kevin finch design portfolio

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost

1//Kevin Finch//landscape architecture portfolio

ProjectsIntroduction

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The landscape architecture undergraduate portfolio of Kevin Finch

Speculations

Il Manifesto Conventions of UrbanismA challenge on the ecological urbanism school of thought using the South Park district in Los Angeles as a testing ground.

A call to action-why I believe what I believe, and why you should too.

A list of professional and academic accomplishments.

A “Where’s Waldo” of my personal interests.

The adaptation of Dodgertown, Los Angeles to poise an archetype for the next nature of Los Angeles.

Can everyday design materials be modified to increase the phenological values of a place?

Urban agriculture for the ex-convict rehabilitation organization:Homeboy Industries.

Curriculum Vitae City on a Hill

Snapshot CHU: Concrete Habitat Unit

Fissure


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PropagandaPersonal statements designed to question design-related values as they pertain to a place.

Collections of art and photography that represents what it means to live in Italy.

A competition to design a common area in the Orange County Great Park to serve as an energy commons for the Solar Decathlon.

An exploration of earth-moving and geomorphology in an effort to sculpt the land beyond hydrology.

Io vivo in Toscana

Solar Decathlon

Specualtive Topographies

Features


“The work of the landscape architect encompasses all natural and manmade systems that comprise the notion of landscape.”

Il ManifestoIntro//

A call to action


Landscape is not a thing. One cannot touch it, or see it, or pretend to know its Latin name.

Landscape is not a list. One cannot measure it, or gauge its productivity, or rate its attractiveness.

Landscape is not a place. One cannot visit it, or travel to it to escape a non-landscape, or exist anywhere without it.

Landscape is an entity. The things that landscape is not come together to exist as a whole—a system of parts that cannot function divided. Any small portion of these systems simply represents a microcosm of the whole; a fractal of the master pattern.

Landscape is everywhere. Whatever one’s definition of “nature,” it is not a destination. Landscape is not one’s front yard, or playground, or national park. To escape the natural systems that make up landscape is to escape life. The places that seem to exist as pristine examples of nature are in fact highly managed and far from the natural evolutionary processes that are unique to landscape.

Landscape is change. To force a place into perpetual stasis is to stunt the growth of an otherwise highly productive system. When natural systems such as plant, animal, hydrology, geomorphology, phenology, and ecology are allowed to exist unmanaged, a different type of value and metrics can be used to measure the success of landscape. The evolution of these systems is inherent and should not be micro-managed.

Landscape can no longer be the residual space in an urban development, but rather the framework that allows larger systems to function on a much larger scale. Landscape must be allowed to exist as the governing force for the built environment. Landscape architects cannot allow other design professions to lay the framework for projects that landscape architects have been specifically trained. The work of the landscape architect encompasses all natural and manmade systems that comprise the notion of landscape. Let us blaze the trail for a new type of urbanism.

Real Urbanism


Curriculum VitaeIntro//

Academic and Professional Accomplishments

Name Computer Applications

Physical Applications

Supplementary Communication

Current Address

Phone

Born

Email

Nationality

Languages

Desired Work

Willing to Travel

Kevin Michael Allen Finch Adobe Photoshop

Pen + Ink

Grasshopper

Wood

Adobe Premiere Pro

Oil Paint

Revit Architecture

Magazine Cutouts

Adobe InDesign

Charcoal + Pastel

3DS MAX Design

Paper

AutoCAD

Concrete

Adobe Illustrator

Graphite

VRay

Polycarbonate

Adobe Dreamweaver

Watercolor Paint

Maya

Yarn

Countless design presentations have honed my skills as a speaker as well as a writer. Several years of performance acting allows me to engage a group of individuals on a personal level.

Adobe After Effects

Acrylic Paint

SketchUp

Marker

Rhinoceros

Plaster

558 E. Cypress St. #32Covina, CA 91723

+1 (626) 484-8126

West Covina, Los Angeles, CA/ September 30, 1988

[email protected]

Caucasian/Western European heritage

Full-Time position of at least 2 years

Yes

English NativeSpanish ProficientItalian Conversational


Education

Awards + Involvement

Working Experience

About

2009-2013- California State Polytechnic University at Pomona

2013- Sigma Lambda Alpha, Landscape ArchitectureHonor’s Society

2012- Dangermond Traveling Scholarship Recipient

2012- GalarzaTraveling Scholarship Recipient

2011-2012- ASLA Southern California Student ChapterClass Representative

2009-2013- ASLA Southern California Student Chapter Member

2006-2009- Mount San Antonio College

2002-2006- South Hills High School

2011-2012- IKEA Covina, Sales Associate

Summer 2010- Zumiez, Puente Hills, CA- Sales Associate

2005-2009- Linco Custom Picture Framing, San Dimas, CA- Designer

Summer 2005- Raging Waters, Sand Dimas, CA- Lifeguard

Winter 2004- Hollister Co., West Covina, CA- Sales Associate

My personal take on design, namely landscape architecture, is something that deviates from standard curricula. I aim to challenge particular aesthetics and schools of thought by analyzing the very logic from which it is structured. My designs manifest in forms that evoke memory, perception, and the truth of a site. I hope to produce revelatory landscapes of truly deductive means in my professional work.

