Jose R. Menendez | Portfolio

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Designed to protect the subway from damaging stormwater in a number of flood prone areas in Queens, these raised ventilation grates also exemplify the importance of aesthetics within pragmatic urban design. The sculptural undulating form of these stainless steel grates create a public awareness of the stormwater issue they were designed for.Recognizing that the broader problem is driven by infrastructure and soil permeability which is

Metropolitan Transit Authority Flood Mitigation: Street Furniture & Urban Plan--Queens, NY

outside of the scope of the project the design creates a permanent expression for an intermittent problem which needs to be adressed.

Urban Design | Built Work Subway Flooding, photography.

Grate Seat, photography.

Grate Structure, photography

Concept Diagram, computer rendering.

Graphic Pattern on Grate, photography.photography © David Sundberg/Esto & Travis Huggett.

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NYSE | Financial District Streetscapes & Security---New York, NY

This project recognized the need to enhance security while preserving the vibrant pedestrian-oriented streetscape of New York Financial District. I worked on the configuration and pattern of the sculptural bronze security bollards that were integrated into a turntable street barrier that controlled vehicular circulation. The geometric form of the bollards was preserved in my design of pedestrian way

finding markers that merged graphic design with architecture. These were designed with a ¾ inch aluminum plate that would be engraved with historical images from early 20th Century Financial District, including Federal Hall, New York Stock Exchange, and the Curb Market at Broad Street. While providing sense of place in a historical context, these structures also worked to guide pedestrian circulation, thereby protecting the street. The history and urban evolution of this area was conveyed to pedestrians by cutting text into granite paving stones at street edges.

Urban Design | Built Work

Axonometric of Turntable Design, computer rendering.

Security Bollards at Church St., photography.

Concept Diagram Pedestrian Markers, computer rendering.

Canal | Water Jet Engraving photography.photography © Paul Warchol & Rogers Marvel.

NYSE | Financial District Streetscapes & Security---New York, NY

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As a modern twist on the historical paradise garden, the Veil Garden explores traditional themes with a contemporary sensibility by exploring the material and spiritual aspects of paradise.The Veil Garden offers a contemporary interpretation of the Paradise Garden. Delin-eated with a semi-transparent enclosure; frost fence walls define the rectangular garden, providing privacy and protection, and distinguish

The Veil Garden Les Jardin de Metis International Garden Festival--Grand Metis, Quebec

Garden Design | Built Work Aerial View, computer rendering.

East Elevation, computer rendering.

it’s inwardly directed quality. Penetrations identify passage to four points of entry which serve as transitional space between the spiritual and terrestrial world. The four openings focus individually on a unique aspect of the earthly paradise, but only occasionally offer entrance, for Paradise remains elusive and indefinable.

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Cornell University LATC Master Plan & Teaching dairy Barn--Ithaca, NY

Campus Design | Built Work

The project is a collaboration between the Cornell University Veterinary program and the New York State College of Agriculture and life Sciences.This project posed the challenge of integrating rural character of the proposed site of the dairy barn with the urban core of the university. The solution was to design a chain of wetlands and meadow landscapes that would separate the buildings and provide continuity and connection

through the landscape. The wetlands and meadow landscapes also serve to balance the effects of developing on the site by treating stormwater runoff and providing space for infiltration to recharge groundwater.

Wetlands View, photography.

Barn, photography.

Aerial View of Wetlands, computer rendering.

Seasonal Wetland Planting Palette, computer rendering.photography © Halkin Architectural Photography.

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Roof Garden DesignThis roof garden design improves the aesthetics of the roof at One Bryant Park year round. Using a plant mix of 30-40% Native Species and 60-70% Sedums, the garden exemplifies sound ecological practices that could even survive a severe drought event. Urban Garden Room The dominant tree canopy of Bryant Park was used in the design concept for the garden room.

One Bryant Park: Greenroof & Lobby Space Design--New York, NY

Greenroof & Lobby | Built Work Using 3” stainless steel rods and stainless steel cable, the vine structure is derived from the process in which the flaking bark of the London Plane tree peels away in thin sheets often leaving a dappled trunk. The sheets can be perceived as overhead planes where vines can grow. These planes are supported by columns that represent the exfoliating trunk. These sculptures feature information and advertisement panel made from steel and LCD screens.

