Joanna OConnellBachelor of Architecture, University of Oregon

2011-2016

Art, Architecture, and Ecological Design

Current Undergraduate | Bachelor of Architecture | University of Oregon

I am interested in Architectural Design as a tool to integrate human function, ecological function, and artistic

expression in a meaningful way. I see every project as a chance to combine these things, and the challenge

becomes doing it so that the functions complement and support each other. The natural systems at play on and

around the building site should inform design decisions as much as human function or the aesthetics of form.

I enjoy the challenge involved in integrating natural systems into a project, and doing it in such a way that it be-

comes an educational model to reshape the way we see our buildings and environments.

I think visually and I believe that the best way to start any project is with a pen and paper, and the best way to

communicate ideas is through visual representation. People respond to artful expression. I like the idea that art

making can be used to shape space, speak for the natural environment, and express the function of structural

systems. I think good design is the ability to fully integrate all these things into effi cient and compelling spaces

that people enjoy.

2

Contents

Urban Green Infrastructure

Wetland Re-creationPortland, Oregon (6)

Study Abroad, Public Market Copenhagen Harbor

Denmark (12)

Elliott Hill Restoration and

Management PlanEugene Oregon (18)

Sketching AbroadDenmark, Finland, Sweden

(20)

Building in the Landscape Ebeys Landing Visitor Center

Whidbey Island (26)

Portland Culinary School Pearl District, Portland

Oregon (30)

Current Project Community Recreation Center

Brookings, Oregon (34)

Sketching and Media Skills (38)

4

Urban Green Infrastructure- Wetland Re-creation

Portland, Oregon

Winter 2014

6

This Research-heavy studio involved taking one of the

worst aspects of urban development, the parking garage,

and fl ipping it on its head to create something ecologically

responsible within an urban brownfi eld site. The project

involved the redevelopment of an old industrial shipyard in

the South Waterfront in Portland, Oregon. It provided the

unique opportunity to re-use industrial-archeological

materials as infrastructure to support habitat and

demonstrate a symbiotic relationship between industry and

ecosystems. The goal was to utilize the infrastructure to

improve ecosystem functions, link urban habitats, and treat

storm water, while allowing the site to become a

transportation and recreational hub for the waterfront.

Primary goals of the design:

1) Slow and fi lter storm water through an intensive green

roof, vertically planted façade, Stormwater swales, and

constructed wetlands.

2) Support bird, invertebrate, and riparian habitats along

the Willamette River by planting native species and

creating habitat structural features throughout the

constructed wetlands.

3) Act as a recreational hub connecting Portland’s

transportation network to the opportunities of the

waterfront through a system of trails, bike paths, and

boat launches at the water’s edge.

Urban Green Infrastructure

8

10

Oyster Market on the Water

Study Abroad Copenhagen, Denmark

Summer 2014

Copenhagen Harbor runs diagonally through the city, dividing City Centre from Christianshavn and Amager to the Southeast. The site for

this project was a fl oating platform on the Harbor adjacent to the Knipplesbrø Bridge. With a rich history of trade and industry, today the

harbor serves as a recreational destination and throughway for tours. It has become a bustling corridor for kayaks, sailboats, motor boats,

and canal tour boats, as well as swimmers and site-seers. The goal of the project was to use the market to connect the activity of the street

to that of the Harbor by allowing the water’s edge to be pixilated. The market hall structure itself occupies the northern part of the platform,

opening up the southern edge for public space. The staggered platforms extending into the water vary the edge conditions, allow for people

to sit near or at the water’s edge, and encourage swimming in the clean harbor water. Inspiration for the form came from the Danish LEGO

company’s “system of play” motto, as well as the experience of boulder hopping at the water’s edge.

Oyster Market on the Water

12

14

Habitat Restoration Plan

Elliott Hill, Eugene, Oregon

Fall 2014

Upland Prairie

Wetland Prairie

Oak Savanna

Oak Savanna

MixedWoodland

Oak Woodland

Proposed Site Cross Section

Elliot Hill is a small park in a South Eugene residential neighborhood that was historically an oak savannah and oak woodland land-

scape before the European infl uence. Today the small park is largely dominated by Douglas fi r and invasive Himalayan blackberry

that are shading out the other species, reducing the biological diversity of the area. This restoration and management proposal was

designed to restore the landscape to a higher level of biological diversity and ecological health, using the historic landscape as a

model. The proposal included a disturbance regime and management timeline at the site, neighborhood, and regional scales, as

well as recommendations for the city and residents surrounding the park. Several management species were chosen and studied in

terms of their habitat needs and spatial requirements. The stormwater plan proposed converting surrounding drain pipes into above

ground swales to minimize the effects of runoff downstream. The proposal included a human element, to educate and get the com-

munity involved and in the know about this management plan and its importance to the health of the ecosystems in the area.

