Lio Averill 2023 Portfolio

Lio Averill portfolio of landscape architecture

From working in my parents garden, to helping design and build a tiered fountain addition to a patio, to a childhood obsession with urban design by way of LEGO, the philosophies of design and the realities of building have made me who I am. I am a student of Landscape Architecture, focusing on the intersection of aesthetic, functionality, and most importantly, the resulting impact of a design as it continues to live into the future.

I never miss a chance to learn and grow. I take inspiration from everywhere when I create a design.

Lio Averill

for Your Design

Places: Imagining the West End Green Corridor in Boston

Instructors: Carolina

Your Name(s)

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WEST END BOSTON: CROSSING WATERS

Diagram the area of zoomed-in site design(s)

MAKING A CONNECTION

A project for the West End neighborhood of Boston, MA. In collaboration with the West End Civic Association and UMASS’s Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning department, we set out to design a green corridor to connect Nashua Street Park with the Rose Kennedy Greenway through the streets of Boston. This included site visits, research, and meetings with local residents to sketch out ideas of what they wanted to see in a development.

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Working in groups, we developed a document of the findings of our site analysis. In addition to rendering some maps, I designed the logo for the project. Finally, we developed and rendered our own designs for sections or aspects of the greenway, presenting to the public in Boston.

Photography by Katherine Cholakis-Kolysko

BUILDING A BRIDGE

The core ideal of the West End Greenway is “Connection.” Throughout the streets of the site there are many instances of disconnections and barriers that restrict movement. One of the biggest challenges of this site is at it’s end; The I-93. A combination of wide roads and poor signage results in a challenging crossing from one section of Boston to another. ---

CROSSING WATERS

Crossing Waters serves as a capstone to the West End Green Corridor, connecting the West End, North End, Haymarket Station, Bullfinch Crossing, and the Rose Kennedy Greenway. A skypark in line with the original plan of the Big Dig, it creates a unique ecological moment in the center of Boston, all while serving many important functions.

Preliminary sketches

CROSSING WATERS

CROSSING WATERS

The Shawmut Peninsula

Crossing Waters is designed in homage to the native landscape of Boston, the Shawmut Peninsula. Formed by glacial erosion anvd moraine deposited, the peninsula was a thickly forested and hilly ecosystem. Ringed by salt marshes, the peninsula had an important and diverse ecology. Its name being derived from the Algonquian word “Mashauwomuk,” the land that is now Boston carries centuries of history. While it’s name could be translated many ways, it refers mainly to its springs and fresh water, as well as “a place to ferry across”.

The design also pays tribute to the ecosystems that surrounded the peninsula, filled in by land reclamation efforts. While entire neighborhoods of land were created over top of salt marshes and tidal flats, here plant life is added over top of an urban freeway.

Meadow Forest

Salt Marsh

Coastal

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1.

3.

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WEST END GREENWAY

1. I-93 Tunnel Entrance

2. View Framed by Plantings

3. North End Bus Stop

5. Accessible Gravel Path

4. Stone Step Cut-Through

6. Nighttime Illumination

CROSSING WATERS

Material

Precedents

Equal care has been given to the material palette. Rather than pavement or brick, a winding path of compacted gravel lends for a specific type of relaxed movement. Meanwhile, field stone walls and wood fences create structure while maintaining the naturalistic aesthetic. The signature look of the structure’s underside is owed to the use of Stabilized Aluminum Foam (SAF); Lightweight recycled aluminum panels with sponge-like bubbles that create a stunning visual appearance, as well naturally absorbing sound. In addition, the geometric form of the support structure is designed to

Coastal

Stabilized Aluminum Foam

Field Stone Wall

Wood Fence

Gravel Path

AWalk Through the Woods

The plant palette used is comprised entirely of native species. Meant to resemble what the ecosystem of the land might have been, all four seasons of New England are celebrated. From wild asters and blooming fruit trees in the spring, to recreational spaces for summer fun, to the enchanting colors of autumn leaves, to bearberry and dogwood bringing color to the winter. While resembling a naturalistic New England forest, special care has been taken as to what is planted where. The form and color of plants are used to create spaces, direct the eye, and create views along the path.

WEST END GREENWAY

Pachysandra

Red Maple R. Twig Dogwood

Grey Birch

Forest

Saltgrass

Swamp Milkweed

Bulrush

N. England Aster

Salt Marsh

Beach Plum

Sea Lavender

Shadbush

American Beachgrass

Coastal

Stonecrop Switchgrass

Sedge Bluestem

Meadow

STOCKBRIDGE ROAD REDESIGN

STOCKBRIDGE RD UNIVERSITY

A rare opportunity, this project focused on a compact section of the UMASS campus mainly comprised of parking, and asked for a new outdoor communal space. Having the site within arms reach at all times proved to make for a very successful design.

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My approach centered around turning what was an empty feeling open space, and creating multiple rooms of varied use. This consisted of a winding, densely planted garden, a seating amphitheater, lawn, and sculpture garden inspired by my time at PRATT Institute.

Enclosed garden area, complete bench swings and communal fire pits.

Existing bioswale extended and integrated into the new design.

