J. CHRISTOPHER RAYLANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

“Every place has a personality. My task is to make their voice and function clear. In creating ideas through space and form there is a reaction, a personal response. The goal is to create the right harmony within this response. Every project has the ability to exhibit it’s unique voice reconnecting space and form with user and nature. It must inspire even if only on a humble scale.This is the true identity of an areas, it’s form, it’s function, and it’s harmony of response.”

All content created in pursuit of a Master of Landscape Architecture degree at Chatham University, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 2010-2013.

DESIGN PHILOSOPHYDESIGN PHILOSOPHY

Precedent &

Hazelwood

Mercy

Meeder’s

Cotter

Transit

Process

Archetype

Hospital

Grove

Park

Circle

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3-8

11-12

13-16

17-18

19-22

J. Christopher Ray341 S. Highland Ave. apt 18Pittsburgh, PA 15206J.CHRISRAYDESIGN@GMAIL.COM

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Precedent

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While working as a Horticulturalist for the City of Cincinnati Parks Division and for the Keep Cincinnati Beautiful organization, I learned the influence of garden design on public space through administrative responsibilities, thus leading to a pursuit of a Master’s of Landscape Architecture degree. The pictured to the right

are several designs installed in 2007 and photographed in 2012.

Process

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FUNCTION + SKETCH(FORM) = DESIGN The formula above is an equation of my process. It starts with the function of a space. This will define the design problems and perimeters. From there, I sketch. Sketching allows me to explore the space and form of a design idea to fully create it’s personality. The forms lead me to material choices, rhythms implementations, and size arrangement. I don’t believe a design is done until you have walked it through your mind.

The Hazelwood Archetype is a small scattered site urban infill redevelopment design application that focuses on vacant and under used property located near a large scale developed area. Infill development interweaves new redevelopment with old structural integrity. The design of the Hazelwood Archetype is to create a pedestrian core in order to preserve the existing identity of the neighborhood while connecting it any new larger development plans. Currently, the neighborhood of Hazelwood has been chosen to receive a 178 acre redevelopment project boarding the Riverfront to Second Ave by The Almono Partners.The Archetype is designed to reuse three existing area, creating a vertical pedestrian infrastructure through the neighborhood. This will allow closer connectivity to the current streetscape which in turn will deliver local gradual growth, an important component to the longevity of a successful redevelopment design.

Given the large size of the neighborhood and the dramatic change in slope throughout the residential and business area, the decision was made to focus redevelopment efforts in one channel of area. This area is highlighted in red on the lower left color illustration of the neighborhood Hazelwood, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Hazelwood Archetype

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Site Plan

LEWIS PLAYGROUND HAZELWOOD YMCA HIDDEN STAIRCASE

Below is an enlarged view of the three designed areas of the pedestrian corridor.

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The Lewis Playground is the redeveloped of an existing playground to become the neighborhood gateway. The playground is designed to allow street visibility, visual activity, and entrance from main roadway.

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The existing side staircase of the Hazelwood YMCA has been redeveloped as a place in flux. This pedestrian connection is designed to frame the river and hillside views with seasonal vegetative amenities.

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The Hidden Staircase is a connection between the residential area of the neighborhood and the existing greenway. The staircase has been redeveloped with two small observational landings in order to utilizing the neighborhood vista and lateral connection for commercial growth.

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MercyHospital

ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS

In the summer of 2012, myself and two fellow Landscape Architecture student were the recipient winners of the UPMC-sponsored Living Visual Barrier Student Design Competition for their design for UPMC Mercy Hospital. The design draws on the environmental context and rock outcroppings of the Monongahela River, developing an efficient retaining wall system for the corner of the Mercy Hospital campus.

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Site Plan

Patient view

Perspective

Section

Plantscape

HardscapeThe designed terrace rock walls proposed are set in a double helix pattern that guides the eye and references to the flow of the river below and the wind currently on the site. The design met two primary objectives: blocking the view of the loading dock operations from passersby and providing a visual respite to patients, doctors, and visitors.

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Meeder’s Grove Cranberry Township is a 22.8 sq. mile suburban area north of Pittsburgh, Pa. As of the census in 2010, Cranberry’s population has

grown to 28,098 making it the fastest growing area in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area with projections to hit 50,000 pop. by 2030. Much of this growth can be attributed to several key factors, close proximity to large highway arteries such as US Route 19 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike via Interstate 76, spacial new land development, and thriving business growth.

However, like many modern new suburban boomtowns the growth has was not monitored nor planned and elements of sprawl has claimed most of the town

arrangement. To combat this phenomena the Township adopted new zoning ordinances like a Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) plan into their 2009 Township pattern plan. This design centers around 59-acre donated farmland that was projected to hold a new civic center and community college area.

