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4th Year BLA Student University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Portfolio

Kalyssa Williams

WORK EXPERIENCE

George Butler Associates (GBA), Lenexa, KS

Landscape Architecture Intern

May 2024 - Present

Assist in conceptual design development. Draft construction documents, including planting plans, grading plans, details, and layout plans.

Create 3D renderings to visualize design concepts. Develop concept diagrams to communicate design ideas.

INVOLVEMENTS

SustainUNL

Vice President, May 2023 - Present

Plan and facilitate executive meetings, general meetings, volunteer events, and social events.

Hold 1-on-1 meetings with members of the executive team to check on their progress.

Volunteer at a variety of local organizations to promote sustainability on and off campus.

ASUN Green Fund Selections Committee

Chair, December 2021 - Present Review funding proposals for sustainability related projects on campus.

Organize meeting and presentation times to discuss proposals.

American Society of Landscape Architects Member, August 2022-Present

SELECTED HONORS

2023 Woman of Courage, Character, and Commitment

University of Nebraska - Lincoln Women’s Center

Dr. Enright Landscape Architecture Scholarship

University of Nebraska - Lincoln

DIGITAL SKILLS

Rhinoceros 8 LandFX

AutoCAD / Civil3D Enscape Adobe Suite ArcGIS

Walnut Hill Agora

Infrastructure redevelopment located in Omaha, Nebraska

Fall 2024

Pages 4-11

Johnson Drive Streetscape

Urban streetscape redevelopment located in Shawnee, Kansas

Summer 2024

George Butler Associates Internship

Pages 12-17

Heat Resilience

Neighborhood park with an empasis on heat resilience located in Omaha, Nebraska

Spring 2023

18-23

Revitalized Benson

Urban neighborhood renewal loacted in Omaha, Nebraska

Fall 2023

24-33

The Heart of Lincoln

Downtown plaza located in Lincoln, Nebraska

Fall-Spring 2023

34-41

Walnut Hill Agora

Omaha, NE - Fall 2024

Studio - Collaborate

In collaboration with Dominic Flores and Gabrielle Zaferis

Adaptive reuse of decommissioned city water infrastructure bridging two clashing neighborhoods through historical celebration, regreening, economic development, and wellness.

Average Property Value by Block

< $100,000

$100k-$200k

$200k-$300k

$300k-$400k

$400k+

Grocery Stores Within 1/4 mile

A public garden provides space for relaxation and connection with nature while also combatting urban heat and pollution through regreening of a largely gray space. Additionally, a food pantry ensures that those in need have access to essential items, alleviating food insecurity and fostering a sense of solidarity within the community.

Wellness

Free access to indoor and outdoor recreational facilities like tennis, volleyball, and basketball courts is crucial for promoting physical health, social well-being, and community cohesion. These spaces offer residents, especially youth, the opportunity to engage in healthy activities, which reduce stress, combat obesity, and provide a safe space for children to gather.

Connectivity

A free outdoor art gallery addresses the needs of both neighborhoods, offering residents access to creativity and artistic expression regardless of background and fostering a sense of pride, inspiration, and connection to their community.

Historic Celebration

Preserving parts of the existing water basins and pumphouse, along with framing views of these areas, enables the site to adopt a new, more functional program while honoring its historical importance and role within the neighborhood.

Walnut Hill Agora

This project aims to redevelop the existing decommissioned water infrastructure on the site, including three water basins and a pumphouse, into a park that addresses the needs of both the lower income neighborhood to the north and the higher income neighborhood to the south, while also highlighting the historic significance of the site. Conflicting ideas on how the park should be developed required careful consideration to the layout of the park, resulting in a natural, low program park to the east and a developed western half, buffered to the south by existing basin structure. The project aims to create a vibrant, multiuse space that addresses key community needs including a food pantry, an indoor recreation center, an art gallery, and versatile spaces for gathering, shopping, and local events.

North

Northeast basin garden and food pantry

Indoor recreation center and East promenade entrance

Outdoor art exhibition

North-South section

Johnson Drive Streetscape

Shawnee, KS - Summer 2024

George Butler Associates

Streetscape redesign aiming to revitalize a critical community event space and set a precedent for a more walkable downtown

Streetscape and stage structure

Zero-height ribbon curb detail

Concrete stair detail

PLANTING

TWO (2) #4 BARS, CONTINUOUS WITH 18" LAP SPLICE; CENTER VERTICALLY IN CURB

FILTER FABRIC

COMPACTED SUBGRADE

6” height curb detail

P-16445-12

LANDSCAPE PLAN

SCALE: 1" = 10'-0"

(13)BA

(10)SB

(6)PG (2)CA (2)CA (14)BA (16)SB (6)LM (20)HE

(6)LM (21)LM (3)MS (3)MS (12)SB (7)EH (3)SB (7)EH (3)JB (3)MS (3)JB (3)JB (3)MS (16)EH (3)JB (3)MS

Johnson Drive

South Omaha Heat Resilience

Omaha, NE - Spring 2024

Studio - Ecology and Culture

Park redesign targetting heat resiliency and odor in a historically disinvested community

High impervious surface rates, lack of green space and tree canopy, and historic industrial activity have resulted in increased ambient temperature in South Omaha compared to other, more affluent neighborhoods. This phenomenon results in disproportionately negative health outcomes for low income residents in the city.

