landscape architecture & urban design portfolio
DESCRIPTION
A collection of professional and academic work in the field of landscape design.TRANSCRIPT
CORMAC DIGGINSLandscape Architecture & Urban Design
To the professionals and educators that have enlightened me to the the wonderful, diverse, and powerful world of landscape architecture. Because of your training and passion, I am confident to begin my career to help solve today’s numerous and varied urban issues. Thank you.
corridor play identity
reflection gallery hand
UrbanNetworkUrbanDensityUrbanFlow UrbanEffect
Masterplanning& Urban DesignNew OrleansFall|2014Academic | ISU
In August, 2005, Hurricaine Katrina decimated the city of New Orleans, leaving the metro area fractured by tens of thousands of vacancies. Today, organizations like the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (N.O.R.A.), which owns and maintains 2,400 vacant lots, are working to retrofit and responsibly allocate these spaces in the name of environmental and economic sustainability. Of the N.O.R.A. owned vacant lots, the highest concentration is seen in low-lying and impoverished neighborhoods. As climate change continues to pit New Orleans and Louisiana against fiercer storms, coastal erosion and sea level rise, these neighborhoods are in the most need of an urban design intervention.
Challenge
Working with N.O.R.A., local landscape architects and planners, non-profits, and stake -holders, the mission is to link and establish a multitude of unused and abandoned vacant lots as a public network of usable and healthy amenities. Through research in storm water management, underprivilaged urban development patterns, and high functioning communities, we will set out to provide New Orleans with a prospective of a sustainable and brighter future in the face of climate change.
Project
A Project By: Cormac Diggins & Taylor Wald
Lake Terrace
Pontchartrain Park
Gentily Woods
DesireDesire
ProjectsFlorida
Bywater
Lower Ninth Ward
St. Claude
Marigny
French Quarter
Holy Cross
--->The Mississippi River (to Gulf)
corridor
Pontilly Stormwater HMGPDana Brown & Associates community visioning
project integrating vacant lot and streetscape retrofitting to provide large-scale storm water
management. The 900 acre vision is currently en route to being completed by 2018.
Focus Area - Lower DesireLower Desire stands to gain the most from a new urban corridor. New transit, recreational, cultural, economic, and communal opportinities will allow positive future growth for the suffering community
Desire ParkwayA proposed project by Waggoner and Ball Architects
to expand and redevelop both the Florida Canal and the vast vacancies around it into a massive
bioretention system to serve the area both ecologically and recreationally.
Crescent ParkA waterfront park designed by Hargreaves and
Associates. connects the corridor to both downtown and the French Quarter through New Orlean’s
developing Mississippi River park system.
Chef Monteur Connection
Lake Parkway Connection
Interstate 10
St. Claude Connection
Galvez Connection
Florida Canal
River Parkway Connection
The Louisa Green Street
The NodesAlthough it is a fraction of the overall vacancies in Lower Desire, N.O.R.A. owns as many as 66 vacant lots within the community. Each and every one of these lots holds the potential to catalyze improvements and development in the surrounding properties and neighborhood while retaining and cleaning massive amounts of storm water collectively. Taking inspiration from the industrial history of Desire and from precedent vacant lot projects done by Dana Brown and Associates, these typical vacant lot retrofits will serve people socially and ecologically.
Vacant LotsUrbanNodes
Expanded SidewalkVaries 8-12’
Bioswale with curb cutsVaries 5-10’
Shipping Container Shelter
Shipping Container Cistern
Shipping Container Planter
0 8 16ft
Typical Vacant Lot Section
Typical Vacant Lot
Typical Street Section
Street size reduction for active elements24’ Elevated multi-use path
8’
Primary bioswale and “Eco-Spine”
Connecting NodesA socially and environmentally connected urban fabric is the most successful path towards creating a new and resilient New Orleans. Working in tandem with other proposed projects from Wagonner and Ball Architects and Dana Brown and Associates, The Louisa Green Street will be the ecological spine to collect, convey, clean, and capture storm water from the surrounding areas. On an equitable and economic level, the backbone acts as the foundational link of eight neighborhoods from Lake Terrace to Bywater, and provides a crucial connection to the city’s Bike and Park Network.