I am an individual that engages the never-ending pursuit of knowledge. My interest in knowledge stems from childhood interests in encyclopedias and Jeopardy. The access to such a wealth of information is something I value in myself and others—this is the key to human evolution. I enjoy medieval role-playing and simulation games. I pride myself in my knowledge of bad movies and the countless references I make to them in my everyday life. I have always been a musician in all aspects of the word; playing, reading, writing, and listening. My iTunes library is well over then-thousand songs, yet it never seems to be enough. Music for me is more than a residual companionship originating in pubescence—it is a means of

Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture

General Education//Engineering Graphics

Focus on Music, Science, and Technology

communication, exploration, and expression. I have always pushed myself to be the absolute best at everything I do. I believe that if one says they want to accomplish something, why not do it the best? Even if one can’t be the best, one will achieve moderate facility simply by dedication.

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Strings Musician-14 years

East Asian Martial Artist-7 years

Explorer of Worlds-20 years

Consumer of Music-24 years

Acquisition of Languages-11 years

Traveler-9 years

Collector of Quality-4 years

Composer of Images-15 years


SnapshotIntro//

Pieces of Me

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1

1234

5678

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Strings Musician-14 years

East Asian Martial Artist-7 years

Explorer of Worlds-20 years

Consumer of Music-24 years

Acquisition of Languages-11 years

Traveler-9 years

Collector of Quality-4 years

Composer of Images-15 years


LandscapeProjects//

A selection of undergraduate design projects


Ecological UrbanismProjects//

What it really takes to be sustainable

Nature: Not a Destination

Ecological urbanism would have us believe that the standards and aesthetics associated therein are the epitome of ecologically minded, functional design. However when an individual of academia challenges these conventions, one finds a checklist of physically impossible tasks to achieve. Status quo technology cannot meet the demands of ecological urbanism and therefore can be nothing more than a school of thought from which an individual may choose to approach a design problem. What might a design problem which exists in the requirements of ecological urbanism yield when the very principles that support it are questioned? South Park serves as a laboratory for an urban experiment that leverages the truth of an ecological city. This district of downtown Los Angeles is poised to accept these interventions based on its contextual variants and ample infrastructure. What kind of systems can be adapted and, perhaps, introduced into South Park that will allow this district to function as a brutally honest ecosystem? Disbelief must

be temporarily suspended as certain values of urban design are insufficient to express the complexity of the proposed ecologies of South Park. Plant and animal systems are proposed aspects of traditional design that are rarely represented accurately. In nearly every urban example, “nature” exists separately from the built, human-inhabited environment. For these systems to function properly, they must be integrated to access the same resources and occupy the very same space as humans. The success of these adaptive systems can no longer be measured in conventional means of value, but rather in metrics that express the adaptability and the inherent success and failure of these systems. Death and decay are integral parts of ecological systems that are often hidden and rarely seen in the urban environment and when it is, it is seen as dirty, dangerous, and undesirable. When these systems are allowed to exist in true symbiosis, processes of

“We will be the ones to construct the built form that facilitates growth, adaptability, and decay—this is not a self-replicating system.”


reciprocity will be the new determining factors of the benefits and opportunities of an urban environment, namely, South Park. A new density can be imagined when the bubble we as a species have designed around ourselves breaks down for the selfless betterment of the system. South Park will be the epitome of Real Urbanism.

The structural integrity of all manmade materials has a lifespan—an inevitable failure. The decay of materials is an inherent process in all natural systems that manmade systems strive to transcend. Urban built typologies have varying lifespans, the shortest of which are known as soft sites due to their ease of development. In the South Park district of downtown Los Angeles, the existence of soft sites manifests in surface parking lots. Due to the materials of which these parking lots are made, these sites are poised for the adaptation of volunteer plant and animal species that thrive in urban areas. The continued decay of asphalt

and concrete opens the layers of soil below to elements such as wind and precipitation. These processes will regenerate the soil over time to allow for a greater diversity of plant and animal species to exist as the health of the soil reaches acceptable levels.

When the benefit of the integration of urban and natural systems is realized, the focus of development will shift to support this adaptation on an administrative level. The average size of apartments and lofts will decrease drastically inside to allow for a larger takeover of natural systems, while still allowing for an incredibly high human population. As the decay of surface materials continues to adjacent roads and streets, the former programming of surface parking lots become obsolete as the infrastructure that feeds them can no longer support the systems for which they were designed. South Park becomes the truest of walkable communities.

Although urban values have shifted, South Park still functions as a city.


Since it is humans that realize the benefits of allowing deer, rodents, insects, small mammals, and many other species to exist in their communities, humans will be the ones to construct the built form that facilitates growth, adaptability, and decay—this is not a self-replicating system. The architecture of South Park encapsulates modularity, interconnectivity, change, and opportunity. The entirety of proposed architectural development is an agglomeration of individual cells based on the necessary space for a human occupancy. A living room is not a necessity. Walk in closets are not a necessity. This cell provides space for the most basic of human functions: eating, sleeping, and excreting. All other activities pertaining to human culture, society, interactivity, and personal fulfillment occur outside of the cell in the entirety of the public realm.

The inclusion of such a large density of plant and animal species requires many new

Figue

roa

Flower

Grand

Hope

Olive

HillBro

adway

Pico

12th

11th

Olympic

9th

The areas in red represent the highest concentration of soft sites.

