottingham

London

SalisburyBathPenzance

St. Ives

Inverness

Sheffield

Swansea

Peak District

Cardiff

Edinburgh

exploring ABROAD

1.) eco-towns 2.) green roof habitats (part of habitat action plans) 3.) preserving district character (each county has heritage and character studies) 4.) restoring historic landscapes 5.) greening dense cities

trends: landscape architecture trends I studied

Sketching and exploringEngland, Scotland, and Wales

page 26

Soil Composition

source: “Framing a Modern Mess”

[pH+++]

low nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium

low nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium

compacted soil

compacted soil

[rubble]

low N,P,K

[pH+++]

alkaline leachingalkalinealkaline

alkalinity

rubble + debris dumped from around the city

rubble + debris dumped from around the city

exploring INTEGRATION

Combining lessons learned for better analysis

A conceptual section of senior thesis site to show soil conditions.

(Photoshop and watercolor).

Using newspaper headlines to show the change in public perception of Pruitt-Igoe

during its lifetime. 1954 1960 1970

“Modern architecture died in St. Louis, MO on July 15, 1972 ... when the infamous Pruitt-Igoe scheme...[was] given the final coup de grâce by dynamite.”

- Charles Jencks

Concept drawing for thesis design (nature center called city forest), delineating where the design transitions from city to forest.

Combinations

city

city

city

city

forest

forest

St. Louis, Missouri

page 28

An infographic to break down the demographics of neighborhood around senior thesis site (outlined in gray).

Visualizing dataSt. Louis, Missouri

1% hispanic

2% hispanic

3% hispanic3% white

96% black

100% black

91%black

97% black

99% black

41% black

38% black

22% black

93% black

35% black

96% black

3% white

1% white

55% white

58% white

69% white

6% white

61% white

2% white

2% hispanic3% white

5% asian

2% asian

4% asian

4% asian

4% asian

7% asian

1% asian

population (2010):

(-5% from 2000)

population (2010):

(-9% from 2000)

population (2010):

(-15% from 2000)population (2010):

median income:

median income:

median income:

median income:

median income:

median income:

median income:

median income:

median income:

(+40% from 2000)

population (2010):

(-11% from 2000)

population (2010):

(-32% from 2000)population (2010):

(-5% from 2000)

population (2010):

(+55% from 2000)

population (2010):

(+246% from 2000)

population (2010):

(+4% from 2000)

population (2010):

(-10% from 2000)

population (2010):

(+43% from 2000)

median income:

median income:

median income:25% white

72% black

Sketch-plorationSketchbook

page 30Think like a designer: notes from attending a recent lecture

senior portfolio

Documents

landscape architecture

designer page

sustainability regeneration

year beyondcurrently

disadvantaged communities

narrow goal

mere sustainability

worlds problems