Building ResiliencyDesire is most famous for the establishment of the Desire Projects in the 1950s. This endevour eventually became the city’s most failed attempt to provide low income housing to minorities and the poor. Since then, the area has continued to suffer from poverty, crime, flooding, government dinvestment and then mass housing demolition. Now, Desire has one of the highest rates of vacant lots in New Orleans.
The new pedestrian centered connector will reinvigorate the community of Desire by shifting the paradigm of “disinvested neighborhood to “sustainable community.” Redeveloping Louisa Street and a multitude of N.O.R.A. vacant lots into publick amenities and
stormwater systems can catalyze Desire’s cultural,
ecological, and economic growth.
LAFRENIERE ST
HIGGINS BLVD
PLEASURE ST
HUMANITY ST
BENEFIT ST
CLOU
ET S
T
FELI
CIAN
A ST
MET
ROPO
LITA
N ST
PIET
Y ST
OLIV
ER W
HITE
AVE
ABUNDANCE ST
INDUSTRY ST
Focus Area: Lower Desire
0 500 1000N
1500ft
Containment Park
Louisa Bike Boulevard
Vacant Lot Parks
Desire Parkland
Constructing CenterA plaza with amenities and food options are only the beginning of what Containment Park offers visitors. Boardwalks, concrete stepping stones, and steel walkways circulate the visitor through an ecucational experience. People can learn about desire’s industrial history, the importance of stormwater management, and the impact that the park specifically has. In fact, by reusing industrial shipping containers as water collecting and aquafer restoring devices, The park can keep over 100,000 gallons of water from flooding the surrounding neighborhood every time it rains. Who says sustainable can’t be beautiful?
Sunken - Full C
istern
Containment Park
0 20 40ftN
Overflow drain
Street basinFood vender and cafe
Public restrooms
Planted seating island
Container shade structure
Recycled concrete as stepping stones
Container bike shelter
Food truck parking
Street basin
Container shade structure
Boulevard retrofit
Speed bump crossing
Stormwater drain inlet
Wooden boardwalk
Elevated steel grate
Overflow culvert to park
Elevated steel bicycle path
Sunken - Full C
istern
Raised Planter
Shade Structure
Light Infrastructure
Seating
Storage container cistern
Perforated bottom
Repurposed Concrete Rip-rap
Water proofing membrane
Typical Pervious Decking
Community Visioning & Schoolyard Design
Designers Consultants
Local National
Client
PhiladelphiaFall|2015Academic & Professional | ISU
Project
The Eleanor C. Emlen School, Mt. Airy Neighborhood
Through the national collaboration of non-profits, local landscape architects, university students, school faculty and the local community, the Eleanor C. Emlen School is on its way to a healthier and more vibrant outdoor education experience. Despite a disadvantaged student population and neighborhood, a lack of needed funding and therefore below-average test scores, and no amenities for outdoor learning and play, this community has come together with student designers to produce a comprehensive masterplan for their new schoolyard. Under consultation from local professionals and national experts, students from Iowa State University generated masterplans for six schools in the Mt. Airy Neighborhood. As a pilot project the Eleanor C. Emlen School will set the precedent for the rest of the Mt. Airy community.
This project led me to wear many hats. As the project manager for the Emlen Schoolyard Masterplan I oversaw, edited, and created the 52 page publication to submit to the School District of Philadelphia. While in Philadelphia I organized and led two successful design workshops with 27 art students and 63 local members of the community. It was also my responsibility to oversee team management, graphics and product layout, meetings and scheduling, budgeting, document writing and editing, and national project collaboration.
Outside of the studio I managed another group of students in writing to the Knight Foundation for $150,000 to jumpstart the project this year. The grant will be submitted in the coming Spring after review. Already there are two grants pending for the project and in October I was able to establish a Corporate partnership and donation of $10,000 annually.
