Landscape Architecture Portfolio | Kayla McCartney | UGA BLA

Portfolio

Kayla McCartney Landscape Architecture

Introduction

Hello! My name is Kayla McCartney. I am a landscape architecture student who is graduating May 2024 fron the University of Georgia. Over the course of my education, I have been instilled with a sense of passion for resiliency and sustainability as well as an appreciation for the role landscape architects have in implementing these concepts in a landscape.

I believe in design as problem-solving. Thus, I approach landscape architecture as a means of improving well-being by solving environmental, social, physical, and psychological problems. My desire moving forward from theory to practice is to strive for positive change in all my work through the power of design.

kmccartney24la@gmail.com 912-318-8441

Landscape Architect Intern

May 2023 - Jul 2023

landdesign, Charlotte, nC

During this internship, I worked on a large variety of projects at almost every stage from design concept to construction documents. This experience enhanced my knowledge of professional process and workflow. I was able to strengthen my technical skills such as grading and modelling and improve my softer skills such as teamwork and communication.

aug 2020 - May 2024

university of georgia, athens, ga Bachelors of Landscape Architecture

Work Experience Education Skills

• Adobe Illustrator

• Adobe Indesign

• Adobe Photoshop

• ArcGIS

• AutoCad

• LandFX

• LookerStudio

• Lumion

• MS Office

• Procreate

• Sketchup Software

• Hand sketching

• Site analysis

• Technical drawing

• Teamwork

• Communication General

Santa Margherita

1 Alumni Plaza

fall 2023

university of georgia, athens, ga

The goal of this project was to design a plaza containing University of Georgia, College of Design alumni plaques to honor those graduating and giving back.

The grading of the site was key because it was designed to be wheelchair accessible at almost all access points, in opposition to its ADA noncompliant existing conditions.

final rendered site design

aerial photo of existing conditions

Site Design

Because this site was so steep, long curved walkways were required to allow for ADA access. My site design was heavily influenced and inspired by this constraint.

The curved walkways created two spaces.

proposed grading

Planting and Material Development Plans

In the planting plan, I prioritized native plants that engaged the senses, including the sense of time.

For the material plan, I focused on simplicity and character. I drew much material inspiration from the surrounding landscapes around the university campus.

Construction Details of Site Elements

rendered alumni plaza

Renderings in Sketchup and Lumion

model overhead perspective from east side of site

model perspective of alumni plaza

model perspective of curving walkway

perspective of the pedestrian space by the western entrance of the site

perspective of the alumni plaza from the lower intersection perspective of the lowest pedestrian space from the stairs

perspective of the lowest pedestrian space from the building ramp

2 Basilica di Santa Margherita

The Basilica di Santa Margherita is an active church in Cortona, Italy. It is used as a drop-off point and a meeting place for large groups and festivals. The basilica is a grandiose piece of architecture; however, the area surrounding it does not reflect its formality or importance.

The goal of this design was to formalize the area in front of the church to emphasize the importance of the building by reflecting its geometry.

suMMer 2022

university of georgia

Cortona, italy

watercolor perspective of existing conditions

analysis of existing conditions Site

PLANE

- parking lot

- simple pocked and patched asphalt paving

- asphalt changes to gravel in areas with trees

- no pedestrian specified areas sans a few benches here and there

- rainwater drains off slope from the fort to the parking area where the slope goes in one direc�on towards the gates and another direc�on towards the terraces

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

- be�er transi�on between parking and plan�ng

- be�er transi�on between parking and pedestrian

- more efficient usage of center area LANDMARKS AND ADJACENT SITES Basilica di Santa Margherita - holds services and mass

- a�racts both tourists and locals - important historical monument ON SITE Fortezza del Girifalco:

GROUND PLANE - parking lot - simple pocked - asphalt changes trees - no pedestrian benches here - rainwater the parking one direc�on another direc�on ROOM FOR - be�er transi�on plan�ng - be�er transi�on pedestrian - more efficient

Basilica di Santa - holds services - a�racts both - important Fortezza del - historical - a�racts tourists Southwest - populated - redesign by - recrea�onal

CURRENT USAGE - southwest parking; some unpopular - central plaza group dropoffs - northwest in mornings - steps of basilica especially with - corner steps when shaded

Based on my analysis of existing conditions, I created a bubble diagram that developed into the final design, as seen on the right.

analysis of final design

bubble diagram

watercolor sketch of existing site

watercolor sketch of existing site overlook

Final Design Details

After analyzing the site, I wanted to base the overall design on the basilica’s geometry and formality.

The main geometry pulled from the basilica was its round glass window. This window’s form is used in a planting arrangement in front of the basilica.

watercolor perspective of planting

plant palette new

and statue of Santa Margherita

watercolor perspective of site from trees

3 Brightpaths

This community design project was to design a site improvement plan for the client, Brightpaths. Brightpaths is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing child abuse through parenting classes, prenatal visits, and providing free resources such as diapers and wipes.

The site design is intended to address physical issues around the site such as:

fall 2023

university of georgia athens, ga

• improving the deck on the Parent Resource Building

• dilineating an area for a future playground

My primary role in this group project was to design the improved deck for the Parent Resource Building from materials to planting plan.

• generating an inviting and child-friendly environment through planting design illustrated plan view

Proposed Site Design

Planting Plan and Schedule

planting plan

The planting plan was designed with safety and sensory experience in mind to create a calming and interactive environment for both parents and children with an emphasis on mosquito-repelling plants.

BRIGHTPATHS PLANTING PLAN AND SCHEDULE

4 Georgia Square Mall

GA Square Mall is a shopping mall in Athens, GA that has seen a large decrease in traffic in recent years. It is currently undergoing planning to transform it into a space that can better address the city’s changing needs.

For this project, we designed a future-use plan for this site that met certain parameters such as required square footage of greenspace, parking, residential, and commercial.

My role in this team was primarily grading, building the model in Sketchup, drafting the parking layouts and final plan in AutoCAD, and assisting with rendering.

enlarged area of plan

rendered master plan

Site Analysis and Design

Inspired by the existing topography of this site, my team chose to design a multi-levelled location that took advantage of these existing conditions.

In the proposed topography, the blue contours represent the lower level of the site, the red contours represent the upper level of the site, and the purple contours represent the retention pond.

In the site plan layout, the red buildings are mixed use and commercial, the orange buildings are residential, and the dashed lines indicate parking garages.

EXISTING CONDITIONS

Stormwater flows to back forested area

Existingparking lot trees areinbadshape

Parking lots are vast

Considerable amount of adjacent residential

Siteisright offthe highwayexit

initial site analysis

Site Plan Finalization

view from north of site

site plan final calculations

final cad site plan

perspective from northwest of site

perspective from northeast of site

Model and Rendering

view of central greenspace

view from south of site

Other Projects

Looker Studio Project

In Fall 2023, I worked for the Office of Sustainability at the University of Georgia.

As part of a departmental goal to plant more native plants on campus in place of foreign ornamentals, I learned Looker Studio and designed this interactive and filterable plant list, making it easy to find a substitute for non-natives and simplifying the process of designing new plant compositions.

I am familiar with creating maps in ArcGIS Pro, both 2D and 3D maps. With these maps, I have created Instant Apps that allow for easy navigation of map information.

In addition to making maps for studio projects, I also have extensive experience in ArcGIS making storymaps.

household income vs population map of athens, ga

3d map of uga campus