The objectives of the design, aside from creating the civic and community college areas, were to allow a set number of commercial and new residential units in order to finance the project, however the TND-3 zoning ordinance clashed with the main focus. This created a design paradox where the zoning called for a lot of parking and hardscaping but the Township wanted a lot of greenspace.

Meeder’s Grove refers to the Meeder family which donated the farmland to the Township and the Grove of trees which were salvaged in the center of the design. Both harken to the historical aspect of the site however the name also hints to the green infrastructure. Clearly, most of the existing vegetation could not be saved due to parking needs, so a street tree network and parking tree island were adopted to connect to the larger existing tree clusters that were saved as greenways. These large greenways were strategically placed around the residential, civic, and educational areas to act not only as screening from the commercial traffic but also as walking trails to promote alternative scenic exercise.

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Site Master PlanResidential: 116 Units

Mix Use: 181,000 sq ft

Commercial: 272,000 sq ft

Institutional: 130,000 sq ft

The design consists of a commercial corridor at the souther end of the site leading to a mixed-use boulevard, opening to the greenways, the Civic Center/Community College, and residential areas. The Civic Center and Community College are connected via skyway in to pull resources and take advantage of the vista over the grove.

Residential Site Plan

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Residential DesignThe concept behind the residential development was to surround the Civic Center and Community College area with

mixed use housing and small shotgun style single family attached and detached row houses with shared backyards. Buffering these areas are the greenway to add a sense of larger private yard usage. Larger single family American Craftsman housing plots with shared backyards are positioned on the outer realm of the single housing. Each house has a walkout balcony above

the single garages from the master bedroom for lighting and personal connection to the greenway vistas. The housing themselves are set back from the street to incorperate more privacey for the residents.

Cotter’s Park

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Cotter Park is a 8,100sq. foot small community park design for a mixed income housing redevelopment

area in Seneca, South Carolina. The site was an aging ,unkept baseball infield dating from the

mid-1970’s that is now unused due to the newer baseball fields that were developed near by. Given the urban

environment surrounding the existing sports field the design took on a natural playscape approach.

This approach tries to share the amusement of nature in one of it’s simplest forms, the hillside.The design is a series of small different sized

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hills with smooth concrete slides implemented into the slope. The hills do not exceed five feet in height nor 40% in slope. There are no step to the top of the implemented slides so the applicant must climb up the hillside in order to slide down. Surrounding the hillsides is a walking track with tree shaded seated areas.

TransitCircle

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The image to the right is of the existing Chapel Hill courtyard at Chatham University’s Woodland Campus in Pittsburgh, Pa. Aside from being the main road for students and faculty transporters

it is also the main public transit stop for the university. The

current design is a pre-existing rectangular chapel courtyard with limited space for bus turn around and alternative transit. The Transit Circle is designed to expand the courtyard for automotive turn around, alternative transit use, and covered passenger waiting area. The passenger waiting area is designed to be a gateway information center for visitors and a social hub for students. The retaining walls have been lined with anchored benches around a large centered kiosk. A gently curved ADA accessible ramp has been added to the backside of the retaining wall to

affirm the notion of this being the main entrance.

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PENNSYLVANIA ONE-CALL NOTE

LA3.119

LA3.116

LA3.112

LA3.17

LA3.19

LA3.15

LA3.114

LA3.118

LA3.117

LA3.113

LA3.11

LA3.115

LA3.16

LA3.12

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LA3.114

LA3.110

LA3.111

LA-1.2

SCALE 1'=10"+0"

106 WOODLAND AVE.

PITTSBURGH PA. 15238

CHATHAM

UNIVERSITY

TRANSIT CIRCLE

BRAUN HALL

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20GRADING PLAN

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BOTANICAL NAMEAronia arbutifolia"brilliantissa"

Corylus avellana 'contorta'

Styrax japonicus"snowball"

Cornus kousa var. Chinesis

Itea virginica

Hydrangea quercifolia

Miscanthus sinensis 'Nippon'

Cornus sericea 'Cardinal'

Hemerocallis 'Stellla de Oro'

COMMON NAMERed Choke berry

Walking Stick

Snowdrop Tree

Chinese Dogwood

Virginia Sweetspire

Oakleaf Hydrangea

Eulalia

Red twig Dogwood

Daylilies

SIZE2" caliper (B&B

2" caliper (B&B)

2" caliper (B&B)

2" caliper (B&B)

3 gal.

3 gal.

2 gal.

3 gal.

.5' pot

QTY

LAWN SEEDING AREA

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PENNSYLVANIA ONE-CALL NOTE

LA-1.3

SCALE 1'=10"+0"

106 WOODLAND AVE.

PITTSBURGH PA. 15238

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UNIVERSITY

TRANSIT CIRCLE

BRAUN HALL

MAIN ENTRANCE

PRO

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PLANTING PLAN

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DETAILS & ELEVATION