“Los Angeles is poised to accept these interventions based on its contextual variants and ample infrastructure.”



professions that do not normally exist in the city—some of these professions will be filled by symbiotic species other than humans. Waste and debris from producer species will be broken down and used by consumer species. The products of plants and animals will be harvested by humans as well as other animals as needed. These professions are just as opportunistic as the species that serve them. Physical space for these activities will occur in the easiest of places. In South Park, these can happen in three different ways: within the voids created by proposed architecture, inside of existing structures, and on the street. The architecture exists as a shell that envelops a phenological hive of plants, animals, and infrastructure. The remaining space within allows for workshops, stores, and gathering spaces for humans. As the new architecture grows and attaches to existing structures, the uses for on-site building may not necessarily function with proposed programming. Therefore existing structures will adapt to provide space

for larger urban operations. The street exists as the primary public space. Since cars no longer dominate the South Park landscape, the facilitation of market stalls, butcher shops, and waste collection are the preferred program elements of the streetscape.

Coexistence and codependency are values necessary for this type of proposed urbanism to succeed. Too often is “nature” excluded from the human environment when in reality, natural systems are essential to life and cannot be fenced in. If we are to call projects “green” and “sustainable,” we need to understand the implications of these words. While there is a positive and productive side to the ideas present in conventional ecological urbanism, the energy and resources required are rarely considered and never visible to those who think it is beneficial.

Downtown Los Angeles is far from isolated-infrastructure acts as a wildlife corridor that connects the city to regional parks and forests.

GRIFFITH PARK

SOUTH PARK

TERRITO

RIAL

RADIUS

Los Angeles railyards as previous construct of expansion.

Opportunistic qualities in surface and sub-surface infrastructure. Vehicular tunnels bridge to underground caverns.

Train routes and freeway corridors provide ecological infrastructure as adapted by the value of co-dependency.

5.76

m2.66m

1.54m

1527’

2787’

ELYSIAN PARK

LA RIVER

34° 2'0.92"N, 118°13'37.86"W

34° 4'43.06"N, 118°14'51.68"W

34° 7'9.34"N, 118°17'45.78"W

34° 2'31.15"N, 118°16'2.09"W

LA RIVER

ELYSIAN PARK

GRIFFITH PARK

SOUTH PARK

OPP

ORT

UNIS

TIC

LAND

<>IN

FRAS

TRUC

TURE



WATER2.4 million gallons per day

100 gallons

1.966 mWh

35 sq. ft.

14 days of water 26.5’ of wateramount of South Park water usage

amount of water one person uses per day

amount of energy one person uses per day

necessary space for a human to occupy

per average annual rainfall required rainfall for South Park residents

per year based on 24,000 residents based on 100 acres required for 100% energy generation

surface area in contact with ground to house 24,000 human occupants can be arranged on 1 South Park block

47,000 mWh 70% energy generated 142 acres

4356 sq. ft. 300 floor plates Six 50 story towers

SOLAR

SHELTER

SUSTAINABILITY METRICS


WATER2.4 million gallons per day

100 gallons

1.966 mWh

35 sq. ft.

14 days of water 26.5’ of wateramount of South Park water usage

amount of water one person uses per day

amount of energy one person uses per day

necessary space for a human to occupy

per average annual rainfall required rainfall for South Park residents

per year based on 24,000 residents based on 100 acres required for 100% energy generation

surface area in contact with ground to house 24,000 human occupants can be arranged on 1 South Park block

47,000 mWh 70% energy generated 142 acres

4356 sq. ft. 300 floor plates Six 50 story towers

SOLAR

SHELTER

SUSTAINABILITY METRICSSustainability

Metrics

We started this project by analyzing certain sustainability metrics and goals as they pertain to ecological urbanism, LEED, and other “green” concepts. By applying such aspects as water and power to our 100 acre section of downtown Los Angeles, we found these goals to be unattainable. Southern California receives about 12” of rainfall per year, however for the proposed 24,000 residents of South Park to survive on captured and treated rainwater, average rainfall needs to increase by 25 feet annually.

Likewise, for 24,000 residents to use only solar power, 142 acres of solar panels would be required to generate enough energy for just the residential population—that’s 150% of the proposed project; simply impossible with current technology. By challenging these metrics, we were able to challenge the notions of plants and animals in the city by questioning what nature really means.



Parametric Urbanism

The script used to generate the geometry of South Park site massing.

As technology continues to advance the abilities and methodologies of the designer, students aim to work on the cusp of these developments. South Park is still an urban design project at its core, and our design team needed a way to develop building and site massing that held true to the concept of parasitic architecture. Enter Grasshopper, a parametric plugin for Rhino. I was the only member of the design team that had any prior experience in using this program, so I developed the script that would give us the framework for subsequent development of South Park. The Voronoi algorithm mimics cellular growth by taking a centroid and expanding a circular shape to a desired radius—in this case it was a quarter mile. After these cells were developed, these circular shapes were further modified to adapt to the existing rectilinear language of the streets.

Due to the nature of the Voronoi geometry, when a linear language was applied to the cells, we were able to see overlap of growth—this gave us our building intensity. By diagramming growth overlaps, we were able to see differentiation in the density in this type of growth. Many designers use parametric modeling almost gratuitously; its downfalls are very clear. However in this project, the use of computerized parametric growth allowed us to sample many different iterations of this layout without excessive reworking of diagrams. This technology also generates geometry that we would not have come up with without the use of this tool.

“Technology continues to advance the abilities and methodologies of the designer.”


VORONOI ALGORITHMGrowth from valued points

Soft Sites Intersections Towers

OVERLAP OF GROWTHGrowth from site language - Surface parking lots

ABOVE: The Voronoi Algorithm represents growth in a way that demonstrates the urban phasing of South Park.

BELOW: Site massing was derived from combining Voronoi cells with the existing rectilinear language of the site.