Greenroof Planting Plan , sketch.

Agricultural Fields, photography.

Lobby Sculpture Diagram, sketch.

Building Elevation & Entrance, computer rendering.

Lobby Sculpture Schemes, hand rendering.

Greenroof Configuration, 3d software.photography & 3d renderings © Cook+Fox Architects.

hand renderings © John Collins.

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Sister Cities at Logan Circle Square--Philadelphia, PA

Park Design | Built Work

The redesign of the Sister Cities garden breathes fresh life and activity into a nearly forgotten corner of Logan Square. Boasting a cafe, a fountain and a children’s garden, the new park draw visitors at different times of day, creating a vibrant, mutable space that can accommodate multiple activities.I worked on the design of the children’s garden that was inspired by the Wissahickon Valley. Included in the design is a downhill stream

that feeds into a boat pond. Native planting, in addition to boulders and a fallen tree, captures the experience of walking through the Wissahickon.

View from Children’s Garden Hill, photography.

Illustrative Plan, hand colored rendering.

Children’s Garden View, computer rendering.

Boat Pond, photography.

Sister Cities fountain, photography.

Sister Cities fountain, 3d software.

Children’s Garden Section, computer rendering.photography © With Art Philadelphia

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The scope of the project includes the design of a pedestrian bridge that enhances and reflects the ecological quality of the Avalon Preserve. The site is located in a young woodland that include species of black birch, locust and cherry with remnants of beech trees. The bridge connects to existing paths that are separated by a ravine covered with rhododendrons. The architecture of the bridge is derived from the internal structure of trees.

Avalon Preserve Tree Walk--Stony Brook, NY

Bridge

The design science represents the fall of a tree in the ravine. The bridge evokes the internal structure of the tree trunk. As people walk through, the view of the ravine is revealed as well as the internal vessel structure. The bridge integrates the user with the natural landform of the site and functions as an educational space where visitors can learn and understand the principal concepts of science and design.

Plan, ink drawing.

Aerial View, ink drawing.

Perspective, ink drawing.

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Arboretum | Built Work

For 30 years the arboretum has undergone several phases of redevelopment. I was involved in three significant projects: Northwestern Avenue Entrance & Landscape; the East Brook Stream & Swan Pond Restoration Project; and the Pennock Flower Walk. These projects were significant to the planning vision of the arboretum as well as necessary considering its demand for contemporary use. The northwestern Avenue Entrance was

redesigned to enhance visitor experience. The East Brook stream restoration project was designed to mitigate the effects of stormwater runoff caused by urban development upstream. The Alice & Liddon Pennock Flower Walk was designed as a memorial to an Advisory Board member, J. Liddon Pennock. Using plants and flowers with bold colors , the garden restores the central axis that had originally been created by the Morris family.

Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania--Philadelphia, PA

Pennock Garden Fountain, photography.

Stream restoration views, photography.

Stream Restorastion concept, hand rendering.

Stream Restoration view, hand rendering.photography © Andropogon Associates LTD..

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At the corner of Academy and Main Streets, a new university bookstore provides an important link between the university core and the entertainment and business district of its urban setting. The bookstore, which contains the University Development Office on the upper floor, wraps around the Newark Opera building, creating a unique courtyard setting off of the busy adjacent streets. This courtyard is set off of busy campus

University of Delaware Campus Bookstore Plaza --Newark, DE

streets. The courtyard provides space for large social functions as well as leisurely day-to-day activity. This courtyard was designed with an elevated dining terrace that provides broad views to the pedestrian entrances. Through heavy planting of native species, the courtyard emphasizes the university’s accomplished horticultural history. An adaptable bench was designed to serve as a planter wall but also to provide space for individuals and small groups as part of the urban theater

University Plaza View of Plaza Entrance, photography.

Stone Bench Diagram, computer rendering.

