Stuart Uram Landscape Architecture Portfolio

Stuart J UramLandscape Architecture PortfolioCollege of ArchitectureUniversity of Nebraska-LincolnSelected Works 2013-2015

CONTENTS Omaha Riverfront Studio 2 UNL Campus Master Plan 6 Urban Plaza 13th and P 12 Wyuka Cemetery 18 Design Thinking 22 U.C.A.R.E. 26 Experience and Interests 28

Page 1

Omaha RiverfrontUrban Design StudioLARC 497: Urban Site DesignProfessor Kim WilsonOmaha, NE

NEW URBANISM BROWNFIELD DESIGNMy current studio began this semester conducting case studies from cities with communities that have taken action to reclaim their riverfront. Most of these properties have an industrial background that was abandoned and lay in ruins for several years. Many of these brownfield sites have since been reconfigured in an attempt to return the land to the people in the form of a park or network of open greenspaces that allow a once wasted, and often contaminated, land to be revitalized and repurposed for recreation and outdoor enjoyment. The site of the Lewis and Clark Landing on the Omaha Riverfront is a brownfield that once held a lead smelting plant. Much of the site had contaminated soil that has since been capped and built over. During our inventory and analysis phase I quickly discovered that this is the largest and most complex site that I have ever worked on.

Page 2

View from Iowa looking West at the Lewis and Clark Landing on the Omaha Riverfront

LARC 497-Layered Drawing course photo montage overlaying moments in time since Omaha’s historical beginning

Regional map highlighting developed and vegetated space surrounding the Lewis and Clark Landing on the Omaha Riverfront

N

1 mi 2 mi 4 mi 8 mi

1

1

33

2

2

1

1

1

2

TOM HANAFAN RIVER’S EDGE PARK

NATURAL RESOURSEAREA

NATURAL RESOURSEAREA

GREENWAY

COMMUNITYPARK

COMMUNITYPARK

SPIRIT OF NEBRASKACOMMUNITY PARK

4

4

NICHOLAS STREET

CREIGHTON UNIVERSITYSPORTS FIELD

OMAHA CIVICAUDITORIUM

FIRST NATIONALBANK TOWER

WOODMENTOWER

CENTURY LINKCENTER

TD AMERITRADEPARK

GENE LEAHY MALLCOMMUNITY PARK

HEARTLAND OFAMERICA PARK

MIS

SOUR

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LEWIS AND CLARK LANDING

NEBRASKA IOWADiagram showing how a network of open and green spaces relate to one another and our site in the downtown Omaha area

N

1 mi 2 mi 4 mi 8 mi

This diagram shows the relationship and possible connectability between our site and other parks and open spaces in the area. Having an understanding of how these spaces work in concert with each other will allow my design to connect both used and underutilized spaces into one continuous network.

University of Nebraska-LincolnCampus PlanLARC 310: Advanced Site DesignProfessor Sarah ThomasLincoln, NE

URBAN SITE DESIGN PLANIn order to accommodate a growing number of students, the university has developed a master plan involving the addition of several new buildings. This project shows proposed building massing and a new design layout for the area surrounding Love Library North. Currently, the building is surrounded by a series of underutilized gardens and lawn areas that are separated and closed off from surrounding space by topography in the form of berms. In order to complete this project I relied upon a variety of skills that I have built ranging from site inventory and analysis, grading, planting design, programmatic zones, and the use of 3-D modeling for accurate human scale representation. Site lines and hierarchy of circulation began to play a larger role as I worked my way through the design process.

Page 6

University of Nebraska-Lincoln City Campus

Love Library Facing South

Multi-Modal Route

Primary CirculationSecondary Circulation

Building EntrancePrimary Node

Secondary Node

Adjusted TopographyExisting Topography

% Slope PercentageSpot ElevationImpermeably SurfacePermeable Surface

Page 7

The circulation through this site is heavily influenced by its topography.

These berms hinder flow and create separate spaces instead of allowing for larger program areas.

Limited Access into Site

Limited Views Into Site

1.16% 0.54% 0.43% 1.8%

21.1

8%

0.52%

0.76

%

0.46%2.1%

7.3%

0.9% 1.89%

0.68

%

1.6%

Mueller Mall

1176.48 1176.88 1177.72 1177.53 1177.02 1176.9 1176.5 1175.9 1174.1 1173.3 1171.02

1171

1172

1173

1174

1175

1176

1177

1177

1178

FFE=1178.22 FFE=1176.5FFE=1178.33

1178.62 1178.52 1178.62 1176.72 1175.09 1174.19 1172.83

1176.1

1177.79

1177.72

1176.08

BS1174.98

1177.6

1177.58

1182.68

1176.63

Bessey Hall Morrill Hall

Andrews HallBurnett Hall

Oldfather Hall

Love Library North

Second Floor Link

Love Library

Can�eld North

Can�eld South

CBA

ProposedEast Massing

ProposedWest Massing

Topography in the form of berms originally limited access on all four sides of our site.

Grading/Hydrology/Permeability

Circulation



Oldfather Hall

Love Library North

Second Floor Link

Love Library

Can�eld North

Can�eld South

CBA

Mueller Mall





Oldfather Hall

Love Library North

Second Floor Link

Love Library

Can�eld North

Can�eld South

CBA

Mueller Mall



Program

PlazaLawnCourtyard

S Street Mall

T Street Mall

Lawn and berms limit site accessibility and circulation

3-D Modeling Using Rhino 5- Render Facing NE

Photo of Existing Site Facing NE

Laser Cut 3-D Modeling Using 1 Ply Chip Board

Page 8

This new courtyard on campus brings the garden atmosphere back to the Love Library grounds and creates program in the form of shaded seating areas and a strong connection between neighboring building entrances.

Photo of Existing Site Facing W

3-D Modeling Using Rhino 5- Render Facing W

Page 9

This unused area of campus is revitalized by removing the northern berms and overgrown vegetation to allow better views, access, and interest in this space. The new proposed plaza would bring more program into the site.

Laser Cut 3-D Modeling Using 1 Ply Chip Board

Heritage River Birch-Betula nigra ‘Heritage’

-Austrian Pine-Pinus nigra

-Sugar-Hackberry-Celtis laevigata

-Wireless Zelkova-Zelkova serrata ‘Wireless’

-Red Oak-Quercus rubra

-Sunburst Honeylocust-Gleditsia triacanthos ‘Sunburst’

-GreenspireLinden-Tilia cordata ‘Greenspire’

Civic PlazaLARC 210: Urban DesignProfessor Molly PhemisterLincoln, NE

13TH AND P STREET DOWNTOWN LINCOLNThe city of Lincoln designated this site to be the location of a civic plaza that would serve the community by creating a downtown gathering space for people to enjoy as well as adding a landmark to the area. The site was previously a parking lot tucked up against a building that offered a view of asphalt and decaying bricks. Multiple programmatic opportunities will become available such as outdoor cafe seating, a stage for live music and performances, and an area in the city where business men and women can enjoy a lunch break on nice days. Parents will be able to visit with each other while their children run and play in the plaza. Circulation, amount of required seating, flexible program space, hydrology, grading, and existing utility constraints were some of the site aspects I studied in order to design a successful plaza.

Looking N from P Street into New Urban Plaza Site Looking S from Larson Building Parking Garage

+ TW 1168.91

+ BW 1166.91

+ TW

117

0.18

+ BW

116

8.18

+ TW

117

0.87

+ BW

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+ TW

117

1.98

+ BW

116

9.98

+ TW 1168.92

+ BW 1166.92

+ TW 1168.96+ BW 1166.96

+ TW 1170.49

+ BW 1167.76

+ TW 1170.49+ BW 1168.4

+ TW 1170.49

+ BW 1168.46

+ TW 1173.19

+ BW 1169.7

+ TW 1173.19

+1169.1

2.93

%

2.64

%

0.83%

1.23% + BW 1169.7

1171.5

1171

1170.5

1170

1169.5

1169

1168.5

1168

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CIVIC CIRCULATION

QU

IET

GAT

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ARE

AEA

TIN

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DRI

NKI

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LARGE GATHERING AREA

SMALL GATHERING AREA

RETAIL/STAGING AREA

Base Plan Figure Ground

Circulation Grading

Canopy Program Areas

Larson Building

P S

treet

Res

taur

ant/C

afe

Illustrative Site Plan

32’ 60’ 46’

38’21’87’ 42’42’

Edge Circulation Central Open/Active Program Area Passive Program Area

Edge Circulation Threshold Private Passive Area Public Active Area Open Public Space