BUTCHER SHOP

SHEEP SHEARING

BEE FARM

HIDE TANNING

PHENOLOGY CRAFTING

PHENOLOGY MAPPING

BUTCHER SHOP

SHEEP SHEARING

BEE FARM

HIDE TANNING

PHENOLOGY CRAFTING

PHENOLOGY MAPPING 20//Kevin Finch//landscape architecture portfolio


Site Programming

Once we determined building massing and intensity, we were able to program the site based on out shifted set of values. The streets and parking lots were now the public realm with existing structures serving larger urban needs. When we researched certain species’ habitation needs, we were able to program the site to facilitate certain indicator species’ success. The development of the architecture was going to have to be something that leveraged modularity, proximity, and growth.



MT LION

Plan: 5’ x 5’Height: 4’Volume: 100 cubic ft

Plan: 3’ x 3’Height: 2’Volume: 18cubic ft

COYOTE CHAMBER

ANTECHAMBER

HAWK

RAT

Plan: 2.5’ x 2.5’Height: 2’Volume: 12.5cubic ft

Plan: 2” x 3.5”Height: 3”Volume: 21cubic inches


BEE

DEER

Plan: 7’ x 7’Height: 3.5’Volume: 171.5cubic ft

Plan: 3’ x 3’Height: 8”Volume: 6cubic ft

HUMANFuture: Primitive Hut

EatSleepExcrete

Now

BedroomKitchenBathroomLiving RoomBalcony

Sleep

6 x 6’ Floor Plan Divide in half forprogram organization

Result: Two 6’ x 3’ Spaceswith a service partition wall

EatExcrete=

PlanElevation

bed

stor

age

/ ser

vice

stove

Plan: 6’ x 6’Height: 6’Volume: 216cubic ft

Animal Architecture

The reduction in the size of an apartment was a choice that coincided with the team’s set of values. When certain auxiliary space can be relinquished, other opportunities for increased human, plant, and animal densities can be created. In this new Los Angeles scenario, humans realize the benefit of coexistence with species that are often seen as “wild” or “exurban,” when in fact these species exist all around us and have adapted our architecture and infrastructure to serve their own habitat needs.

The architectural cell is a fractal of the human cell which was derived from minimum human space occupancy. These cells come together to form a larger architecture that takes advantage of its initial soft site, the negative space within the structure, and the voids left between each individual cell. This modular for of architecture serves as a base unit for additional growth algorithms, and allows for ease of construction and agglomeration. The image on the next page shows how these cells are constructed by humans and are placed to take advantage of existing structures’ gaps and voids. The core of this new structure serves as a phenological core.



Migration and Codependency

Species migration is dependant on inital soft sites and the decay of adjacent infrastructure such as freeways.

To say that these animals will never exist in downtown Los Angeles is rather foolish. All of these species are already here because of their synanthropic nature. For these species, our anthropogenic conglomerations are the perfect place to hunt and breed. In the case of the Mountain Lion that wandered into the Santa Monica Mall in 2012, this animal was able to use beaches and roads to get to his destination. In Moscow, wild dogs have learned to use the city Metro to acquire food and shelter. In Austin, Texas, the Congress Avenue bridge houses millions of bats simply because of half inch gap joints in the bridge’s frame. These are not phenomena—these incidents happen all over the world. This project simply aims to make it easier for these things to happen in downtown Los Angeles.

There are countless benefits for animals to occupy the same space as humans such as food, shelter, and safety. However what humans can gain from these species is a bit more complicated. Firstly, there is the tourism factor. People will come from all over the world to witness urbanity such as this. Deer serve as an indicator of safety. If an individual witnesses a deer across the street, that individual knows there are no predators in the immediate area. Avian species eat rodents which often carry diseases, but these rodents are beneficial too. Rats and mice will eat the garbage that accumulates in gutters, effectively becoming this district’s street cleaners.


linear condition

underground connectivity

intersection conditionmerged condition

UNDERGROUND CONNECTIVITY/CAVERNS

Growth occurs underground as well. These connections serve as transportation, retail, and intermediate space for underground species.

“These are not phenomena—these incidents happen all over the world. ”


City on a HillProjects//

Dodger Stadium: Marooned No More

Urban Integration

The premise of this project was the marooned nature of Dodger Stadium in relation to its downtown Los Angeles context. The stadium’s physical proximity to the historic and financial districts of downtown is not an issue—it is the topography of Chavez Ravine that separates this site from the city. While traversing this type of topography is not by any means a challenge or a unique scenario, it has never been done so to this scale in Los Angeles. Three separate precedents were studied to reference the inclusion of difficult topography. San Francisco uses the topography of Telegraph Hill to create an interesting residential experience. Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy resides solely on a hill that gives this city its medieval characteristics. Hong Kong has implemented a public transportation system in

the form of escalators for its citizens to move about the steep terrain. By studying these places, the design team was able to move forward with urban design implementations that would no longer result in the topography being a challenge. As the design team continued research and preliminary development, we discovered a point on the Eastern hillside that was not only the most easily traversable, but was also a point of runoff for the entire site. This topographic opportunity—toportunity—was the location at which our design interventions, which took its cues from freeway infrastructure and cultural proximity, would be inserted onto Dodger Hill. However at this point, this project was nothing more than every urban design project


happening all over the world. This project needed a narrative. Little did we know that the answer we were seeking was such a part of every Angelino’s life that we never think twice about it. Los Angeles is dominated by car culture and the ease of which we can access any part of the city by means of our extensive freeway network. Unfortunately, these places where we spend most of our time are placeless, timeless stretches of concrete devoid of any character or reference to the communities they divide. We constantly refer to our location on the freeway by our proximity to an intersection. We are almost to the 605, or we just got on the 110.

