Landscape Architecture Portfolio 2020 Kevin Jo

KEVIN JO Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Selected Works 2020

PROLOGUE

One of the greatest aspects of design, especially in landscape architecture, is the concept of identity that highlights the past and invites for future development. Every little town and bustling mega-city is not without years and years of history that makes them unique in their own way.

This contrast is what drives culture-filled communities to thrive amongst themselves and at the same time, explore curiosity in other cultures.

The responsibility falls on designers to immerse themselves into the site and tell the stories as a secondary source, similar to the roles of archaeologists and scholars. This is no easy task; designers are faced with potential political, social, and economical topics to incorporate into a design restricted by modern day laws and public support. But similar to artists, designers vary in methodologies and process of their work, which only adds to the exciting, arbitrary nature of expression in architectural form.

CONTENTS

01. VOICES UNHEARD 02. THE TRAVERSE 03. PROFESSIONAL WORK 04. DUPLEX PLANTING VIGNETTE 05. THE PERFECT PAIR 06. POLLINATOR OCCUPANCY EVALUATION 07. PERSONAL PROJECTS

WAYS TO GET YOUR VOICE HEARD | Concept Only 1

Send photos and videos to our email voicesunheard@lariots.com

2

Use #voicesunheard on social media platforms

3

Post your stories on our public website voicesunheardlariots.com

A

01.

VOICES UNHEARD Capstone Senior Showcase: 2020 Vision Exhibition Date: March 13, 2020 Exhibition Location: San Luis Obispo, California Project Location: Los Angeles, California Instructor: César Torres-Bustamente

The 1992 Los Angeles riots were many things - violent, influential, and even inevitable some may say. But as people have slowly learned over the years, the riots were never fully understood to begin with. The blame can certainly be attributed to one player such as the media or the police, and ultimately, it affected people not only in Los Angeles but cities throughout the nation.

The riots were much more than what was seen on the TV screen - the beatings, fires, and the lot. They exposed how the media and news could edit the facts to push agendas that align with their political or social views.

In addition, the residents of Los Angeles and the rest of the country unknowingly bought into the system and exacerbated the issue.

Voices Unheard is a memorial garden that remembers all people involved and their stories. With a contemporary touch, each element in the garden serves a specific purpose for users to learn, create, share, and reflect. The garden rests in a perpetual cycle of light and darkness, which changes depending on the program as well as the four seasons. The users find “truths”, or untold stories, located in the darkest place in the garden, symbolizing the need to attentively seek what is real.

MAPPING THE EVENTS N

W 1 mi

Koreatown

E

S

(5ft Contours)

92’ LOS ANGELES RIOTS TIMELINE

1991

1992

03.03.91

03.21.91

Beating of Rodney King.

Four officers involved in beating plead not guilty.

04.29.92

04.30.92

Jurors acquit the officers of almost all charges.

Some south LA residents react in anger, burning and looting stores.

Mayor Tom Brad citywide curfew.

National Guard i deployed.

is officially

Affected Buildings

Koreatown Site

Affected Korean-run Businesses

2 mi

dley declares a

REMNANTS OF THE PAST

The riots dramatically affected the state of infrastructure like the city had never seen before. The buildings and more specifically, Korean-run businesses stretched throughout South Central Los Angeles, including Koreatown. The memorial garden challenges the need for more of the same type of buildings seen on every street. Additionally, it provides an open space while making a statement.

1993

05.01.92

05.02.92

Koreatown storeowners arm themselves with firearms to protect themselves against looters.

King makes an emotional plea for peace on national TV.

An estimated 30,000 people march for racial healing in Koreatown.

04.17.93

Two of the LAPD officers involved in the beating receive guilty verdicts for violating King’s civil rights.

MEMORIAL GARDEN ISOMETRIC

MASTERPLAN

LEGEND 1 Tribute 2 Timeline 3 Wall of Stories 4 Walk of Peace

WEST 8TH STREET

5 Parking 6 Exhibition 7 Ramp seating 8 Amphitheater

8%

D

4%

2

1

8

3

SOUTH KENMORE AVENUE

7

A 16%

6

4

9%

C

5

60°

5 12.75’

REFRACTION OF THE TRUTH

2

1 Existing

Refraction

Roughly 40% of the existing land is a vacant lot with room for improvement especially in open space, cleanliness, and public interest.

Similar to the way light rays change direction passing from one medium to another, some “truths” of the riots were reinterpreted by the media to fit their agenda.

B

3

4

SOUTH CATALINA STREET

Submersion

Immersion

Lowering the surface below ground level allows for carving of spaces and walls that contribute to program-making.

