Post on 14-Mar-2016
description
SHANNON SimmSportfolio
2 Charles river Basin Connectivity Study, MA
6 Norwalk river Valley trail routing Study, Ct
10 Healing Waters: Newark riverfront plan, NJ
14 Bike Share Studies, planning/permitting
16 pit Ecologies: recalibrating infrastructure in los Angeles, CA
20 Material Ecologies of Cast iron
22 Cuban Urban Agriculture
24 High Bridge rehabilitation: interpretive Media Design, NYC
26 Chelsea tidal park, MA
28 A Harbor island for the City, MA
30 Balloon photography
PORTFOLIO CONTENTS
PLaN
SSy
STEm
SSI
TES
DesignerAlta planning + DesignBOSTON, ma
JuNE 2010 - PRESENT
program AssistantEmerald Necklace ConservancyBOSTON, ma
JuNE - SEPTEmBER 2009
lead Safe internCambridge lead Safe programCamBRIdgE, ma
aPRIL - dECEmBER 2008
GSD Community Service fellowWorcester rootsWORCESTER, ma
JuNE - auguST 2008
Bicycle internCambridge Bicycle programCamBRIdgE, ma
JuNE 2007 - aPRIL 2008
policy Assistantrails-to-trails ConservancyHaRRISBuRg, Pa & LOWELL, ma
JuNE 2006 - JuNE 2007
EduCaTION
SKILLSAdobe Creative SuiteAutoCADArcGiS SketchUprhinoWordpressHand drawingphotography Model building
SHANNON SimmS 717.360.6636svsimms@gmail.com
EXPERIENCEMaster in landscape ArchitectureHarvard Graduate School of DesignCamBRIdgE, ma
2007-2010
Bachelor of Artsinternational relationsBoston UniversityBOSTON, ma
2002-2006
2
CHaRLES RIvER BaSIN CONNECTIvITy STudy
prOject: Master plan for 8-mile path and parkland corridorrOle: lead Designer at Alta planning + DesignclieNt: Massachusetts Dot & DCr
this study recommends improvements for
walking and bicycling along the Charles
river Basin, a major recreation and transpor-
tation corridor in the region. the recommen-
dations include road diets, intersection
improvements, new bicycle facilities, and
path widening. My role involved working
with multiple municipalities, state agencies,
and advocacy groups, presenting at public
meetings, and producing the majority of the
writing and graphics in the final report.
AbOve: Summary diagram of overall Connectivity Study recommendations for the Charles River Basin.
left: Context map of study area
PLaN
S
3
4
the plan includes conceptual designs for
critical connections to the Basin, such as at
Charlesgate and Charles Circle.
rigHt: Proposed Charlesgate connection between the Emerald Necklace and the Charles River Esplanade
CHaRLES RIvER BaSIN CONNECTIvITy STudy
PLaN
S
5
belOw: Proposed transition from bike lanes to shared lanes through Charles Circle
6
DanburyConnecticut
RidgefieldRedding
Wilton
Norwalk
prOject: Master plan for 27-mile trail corridorrOle: lead Designer at Alta planning + DesignclieNt: NrVt Steering Committee
this study recommends a 27-mile greenway
trail alignment between Danbury and Norwalk
in southwest Connecticut. it provides an
alignment and design guidelines for a trail
that transitions through urban and woodland
settings and is open to pedestrians, bicyclists
and equestrians. As lead designer in this
study, i had a key role in the field work,
committee meetings, and public workshops.
i provided GiS mapping and was responsible
for the majority of the graphics and text in the
report. the final report is a comprehensive
document that will be used to implement the
trail in the future.
NORWaLK RIvER vaLLEy TRaIL ROuTINg STudy
PLaN
S
7
Woodland trail
Urban trail
Allen’s Meadows trail junction
8
Danbury
RidgefieldRedding
Wilton
Norwalk
opportunities
the routing study included several stages of
analysis and mapping: identifying opportu-
nities and challenges, gap analysis, and
evaluation of multiple potential routing
options. A draft of the recommended route
was presented to the public in a series of
workshops before the route was finalized.