South Omaha hours of sunlight analysis

Shady Meadows

This redesign of Upland Park creates a vibrant, multifunctional space that offers residents year-round comfort. Central to the design is an urban orchard, strategically laid out to not only provide a cooling green space, but also to enhance the park’s microclimate. The arrangement of the trees allows for a natural flow of cool breezes through the site during the summer, creating a refreshing, shaded environment for visitors that also serves as a windbreak in the winter. A splash pad offers a refreshing retreat, a canopy walk playscape invites exploration, upgraded soccer fields cater to active sports enthusiasts, and a dedicated skate park ensures a space for skateboarding and outdoor recreation. An outdoor classroom adjacent to the Kroc Center fosters learning and engagement in a natural setting. This redesign prioritizes accessibility, safety, and environmental sustainability, aiming to enhance the quality of life for all who visit.

Splash pad 2. Elevated play structure 3. Soccer field/open lawn 4. Outdoor classroom 5. Hammocking lawn 6. Skate park

Canopy walk playscape

Wind diagram

Splash pad and canopy walk Hammocking orchard Soccer field and orchard Community garden and outdoor classroom

Creative Marketplace

Omaha, NE - Fall 2023

Studio - Advanced Site Design

In collaboration with Sarah Spilinek, Elli Klein, and Ethan Preheim

Urban redevelopment targetting spatial equity through defined rights

Medellin Case Study

To gain a better understanding of the equity needs of Benson, we conducted an evaluation of equity implementation strategies that were successfully employed in Medellín, Colombia. This analysis focused on examining the impact of these strategies on safety, mobility, community, education, aesthetics, play, and physical health. By thoroughly assessing how these elements contributed to the overall wellbeing and development of Medellín, we aimed to draw meaningful insights that could inform potential equity-driven implementation options for a similar initiative in the Benson area of Omaha.

Revitalized Benson

The urban renewal of Benson, a vibrant neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska, was inspired by the rapid growth of the area, known for its vivid art scene. A 2.0 floor area ratio for the site ensured density to support the growth both in Benson and the greater Omaha area. A defined art district, a variety of public ammenities, green space, and mixed-income housing were integrated into the site to emphasize spatial justice and minimize displacement during the redesign. These ammenities, including an expanded community center, library, small performance stage, and gathering spaces, are placed along a primary axis, creating an accessible and welcoming community within the existing neighborhood.

Legend

Housing

Public buildings

Green space

Main corridor

Strategy diagram

This center stage is a collection of public and private art studios, bringing a thriving arts district into Benson. The decentralized structure of the village allows artists increased independence and increased access to lowincome artists through shared ammenities such as bathrooms.

Art district upper level

*Storyboards located on pg. XXX

Elevated pathway overlooking central sculpture

Sky Village

The upper level, composed of decentralized public and private art studios

Interconnecting Image

LED screens located on the bottom of the buildings project artists’ work digitally

Pixel Plaza

As one moves below the elevated platform, they will discover a whole other world in the form of digital art screens. LED screens located on the sides and undersides of the buildings project the artists’ work digitally. This element, central to the redesign, depends on accessibilty to artists to ensure the screens stay in use. The hidden element draws in passersbys and immerses them in art in a unique way. From this lower level, visitors are surrounded by screens, murals, and green space with voids above allowing for natural light.

Accessible Immersion

From the lower level, visitors are surrounded by screens, murals, and green space with voids above allowing for natural light.

Art district design strategy

1. Primary staircase and engagement

2. Vertical circulation, elevated pathway, and engagement

Lower-level green space and walkways

The Heart of Lincoln

Lincoln, NE - Spring and Fall 2023

Studio / Construction Documentation

Multi-semester urban plaza with hand drawn and digital construction documentation

1. Intimate study lawn

Downtown Commons

Located in the heart of downtown Lincoln, this small plaza provides a perfect opportunity for a rest in the hustle and bustle of daily life. This project provided me with the opportunity to develop an initial site design from a project brief in my Spring 2023 studio, and then continue to progress the design through hand drafting and finally digital drafting in my Fall 2023 Costruction Documentation course. Through this process, I was able to receive and implement feedback several times while experiencing the design process end to end.

2. Open lawn

3. Below-grade playground with ampitheater seating

4. Sculpture and ground jets

5. Public dining

Hand Drawing

Phase 2 utilizes the plaza’s convenient location, surrounded by restaurants and bars, by offering private and open seating options for visitors, as well as open space for food trucks and events. An open green space brings more vegetation into the densely paved area, while also providing a space to picnic or play games on your lunch break.

Phase 2: Hand drafted Layout Plan

Phase 3: Digital Landscape Plan

Digital Drafting

This final design utilizes a grid pattern, directing visitors towards the center gathering space, two seat walls coupled with greenery and a water feature providing shade and relaxation, while still alowing individuals a variety of routes through the site on their way to work or the nearby university.

Phase 3: Digital layout plan

Phase 3: Digital grading plan

Phase 3: Digital materials plan

Phase 3: Digital construction details

Phase 3: Seat wall and planting bed

Phase 3: Seat wall and planting beds

kalyssawilliams21@gmail.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalyssawilliams/