Leah Edwardsdes g po o o

1700 N. Manhattan Avenue

Apt. #205

Manhattan, Kansas 66502

ledwards@ksu.edu

(573) 768-1419

Leah Edwards

ART IS NOT WHAT YOU SEE, BUT WHAT YOU MAKE OTHERS SEE. Edgar Degas

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Designing is almost always subjective to the intention of the designer and to the person experiencing the design. My aspirations as a landscape architect are to create environments that are for the people. My process as a student start with the simple question, “What do I want others to see?”. I fi nd myself aware I cannot force a person to experience through my eyes, but the design must speak through all sorts of lenses. People are the utmost important factor in any natural and designed landscape. People and their mental, emotional, physical, and natural experience are the reasons I am in this profession. To be a positive infl uence in people’s daily lives, with minimal impact on the natural course of this world are the values I design for and with.

Designer Introduction

IT’S NOT WHAT YOU LOOK AT THAT MATTERS, IT’S WHAT YOU SEE.-Henry David Thoreau

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Table of Contents

St. Louis Metropolitan StudioPage 6

Frontier Farm CreditAdministrative HeadquartersPage 11

Council Grove PlazaPage 16

Retrofi t 40Page 19

St. Louis Metropolitan Design Studio

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109

St. Louis Metropolitan Design StudioSt. Louis, MOThe design proposal is for a site in St. Louis two blocks north of downtown and a few blocks away from the Edward Jones Dome and St. Louis Arch. The site is an urban context with little to no existing development within the two blocks I focused on. The design establishes an effective, united urban development which extends and transitions from downtown St. Louis to the northern suburbs. The design had three stages: a framework, a master plan, and a detailed plan. The master plan and detailed plan were conceptualized as a place for interaction. The process began with laying a grid for buildings and “carving spaces” to create a pedestrian promenade. The promenade along with specifi ed land-use and a central open space were considered places of different types of interaction.

Conceptual Master PlanDesign Elements

Streets and Sidewalks

Buildings

Pedestrian Promenade/Open Space

Photomontage of Pedestrian Promenade

N. 1

4th

Stre

et

N. 1

3th

Stre

et

Cass Ave.

Biddle St.

O’Fallon St.

Pede

stria

n Pr

omen

ade

Urba

n Pa

rk-

”Urb

an

Inte

ract

ion”

N. Tuc

ker B

lvd.

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Montage of Central Interactive Area

Interactive, Active, and Passive Spaces

Active Spaces

Passive Spaces

Interactive Spaces

Soft-Scape vs. Hard-Scape

Soft-Scape

Hard-Scape

Central Open Area Conceptual Plan

Temperature Shadow Walls

Temperature Shadow

Walls

Weather C

ensoring Poles

Weather Censoring Poles

The fi nal phase of the studio project is a detailed plan within the site plan. The central gathering area in the promenade takes interaction and applies it in a small scale design based on the master plan. The design continues the idea of “carving spaces for interaction”with grassy mounds and hard-scape seating areas making spaces for active, interactive, or passive activities. The design sets up many types of activities for all kinds of people. Versatility is key in this design in order to open up many possible experiences.

Detail Site Plan:Central Gathering Area

Frontier Farm CreditAdministrative Headquarters

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Manhattan, KansasFrontier Farm Credit Administrative Headquarters

This project has Frontier Farm Credit (FFC) as the client who recently acquired a lot in Manhattan, Kansas to build their new administrative offi ces on. Topographically, the site is not suitable for any type of development to occur, especially with design elements like a parking lot and building. Therefore, the design consists of grading and earthwork considerations. Along with the construction aspect, the design also focuses on a more conceptual design involving consideration of plants, especially prairie natives. The concept is based on the natural prairie grasses of Kansas and being surrounded by the native landscape. This project is extensive and focuses on the many opportunities to see through a construction lens, as well as a design lens for the comfort and experience of the people working at Frontier Farm Credit.