By leveraging all these factors into our design process, we were able to devise a system of freeway and urban development that is unique to Dodgertown. The way architecture and infrastructure coexist is distinctly Dodger

and cannot exist anywhere else. Instead of a driver referring to their location by what junction they just passed, drivers can now identify that they are in Dodgertown because of the relationship the freeway has to its direct context.

We created a lot of documents for this project! To see our process and design implementations in their entirety, please visit:

http://issuu.com/finchyk/docs/final_journal_-_reduced_more_opt


Charcoal sketches exploring mat typologies-movement through structures.

Diagrammatic drawing exploring urban transportation systems



Finalized building massing


sections

colored sections showing vertical system overlaps

The plan of the Mat-specific development quickly becomes inadequate to represent certain spatial qualities.

These sections were particularly important in describing the complex systems that cannot be expressed in a plan. The colored sections represent structural and systematic overlaps.


Mat Urbanism

“Thick 2D” by Stan Allen was a great resource for the development of circulation around Dodger Stadium. By sampling an area of the overall building massing and applying Mat concepts to these forms, we were able to create a layered Mat/Programmable structure that physically linked all structures on site. This also allowed newly exposed soil from hundreds of acres of removed asphalt to regenerate and support the ecological systems of Elysian Park. The diagrams on the opposite page represent three separate systems that come together to form the entirety of built form in this project. The first is the original building massing that supports a projected

“There’s a stadium in there somewhere. ”

substantial increase in the population of Los Angeles in the next 20 years. The second are the layers of connection that blanket the Northwestern portion of the site. This Mat typology functions as a system of solids and voids that provide ample open space for dense development while maintaining a contiguous circulation system throughout Dodgertown. The third system is an experimental circulation/development space that exists as tendrils that not only evoke the concept of parasitic infrastructure, but serve as a tertiary form of transportation. This typology is the one most poised to engage the placelessness of freeways that is so important to this project.

3D study of the interaction between building massing and proposed Mat typologies.


Performative Towers

According to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority, the population of Los Angeles is expected to double from 4 million to 8 million within the next 25 years. Designers who fail to plan for this massive increase are doing a disservice to Southern California. City on a Hill aims to not only provide for this massive influx of residents, but to respond to site specific conditions of ingress and egress. Due to the need for flexible development, I developed a parametric script to generate residential towers. Since these towers are parametric, their footprint, floor height, and number of floors can be quickly updated in the 3d model so we may see what sort of physical impact 25,000 residents may have on this area.

This Grasshopper script controls the parameters of the large residential towers.



Ecological Codependence

Dodger Stadium technically exists within Elysian Park, however over 120 acres of paved parking lots separate it from the edge of the park. While this project was not ecologically driven in its preliminary stages, the systems and processes created as a result of our design interventions were more ecologically beneficial than we originally planned for. To justify the removal of all parking lots around the stadium, we implemented the largest parking structure in existence. Not only will this structure hold nearly 18,000 vehicles, but also exists a highly adaptable space during baseball’s off season. With all of this newly exposed soil, phytoremediation will begin to regenerate the health of the soil and eventually expand the territory of Elysian Park’s usable space. By elevating the mat structure off of the ground, a significant amount of space was saved that now serves as this new city’s open space. The experience one gains from walking through Dodgertown is a highly-forested yet very dense environment where the needs of a city are provided within walking or biking distance. City on a Hill takes the most effective aspects of medieval hillside development and new Mat and transportation typologies to create a new district of downtown that is poised for the next nature of Los Angeles.

Concrete Habitat UnitProjects//

Phenologically adapted infrastructure



Wilderness. Wildness. Wild. What do these terms mean? To some it may be manifest in some sort of outdoor “landscape,” while to others, it may be a certain lack of control. And yet for an even smaller group of individuals, these terms represent a system of ideals that transcend permanence in the physical world. When one poses these questions of landscape, wilderness and nature, a veritable Pandora’s Box has been unleashed upon a relatively unaware psyche. One can wander and wander and wander and never come any closer to a definitive answer, however such is the nature of design. There is no such thing as a design solution, only a set of means to which a problem can become fixed to an acceptable end. By delving into the depths of one’s consciousness, it is not uncommon to become lost or even terrified. Exploring the inner machinations of a person’s psychology has taken its toll on many lesser wanderers. But we are phenosmonauts: explorers of perception. We consistently go where all should, many don’t, and some can’t: into our imaginations. It takes a certain kind of philosophy to accept these dreams as reality; a philosophy that cannot be learned. One cannot hope to explore one’s own mind if one refuses to question anything. Simply by accepting information as fact is the fastest way to become another number in the flock. Even by recognizing the difference between sheep and shepherds and choosing to become a shepherd is not enough to fully accept the bizarre and frightening workings of one’s own mind. No. We

must become the wanderer; a Zen-like lifestyle that transcends reality. Only then can a phenosmonaut truly return from their trip no worse for the wear. As designers, we need to come to terms with the status quo. Not accept it, simply understand it. There is an enormous disconnect between designers and non-designers in terms of how the world should work. And there is an even further disconnect between designers and contemporary landscape architects in terms of technical understanding of what seems to be basic, technical information. With such a chasm between traditional and contemporary landscape architecture, there seems to be little hope for the rest of humankind. It should be noted however that there is a fundamental difference between wishing how the world should work, and knowing how the world should work; and the difference is this basic set of knowledge that every designer, and ideally, every human should have available. Thinking that nature is green in color and native grasses are wild is one thing, but to throw around terms like “green,” “nature,” sustainable,” and “eco-friendly” without educating oneself what these terms actually mean is yet another indication of a society of sheeple.