Role
A Project By: Cormac Diggins, Nanqi Dai, and Blake Andera
Play
“Little” Client Workshop Oct. 15th
“Big” Client WorkshopOct. 16th
Nov. 5thNov. 1stOct. 18thOct. 13th Oct. 13th
Our team met with twenty-eight creative and artistic 4th graders to help everyone better understand what the kids of Emlen want. For an hour and a half college and elementary students, teacher Miss Vorinick, and Mt. Airy USA Director Abby Thacker all worked together through drawing and creative writing to answer the question, “What is your dream playground?”
The second charrette was much larger and set up in Emlen’s conference room. This three hour workshop was designed to help the professionals of the Land Health Institute and Confair Design and ISU students working on the project to engage with parents, faculty, and community members. A mountain of maps, ideas, issues and concepts were drawn up through a community effort.
Mesh
+Movement
=Schoolyard
Wild Weave Oct. 18th
E Sh
arpn
ack
St
E U
psal
St
Chew Ave1inch = 60 feet
0 20 40 60
N
Multi-Court
Open G
reen
& Sports field
Mural Mur
al M
ural
Mur
al M
ural
Mur
al M
ural
Mural Mural Mural Mural M
ural MuralM
ural Mural M
ural Mural
River River River R
iver
Riv
er R
iver
Riv
er R
iver
Riv
er River R
iver R
iver
Rive
r Riv
er R
iver
Riv
er R
iver
Riv
er R
iver
Riv
er R
iver
His
to
ry
Wa
lk
Entry PlazaEntry
Plaza
Entry Plaza
Out
door
Cla
ssro
om
Urban MeadowUrban Forest
Ground Play
“Quilt” Wall
Line
Up
Nature/Wild PlaygroundRa
in Ga
rden Rain Garden
Rain
Gard
en
Nature Trai
l Nat
ure Trail Natur
e Trail Nature Trail Nature Trail Nature Trail N
ature Terail
Multi-
use
stage
Mou
nds
ProduceGarden Play
Surface
Play SurfaceSeating M
ounds
Clas
s
doo
rO
ut
One
-on-
one/
Qui
et P
lay
Gateway Gateway
Kinder”Garden” Roof
Drawn by Blake AnderaProposed Playscape - Wild Weave
“Wild” Garden
Existing Tree
Younger Play
Basketball Court
Water Play
Schoolyard Entrance
Interactive Mural
Morning Line-up
Mt. Airy History Walk
Student Garden
The “Rivers”
Building Entrance
Greenroof Classroom
Recess “Explosion” Point
Woodland Classroom
Urban Woodland
“Wild” Garden
Existing Tree
Younger Play
Basketball Court
Water Play
Schoolyard Entrance
Interactive Mural
Morning Line-up
Mt. Airy History Walk
Student Garden
The “Rivers”
Building Entrance
Greenroof Classroom
Recess “Explosion” Point
Woodland Classroom
Urban Woodland
“Wild” Garden
Nature Trail
Older Playground
Learning Mounds
Schoolyard Entrance
Recess “Explosion” Point
Turf Field
“One-on-One” Garden
Interactive Mural
Community Agri-Garden
Fitness PlayBick Lock Area
Greenroof Kindergarden
Recess “Explosion” Point
Urban Meadow and Memorial
Main Building Entrance
Fitness Area/Gym Extension
The “Kinder-Garden” Roofscape
Tree Trench “River.” Drains to Rain Gardens
Science/ Botanic Garden
Outdoor Classroom and Eating Area
Scale: 1inch = 10feetDrawn in collaboration with Nanqi Dai
roof
rain barrel
ground
sitetree
trench
channellower rain
gardencistern
water mound
CSO
upper rain
gardenbioswale
street bumpout
greenroof bmp
Bioretention Basin
Removed Drain
Bioswale
OutflowWater Channel
Inlet
Water Play Mound
“River” Tree Trench
Intensive Greenroof
Bioretention Basin
Removed Drain
Bioswale
OutflowWater Channel
Inlet
Water Play Mound
“River” Tree Trench
Intensive Greenroof
Removed Drain
Bioretention Basin
Cistern With Pump
Outflow
Storm Drain to CSO
Inlet
Rain Barrels
Bump-Out
“River” Tree Trench
Rain Barrels
Intensive Greenroof
Community Concept& Desert Design
The City of Apache Junction (AJ) is a quickly growing municipality on the Western edge of Phoenix, Arizona’s metropolitan area. Unlike most suburbs, AJ is mostly self sufficient and has a proactive and tight-knit community. The city’s pride and joy however lie a little farther to the West: the Superstition Mountains. One of Arizona’s most interesting and beautiful geologic formations, the Superstitions are home to more legends than just about anywhere in the greater metro area. This idea is worn by the city as a badge of pride and so helped shape much of the program and intent behind J2 Design’s proposal of Tierra Forma.