Patio piers spaced with rain gardens, including red maples and ornamental grasses.

Sculpture garden with pedestals that allow for a rotating display of student work.

STOCKBRIDGE RD

HICKORY RIDGE RESIDENTIAL

This project focused on the Hickory Ridge Golf Course in Amherst, a 150 acre greenway recently purchased by the city of Amherst for development. A central principal of this project was designing a site along side both the needs of the theoretical client, and the zoning bylaws at different levels of government.

HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

HICKORY RIDGE

Parcel Map

Hickory Ridge Residential was designed to maximize the what usable land there is on the property. Neighborhood clusters concentrate the development to three small areas.

Ecological Restoration

Seasonal Flood Zone

Solar Field Parcels

Cluster Housing Parcels

Pedestrian/Bike Circula-

Vehicular Circulation

Ecological restoration zone:

To repair the riparian corridor, floodplain resilient trees will be planted, such as:

- Green ash

- American elm

- Silver maple

ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION

Regular Water Level

There will be minimal new development outside of the neighborhood areas, exclusively existing paths and necessary roadways.

Seasonal Flood Water Level

HICKORY RIDGE

Parking is centralized and visually minimal

Road left unfinished to connect to future developments

Painted and protected bike lane to facilitate non-vehicular travel

Bike path connects to Mill Valley Rd. and later the Norwottuck Rail

Solar farm to provide power along with roof

NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING

Regular right turns force cars and bikes to intersect at a dangerous angle

With curb-protected bike lane, cars and bikes intersect at a safe angle

78 STRAWBERRY HILL ST.

Geometric & Biomorphic

Geometric & Biomorphic

This composition forms a yard with both

The central thesis of the design is “Geometric & Biomorphic”. Around this, the entire site was oriented; Movement throughout the site, plants and materials used, site grading and slope.

free flowing movement, pockets of intimate space, and a connection with both the house itself, and the natural world that surrounds it.

The central thesis of this design is “Geometric & Biomorphic”. Around this, the entire site was oriented; Movement throughout the site, plants and materials used, site grading and slope.

The central thesis of the design is “Geometric & Biomorphic”. Around this, the entire site was oriented; Movement throughout the site, plants and materials used, site grading and slope.

A design to unite an entire site through various qualities. Each section of the property is designed with it’s own character, signified through geometry, color, material, and plantings.

This composition forms a yard with both free flowing movement, pockets of intimate space, and a connection with both the house itself, and the natural world that surrounds it.

This composition forms a yard with both free flowing movement, pockets of intimate space, and a connection with both the house itself, and the natural world that surrounds it.

Geometric

DESIGN

Geometric

is designed with it’s own character, signified through geometry, color, material, and plantings.

Both the central patio and the pool house where designed around philosophy of modern landscape architecture. This, juxtaposed with the more unique elements of the site as a whole creates a sense of ‘home’ centered in the property.

The centerpiece of the terraced area is the 25’ x 15’ infinity pool. The pool being as such takes full advantage of the site’s verticality, and presents a beautiful view of the rest of the property.

Both the central patio and the pool house where designed philosophy of modern landscape architecture. This, the more unique elements of the site as a whole creates ‘home’ centered in the property.

The centerpiece of the terraced area is the 25’ x 15’ The pool being as such takes full advantage of the and presents a beautiful view of the rest of the property.

Fieldstone walls contrast bluestone terraces, reinforcing the central design thesis

In contrast to the bluestone walls that form the pool terraces, the shade garden is defined by more naturalistic fieldstone walls. These also serve to tie the garden in with the pre-existing stone walls adjacent to the property.

Circular stone gate as sculptural element for the shade garden entrance

The shade garden’s entrance is a circular stone gate that meets the fieldstone walls. The stone circle was chosen to subtly evoke the Celtic mythology of faerie circles, as a quasi-mystical sculptural element.

Greenhouse set deep in the garden evoking the image of a house lost in nature

The greenhouse set deep in the garden is built to conjure an image of a house lost in nature. The concept was based off of the Japa- nese "Mayoiga" v (迷い家) or "lost house", a folk story regarding a seemingly abandoned house lost in nature that is non the less beautifully well kept.

Geometric

Modernist architectural styles contrasting naturalistic landscaping

Modernist architectural styles contrasting naturalistic landscaping

Infinity pool centerpiece, with a view of the rest of the property

Terraced gardens give verticality to the site

The The terraced gardens and geometric structure was designed to be reminiscent of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The visual ap- petence of layered plantings gives a sense of verticality to the area.

Both the central patio and the pool house where designed around philosophy of modern landscape architecture. This, juxtaposed with the more unique elements of the site as a whole creates a sense of ‘home’ centered in the property.

The centerpiece of the terraced area is the 25’ x 15’ infinity pool. The pool being as such takes full advantage of the site’s verticality, and presents a beautiful view of the rest of the property.

SITE MODEL

One of the first projects I did while at UMASS, and what led into me doing digital site models. The aesthetic of organic versus geometric, coupled with the specific colors and textures, was something I felt I could express with a foam core model. The areas of color highlight the key features of the design, and how they play off of each other.

Lio Averill