NORWaLK RIvER vaLLEy TRaIL ROuTINg STudy
PLaN
S
9
Evaluation of route options final recommended route
10
prOject: Academic Studio fall 2009 iNStructOr: toni Griffin, City of NewarkgrOup memberS: Adam Wodka, Zeltia Vega Santiago, pedro Santa rivera
this studio focused on revitalizing the
4-mile, de-industrialized Newark, New
Jersey, waterfront to improve the city’s
image and economic status. As a group,
we developed a plan from the perspective
of a community development corporation,
the Newark Community riverfront Alliance
(NCrA). My contribution to the group
plan was development of the public Edge
Strategy, which reserves the riverfront edge
for “ownership by all” Newarkers. the park
system consists of six distinct parks, totaling
85 acres, that are connected along the river’s
edge. the plan was developed with a sensitivity
to the programming needs of Newarkers, who
lack open space, recreational opportunities,
and educational and community facilities.
HEaLINg WaTERS: NEWaRK RIvER WaTERFRONT PLaN
rigHt: Plan showing the six components of the Public Edge Strategy
bOttOm rigHt: Outdoor performance space in the Downtown Rivefront Park
PLaN
S
11
Grafton Park + Community Center
Downtown Riverfront Park
Marina Park + Environmental Education Center
Ironbound Linear Park
Passaic Street Park
Brick City Urban Farm
12
tHiS pAge: The multi-phased remediation of the site, using shipping containers as mobile planting beds
OppOSite pAge: Programming of the park system
Phase 1: Relocation Final Brick City Urban Farm
Phase 2: Brownfield Remediation
Phase 3: Brownfield Remediation
the southern bookend of the proposed system
is a 20-acre urban farm. the site is currently
the location of vacant lots, shipping container
storage, public housing built in 1946, and
two brownfields. this plan proposes a multi-
phased redevelopment of the site, which
includes relocating the public housing and
remediating the brownfields. Shipping
containers can be adapted into large planting
beds, which can be deployed immediately
on available parts of the site, and moved or
increased over time as more space becomes
available.
the parks have different appeals as
destinations. Some are neighborhood-
oriented, where others are landscape
anomalies that will have greater draw across
the city. Ephemeral events will attract people
to certain parts of the park system at certain
times of year. others will be more visible and
constantly accessible to Newark’s visitors
downtown.
HEaLINg WaTERS: NEWaRK RIvER WaTERFRONT PLaN
PLaN
S
13
ice Skating
Cherry Blossom 5k race
Weekly Market
portuguese Day fest
theater in the park
Harvest fest
Neighborhood-oriented Landscape anomalies
EphemeraVisiting population
14
prOjectS:
• New York Citibike (600 stations)• Boston Hubway (90 stations)• providence Bike Share feasibility Study• Albany Bike Share feasibility StudyrOle: project Designer/Coordinator at Alta planning + Design
Alta Bicycle Share and Alta planning +
Design are sister companies that collaborated
to launch Boston’s bike share system in 2011
and plan to launch New York City’s system in
Spring 2013. i have been involved in station
location planning and permitting for both
systems, specifically to assist with mapping,
field work, meeting with property owners and
neighborhood groups, managing field crews,
creating and reviewing station drawings
and securing permits from the participating
municipalities and state agencies.
i have also worked on bike share feasibility
studies for providence, ri and Albany, NY. My
work involved research on the best techno-
logical and financial models for a small city
bike share system, as well as qualitative
analysis of the city’s suitability for
bike share. the studies also included
recommendations for the extent of the
system, station number and density.
AbOve: SketchUp model of Hubway station for permit application in Cambridge
belOw: Installed Hubway stations in Boston
BIKE SHaRE STudIES, PLaNNINg & PERmITTINg
SyST
EmS
15
left: Heat map showing relative bike share demand in Albany, NY
belOw: Recommended initial bike share service area and station density
16
prOject: Academic Studio Spring 2010iNStructOr: Chris reed, Stoss lU
this studio focused on the infrastructural
systems that allow los Angeles to function,
and on interventions to these “single-minded”
systems that can allow them to interact and
function for multiple purposes. this design
project imagines that the system of debris and
flood control can be linked with the system
of aggregate mining to create a closed loop.
irwindale is a municipality where the entire
land area is pits: the Santa fe flood Control
Basin and 15 gravel mine pits. By networking
the pits together, there can be a choreography
of the pits’ current functions (flood control,
aggregate mining) and new functions (debris
disposal, aggregate recycling, habitat conser-
vation, outdoor event space).
