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Upgrading your homes landscaping is a great way to improve the look of the property while at the same time increasing the homes value. As with any home improvement a plan of attack is crucial, and having a master landscape plan is a great way yo help with budgeting and staging of the project over one season or over several years. A professional landscape plan will also help to create a cohesive vision and appearance for your property.

SERVICES
I am available for consultation on an hourly basis or for a fixed fee can provide landscape plans for your home.

• Projects can range from simple landscape plans to more detailed projects that include hardscape elements or other architectural features.
• Hourly consulting can include any issues that you may be having with your yard or landscaping. I can also help to create a plant palette for your home for the do it your self design project.
  

ABOUT ME
I have a degree in landscape architecture and over ten years of professional experience in landscape architecture/planning and urban design. I have worked on projects of all shapes and sizes, and always promote the use of sustainable design and building practices, as well as the use of native plant and building materials.

Residential Design

Residential designs main goal should be to meet the needs of the homeowner. To be a success a project should be designed to work around how the family will use the property. My goal as a designer is to determine these requirements and make sure all the home owners needs and wants are included in the final product.

Brochure Design

The above brochure was completed for the Chicago Department of Environment. These brochures were completed for several parks in the City of Chicago that were in the process of installing native plant material, and were to be used as an educational tool for visitors to the park. I was responsible for the text, plan rendering, and sketches of the plant material. We then worked closely with a graphic designer to complete the layout of the brochure.

Infill Development

This project was a design for an infill development in Oak Park, IL. The Developer was interested in a site layout that would provide both townhomes and a midrise condo building. The townhomes are pictured along the top of the drawing and the midrise building is in the bottom right. We worked closely with the architect to create a site layout that would maximize the site and provide adequate green space to meet the Village's requirements. The condo buiding also included a rooftop garden for use by the residents. The above drawing was completed for a Planning Commission meeting, with the base completed in AutoCad and the rendering being a mix a pencil and marker.

Park/School Planning

The following project design was completed while employed as a summer intern at Moser Enterprises. That summer my time was split between completing due diligence for future residential projects and park/school planning for residential projects already in the approval stages.


As part of the Grand Reserve development, a large tract of land was to be donated to the Village for a future school and regional park. The drawing below was created for public presentations and meetings to show how the land could be utilized for these uses. The park was to provide several athletic fields, as well providing nature trails that could be used for both recreational and scholastic pursuits.

Courthouse Design

Below are three designs that were created for a proposed U.S. Courthouse in Cape Girardeau, MO. Each design was based upon a different building schematic designed by the architect. Siting of the building and parking design was a collaborative effort between the architects and our office. The remaining softscape and hardscape design was by my office. Due to this being a government building security was of the utmost importance. This meant trying to incorporate defense structures into the design, without creating a fortress appearance.

Scheme A was the most suburban of the three proposals. The building was to be a midrise structure that surrounded the parking lot. Separating the parking lot from the building was a proposed dry stream bed that would be used for stormwater detention, as well as helping to meet security design requirements for a government building. A cantilevered walkway was also proposed that provided access to the main entry atrium.




Scheme B was to be a 15-16 story building. Because of the height there was substantially more room for greenspace and public space. The ovals surrounding the building were based of off the shape of the parking area, and varied in use. A large hardscape oval was to wrap around the building providing public meeting space. Other ovals were to provide walking paths, as well as a "Grey Water" treatment system.


Scheme C was to be a double envelope glass structure. The thought was to place the building at the sites highest point and create a terraced entry steps and lawn area surrounding the building, while using the same concept with the design of the parking area. A "lightning bolt" walkway was designed to connect the lower parking areas to the front of the building.

Design Charette Sketch

This drawing was completed as part of a two day charette I was involved in while attending the University of Cincinnati. This first day involved a site assessment and brainstorming session. The next day involved creating and giving a short presentation to local leaders and business owners. The business owners were concerned about losing on-street parking as part of any renovations, so I created a quick section to show how a more pedestrian friendly environment could be created while still keeping the parallel parking along the main street.

Von Steuben High School River Walk

Von Steuben High School River Walk was another of the Chicago River projects I was involved in designing and planning. The project was simialr in scope to the Northside College Prep project, but on a more intimate scale. This was due to several factors including: a narrower width to the site, a narrower stretch of the river, and the length of the river walk being much shorter.

The project utilized natural materials for retaining walls/seating, and solar lights were installed to make the project as sustainable as possible. Other design elements included the installation of large area of sand the could be utilized by certain species of birds for nesting, as well as large areas of tall grass prairie mix for additional habitat for these birds.

Northside College Prep River Walk

Upon graduation from the University of Kentucky this project, along with several other sites along the Chicago River, were my first professional design projects. These projects were completed for the Chicago Department of Environment while I was employed at Jacobs/Ryan Associates. At the same time that we were designing this project, the Northside College Prep High School was in the planning stages. Additional collaboration between the schools design consultants was required to ensure that a cohesive design was created for the entire site. The main goals set out by the Department of Environment included:

• Rehabilitate the shoreline to reduce erosion of the river bank


• Provide a trail that connected to existing and proposed trail systems


• create an outdoor learning area for the students of the high school


• Remove non-native vegetation and use native plant material throughout the site.

To reduce erosion of the river bank native seed mixtures were utilized. For additional stability at the toe of the slope, A Jacks were installed. These were then backfilled with soil and planted with willow and other plant material to protect against future erosion.






At major intersections, or points of interest, plant material with bold colors was utilized.









The siting of the overlook was a collaboration with the designers of the school. The overlook was designed to allow viewing of the river and provided an access point to the trail below.







At key points, the trail was brought near the river bank. At these locations we designed an area with steps that could be used by students to conduct experiments during science classes, as well as providing a location for launching canoes. On both ends of these steps we installed limestone boulders both for protection of the concrete and to create a more natural appearance to the design element.


The project was over three years in the making, from initial design through construction. This included the Army Corp of Engineers (ACOE) becoming involved late in the project. We were then required to revise all the construction documents to ACOE standards, including the use of the metric system, and showing each individual plant on the plans, instead of hatching areas for groundcovers or large areas of perennials. In the end I think the project succeeded at its goals. Upon visiting the site the river walk is being utilized for recreation and educational pursuits, erosion is at a minimum and birds and animals can be seen in the river and on the bank.