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: Crdiggins@gmail.comT: +1 602-399-2953

If you would like to connect or know more, please click here:

LinkedIn.com/in/DigginsLA

https://issuu.com/cormacdiggins