16

CONSRTUCT/ LEAVE SNAGS FOR

NESTING

CREATE OPEN SPACE FOR NESTING GOUND

INCREASE CANOPY COVER

MAINTAIN CURRENT CANOPY COVER

INCREASE RIPARIAN ZONE VEGETATION

INCREASE CANOPY COVER

Habitat Connectivity: Corridor, Canopy, and Structure

Habitat NeedsFood, Shelter, Nest SitesCanopy connectivityMast-producing treesSnags for cavity nestingHome Range: as small as 0.5 hectares

Western Western AcornWoodpecker

Habitat NeedsSparsley treed 2-3 acre woodlands for breeding.Open upperstoriesScattered trees and snagsLow or sparse ground coverNest boxes and bird bathsSnags for cavity nesting

Habitat NeedsLarge snagsDead tree limbsAppropriate 2.5 mile radius or less between granary trees

Existing Habitat Patch Connections

Restore: Recommened interventions

2.5mi2-3 acre

18

Sketching Abroad

Denmark / Finland / Sweden

Summer 2014

20

22

24

Ebey’s Landing Visitor Center

Whidbey Island, Washington

Fall 2013

26

Ebey’s Landing National Reserve is a beautiful strip of Landscape

on Whidbey Island in Washington State. Glacial activity shaped

the topography of the area, creating incredibly fertile land for

farming. The Island is a dynamic place where diverse landscapes

intersect. Open prairie, dense forest, fresh water lagoons, and

Penn Cove all come together within the reserve, which has

become a haven for outdoor activities such as hiking, biking,

sailing, fi shing, and clamming.

Inserting a Building into this natural landscape is challenging. The

goal was to treat the design not as a fi nal destination, but to treat

the landscape as the destination and use the design to direct

attention toward this dynamic landscape and it’s opportunities.

The visitor center is there to attract the attention of travelers, show

them that this beautiful place exists, and ultimately push them out

into it. The program of the building itself is small, and the site was

developed in order to achieve this. A plank boardwalk leads from

the building to an outdoor recreation rental facility and down to

Grasser’s Lagoon on the edge of Penn Cove. A Tensile structure

provides shade for the lookout at the lagoon and gestures toward

the billowing sails out in Penn Cove, while lightly touching the

ground and allowing for natural fl ooding patterns to continue to

occur around the lagoon.

Building in the Landscape

28

Urban Considerations

Portland Culinary Institute

Spring 2013

30

This Studio focused on building on a restricted site within a rich urban

fabric. The Pearl District in Portland has a particular vernacular of brick and

steel facades. The challenge of this project was blending into that urban

fabric without mimicking an older style. The programming was organized

in response to the public streetscape by extending the public opportunities

into the fi rst fl oor of the building. A restaurant and primary teaching kitchen

are visible from the street edge to entice passersby to come in and enjoy

experience the work of young cooks fi rst hand. The remaining teaching

kitchens and study spaces were pushed up into the building, overlooking

the street to remind students of the surrounding context. A central atrium

brings daylight down into the circulation spaces, offi ces and lecture rooms.

The split level fl oor plan allows for dynamic, varied interior spaces and a

distinction between the hands-on learning spaces from the traditional

lecture style classrooms.

Urban Considerations

32

Current Project

Recreation Center for Brookings, Oregon

Winter 2015

34

Community Recreation Center, Project Goals :

Overall Project Goals

Promote the active lifestyleVisual connections between physical activities

Promote Community Gathering Activate the circulation space between primary programs

Celebrate Brookings timber historyUse of heavy timber structural spans, Wood rainscreen, and interior detailing

Create dynamic multifunctional spacesLevel changes, spaces of varied height and scales, maximizing daylit spaces

Keep and Utilize existing pool, and northern site amenities

Division of member and non-member spaces by central control point

Multipurpose spaces dispersed among primary programs and circu-lation spaces

Group Tall Programs to respond to views from surrounding residences

Programatic Considerations Environmental Considerations

Maximise daylighting

Optimize solar heat gain

Stormwater catchment and filtra-tion through green roof system and roadside swales

36

Sketching

Cityscapes and Landscapes

2011-2015

38

40

42