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Ariel West--New York, NY

Working with architects Cook + Fox Architects, the project team is provided site and landscape design services for a new residential complex located at 245 West 99th Street in New York City. The building, sited on the west side of Broadway, will have 31 stories, with 73 market-rate apartments. Designed to fit within the character of the neighborhood, the residential tower will be set back 40-feet from the avenue.

This roof structure was designed with inverted beams that would facilitate the planting of rooftop trees. The densely vegetated rooftop creates a contemplative space for residents of this high-end residential complex. The garden features skylight sculptures that capture sunlight and transmit the light to a residential swimming pool beneath. This garden incorpo-rates stormwater features to mitigate urban stormwater runoff.

Rooftop Courtyard | Built Work

Arbor Concept Diagram, sketch.

Skylights, sketch.

First Floor & Mezanine Section, hand colored rendering.

Third Floor Private Gardens, photography.

First Floor Courtyard, photography.photography & 3d renderings © Andropogon Associates, LTD.

hand rendering © John Collins.

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Streetscape

This 600 x 80 foot plaza was designed without curbs to allow for exclusive use by pedestrians 100-125 days of the year. Both vehicular and pedestrian zones are paved in a porphyry and granite stone palette. My vision was to create a unifying geometry with a centerpiece that defines the plaza. Inspired by the Piazza di Campidoglio in Rome, this centerpiece creates a strong graphic visual experience. Stormwater from the sidewalk and street is

directed to the street trees to prevent water from overwhelming the city’s sewer system. The street trees help to increase the urban canopy providing aesthetic and environmental benefits to the community.

Half Street--Washington, DC

Half Street Schematic Design -- Pavement Guide March, 2011

Half Street Schematic Design | Pavement Guide | Illustrative Detail Plan |Scale:1/32”-1’-0”March, 2011

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Aerial View, computer rendering.

Medallion Plan, computer rendering.

Sidewalk Perspective, computer rendering.

Bench, computer rendering rendering.

Street View, computer rendering.

Concept Developments, computer rendering.views © Akridge.

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At Studio Bryan Hanes we were commissioned to develop a concept design to activate a now vacant, but prominently located site in the heart of Philadelphia’s Avenue of Arts. The design is aimed toward the creative arts community surrounding the site and is intended to encourage programmed and impromptu performance. The plaza features interactive vegetated mounds that encourages playful activities for

Broad & South--Philadelphia, PA

Park & Plaza

Section, computer rendering.

Performance Plaza, computer rendering.

View from Broad Street, computer rendering.

children and provides spaces for relaxation. The plaza, bench and theater space is connected by an undulating wooden surface.

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Park

This design was developed for a 60-acre park with a 2-mile trail connecting one of Philadelphia’s oldest suburbs to the art and entertainment district across the river in Philadelphia. The design of the Cynwyd Heritage Trail and Park capitalizes on the features unique to the former industrial site as well as the nature of the surrounding communities. The rail corridor, an abandoned piece of infrastructure which once connected

Cynwyd Heritage Trail & Park--Lower Merion Township, PA

Trail Section, computer rendering.

Trail Perspective, computer rendering.

people to goods and services, has been cut off from public use for nearly 100 years. The vision is to repurpose the corridor as a linear park; creating physical and social connections, linking wildlife and nature corridors, transporting people and creating strong communities.

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The National Defense University Campus site location and context creates a campus within a campus at the Fort McNair Base. The Fort McNair Base consist of signature academic buildings, small scale residential buildings set in English landscapes; specimen trees in grass meadow; and tree allés along the roads and streets. The landscape is the element that unifies the two campuses while providing an identity for the National Defense University Campus within the

National Defense University--Washington, DC

setting of Fort McNair Base.

The Interior Courtyard is designed as a display garden viewed from the building’s glass-walled interior corridors, and as a protected outdoor gathering, dining and ceremonial space. The garden and its elements will provide orientation to the people walking through the interior corridor of the building. A paved terrace with trees, an outdoor extension of the Cafeteria, will provide an outdoor diningroom and ceremonial space. Groves of flowering trees and shrubs surrounding turf grass will provide for pleasantly shaded small gathering spaces within the interior courtyard.

Courtyard

Concept A, hand rendering.

Courtyard B, hand rendering.

Courtyard Concept C, hand rendering.

Courtyard Concept Sketches, hand rendering.

Courtyard view, computer rendering.

Illustrative Plan, hand rendering.

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Terrain At Styers commisioned five design concepts for the store display gardens. The series of garden designs is intended to support Terrain at Styers mission of providing modern and green garden design ideas. The five garden schemes are intended to serve the varied life-styles of those visiting the business: “Sculpture Garden” - The garden functions as a multi-purpose space that enhances the visitor’s experience in both public and private events.

Terrain at Styers: Edge Gardens--Glen Mills, PA

“Garden Walks” – Two areas of circulation were designed: The wood deck walkway provides a private space for customer to contemplate purchases while the gravel walkway features a natural garden setting with a view of the store displays.“Rain Garden” – The garden reinforces Terrain’s commitment to ecological design.“Outdoor Classroom” - This woodland garden section was designed to provide space for educational events.“Grow Gold!” – This section displays the Gold Medal Award Winner plants.

Garden | Freelance

Sculpture Garden, computer rendering.

Garden Walks, computer rendering.

Rain Garden, computer rendering.

Outdoor Classroom, computer rendering.

Grow Gold!, computer rendering.

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This project was awarded first place in the competetion sponsored by Temple University’s Ambler Arboretum. The design objective was to create an outdoor classroom that reflects the internal structure of an adjacent 100 year-old American Beech Tree. Additionally, the garden highlights regional geology by creating zones of different types of rock gravel. A native plant palette was chosen to attract wildlife, thereby educating students on native ecosystems. The garden is organized in a radial pattern that extends from the trunk of the existing tree.

West Parterre Design Competition--Ambler, PA

Courtyard | School Work | First Place

Garden Plan, computer rendering.

Concept sketches, hand rendering.

Beech Tree, section.

American Beech Tree, photography.

Garden Model, handmade model.

The garden is composed of three main elements: The path, benchs, and an illuminated mist scultpture. This sculpture represents the xylem vessels of the tree (which function to transport water from the roots to the leaves). This sculpture was constructed with clear acrylic tubes of varying heights and diameters that release mist and are illuminated blue at night.

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The design concept for this courtyard was inspired by a painting from Wassily Kandinsky. The intent was to create an experience were the user could imagine they were walking through this painting. The garden is composed of a main path that crosses through a seasonal wetland and con-tinues into an outdoor space. Here, the user is invited to observe the conveyance of stormwater into the wetland. Native plants were selected

Rooftop Garden--Philadelphia, PA

based on color and spaced appropriately to further elicit the painting.

Courtyard | School Work

Wassily Kandinsky, Dessau Period, painting.

Painting Abstraction, computer rendering.

Sketch, hand rendering.

Courtyard Plan, computer rendering.

Courtyard Section, computer rendering.

Concept Development computer rendering.

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University Plaza | School Work

For the new Learning Center built at Temple University’s Ambler campus, I designed a concept for the adjacent plaza that would integrate natural processes including the Ridge, HighPoint, and Stormwater Runoff with the four stages recognized by Kolb’s learning process. Represented here is the concrete experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualiza-tion, and Active Experimentation.

The goal was to connect the outdoor areas that cater to the learning experience with the natural processes through an abstract design process

Temple University, AmblerLearning Center--Ambler, PA

Concept Diagram, computer rendering.

Concept sketches, hand rendering.

Context Plan, hand rendering.

Illustrative Plan, hand rendering.

Illustrative Section, hand rendering.

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Town Planning | School Work

Buckingham Village--Bucks County, PA

Site Analysis, hand rendering.

Functional Diagram, hand rendering.

Landmark Composite Diagram, hand rendering.

Master Plan, hand rendering. The Scope of work for the Buckingham Village included the following:- The design of a high density, mixed-use pedestrian friendly village to support about 1000 people.- The preservation of the natural landscape and the agricultural context, based on a series of site analysis. Historic Factors were considered to understand the significance, character, and the use of

existing architecture, which is categorized in terms of landmark structures. The interaction between natural conditions and landmark buildings in the landscape integrates the site with its context, contrast the natural environment with the built form, and defines a pattern language and a prototype for future projects.