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Design Portfolio

Joseph Lorking Landscape Architect

I acknowledge that I live on and design on Country of the Dharawal People.

I pay my respects to Elders, past present and emerging, as the Traditional Custodians of the land, as Australia’s First People, and acknowledge sovereignty has not been ceded.

Gamaragal

Walumedagal

Gadigal

Wangal

Bediagal

Gameygal

Like a common thread, I have found Landscapes to be one of the most significant aspects of my life. From hiking and mountain-biking, to studying Horticulture and designing and building in the landscape, my love for the outdoors has continued to grow. Being a Father of 3 kids, intertwined with my career in community services, highlights how different people interact with the landscape, and the opportunities for creating the public realm for future generations.

Coming back to study as a mature age student, my varied life and career experiences have influenced my design process, as I began a career in Landscape architecture. Taking on full-time study, while supporting my family, has seen numerous challenges to overcome, including a pandemic, that has developed a strength, resilience, and determination to make a difference in this industry. My hands on experience in construction, maintenance and designing for private clients and employers, helps to keep ideas and concepts grounded in reality and project constraints. I highly value site visits and familiarisation, to fully understand a landscape and the place, coupled with community consultation and engagement, listening and planning for local residents, as a key focus of my career.

I had the privilege to travel and work in Fiji and South Africa, gaining experience in very different cultures and landscapes. However one of the most significant learning experiences is gaining knowledge of indigenous Australians, the history and their connection to Country. As a nonindigenous Australian, I hope to respect and connect with this Land and its People.

I believe some of the biggest challenges of our time and country can be solved and healed with the landscapes we share and live on, and endeavour to be part of the design solutions that will intertwine all our stories.

Joe

Joseph.lorking@gmail.com 0415 273 201

• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written)

• Excellent Community engagement and consultation

• Good Leadership experience

• Excellent Hand Model building skills

• Good Hand-sketching skills

• Good Adobe Suite skills

• Proficient Auto-CAD documentation

• Developing SketchUp 3D modeling

Professional Experience

EMPLOYED EXPERIENCE

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Campbelltown City Council, Campbelltown, NSW May 2023 – Present

Open Space Planning and Design

Landscape Architect

Landscape design projects and programs, and assisting with Development Applications feedback, Plans of Management, graphic design for masterplans and signage. Responsibilities included:

• Design and documentation of playspaces, open spaces, recreational areas, walking and fire-trail upgrades, fencing and vehicle mitigation for reserves, concept and design consultation for childcare and education centres. Includes site analysis, concept creation, detailed design documentation, costing and scheduling of works, and master planning documents.

• Managing Playspace construction working with project managers, managing ongoing design changes and compliance to specifications, including practical completion and defect listings.

• Managing Projects and Programs, includes playspace annual program and budgets, overseeing other design team members, community consultation and engagement with communications teams, liaising and coordinating with experts for Review of Environmental Factors and Aboriginal Due Diligence reports.

• Assessment, feedback and recommendations for Development Applications, including private open spaces, streetscapes and parks for greenfield developments, and complex and sensitive landscapes.

• Mapping and drawing using GIS software, Adobe suites and CAD for signage, Plans of Management documents, planning and communicating LGA provisions of Crown Lands, playspaces, dog parks, etc.

StoneArt Australia, Sydney, NSW April 2019 – May 2023

Concrete surface solutions, polished concrete, and epoxy flooring.

Casual Construction

Landscaping experience utilized to design and construct landscapes around a new residential 5-acre property, Cobbitty NSW, and supporting the business with grinding and finishing concrete surfaces. Responsibilities included:

• Designing and constructing a large fire pit entertainment area and landscaping.

• Building a terraced vegetable garden and chicken coop, together with gardens and landscapes surrounding the house and driveway.

• Managing small commercial jobs with 1-4 staff, liaising with builders and clients for polished concrete and epoxy floors.

Lorking Landscapes, Camden, NSW July 2020 – Jan 2024

Sole Trader – Landscaping and Handyman

Started my business during the pandemic to provide for my family while studying, utilising my practical skills:

• Small landscape/building projects including paving, decks, retaining walls, letterboxes, and plantings. Kitchen, laundry and bathroom cabinetry fit outs.

• Handyman and maintenance work for various clients and NDIS participants, including lawns and gardens, painting, carpentry, and cleaning.

Hillsong City Care, Campbelltown, NSW 2012 – 2019

Not-for-profit organisation, fostering healthy families and safe, inclusive communities.