Project
Working with Landscape Architects Aaron Allen, Dean Chambers, and Kurt Montai, I performed as a designer, drafter, and graphic illustrator within the firm. Outside the office, I attended and participated in stakeholder meetings as well as the public presentation in late August of 2015. The materials here are from that presentation.
Team and Role
Designing for DowntownLocal History and CulturePlayful Greenspace
Apache Junction | ArizonaSummer | 2015Professional | J2 Design
Superstition Mountains, Apache Junction
Community Programming
Desert Demonstration Garden
Gateway to Superstitions
Desert Ruins & ADA Ramp
East Pavilion/Stage
West Pavilion/Stage
Landmark Observation Deck
N. A
pach
e Trai
l
Great Lawn(aprx. 3060 ppl)
South Pavilion
Kid Play & Splash Zone
Restroom
1
23
4
tierra forma Peralta PavilionOne of three thematic entry pavilions. The Peralta Stones form the map to the Lost Dutchman’s legendary treasure.
Handicap Accessible Ramp& Solar Map Plaza
Great Lawn& Event Space
Interactive Water Wall& Fountain Play Area
Downtown Park
Handicap Accessible Ramp& Solar Map Plaza
SuperstitionsBoth an aesthetic and cultural spine of AJ, these landforms hold legends reflected within the site.
Observation DeckAt an elevation of 20ft, this defining structure offers a dramatic view of the rugged landscape and gateway to AJ’s native frontier.
Desert RuinsInspired by local heritage, this structure reinforces both an ADA ramp to the observation deck and AJ’s “Western” dynamic.
“Gateway to Legends” & Observation Deck
Dutchman Pavilion & Art Installation
Desert Ruins & Signage
Planting Plan
Planting Legend
3
2
1
WATER FEATURE SEATWALLTYPICAL SECTION ‘B’ - NTS
WATER FEATURE SEATWALL TYPICAL SECTION ‘A’ - NTS
WATER FEATURE SEATWALL TYPICAL SECTION ‘A’ - NTS
4 5POURED IN PLACE RUBBERIZED SURFACING - NTS 12’ x 30’ RAMADA - NTS
Art Installation & Place Definition
The city of Edinburgh has the largest art festivals in the world, The Fringe Festival, and as such prides itself on its own permanent art throughout the stone metropolis. This project’s goal is to design and propose a sculpture that reacts conceptually to its location and context to present at the next Fringe Festival. As an artists and designers of the land, we have the responsibility to create works that are embedded into the surrounding environment. Through research and design process, the finished product was informed through its physical makeup, phenomenal reaction, and long-term transformation as a piece both contrasting and complimenting its site.
Project
Edinburgh | Scotland (UK)Spring | 2015Academic | UE
reflection
Holyrood PalaceCalton Hill
The University of Edinburgh
The Meadows Park
The Firth of Forth
Focus area
Arthur’s Seat Queen’s Dr
The CraigsHolyrood Park, Central Edinburgh
ExplorationA site is rarely defined only by itself. Rather it is defined by the overarching themes and context of the place in which it exists. Holyrood Park, within its context of Edinburgh, contrasts the urban fabric by providing a sense of nature in its built surroundings. The park surrounds visitors in natural phenomena, including rain, wind, light (or lack of), vegetation and geomorphology. Taking these ideas and manifesting them into a work that can provide form and contrast to an otherwise natural environment can act as a representation of the park itself.
