P O O J I T H A RAMALINGACHAR architecture and landscape architecture portfolio
CONTENTS POOJITHA RAMALINGACHAR poojitha.23@gmail.com
C o n t e n t c r e a t e d i n p u r s u i t o f M a s t e r o f l a n d s c a p e a r c h i t e c t u r e d e g r e e i n C h a t h a m u n i ve r s i t y 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 5 p g 1 - 1 0 , 1 5 - 2 4 a n d 2 9 - 3 2 . C o n t e n t c r e a t e d w h i l e wo r k i n g f o r R s p D e s i g n c o n s u l t a n t s ( I n d i a ) P v t l t d P g 1 1 - 1 4 . C o n t e n t c r e a t e d w h i l e wo r k i n g f o r O r i g i n 4 D e s i g n L L C P g 2 5 - 2 8 .
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CARROLLTOWN 1-8 masterplanning studio
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STREAMFLOW 9-10 gis research
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KALYANI VISTA commercial office
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ST. CLAIR 15-20 urban design studio
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ENCLOSURE 21-24 planting design studio
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PRIVATE RESIDENCE internship
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ABOVE I OVER I THROUGH construction 1
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SI TE OP P O R TUN I T I E S
Carrolltown, a borough within Cambria County, Pennsylvania is a small town originally founded and developed in relationship with Saint Benedict Church. The existing well located church still stands as a focal point with much of the social and public spaces scattered around it. Such spaces and key infrastructure include; an elementary school, a public library, bank, American Legion, Post office, Fire Station and Police Department. Today, the residential community lines US State route 219. The highway and associated traffic raises concerns regarding pedestrian safety. However, the historic grid pattern remains strong and tight knit which fosters walking throughout the town.
CARROLLTOWN master planning studio SI TE CO NSTRAI NTS One constraint to the town’s walkability is the topographic change associated with the northern and southern edges of the town. The dramatic change of elevation also isolates the two primary open spaces within the town; (the fair grounds and the cemetery). Further analysis of the town also revealed a dynamic development pattern and interactions between the existing socio-ecological systems. As the human systems have continued to develop over time, the residential grid has divided and fragmented the surrounding ecological communities and reduced ecological diversity within the town. The residential community continued to expand until the population began to decline in the 1960’s. The continuing population decline of the region now provides us an opportunity to reconnect the fragmented systems and increase the ecological diversity within the town as well as at the surrounding context.
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A LTERN ATE US -2 19
This design seeks to re-conceptualize the socio-ecological systems of the town and proposes a greenway along US 219. The proposed greenway connects the woods in the southwest and north east as well as the Fair grounds and St. Benedict’s Cemetery. This proposed greenway system will form a new dynamic corridor with improved streetscapes. This improved dynamics will make the town more resilient and create a new identity for the town. The remaining parts of US 219 will have improved gateways and the tree canopy will provide a distinct “sense of place” to the drivers entering the town. The northern part of Carrolltown extending from Mill Street to the triangle at Sunset Road has been chosen as a focus area for this project. Alternate US-219 between Carrolltown and Mahaffey has been a part of the 12-year transportation program by PennDOT. The proposed improvements to convert PA 36 into an alternate for 219 makes current triangle at Sunset Road a potential Northern gateway. In contrast, the Mill St intersection is an ideal pedestrian node that has the potential to connect the residential areas and school to the park and Northern Carrolltown. The proposed streetscape improvements for the Mill Street intersection would create a potential safe crossing zone for the residents.
1 Gateway improvements. 2 Green street connecting the divided ecological systems. 3 Safer intersection for safer crossing from residential areas on the highway. 4 Improved connectivity to the existing open spaces with pedestrian friendly streetscapes.
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VI SI O N PLAN
1 Roundabout as an identity and traffic calming measure. 2 Narrow lanes with street parking to reduce speed. 3 Narrow lanes with median and improved tree canopies. 4 Improved intersection for safer pedestrian crossing from residential streets. 5 Pedestrian focused streets with low curbs and street parking.
DI STRI C T PLAN 4
SE CT ION c c
1 Residential streets. 2 Greenstreet. 3 New street trees. 4 Storm water planters. 5 Street parking to reduce traffic speed. 6 Sand set pavers and curbcut with ornamental trench grate to collect storm water run off. 7 Median with new trees.