Campus Manager

Recruited to build volunteer involvement and community connections, to deliver services and programs with various community stake holders and organisations - including Police, schools, chaplains, churches, and other Not-for-profit groups.

• Coordinating regular community events and BBQs in Southwest Sydney suburbs and nursing homes to build connections, rapport, and community.

• Liaising and working with Police and other Not-for-Profits, in the HOPE program, for young students disengaged from school.

• Recruiting, training, and leading hundreds of volunteers in teams for regular weekly programs and services, and annual projects.

• Facilities management of a large commercial building - managing cleaning, security, alarms, maintenance, regular upgrades, and a large-scale facilities renovation.

Able Security, Sydney, NSW 2019 – 2022

Event and venue security

Security Shift Manager

Took on a new security contract and managed a team of security guards.

Various Landscaping, Sydney, NSW 2003 – 2013

Commercial and residential landscaping and horticulture

Landscaper/ Horticulturalist

Worked in various landscaper and landscape maintenance positions for commercial and residential settings

• CPE Landscaping, Dirks Backyard, Razorback Farm Nursery, and Master Fix It.

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

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Masters of Ceremony

Conducting weddings, receptions and funerals for friends and acquaintances

Overseas missions

South Africa, Cape Town, 2010

Landscaping project, community programs and launching a Foundation.

Fiji, Lokia/Suva, 2006

New church building project, youth and community work.

Church leadership

Hillsong Church, Campbelltown, 2002-present

Youth work, pastoral care, operations, and event management.

EDUCATION

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Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (Honours)

University of NSW, 2020-2023

Class 2, Div 2; Weighted Average Mark of 78.63

Faculty Dean’s Merit List 2020 and 2021 for academic excellence.

Bachelor of Horticulture

University of Western Sydney, 2003-2004 (incomplete)

Majored in Landscape design. (Travelled, before working in the horticulture industry, leaving degree incomplete).

Higher School Certificate

William Carey Christian School, 1990-2002

Security Licence NSW 2019-2025

First Aid Certificate

June 2022 (CPR - June 2024)

Project 1: Neighbourhood Playspace

Rosemeadow, NSW

Campbelltown City Council, 2024

Detailed Design and Documentation, Construction Design management, including Practical Completion and defect lists.

The Challenge/Solution

The 2023/24 Campbelltown City Council Playspace Program identified 5 playspaces for renewal upgrades, and included Ophelia Reserve, Rosemeadow. The Neighbourhood level playspace includes:

• New combination Unit, swing set and climbing structure.

• Themed Wet-pour rubber soft-fall

• Concrete path/cycle track with line-marking and connecting footpath

• Custom Shade sail structure

• New park furniture, including park bench and bin enclosure

• New garden beds, with steppers, sandstone logs and tyre climbing elements.

ISSUE FOR CONSTRUCTION:

The concept was established by another team member, after an initial consultation online survey. This concept was taken to the community via on-site sessions and online surveys. After Community Consultations, the feedback was incorporated into the concept plan for the detailed documentation and Issued for Construction. The design was managed right through the construction and delivered to the community in July 2024.

Landscape finishes plan.

Project 2: Smiths Creek Reserve

Leumeah, NSW

Campbelltown City Council, 2023-24

Fire trail and walking trail upgrades, vehicle mitigation and signage

The Challenge/Solution

Upgrade works to Fire trails and walking trails as part of a State government grant “Places to Roam”. This important urban reserve is home to endangered flora and fauna, including the Koala, Gang-Gang Cockatoos and Powerful Owls.

Working with our Natural Areas Team, over 5km of trails were scoped, plans drawn up and specified for fire trails, walking trails, signage, public artworks, way-finding, and Vehicle mitigation measures to block illegal motorbike access to over 50 entry point into the reserve. The project included in-depth community consultations, the engagement of specialists for Aboriginal Due Diligence, where heritage items were located, and a Review of Environmental Factors.

Works have commenced in 2024, and will continue over the next year.

BED: PLACE SANDSTONE LOGS ON

WET SAND AND CEMENT BED, FOR STABILISATION AND ALIGNMENT. REFER TO SPECIFICATION NOTES.

VEHICLE MITIGATION DETAILS : Sandstone Baulk

Project 3: Tree Tales

Georges River, Liverpool

Graduation Project, 2023

How do we let the trees of the Georges River continue to tell their story?