Context & Phenomena
CONTRAST
TEXTURE
SCALE
Time:ReactOver time, the water basin will inevitably fill with soil and organic matter by process of erosion. This evolution reflects how Holyrood Park itself has been molded and shaped by natural phenomena over millions of years.
present:pool future:terrace
Form:RepresentConceptHolyrood Park has a rich geologic history. Formed by millions of years of volcanic and tectonic activity, the area is made of a variety of geo-materials. The strongest and most profound rock forms are made of dolerite sill, an igneous remnant. The combination of a cut stone base and black steel plating form a cold, geometric pool that beautifully contradicts its rustic surroundings. This irony is reminiscent of Holyrood’s stark and iconic juxtaposition to the geometries and constructs of Edinburgh.
Structure:RebuffTwelve feet (3.5m) of cantilevered structure extend from the slope without visible support to the visitor. This effect was considered necessary to accomplish installation’s purpose and meaning. This section was created to illustrate how the piece might actually be constructed subsurface. Reinforced concrete footings and columns are bolted to the above structure, acting as both the weighted support and backfill retainer. Neither element of wind or erosion will move the piece.
Cut Stone (Dolerite Sill)
Black Steel Edge
Water Basin
Sand-set Stone Seep Canal
Existing Grade
Exposed Structure450cm
Cantilever85cm
30cm
120cm
40cmPrepared SubgradeConcrete Footing
180cm
Reinforced Concrete Support
Dolerite Sill BaseBolted Steel Siding
ph
en
om
en
a,
refle
cted
phenomena, reflected The designed intervention is a reaction and representation of place derived of my own
personal experience in Holyrood Park. Working with materiality and form to symbolize the park’s geology, chilly persona, and contexual juxtoposition within Edinburgh. In function, the work is meant to reflect the natural phenomena that characterizes the experience of the place; manifesting wind, rain, and light through water tension. Utilizing time as the final design element, the work will evolve over time as the uphill soil erodes and fills the basin with vegitation.
Statue Mount
Pool & Walls (typ.)
Concrete Pavers
Crushed Stone
Narrow Mod. Concrete Pavers
Showing Gallery
Driveway
Property Line
Property Line
Entry
FrontPatio
pa
pa
pa
pa
pa
Hardscape Design& Construction Dtls
The client is a local art collector and entrepreneur. Over the last few years, his attention has been directed more and more toward building his own art gallery in Ames from an old house. Our contract was to design and spec both the front and back of his new property to accommodate for guests and local artists. The final design centers around gathering spaces, artistic sculptures and elements, and the diverse use of stone and concrete as the structural, functional, and aesthetic basis for the site.
Project
Ames | IowaFall | 2014Academic | ISU
gallery
Lava Rock
Cobblestone
Brick Banding
Irr. Flagstone
Crushed Stone
Dim. Bluestone
Showing Gallery
Back Patio
pa
papa
papa
papa
Artist Studio
Back Patio
Tucson Convention Centerby EckboDeanAustin& Williams
16th Scale Site Model
Tucson| ArizonaSpring | 2013
Academic | ISU
A Project By: Cormac Diggins
& Taylor Wald
hand:make
hand:draw
Far Left Background
“Millenium Park”Field Sketch.Drawn in Pencil.
Far Left
“Even Paper Scissors are Dangerous”Component Diagram.Drafted in Pencil.
Middle Left
“Section 4”Section of Model.Drafted in Pencil.
Near Bottom Left
“Model Profile”Profile of Model.Drafted in Pencil.
Near Top Left
“Winter Tree”Field Sketch.Drawn in Pen.
Above
“The Architypes”Concept Plan in Fall.Drawn in Pen and Copic Markers by Blake Andera and Myself.
THANK YOUE: [email protected]: +1 602-399-2953
If you would like to connect or know more, please click here:
LinkedIn.com/in/DigginsLA
https://issuu.com/cormacdiggins