This is where the exploration of one’s imagination plays an important role. The answers to your dilemmas are not the secret of some almighty deity; the answers are within yourself, you need only look. Placing one’s hopes and insecurities in the responsibility of an unexplainable force is yet another representation of those who do not possess the knowledge, or ability to acquire said knowledge, to differentiate between

what we know and what we still have yet to learn. Learn to break free from the masses! Educate yourself! Do not follow rules that were written a millennia ago, rewrite your own rules and live your own life based on your own values! Reject reality and substitute your own! This group believes it follows the aforementioned manifesto and has attempted to design the future of Los Angeles from this baseline. We have identified four basic values pertaining to “landscape.” These values are: the appreciation for “nature,” peace among all living organisms, imperfection and the loss of control. “Nature” is already a loaded term with many implications. Some believe this term to represent outdoors while others think it is a destination to be reached on the weekend. However, we shall take the position of stating that nature is a collective term for all things that exist on planet Earth and beyond. By understanding that “nature” is too ambiguous a term to ever be used to describe anything, it is necessary to point out a few systems that we believe fall under the term “nature” as they pertain to this project. The first is wildlife that we define to be further broken down into all plant and animal life, to wit, any physical entity that is subject to growth and decay; the processes of life. The second system to be defined under “nature” shall be ecosystems and natural processes. These can be defined similarly to wildlife, however ecosystems and natural processes may not necessarily be physically manifest in any organism. Although these terms are in and of themselves ambiguous, it should be noted that each of these categories under “nature” can be broken down and simplified indefinitely.

Wilderness Manifesto

The next value we have applied to landscape is peace among all living and non-living organisms. The basic form of this position is the belief of the inequalities between the human race, and every other race on the planet. It is atrocious that one species is responsible for the endangerment and extinction for thousands of other species on this planet. One may argue that this is just a phase of ecological evolution, however we believe that while evolution is necessary from species to species, humankind does not have the right to drive so many other species into extinction; there is no other species on the planet that has been responsible for the extinction of so many other species. If humankind can be taken down a few notches, morally and physically, then a possibility of some sort of peace can be achieved.

Imperfection is a value that we believe is unique to our aesthetic. Many designers may envision the future

as a utopian wonderland where everything is perfect and there is never any cause for concern. However, we take the position that there is beauty and potential in these imperfections. For example, scientists have proven that carbon emissions from combustion based vehicles is detrimental to plant and animal health. But have you ever seen a Los Angeles sunset? What a sight! The smog in the air makes for such a beautiful, fiery-orange sky that makes one feel insignificant to the pressures of the world. By designing for these imperfections and choosing to leave some problems unresolved, it is our hope that humankind will also appreciate these small imperfections that are physical manifestations of the unavoidable shortcomings in everyday life. The final and single-most important value we have applied to this futurist landscape is the loss of control. What happens when the control to which we all so



What happens when we relinquish control?


tightly grasp is suddenly relinquished? Will madness and chaos ensue? Or will peace and prosperity reign? Our hope is to find a balance between these two possible outcomes by making small changes that will drastically change the landscape of Los Angeles. For example, what happens when control is relinquished on pedestrian circulation? When street trees with aggressive surface roots are planted adjacent to sidewalks and buildings, concrete will be uprooted. Sidewalks crack, elevations change along routes and buildings are in danger of collapse. The trees are then removed and the sidewalk repaired, but what happens when the control of this typology is lost? Perhaps the sidewalks eventually fade away into disrepair. Sidewalks become urban hiking trails as maintenance is abandoned and opportunity is created for plant and animal species. Maybe this phenomenon will spread to adjacent asphalt streets. Potholes will develop, traffic routes will become dangerous and next to impossible on which to travel. By not having an acceptable form of transportation, commuters will resort to public transit. This massive influx of drivers to commuters will spark an increase in public transit funding that will bring bus and rail systems of Los Angeles out of the stone-age. By having rail as the only means of long-distance transportation, the very landscape of

black-tailed deer [odocoileus hemionus columbianus]

people living in urban areas-2012 people living in urban areas-2050 percent of earth covered by cities-3

most common synanthropes in los angeles change in population since 1980decrease increase

A synanthrope is a species that thrives due to accomodations provided by human habitat. As human habitat increases, so does the survival of synanthropes.

what are synanthropic species?

coyote [canis latrans]red fox [vulpes vulpes]

raccoon [procyon lotor]opossum [didelphis virginiana]

desert cottontail [sylvilagus audubonii]fox squirrel [sciurus niger]

california mouse [peromyscus californicus]* re-introduction efforts have proven successful

46%

33%

90%*

150%

100%

71%

20%

5%

habitable areas will begin to shift. Slowly the fringe developments will become abandoned as people move closer to the more human-friendly urban zones. Infill projects across Los Angeles will result in hyper-dense downtown districts. As suburban development completely fades away, these archaic monuments to western civilization are eventually harvested and recycled for development in the city. These newly abandoned lands will serve as agricultural fields for the increased demand for food in the city. Simply by changing one small typology, a snowball effect can change all of Los Angeles. It all starts with a crack.



Phase One

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tight fit!

The first phase of this project involved researching certain plant and animal species that are native to Southern California. The goal of this phase was to completely understand the shape and size of each species and its habitat. For example, the American Goldfinch has a certain size associated with its biology, but its nest is also a certain size. We then made models of our individual species by turning two-dimensional shapes into three-dimensional representations of these indicator species. By modeling these species, a greater understanding of size, shape, phenology, and habitation requirements was achieved.

The model Goldfinch [ABOVE] and diagrammatic instructions for assembly.

americangoldfinch

[Carduelis tristis]

winter year-round summer

3.75”

4.30”

clutch lends to acrobatic perching habits

clutch size: 2-7 eggs/egg size: 0.5” x 0.7”

typical conical beak is indicative of finches

beak shape lends towards foliage gleaning eating habits

vibrant yellow striping makes this finch easy to indentify

colors in males during the winter, and females year-round, are muted and more dull

house sparrow american

american robin

eveninggrosbeak

american crow

nest in the finch’s preferred habitat

eggs in a nest

the

finch

’s u

rban

hab

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make your own feeder!

4.5”

3”


Phase Two


This phase consisted of experimentation of form by casting plaster and concrete against found objects. The purpose of this was not to create a pocket for a bird nest or a void for soil for plants, but simply to discover what sort of objects create what voids. How might a positive create a negative and then have this negative create some sort of hybrid of the original positive? This exercise was to be intellectually disconnected from the first phase, keeping in mind only the methodologies used to create our specific forms.


Phase Three

After indicator species had been researched, and the making of form had been practiced, this next phase was to incorporate the previous two phases into a CMU—concrete masonry unit. By experimenting with form and how to create certain types of solids and voids, we could take the specific size for species inhabitation and apply these specific forms to a concrete block. This was to be done in Rhino and then 3D printed.


Preliminary sketch of void spaces and internal volumes.


CHU-plan

voids retained for rebar

perch for nesting

trough for collecting

mirrored sides for interlocking

manipulated sides increases opportunities

CHU-section

Photograph of the 3D printed object.


Original, unmodified CMU.


CHU after modification to support American Goldfinches and California Poppies.



Phase Four

The final phase of this project initially seemed to deviate drastically from the syllabus, however at the end I was able to see the purpose of this discomfort. We were to create a future for Los Angeles based on certain values and ethics we learned over the course of the term. This future was to be represented in two ways: diagrammatically, and in the form of a mural. The mural was to use evocative imagery to instill a sense of wonder and emotion about our prescribed futures, and the diagram was to explain how this future can function. These images focus on a loss of control on urban and suburban maintenance. These implementations are connected by logical chains of events where something seemingly insignificant can lead to a drastically different, yet highly valuable and productive future.


The future of Los Angeles can be a highly functional place. This scenario focuses on the harvest of suburban development and redistribution of density throughout urban cores.


This mural represents metaphorically a multitude of values I hold towards landscape and its design as they pertain to Los Angeles.



FissureProjects//

Urban Agriculture for Homeboy Industries

Jobs Not Jails

Father Greg Boyle spends his time keeping recently released prisoners from being re-incarcerated. His organization, Homeboy Industries, focuses on rehabilitation, tattoo removal, vocational training, education, and job placement in a world where ex-convicts are looked down upon. The men and women of Homeboy Industries work hard in their café, bakery, diner, and with other administrative duties throughout their headquarters in Downtown Los Angeles. Homeboy Industries came to us looking for the latest and greatest in small scale farming technology. We then took these technologies and applied them to design strategies that would aid Homegirl café in their creation of food for customers while claiming 100% farm-to-

table. Since this is impossible to achieve, I focused on providing a few menu items for the Homegirls: Angela’s Potion, a drink made of spinach, lime, and mint, and ingredients for several different salsas such as pico de gallo and mango habanero. These implementations were also meant to provide new jobs and skills to the homeboys and homegirls. The introduction of hydroponics and vertical farming techniques were things that were predicted to produce a large demand for skilled workers. Additional space for administrative work and classroom space was also provided for projected expansion of Homeboy Industries.


FissureProjects//

A Home for the Homies

The site of Homeboy Industries in Downtown Los Angeles.

Homeboy Industries’ location in Downtown Los Angeles offered many design opportunities and challenges. The Metro Gold Line elevated rail runs directly over the site with two support pillars touching down within the site boundaries. Rather than have this infrastructure get in the way of design moves, I decided to engage one of these pylons as the epicenter from which all site programming and language would radiate. The adjacent police vehicle storage lot was included in the design to increase the facilities’ parking by 50%. This site’s adjacency to The Cornfields State Park helped develop certain agricultural programming due to this park’s history.


Illustrative plan demonstrating new agricultural zones.

FissureProjects//



Farm Tech

Due to the need for large scale production of fruits and vegetables on-site, vertical farming was the preferred method of cultivation. Several options were considered, however the modular trellis unit inspired by loop.ph was selected. Each of these units is hand-made and woven out of wire or fiberglass thread. Due to their modular design, many pieces can be woven together into any desired or required shape to serve as a support for plant material while allowing for a multitude of interesting forms. This method was also selected to give certain vocational skills to the men and women of Homeboy Industries. The handmade nature of these units serves as a hands-on, meditative hobby for those under the guidance of Father Greg.

An example of the many forms that can be created by the modular trellis unit.