The Challenge/Solution

• Bringing humans into Novel landscapes is important for their value and preservation for the future. Designing for humans not to be the focus, fulfilling our part in the systems and processes and preserving the forgotten landscapes.

• With an estimated 20-40 thousand new residents in the development at Moore Point, creates a need for open space and connection to surrounding areas.

• Much of the riparian site has been zoned as ecological and recreational land.

• Creating an active transport link along the Georges River, linking people back to the novel landscapes, while routing a path along the old rivers southern bank, with a series of pontoons, boardwalks and bridges.

• The new riparian route will draw people back to the river, telling stories of its past, present and future.

• By centering around the existing trees, a framework for ecological restoration and habitat renewal is revealed, building a better future for all species.

• Through the use of video transects, canoing on the River, a physical model and use of tree/ timber materials, story telling was an import part of the project and vision.

River transects and layered elements

Project 4: Re-Creation of Angus

Angus, Sydney

3rd Year, T1&2, 2022

Studio 5 Site Planning: Landscape Systems and Performance

Studio 6 Site Planning: Landscape Performance and Site Design

The Challenge/Solution

The complex nature of the Angus site in Northwest Sydney was increasingly evident, with each layer of landscape and human systems being examined across 2 terms. From the water systems with back-flow flooding from the Hawkesbury River to the degraded creek beds of Eastern Creek, South Creek and Marsden Creek, after hundreds of years of clearing and farming.

The Strategic direction was formed to maintain the rural charm of the suburb of Angus and its surrounding natural landscapes, while providing housing and public recreation facilities to a growing city. This was outworked through 5 key principles of:

1. Introducing low density housing above the 1-100 year flood levels, for a growing Sydney Basin.

2. Providing common recreation space for Humans and their Companions: dog, horse, livestock...

3. Preserving existing ecologically significant vegetation and waterways and connecting ecologies with corridors.

4. Capitalising on the Rural setting and prospect, including the Cumberland Plain landscape character.

5. Creating a cool and connected suburb, with an Urban tree canopy, to battle Urban Heat Island.

Wetlands conservation 2. Rural grazing land 3. Riparian corridors conservation

Sporting facilities 5. Dog park and community garden 6. Equestrian facilities and walking trails

Mountain bike park and pump track

Town Centre

density

Project 5: Cykling Stat

“The Freedom Machine”

Copenhagen, Denmark

2nd Year, T2, 2021

The Challenge

Creating a pedestrian and cycling bridge in Denmark, Copenhagen, required research to understand the culture and people. The vision was created to Celebrate the freedom of Cycling, as a sport to be embraced.

Utilising principles of:

• Celebrating Cycling History and Sport - Creating program and opportunity for technical riding

• Interacting with the harbour - Lowering people to the waters edge, and celebrating views

• Promoting Green space - Planting sections of the bridge with trees, green roofs of other structures

• Encouraging “Hygge” - Through smaller intimate spaces for friends and family.

• This project was developed in AutoCAD and Sketchup, and includes detailed plans and specs for custom landscape elements.

SECTION OF AMPHITHEATRE AND ISLAND

3D PERSPECTIVES FROM

SKETCHUP

The Solution

Project 6: Healing and Play

Cockatoo Island, Sydney

1st Year, T3, 2020

The Challenge/Solution

To create a playground and garden in the Industrial era Coal Bunker of the Northern Apron on Cockatoo Island. The Concept found design cues from the Island, with Natural and Convict era elements added from the upper Island. Analysis of the Island found the lack in a children’s play program, and a hard/harsh, uninhabitable environment at the Coal Bunker Point. The location was key, surrounded on 4 sides by water, with its natural movement and life, and creating a level ground plane. Planting and a children-focused program was utilised to heal and bring the ‘Place’ back to life. Hand made modelling helped to refine elements and convey design.

AXONOMETRIC DRAWING

Project 7: Avoiding Catastrophe

RBGSYD,

2nd Year, T1, 2021

Sydney

The Challenge/Solution

Creating a Landscupture in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney to highlight a modern challenge of climate change. Highlighting the tragedy of the Black Summer bushfires in NSW, 2019 the vision was set: The Significance and Threat of Fire

Prevention of dangerous catastrophic fires, is not just a climatic chance, but a human intervention issue. Using the danger rating symbology the path and bridge takes people on a journey of discovery and fire in the landscape. Sketch models were used to frame and structure the concepts.