The implementation of hardscape materials give the garden’s users places to sit, walk, and reflect. The layout offers multiple ways to experience the garden depending on the route taken.

CIRCULATION SCHEMES

Leisure

Remembrance

Occasion

Voyage

Breather

Participation

JOURNEY FROM LIGHT TO DARK

TIMELINE

TRIBUTE

Memorial Entry

Tribute / Timeline

Wall of Stories

LIGHT METER

Tribute / Timeline

Exhibition

WALL OF STORIES

Memorial Entry

Memorial Entry

LIGHT METER

AMPHITHEATER

EXHIBITION

LIGHT METER

LIGHT METER

Amphitheater

Exhibition / Ramp Sea

ating

SCALE 1/16”=1’-0” Parking

SCALE 1/16”=1’-0” Parking

Olea europaea

Prunus serrulata

Populus balsamifera

Stipa tenuissima

Achillea millefolium

Lavandula angustifolia ‘munstead’

Rosmarinus officinalis

Gaura lindheimeri ‘Siskiyou Pink’

Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’

Concrete

Wood

Concrete

Gravel

Cast Iron

Concrete

Wood

Patinated Bronze

Wood

SCALE 1/16”=1’-0” Parking

Once the user enters the garden from either entrance, they immediately find themselves in a passage of light and darkness.

The lightness or darkness of an area is solely dependent on the amount of natural light it receives; therefore, an exposed ground would be the lightest and a heavily shaded place would be the darkest. While all five programs play a part in the overall sense, the users are encouraged to take a leap of faith and venture into the darkest (or the most uncomfortable) place, where they can find truths in the form of unfiltered personal stories.

NORTHEAST ENTRY

B

RIOTS ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION

C

NORTHWEST ENTRY

D

“Where are the police? Where are the police?”

Chang Lee whispered as he nervously but securely held onto a rifle from the rooftop perch of his store.

There were many just like him - Korean immigrant, store owner, and sadly, an invisible figure to the Los Angeles Police Department. As the looting and burning of stores heavily affected many Korean-run businesses, the owners and employees were left to fend off looters and defend themselves, earning themselves the nickname “Rooftop Koreans”. The lack of police backup was just a part of a bigger social issue at hand. KoreanAmericans during the riots found themselves associated with the term “model minority”, which was pushed by the mainstream media to pit other minority groups such as African-Americans, Latino-Americans, and KoreanAmericans against each other.

During the riots, the walls of the stores symbolized division and misunderstanding amongst minority groups.

The memorial garden reinterprets and uses walls to create spaces for users to come together, share personal experiences, and understand each others’ views.

is no longer about Rodney King. “ This This is about the system against us, the minorities.

- Koreatown resident

”

Midtown

UNITING the Housing Divide CONNECTING Cultural Character LINKING Multi-Modal Transportation SPANNING Holistic Resiliency

Wynwood Norte

Goals lead to concept

Wynwood

Edgewater

02.

THE TRA ERSE Competition: 2020 ULI Hines Student Competition Dates: January 13-26, 2020 Project Location: Miami, Florida Design Team Members: Group Work with Ayla-Louis Mateo, Eileen Skeen Real Estate Team Members: Saba Asghary, William Kwon Instructors: John Day, Amir Hossein Hajrasouliha

The Traverse creates an interconnected and harmonious cultural space that encourages visitors, residents, and commuters to engage with each other joyously, which is our main concept - Bridge Miami Communities. To accomplish this, we incorporated a bridge above the station, connected by circular pedestrian-oriented pathways and frontage activities to give each visitor a singular experience. The emphasized circular form of the project evokes a sense of unity to these different communities; no matter where one originates from, The Traverse is the center of activity and welcomes all.

This project is a true mixed-use development, offering spaces for the surrounding communities as well as artists, entrepreneurs, and tech enthusiasts to showcase their creativity and energize Miami. The bridge, pedestrian streets, and courtyards offer avenues of enterprise. The vibrant demographics of the surrounding communities create a full cultural and social event calendar, from Good Friday to New Year’s. This tapestry of Hispanic, African American, and Caucasian ancestry is not unique to Miami, but the unity of these cultures through development has yet to be explored until this proposal.

This and all other community level aspects connect the cultural character to the overall matrix of the area.