PIT ECOLOgIES: RECaLIBRaTINg INFRaSTRuCTuRE IN La
AbOve: Storm debris and flood control network in LA Count
belOw: Typical aggregate mine
SyST
EmS
17
tOp left: Existing aerial photo of Irwindale
tOp ceNter: Pit networks concept diagram
AbOve: Methods of flood control in the pits with sluice gates and dike openings
left: Multiple configurations for flood control
18
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e) (f)
the function of each pit becomes dynamic: a
single pit may (a) be actively filled with waste
asphalt/concrete or storm debris, (b) later to
be mined out by the aggregate companies.
once empty, that pit can be connected with
other pits to serve as part of a flood control
basin, where (c) an alluvial scrub habitat will
develop. if that pit continues as flood control
beyond a 5 year cycle, then (d) a riparian
forest community may develop. An empty
pit may be (e) programmed with concerts,
fairs, festivals, etc. lighting towers (f) used
for these events can be coated in photolumi-
nescent material so that they glow at night.
PIT ECOLOgIES: RECaLIBRaTINg INFRaSTRuCTuRE IN La
SyST
EmS
19
AbOve: Possible futures for each individual pit
belOw: View of path atop a berm, with an active mine pit on the left and alluvial scrub habitat on the right
20
geography of cast iron
pig iron
distribution yards
inpu
t orig
ins
outp
ut d
estin
atio
ns
�nished products
100
200
500
1000
2000
los angeles
phoenix
oklahoma city
indianapolis
shakopee
carol stream
waukesha
cincinnati
columbus
clevelandpittsburgh
albanyneenah
birmingham
tonawonda
100
200
500
1000
neenah
coke
The Neenah Foundry, located in the eastern Wisconsin town of Neenah, is 135 years old. Its supply of silica sand and limestone come from within 30 miles of the foundry. A major scrap dealer 40 miles south supplies the foundry with scrap metal. The coke that is used to power the cupola furnaces is purchased from New York and Alabama, up to 850 miles away. Pig iron is the input of the foundry that comes from furthest away. Because steel mills in the United States have started to internalize all of the pig iron that they produce, grey iron foundries are left to import pig iron from abroad. Neenah Foundry purchases pig iron from Canada, Russia, and Brazil. Once the product is �nished, it is hauled to one of 14 distribution yards across the coun-try in Neenah Foundry trucks. From there, sales can be made and picked up at the yard. Neenah Foundry is one of 3 major municipal castings foundries in the United States. They have some small compe-tition for their products in southern California, as some cast iron prod-ucts are being imported from Asia through the port of Los Angeles.
fairwater10
0
neenah
WISCONSINsilica sand
limestone
fond du lac
100
neenah
scrap metal
neenah
canada
russia
brazil
500
mile
s
5,500 miles
4,500 miles
geography of cast iron
pig iron
distribution yards
inpu
t orig
ins
outp
ut d
estin
atio
ns
�nished products
100
200
500
1000
2000
los angeles
phoenix
oklahoma city
indianapolis
shakopee
carol stream
waukesha
cincinnati
columbus
clevelandpittsburgh
albanyneenah
birmingham
tonawonda
100
200
500
1000
neenah
coke
The Neenah Foundry, located in the eastern Wisconsin town of Neenah, is 135 years old. Its supply of silica sand and limestone come from within 30 miles of the foundry. A major scrap dealer 40 miles south supplies the foundry with scrap metal. The coke that is used to power the cupola furnaces is purchased from New York and Alabama, up to 850 miles away. Pig iron is the input of the foundry that comes from furthest away. Because steel mills in the United States have started to internalize all of the pig iron that they produce, grey iron foundries are left to import pig iron from abroad. Neenah Foundry purchases pig iron from Canada, Russia, and Brazil. Once the product is �nished, it is hauled to one of 14 distribution yards across the coun-try in Neenah Foundry trucks. From there, sales can be made and picked up at the yard. Neenah Foundry is one of 3 major municipal castings foundries in the United States. They have some small compe-tition for their products in southern California, as some cast iron prod-ucts are being imported from Asia through the port of Los Angeles.
fairwater
100
neenah
WISCONSINsilica sand
limestone
fond du lac
100
neenah
scrap metal
neenah
canada
russia
brazil
500
mile
s
5,500 miles
4,500 miles
geography of cast iron
pig iron
distribution yards
inpu
t orig
ins
outp
ut d
estin
atio
ns
�nished products
100
200
500
1000
2000
los angeles
phoenix
oklahoma city
indianapolis
shakopee
carol stream
waukesha
cincinnati
columbus
clevelandpittsburgh
albanyneenah
birmingham
tonawonda
100
200
500
1000
neenah
coke
The Neenah Foundry, located in the eastern Wisconsin town of Neenah, is 135 years old. Its supply of silica sand and limestone come from within 30 miles of the foundry. A major scrap dealer 40 miles south supplies the foundry with scrap metal. The coke that is used to power the cupola furnaces is purchased from New York and Alabama, up to 850 miles away. Pig iron is the input of the foundry that comes from furthest away. Because steel mills in the United States have started to internalize all of the pig iron that they produce, grey iron foundries are left to import pig iron from abroad. Neenah Foundry purchases pig iron from Canada, Russia, and Brazil. Once the product is �nished, it is hauled to one of 14 distribution yards across the coun-try in Neenah Foundry trucks. From there, sales can be made and picked up at the yard. Neenah Foundry is one of 3 major municipal castings foundries in the United States. They have some small compe-tition for their products in southern California, as some cast iron prod-ucts are being imported from Asia through the port of Los Angeles.
fairwater
100
neenah
WISCONSINsilica sand
limestone
fond du lac
100
neenah
scrap metal
neenah
canada
russia
brazil
500
mile
s
5,500 miles
4,500 miles
geography of cast iron
pig iron
distribution yards
inpu
t orig
ins
outp
ut d
estin
atio
ns
�nished products
100
200
500
1000
2000
los angeles
phoenix
oklahoma city
indianapolis
shakopee
carol stream
waukesha
cincinnati
columbus
clevelandpittsburgh
albanyneenah
birmingham
tonawonda
100
200
500
1000
neenah
coke
The Neenah Foundry, located in the eastern Wisconsin town of Neenah, is 135 years old. Its supply of silica sand and limestone come from within 30 miles of the foundry. A major scrap dealer 40 miles south supplies the foundry with scrap metal. The coke that is used to power the cupola furnaces is purchased from New York and Alabama, up to 850 miles away. Pig iron is the input of the foundry that comes from furthest away. Because steel mills in the United States have started to internalize all of the pig iron that they produce, grey iron foundries are left to import pig iron from abroad. Neenah Foundry purchases pig iron from Canada, Russia, and Brazil. Once the product is �nished, it is hauled to one of 14 distribution yards across the coun-try in Neenah Foundry trucks. From there, sales can be made and picked up at the yard. Neenah Foundry is one of 3 major municipal castings foundries in the United States. They have some small compe-tition for their products in southern California, as some cast iron prod-ucts are being imported from Asia through the port of Los Angeles.
fairwater
100
neenah
WISCONSINsilica sand
limestone
fond du lac
100
neenah
scrap metal
neenah
canada
russia
brazil
500
mile
s
5,500 miles
4,500 miles
prOject: research Seminar Spring 2010 iNStructOr: Jane Hutton
this course examined the histories of common
materials from the urban environment. i
researched the processes of making cast iron
tree grates and utility covers. i visited an
iron ore mine in Minnesota and a foundry in
Wisconsin before creating a series of diagrams
of the extraction and production processes,
as well as maps of the spatial impact of the
material.
maTERIaL ECOLOgIES OF CaST IRON
rigHt & belOw: The geography of cast iron inputs
SyST
EmS
21
iron ore mining process
taconite: 33 - 37% iron
natural iron ore: 70 - 80% iron,depleted 1960s
stockpiles
#12processing plant
processing plant
#13transport
The process of producing cast iron begins at the site of the iron deposit. Most of the naturally occurring iron ore, which is 70-80% iron without processing, has been depleted in the United States. Most mines are now mining taconite, which is a rock that occurs in the same location as natural iron ore, but it contains less iron (only 33 – 37%). Taconite mining involves drilling, blasting, and removing fragments of rock. Taconite is hauled to the pro-cessing pit, which is often located in the mine pit. There it is crushed, ground, and mixed with water. Because the iron occurring in taconite is magnetic, it can be separated from other particles by running the ground rock slurry through a magnet. The remaining tailings and water are disposed of in a tailings pond. The iron is combined with bentonite clay, rolled into balls, and baked in a kiln. The result is a rock hard iron ore pellet, 66% iron, that is loaded onto a train in the mine and shipped to a steel mill.
#81” ball mill
#9agglomerator, dewaters ore,add benonite clay, form green pellet ball
iron ore pellets
#10kiln (wood chip or fuel oil) 30 min on 1500 F
#11cooling towerto < 180 F
#7magnetic separator
#66” ball mill
#5secondary crusher 1”
#4primary crusher 6”
water
tailings: granite, silicon,
abestos, gold,
copper, etc.
bentonite clay
coarse tailings: hauled to landfill
fine tailings
wastewater
tailings pond
#2blast!
#3transport rock
out of mine
1/3 tailings, for force
2/3 ammonium nitrate
#1drill holes
10” round
50’ deep
40’ apart
AbOve: Taconite mining and processing
22
typical raised bed: dimensions organoponico construction
min 2’-wide path
prOject: penny White prize research project cOllAbOrAtOr: Vanessa Cheung, MlA ’10
this research project focused on how urban
farms are physically and socially situated
within the cities of Havana and Cienfuegos in
Cuba. the 1989 collapse of the Soviet Union
resulted in a nation-wide food crisis in Cuba.
the government responded by authorizing the
use of urban vacant lots for farming. today,
the food crisis has ended, but Havana is still
producing 50% of its fresh produce within
the city limits. this practice has not faded
from Cuban cities, but rather has become a
integrated part of the local economy and the
urban fabric. We visited a number of these
urban farms to catalog different typologies,
and we interviewed farmers, neighbors, and
market vendors to understand how the local
economy functions.
CuBaN uRBaN agRICuLTuRESy
STEm
S
23
Av. 5
Calle 44
Av. 64
24
prOject: final Design for interpretive Media and Wayfinding SignagerOle: project Designer at Alta planning + DesignclieNt: New York City parks Department
HIgH BRIdgE REHaBILITaTION
Alta developed interpretive media elements for the High
Bridge, which is an old Croton Aqueduct bridge over the
Harlem river between Manhattan and the Bronx being
converted into a New York City Greenway. i assisted with
the conceptual design of the interpretive media and
developed the final construction drawings, cost estimates
and specifications for the interpretive and wayfinding
signage.
(1) Interpretive Overlook, (2) Interactive Station, (3)
Feature Identifier, (4) Gate with bridge cross-section design, (5) Viewing Platform, (6) Interpretive panel integrated into fence
SITE
S
25
tOp left: Gatehouse elevation with panel placement
tOp rigHt: Wall-mounted interpretive panel design
AbOve: Typical manhole cover detail
rigHt: Cast bronze manhole cover designs
26
CHELSEa TIdaL PaRK
prOject: Academic Studio Spring 2009iNStructOrS: paula Meijerink, Matthew Gordy, Alison Hirsch, Cherilyn ruane, paul Cote
this studio focused on an 18-acre contam-
inated post-industrial site on the waterfront
in Chelsea, MA. My design caps the
contamination on-site in a series of mounded
landforms, while allowing the tidal water
to permeate the interior of the park. the
programming considered users of all age
groups, including children. there are some
playful walkways through the tidal marsh
areas that fluctuate with the water, taking on
a form and high and low tide.
SITE
S
27
28
prOject: Academic Studio fall 2008 iNStructOrS: Scheri fultineer, laura Gornowski, Kaki Martin, robyn reed, paul CotegrOup memberS: pao Chun Chen, Zenobia Meckley, Carrie Nielson, Justin Scherma, Jing Zhang
As a group, we developed a master plan to
locate a social services program, homeless
shelter, youth summer camp, and public
parkland all on a small Boston Harbor island.
We were required to address the boundaries
of public and private space by determining
the level of separation or integration between
different uses. i designed a 54-acre youth
summer camp that was well-integrated with
the parkland on the island.
a HaRBOR ISLaNd FOR THE CITy
SITE
S
29
30
prOject: independent project, presented at Somerville open Studios 2012
inspiration for this project came from Bill
fox’s book Aereality: On the World from
Above. Equipped with a weather balloon and
a camera, i did several balloon photography
flights over Cambridge and Somerville, MA.
the resulting collages explore two parts of
this process: the balloon ascent into the
sky, and the shifting of the camera rig as
the wind blows the balloon. My interest is
not in recreating an accurate aerial image,
but in fitting the photos together to create
landscapes that are somewhat fictionalized.
BaLLOON PHOTOgRaPHySI
TES
31
Shannon Simms717.360.6636svsimms@gmail.comshannonsimms.com
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