SE CT ION d d 5
1 10’ wide truck apron 80’ dia central island 2 2.5’ tall built with concrete blocks without mortar and foundation for safety. Embedded town name creating an identity 3 Island landscape with 1’ to 2’ tall flowering shrubs and grasses for visual interest 4 Median and buffering landscape with 1’ to 2’ tall flowering shrubs and grasses for visual interest. 5 5’ wide sidewalks with 5’ landscape buffer 6 15’ wide circular roadway 7 3’ tall retaining walls built with concrete blocks 8 Overstorey tree canopies provide shade and adds visual interest
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With the goal to make Carrolltown a safer and desirable place, these two intersections are proposed to have improved tree canopies, streetscapes and a roundabout at the northern gateway for both traffic calming and an identity for the town. The electronic pdf version of the US Route 219 Corridor Plan is available on Cambria county planning commission website at the following link: https://cambriaplanning. files.wordpress. com/2015/02/us-route219-corridor-plancarrolltown-version.pdf
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P H YS I C AL M O DEL N OR T H ERN G ATEWAY
ALTERNATI VES CO NS IDE RE D
I L LU S T R ATI VE PERSPECTI VE O F NO RTHERN G AT E WAY 8
S T R E A M F L O W gis research
PITTSBURGH METROPOLITAN AREA WITHIN MID-ATLANTIC AREA
Increased urbanization due to population growth, increased impervious surfaces, loss of vegetation and increased surface run off has its impacts on streamflow. These impacts include increased peak streamflow, increased water temperatures and increased contaminant levels. The objective of this project was to study the streamflow trend in in Pittsburgh metropolitan area, the largest population center in Ohio river valley and Appalachia. The data collected from US Census, NHD Plus and USGS’s NWIS were compiled together to show the stream gages, water bodies, mean annual flow and sub-basins of metropolitan area and then the graphs for Annual peak stream flow were generated for the gages within Allegheny county between the years 1995 to 2010. An observation at Muddy Creek, located 1000ft downstream of Lake Arthur (Moraine State Park) was made. Gage reveals an increasing measure of peak stream flow starting in the 1990’s after Lake Arthur was formed. This study concludes that urbanization has major effects on water resources and understanding the effects and magnitudes can aid in mitigation efforts.
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ALLEGHENY COUNTY STREAMFLOW
DATA COMPILATION
OBSERVATION AT MUDDY CREEK
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BASEMENT 3
K A L Y A N I V I S T A
commercial office
BASEMENT 2
BASEMENT 1
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Kalyani Vista is located in JP Nagar, 100 Feet Ring Road, Bangalore with a land parcel of 2.56 acres. The development is in the vicinity of some of the IT / ITES buildings/ residential layout and is also close to Indian Institute of Management located on Bannerghatta road, Bangalore. Kalyani Vista is built-to-suit for VMware with a built up area of 4,50,000 sq.ft . It is a high rise structure with 11 floors and 3 basements. The ground and first floor of the building are allotted for car park and the office space starts from 2nd floor onwards. The project is designed to meet stringent environmental requirements as specified in LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) Core & Shell (CS) rating system v 1.0 developed by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). My responsibilities included design development, preparation of conceptual drawings and sanction drawings. For more project details: http://www. kalyanigroup.in/kalyani-vista1
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ELEVATION
ILLU S TR ATIVE MOD E L
RSP Design Consultants (India) pvt ltd
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SITE PLAN
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SECTION AA 13
GROUND FLOOR
FIRST FLOOR
TYPICAL 2ND-10TH FLOOR
11TH FLOOR
TERRACE FLOOR
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AERIAL VIEW OF PROPOSED VILLAGE SQUARE
S T. C L A I R
urban design studio
CONTEXTUAL MAP
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Located within the city of Pittsburgh, St.Clair is a neighborhood in the southern part of Hilltop East with a close proximity to the downtown. It is surrounded by the neighborhoods Mt.Oliver, Carrick, and Arlington. The main transportion corridors are Beck’s Run Road on the south connecting St.Clair to the East Carson Road and Business District in Southside slopes, Wagner St connecting to the Mount Oliver Borough and Mt.Oliver, and Mountain Avenue connecting the site to the northern neighborhoods and business districts. St. Clair has been part of Pittsburgh since 1923. St. Clair Village public housing was built in 1950, demolished in 2010. Lost 50% of its population since 1950. It is a strict residential neighborhood (one LNC-coded space). The site currently has access only on western side making the site isolated and disconnected to the surroundings. The Park Run Road on the eastern side is blocked off and there is no access from south on Beck Runs Road due to the steep topography of the site. The main circulation is currently limited to the central part of the site due to the roads to the HUD zone has been blocked off. The PAT bus routes is also limited to the central core with 44 Knoxville bus. Commuting Mode is 55% through public transportation and 30.8% by Car. (PghSnap).
The walkability score is only 28/100 and there are no bike routes in the site. There are currently 209 residents in the site. The site currently has no access to the park within HUD zone and the nearest parks and recreation are the Philip Murray playground in Mt.Oliver and Eleanor St Parklet in Arlington. The residents currently enjoy the isolation and quiet nature of the site and prefer the development in the site to be as much passive as possible to maintain the quiet character of the site.
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PROGRAM
The yellow zone shows the proposed residential development and the green zone shows the proposed open spaces with agricultural farms, livestock, composting area, solar farms, sites for alternate energy, and wind farms. A central open space acts as a transition between the two zones with the existing Lighthouse church and its parking area as an anchr point. This space will be developed into an open social space like an open plaza and can be a place for events, gatherings, leisure space for residents or an interactive space for visitors. The plaza is proposed to be surrounded by shops, restaurants and retail on the west side, park and recreation with parking on the north, open spaces on the east and job and eduaction center on the south. The plaza will have cafeterias, movable furnitures with shade, bike racks and demonstration gardens for the proposed education and training center.