THE FOUR NEIGHBORHOODS Midtown Wynwood Norte

PARCELS MAP

0.5 Mi

0.25 Mi

29th Street 2nd Avenue

Miami Avenue

Wynwood Walls

26th Street

Edgewater Miami Beach

Wynwood

Downtown Miami

Proposed Acquisition

Current

NEIGHBORHOODS DEMOGRAPHICS Edgewater

Wynwood

10%

Midtown 4%

19%

28% 59%

Hispanic

23%

12%

66%

White

69%

African-American

The site is located five miles north of Downtown Miami and is devoid of typical amenities and destinations. The selected development site is highlighted by a rail right of way, dividing the land into different neighborhoods physically and culturally. Environmental resiliency is a crucial tenant of design due to the fact that the site is in risk of harsh flooding.

POTENTIAL FLOOD RISK

6 ft under sea level

8 ft under sea level

10 ft under sea level

THE TRAVERSE | Connecting Adjacent Neighborhoods A

MIAMI CIRCLE CHILDREN’S COURTYARD | Encouraging Community Development B

MASTERPLAN

11

10

1

9

8

7

B

2

3

A

4

6

5

0

30

60

120 ft

LEGEND 1 Food Truck Courtyard 2 Miami Circle Children’s Courtyard 3 Biscayne Lawn Courtyard 4 Wynwood Parking Garage 5 Community Garden Boxes 6 Julia Tuttle Center 7 Drop O Area 8 Connection Bridges 9 The Traverse 10 Paseos 11 Little San Juan Center 12 Tequestra Hotel and Parking Garage 13 Green Roof 14 Magic City Open Plaza 15 Solar Panels 7

12

14 15

13

Extending from the central hub and station are curved paseos lined with retail, extended public activity space, and added bike pathways to link alternative forms of transportation within the area. Frontages extend to the neighborhoods beyond, to encourage people experience the neighborhood as their home.

The project encourages non-motorized and single-use occupancy vehicles, existing transit options, and all-inclusive streets; it is also about enjoying the surroundings and engaging everyone by linking multi-modal transportation.

ADDING TO THE CULTURAL MIX User Experience

“

A Week in Events

I like to enjoy movies in the plaza with my fellow neighbors in the complex.

M

”

“

I take Brightline to work and ride the bus to social events at night.

“

I like to enjoy local, ethnic cuisines and partake in salsa nights at the courtyard.

“

We love playing at the playground after school and then getting smoothies after.

“

Sometimes I attend community meetings in parks that discuss emergency readiness.

T

W

T

Artist Alley Courtyard Movies

”

Local Food Ven

”

Latin Night

”

Morning Bounce Houses

Wine Night Kids Luncheon Non-Profit Organization Events

”

Hotel Convention

SITE PROGRAMS Open Space and Water Collection

Building Use

Circu

Residential Hotel Gathering Space

Parking

Green Space

Retail

THE TRAVERSE SECTION

Residential & Retail Residential

Retail

Courtyard

Drop Off Area

Train Station & The Traverse

CONSTRUCTION DEVELOPMENT

Th

F

Sa

Su

PHASE ONE

ndors & Food Trucks Concerts at the Plaza Art After Dark Salsa Dance Night

Office Retail Hotel Parking

110,975 sf 100,725 sf 159,300 sf 135,405 sf

13 units 57 units 249 units 384 spaces

Office Retail Hotel Parking MR-R Afford-R

142,736 sf 61,305 sf 250,730 sf 68,558 sf 450,130 sf 144,754 sf

16 units 35 units 391 units 228 spaces 319 units 137 units

5k Run

PHASE TWO Seasonal Holiday Events / Parades Small Business Saturday

ulation Routes

Bus

PHASE THREE

Bike Pedestrian Train Car

Retail 71,611 sf MR-R 192,265 sf MR-S 241,784 sf

41 units 136 units 137 units

Hotel Residential

TOTAL

2,130,277 sf

1,530 units 544 parking spaces

Courtyard

Office Retail Hotel Parking MR-R MR-S Afford-R

253,711 sf 233,641 sf 410,029 sf 203,963 sf 642,395 sf 241,784 sf 144,754 sf

29 units 132 units 640 units 544 spaces 455 units 137 units 137 units

MUNICIPAL UTILITIES DISTRICT (MUD) 23

1 Massey Administration

2 Andover Farms

3 Cambridge Falls

4 Teal Run Estate

5 Teal Run Recreational Center

6 Teal Run North

03.

PROFESSIONAL WORK

Role: Landscape Architect Intern Firm: LJA Engineering, Inc. Dates: June 2019 - August 2019

Series of repeated forms, plants, and amenities give neighborhoods a sense of continuity. And at the same time, the design team gradually formulate a certain style of landscape design that is easily recognizable and unique. During the internship, I created initial renders of open spaces and parks including proposed elements for an existing neighborhood.

Beacon Hill Entry Sign Option

HUNTINGTON SECTION 3 During my internship, I worked on the entire construction set but mainly focused on the hardscape and landscape sheets. Curvilinear sidewalks and scattered planting beds provide a sense of motion and interest in this residential neighborhood. The landscape plans were done using Land F/X on AutoCAD.

04.

DUPLEX PLANTING VIGNETTE Focus Studio: Advanced Planting Design Project Location: San Luis Obispo, California Instructor: Kevin Grochau

Say the duplex could feature three different planting palettes depending on its orientation to the sun - how can they all compliment the house well and meet the sun/soil requirements? On faces with more functional elements, such as windows and doors, plants that grew to a certain height were necessary to cut maintenance costs for my landlord. In other cases, containers were placed to vary the height of plants in order to create heirarchy in such tight landscape spaces.

NORTH FACING

FJ

EAST FACING

AN

H

LM

SS

CJ

( FULL SHADE ) ABBR. AN FJ H LM SS

VC

( PART SUN/SHADE )

BOTANICAL NAME Athryium niponicum ‘Pictum’ Fatsia japonica Heuchera ‘Red Lightning’ Lamium maculatum ‘Orchid Frost’ Solenostemon scutellarioides

SIZE 1G 5G 1G 6” 1G

COMMON NAME Japanese painted fern Paperplant Alum Root Dead Nettle Coleus

QTY 3 5 2 11 3

ABBR. AD CJ LN SN VC

BOTANICAL NAME Asparagus densiflorus ‘Myers’ Camellia japonica ‘Kramer’s Supreme’ Lysimachia nummularia Strelitzia nicolai Viola cornuta

BLOOM PERIOD Sp

Sp

Su

Su

F

F

W

W

AN

FJ

H

LM

SS

AD

CJ

LN

WEST FACING

SN

AD

LN

ET

A

P

LE

BT

( FULL SUN ) SIZE 1G 15 G 1G 5G 6”

COMMON NAME Foxtail Fern Kramer’s Supreme Camellia Creeping Jenny Giant Bird of Paradise Horned Violet

N

QTY 4 1 1 1 12

ABBR. A BT ET LE P

BOTANICAL NAME Agave ‘Blue Flame’ Berberis thunbergii ‘Orange Rocket’ Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Sticks on Fire’ Lobelia erinus Phormium ‘Rainbow Maiden’

SIZE 1G 5G 5G 6” 1G

COMMON NAME ‘Blue Flame’ Agave Japanese Barberry Red Pencil Tree Lobelia New Zealand Flax

Sp Su F W

SN

VC

A

BT

ET

LE

P

QTY 3 2 2 5 2

05.

THE PERFECT PAIR Competition: Vellum/CAED Furniture Design Exhibition Exhibition Dates: November 1-2, 2019 Exhibition Location: San Luis Obispo, California Materials: Birch Wood, Concrete, Metal Stakes Team Member: Sasha Shebalin

It all started with a pair of design students, a pair of concrete slabs, and a pair of wooden pieces. The concept of duality, or a “perfect pair�, was put on display from the initial idea-gathering stages to the final exhibition.

A single slab of concrete or a piece of wood cannot perform the task of two. Only when one joins the other can they stand and support each other.

The table is made without the use of adhesives, allowing it to be taken apart and put together for ease of transport.

BEFORE | Anthropocentric Planting Scheme

AFTER | Enriching Species Habitation

06.

POLLINATOR OCCUPANCY EVALUATION: Methods for Ecological Design Research Role: Data Visualization Assistant Dates: September 2019 - February 2020 Location: Alameda, California Team Member: Jeremy Dvorak Instructor: Ellen Burke

With previously collected data regarding pollinator visitations to a designed urban landscape, our team composed original renders and diagrams for publication in the Journal of Landscape Architecture. The research focused on how pollinators react and enrich the landscape based on the layout and choice of plants.

In conclusion, there wasn’t strong enough evidence to make a recommendation for planting design on the analysis; instead, the analysis led to recommendations about how to better design studies like this. Having access to baseline information and documenting a control site are examples of practices that our team found important to the study and encourage for further research.

Bologna, Emilia-Romagna

Mont

Moab, Utah

terosso al Mare, Liguria

07.

PERSONAL PROJECTS Pen: Staedtler Pigment Liners Wash: Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolor

Art Instagram: @wonbiniedraws

A special thanks to: my family, friends, instructors, and team members who supported me throughout the making of this portfolio.