Page 14

Section Diagram of P Street Plaza

Study model on museum board studying landform and viewshed

Views looking in with a feeling of enclosure

Extruded forms along the site edge add a more private feel

Chip model showing a more private node in the site

Laser Cut 3-D model using nails and steel wool for canopy

Model showing N-S circulation

Page 17

Wyuka CemeteryLARC 497: Site Systems IIIProfessor Eric Casper37th and O Street Lincoln, NE

Wyuka Community CenterCemeteries are usually seen as a place of sadness and mourning, but at Wyuka that will no longer be the case. With a historical stable building and duck pond already in place on this site, the addition of a multi-use pavilion will allow families to celebrate the lives of their loved ones by enjoying each other’s company in the setting of a newly designed building and green space that is currently an overgrown field bordering unused parking lots belonging to a neighboring business. The new community center will provide rental space for private events like weddings, reunions, seminars, and community youth outreach recreation. Constraints on this site included steep slopes leading to a creek, a property line that cannot be crossed, and the task of placing the building structure in a manner that will allow for twenty parking stalls and a drop off area near the entrance.

Future Site of Wyuka Community CenterWyuka CemeteryPage 18

Example of canopy trees Example of ornamental trees Example of shrubs and grasses

-Bald Cypress-Taxodium distichum

-Swampwhite Oak-Quercus bicolor

-Eastern Redbud-Cercis canadensis

-Indian Majic Crab Apple-Malus ‘Indian Majic’

-Indian Majic Crab Apple-Hyderangea arborescens

‘Annabelle’

-Prairie Dropseed-Sporobolus heterolepis

Wyuka Community Center Planting Plan

Eric Casper

Final

LARC_L1.04

1

Future Site of Wyuka Community Center facing NW showing the slope into the creek

Detail showing typical bioswale cross sectionWyuka Community Center Grading Plan

Detail showing a typical permeable paver cross section

Present Site of Wyuka Community Center facing SW showing an existing path connecting our site to the pond and the property line

Wyuka Community Center Layout Plan

Eric Casper

Final

LARC_L1.02

1

Coffee 2-GoLARC 100: Design ThinkingLincoln, NE

Innovative Product DesignDesign Thinking is a course that was developed at Harvard University and adopted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a first year design ACE Credit aimed towards introducing freshman design students to a new way of systematically breaking down the design process in order to produce a quality final product. This class focused on team involvement and group learning. Each project was broken down into phases such as defining a problem, setting realistic goals, prototyping, and potential marketing of a final product or idea. Emphasized in this course is the importance of teamwork and cohesion of delegating tasks throughout the group. Some groups worked together better than others and it showed in the presentation of final products.

Each group was asked to hybridize two or more everyday items and create a new product that has sustainable qualities. We combined the heating coil from an electric blanket with a bicycle light powered by kinetic energy generated from tire friction to produce a heated cup koozie system that enabled coffee to remain well above set heat standards involving the sale or delivery of beverages containing dairy products. For the last phase of the project we were given the choice of starting over with a complete new idea or continue working to see just how far and in what direction you can take your project. My group had great chemistry and we were able to get supplies for the prototype donated from private companies. Since the end of this course my group has filed to received a patent pending status on our product. We have presented our ideas and products at the Chancellor’s Pre-game Celebration event as well as to many trustee boards and committees.

Page 22

The Design-Thinking Coffee 2-Go Group Working coffee delivery prototype

Coffee delivery module mounted on delivery bike

Empathize

Define

Ideate

Prototype

Test

Real Tweets taken off of a Google search Sketches of design

ideas and prototype possibilities

Building a fiberglass prototype

Coffee 2GOPatent Manuscript

February 2014

Filing for a patent specifically defined our project goals

Page 23

Testing Liquid Temp

Prototype

My main focuses of this project were ideating and prototyping different ways that we could generate power, design a sustainable product, and use creative thinking to build something that there was no example of. With the help of NU Tech, a professional service that assists students and professors in patents and product protection, we conducted extensive searches of similar products and patents and found no matches. I worked from rough sketches of ideas and concepts, some of which were quickly thrown out and others that needed to be broken down and analyzed further in order to rule it out or pass it on to the next round of tests. The main presentation prototype was built out of chipboard, thin plywood, and spray paint. It is functional when plugged in and has been tested to exceed heat standards for drinks containing dairy products. I built the cut away prototype diagram by making a mold out of melamine board, clay, and floor wax before fabricating the delivery module out of fiberglass. The lid and body of the piece were painted, connected with hardware, and lined with a layer of thermal insulation. The inside unit is designed to hold and heat the cups until it is ready to be removed and safely delivered to the consumer. Outside bids to manufacture these units ranged from $550 up into the thousands and the group is currently looking into the possibilities of making this project a reality.

Pizza Delivery Prototype

Painting the Final Project

Concept Model

Heating Element Prototype

Kinetic Energy Generator

Coffee Cup

Coffee Cup Holder

Coffee Heating Element

Page 25

Recycled Greenroof MediaU.C.A.R.E. Program(Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Program)

In the U.C.A.R.E. Program students apply for research positions and are selected by a professor to assist in conducting further studies into a current project relating to their major or minor. I was selected to work with Dr. Richard Sutton. I applied to be his mentee because he is a licensed landscape architect with a background in horticulture, forestry, wildland conservancy, and is responsible for multiple greenroofs in Nebraska. With sustainability in mind I worked towards the goal of developing a green roof media mix that would incorporate materials that are both recycled and locally available. The different media I researched were #10 green grades sand, crumb rubber from recycled tires, crushed brick from locally demolished buildings, compost from the City of Lincoln’s Yard Waste Center, biochar, and a standard green roof media mix that is currently on the market. The ideal mix is meant to be a recipe of ingredients that the average homeowner would be able to obtain and mix according to the rough area of the roof or structure they intend to grow plants in. Green roofs have been proven to reduce energy usage needed to heat and cool a structure. Plants will take in rainwater thus reducing runoff and flooding issues in urban areas. Contaminated rain is filtered through the soil as well as through plant respiration.

Page 26

Dr. Richard Sutton placing sprinklers on a test roof

Collecting lechate from soil mixtures for analysis Researching, collecting, and organizing data

Screening compost at City of Lincoln Yard Waste facility

Green roof test plot on campusSubmitting samples to the lab to be analyzed

Native Nebraska grasses collected and selected for vigor

ASLA Student Leaders stacking bricks to crush for soil media Drying samples and comparing against commercial green soil mix Sieving materials to calculate particle distribution of crushed brick

Testing mixes created based off data from our previous test

Ensuring our grasses are properly labeled and healthy

Experience and InterestsArt and Recreation

I grew up before Facebook and remember life without the internet. I was blessed to be born into a loving family that had a great appreciation for the outdoors and passion for travel and adventure. I spent many early summers at Boy Scout camp hiking with my brothers and fishing along the banks of clear streams. Summer break meant climbing into the family Suburban and hitting the open road to see what adventure was in store for us. I have grown quite a bit since then and so has my passion for the outdoors. I have backpacked in over a dozen National Parks in two countries and visited countless historic monuments since those days. I have developed a love for horticulture and the valuable role that it plays in balancing many ecological systems. My two years of nursery experience working with plants is backed up by strong construction knowledge gained from working close to ten years in both the landscape construction and carpentry fields.

Other than the outdoors I am passionate about collecting gem, mineral, and crystal specimens as well as using them to create jewelry and art pieces from silver, gold, and platinum plate and wire. I have a background in studio art and sculpture design from Hastings College in Nebraska where I produced unique hand-blown glass installations. There I got the chance to meet and work beside some of the best in the business and still have contacts with some of them to this day. Landscape architecture is the next phase of my life that I am excited to dive into and see what kind of adventure is in store for me.

Backpacking Olympic National Park, Washington

Hiking Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Wrapped fine silver and precious gemstones

Back deck project

Fine silver plate and gemstone jewelry

Oak kitchen in a bungalo rehab project

Hand-blown glass

Working in the greenhouse- Mulhall’s Plant Nursery in Omaha, NE

Growing giant pumpkins in my garden

I began making small twisted wire sculptures and silversmithing after working with copper coils fused in galss. This style evolved as I incorporated the natural form of gemstones into jewelry.

As an apprentice glass artist at Hastings College in Nebraska, my work involved experimenting with different types of color overlays.

Working at a local nursery inspired me to grow a garden from seed in my backyard every year. The favorite of my neigborhood are the giant pumpkins that take over and spread quickly.

Working on home rehabs as a carpentor I learned a lot about the construction process.

Stuart Uram Landscape Architecture Portfolio

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