FissureProjects//

Spring780 lbs

520 lbs

55 lbs

310 lbs

78 lbs

11,450limes

625 lbs

1170 lbs

Summer

Agricultural Production The most complicated aspect of this project is its planting plan and crop rotation. This system focuses on maximizing productive surfaces to produce the largest yield for Homeboy Industries. By focusing on Homegirl Café’s menu item, Angela’s Potion, the production of spinach, lime, and mint is a priority. Seasonal planting plans change according to weather and phenology patterns.


Fall Winter

1'-10"

1'-11"

8"

1'

PRE-FABRICATED POWDER COATEDSTEEL BIKE RACK

DIA. TYP.

#3 REBAR 1' OC

BIKE RACK SET IN CONCRETE FOOTING

POURED IN PLACECONCRETE FOOTING

1/2" EXPANSION JOINT6" AGGREGATE

SUB-BASE

4" CONCRETE SIDEWALK

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FissureProjects//


Custom designed bike rack


9' 1'-4"5'5'5'

42'

4"

6"

5'-5"

4'-7"

1'

1'-3"

2'

1'-11"

4"

5' 5'

SUPPORT BEAM FOR OVERHEAD RAIL LINE

ADJACENT SIDEWALK

FENCE BORDERING AGRICULTURAL SPACE

1/2" EXPANSION JOINT

ADJACENT CONCRETE SIDEWALK

4" POLISHED BLACK GRANITE

1" MORTAR

#4 REBAR 16" OC

AGGREGATE SUB-BASEEXISTING SUPPORT PILLAR

GRANITE PAVING FOR PLAZA SURFACE

6" TRENCH DRAIN

6" PERFORATED DRAIN PIPE

A PLAZA SITE PLAN

B PLAZA STEP DETAIL

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Understanding Constructability This project offered an opportunity to really understand how to create every aspect of the design. Creating beautiful forms and attractive renderings is only half of the design process—the ability to articulate how forms and materials interact is what sets architects apart from designers.

Epicenter Plaza-centered around one of the Metro’s support pylons.

FissureProjects//


For Those Who Deserve Another Chance

Fissure is about the Homeboys and Homegirls who work with Father Greg. By trusting the country’s justice system, we should all believe those who have served their time emerge changed individuals who are ready to integrate into society but cannot due to ignorant social beliefs. Father Greg transcends these notions and sees these young men and women for who they really are—humans.

TEU structure to increase administrative and classroom space.


To learn more about the Homeboys’ side of the story, please watch this short film at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1vFGF476jM

From within the agricultural production zone.

Features//Additional projects that demonstrate other skills and interests


PropagandaFeatures//


Make a Statement

So many designers throw around words like “green” and “sustainable” and “nature” without understanding the meaning of these words as they pertain to landscape architecture. By defining these words for ourselves and how we choose to use them in conversation, we become closer to the designer we were meant to be. This image is my statement to “landscape.” Someone will always be watching to judge and criticize our work and actions, and it is up to me as a designer to do what I feel is right, and not what everyone else expects me to do.


Io Vivo in ToscanaFeatures//

La Vita

During the fall semester of my senior year, I was fortunate enough to study abroad in Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy. During these three months, I learned about certain aspects of landscape such as agritourism, medieval ridgeline theory, and the inherent qualities of a place. These aspects were studied through painting, sketching, poetry, and photography. What I really took away from this experience was what it means to live in Italy and become a member of a community. The following images aim to express notions of belonging, community, and “la vita.”


Vino- Oil on Paper



Assisi, Italia

Venezia, Italia

Automobile!- Oil on Paper



San Gimignano, Italia


Solar DecathlonFeatures//



Peel and Reveal

I was part of a group contacted by the Orange County Great Park for a design competition of a one-acre plot of land within the El Toro Airfield. This area was to be a technology and energy commons for the upcoming Solar Decathlon this October. Architects from all around the world will come to showcase their 1,000 square foot homes that are powered completely by solar power. This design takes cues from its surrounding context to develop site language. Programming comes from the projected capacity of over 30,000 visitors per day. These design implementations take advantage of the extreme horizontal scale of the El Toro Airfield, and play with the associated vertical scale.

Diagram illustration of the vertical height typologies. The design allows for a complexity of height variations in the form of an entertainments stage, shading canopy, topographic landforms, linear tree patterns, and windsock art displays. Playing with the expansive qualities of Orange County Great Park, the extension of vertical elements provide a balance between the large horizontal spatial context.

Wind sock patterning through directional changes. Process of revealing natural occurrences.

Speculative TopographiesFeatures//


Topos

My very first studio project was the creation and manipulation of MDF. It seemed clear at the time that I was to emulate topography through ridges and valleys—I quickly learned it was much more than this. The process of creating these topos began with the chiseling of large portions of wood to rough out the shape of what was to come. Next came the first sanding phase. Each piece was sanded for nearly 8 hours per day for about 2 days each. Successive grits of sandpaper were used to achieve a waxed shiny surface. After two coats of paint, the sanding began again. The sandpaper increased in grain value until my bare hands were appropriate for smoothing the topos; about 6000 grit. This process taught me a lot about construction, sculpture, and woodworking—skills that I have brought with me through my entire undergraduate education.

Unpainted wooden topography


Speculative TopographiesFeatures//

THIS PAGE: Topography casted in acryllic from an original wood model.OPPOSITE: Final painted and sanded topo.

“I call on people to be ‘obsessed citizens,’ forever questioning and asking for accountability. That’s the only chance we have today of a healthy and happy life.”

-Ai Weiwei

kevin finch design portfolio

Documents

notion of landscape

success of landscape

natural systems

manmade systems

larger systems

nature of los angeles

national park

natural evolutionary