Planting Collage - Spring Planting Collage - Fall Hand Drawn Conceptual Mater PlanConceptualizing Planting Areas Final Conceptual Master Plan

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Sta

ll Pa

rkin

g Lo

t

110

Sta

ll Pa

rkin

g Lo

t

Proposed Administrative

Building

Info

rmal

Gathe

ring

Area

/Pat

io

Employee Outdoor

Work Area/Formal

Gathering AreaEdible Garden

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Panorama Looking East of Site

Site Grading Plan Site Earthwork Diagram Site Irrigation Plan

Council Grove Plaza

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2019

Kaw Mission

Hays House

Council GroveNational Bank

Farmers & Dovers Bank

Hermit’s Cave

Cottage House Hotel

Old Bell Monument

Last Chance Store

Neosho Riverwalk

Neosho River Crossing

Guardian of the Grove Statue

Madonna of the Trail

Post Office Oak and Museum

Seth Hays Home

Council Grove PlazaCouncil Grove, Kansas History is what Council Grove, Kansas thrives on and is what makes the community distinctive. The Santa Fe Trail ran through the town, which makes it famous as the last stop for supplies until New Mexico. Council Grove also has history with the Kaw Indians and their history with the United States taking over Native American land. The design is based on the history of the Kaw Indians and how their land was downsized three times before fi nally being sent out of Kansas. The design has three main spaces each a distinctive size and each fl owing into one another just like the Kaw Indians reservations being diminished slowly, and taking up less and less of what they started with. This site is located adjacent to the Kansa River and fi nds a strong correlation with the fl ow of the river. The fl ow of the spaces and vegetation from one area to another emphasizes the meaning of the town’s history and its story.

Section A-A Section B-B

Master Plan

Historic Places of Interest in Council Grove by team member Olivia Pitt-Perez

A

A

B B

Retrofit 40 StudioUS Hwy-40

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2322

Retrofit 40US Hwy-40, Kansas City, Missouri

Retrofi t 40 is an intense eight-week summer studio which elaborates critical mapping as a tool for site analysis and support for a culture and social focused design. US Hwy-40 is one of six corridors identifi ed by Mid America Regional Council (MARC) in need of a “Vibrant, Connected, and Green” design to revitalize the region. Working closely with MARC, the studio focuses on the needs of the US 40 corridor in a sustainable, social, and cultural context. The critical mapping led to a group design of a major intersection on the highway. My group identifi es and stresses the importance of density, connection of pedestrian trails, and the need of organized, specifi ed land-use. The fi nal outcome held a variety of uses along with strong consideration of aesthetics and logistics for both drivers and pedestrians using and experiencing the site.

Conceptual Master Plan by Leah Edwards

Aerial Perspective by team member Josh Wilcox

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US Hwy-40

US Hwy-40

Nol

and

Roa

d

MetroGreen Connection

MetroGreen Connection

MetroGreen Connection

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Land-Use by Leah Edwards Green Connections by Leah EdwardsStreet Typologies by Leah Edwards

Noland Road Boulevard Perspective by team member Josh WilcoxFramework Strategy by Leah Edwards

Streets’ Axis as Basis for Design Framework

Couplet for Hwy-40 and Expand Noland Road

Organized Street Grid

Land-Use

Connected Green Space

Open Space

MetroGreen Connections

Proposed Light rail

Mixed-UseCouplet Street TypologyNoland Boulevard Street Typology

MetroGreen Block Walk vs. Park Street Typology

MetroGreen Block Walk vs. Buildings Street TypologyTwo Lane with Sidewalks TypologyTwo Lane with Sidewalks; Dead-ending at Open Space

Residential

Open/Civic Space

1700 N. Manhattan Avenue

Apt. #205

Manhattan, Kansas 66502

ledwards@ksu.edu

(573) 768-1419

Leah Edwards

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