HYDROLOGY
A retention ond is proposed at the low point on the southern point of the open spaces to collect water run off from park and recreation, parking area and plaza. The water will be filtered through the wetlands before it reaches the pond to be stored and reused for the irrigation through canals running along the farms.
CIRCULATION
Proposed circulation roads will connect some of the existing roads and the streets around the open plaza will be extended for broader side walks and bus shelters. The Park run road which is blocked is proposed to be reconnected and a new road to Arlington will provide new access points to the site on west side reconnect the neighborhod to its surroundings. Nearly 60% of the site will be interconnected with pedestrian pathways and trails thrught the woodlands which can be a leisure walk for the residents as well as a self guided tour for the visitors.
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ANALYSIS MAPS
1 Playground/recreation. 2 Village square. 3 Church. 4 Education center. 5 Demo/interactive farms. 6 Interactive spaces. 7 Retention pond. 8 Livestock & Composting. 9 Community run farms. 10 Commercial farms. 11 Trails.
SITE PLAN
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1 SHOPS/RESTAURANTS 2 DEMONSTRATION GARDENS 3 LIGHTHOUSE CHURCH 4 EDUCATION CENTER 5 PLAZA 6 RETENTION POND
VILLAGE SQUARE PLAN
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ILLUSTRATIVE PERSPECTIVE OF PLAZA
AERIAL VIEW DEMONSTRATION GARDENS
1 Playground/recreation. 2 Village square. 3 Church. 4 Education center. 5 Demo/interactive farms. 6 Interactive spaces. 7 Retention pond. 8 Livestock & Composting. 9 Community run farms. 10 Commercial farms. 11 Trails.
PHASE I
PHASE II
PHASE III
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SITE PLAN
E N C L O S U R E
planting design studio
AERIAL IMAGE
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The site is a residence located in Chesterfield, New Jersey. The main goal of this project is to design an enclosed, low-maintenance, private garden for the residents witha few different uses. The main needs of the client were to have an entertaining space with low maintenance work, have a good privacy from the neighboring houses and the alley and a small vegetable patch. The site has an existing deck used for entertaining, a lawn space that was only for the visual purpose and some evergreen shrubs as fence. The front of the building also has two deciduous trees, an ornamental tree and evergreen shrubs and ground cover. The proposed program elements includes a patio extending from the house with an outdoor living , a fire pit and seating, an entry pathway from the front yard, a vegetable bed, an open space with plant beds around to create privacy, a wooden fence (part 4’ and part 6’ tall) a small deck with two seating, a water body. The existing deck has been modified to increase the entertaining space with additional seating and a fire pit. This also helps to make the garden more geometric and bring in a contemporary style in the garden as per client’s interest. The lawn is replaced by a ground cover to cut down the maintenance for the residents. Some of the evergreen shrubs used as fence have been relocated and distributed within the site to break the monotony and have a good diversity throughout the site. A pedestrian pathway has been added which connects the front to the backyard through the existing gate. Some more ornamental grasses and ground covers been added in the front yard to improve the visual quality and to match it to the backyard.
An entry path from the front yard leads to a gate followed by linear patterned steeping stones with a vegetable garden on the north and raised container bed of herbs on the south of the path. This use of herbs, vegetables and aromatic plants creates an interactive, experiential quality to the pathway as a space by itself. The path further opens up to an open space with Ajuga reptans as ground cover surrounded by planting beds on the three sides. The open space is defined by the planting beds and a small deck and a water body on the North east corner. The north east corner is provided with a 6’ tall wooden fence as a backdrop for the planting bed and to create privacy. A lot of focus on the composition has been towards the north east corner of the garden since that is the view the users get from the patio. Two medium sized trees are placed with an intention to create a frame to the view of the garden from the deck. The trees also provide an enclosure to the deck in the north east garden. With the water body, harmoniously textured plants and good buffering from the surroundings this deck space has a relaxing ambience. The patio has a roofed outdoor living and an open fire pit with raised container bed of herbs which defines this space, forms an additional enclosure to the patio and the container also acts as back rest to the seating.
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SECTION 2-2
SECTION 1-1
PLANTING SCHEDULE Qty 16 10 12 29 2 13 11 41 200 100 25 55 65 6 15
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Sym A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O
Botanical name Relocated evergreen shrub Taxus baccata Hydrangea quercifolia Cornus sericia ‘Cardinal” Cornus florida Miscanthus sinensis Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’ Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’ Ajuga reptans Thymus vulgaris Heuchera micrantha ‘Palace purple’ Hosta cvs. Cerastrium tomentosum Allium schoenoprasum Nepeta x faassenii
Common name NA Yew Oakleaf hydrangea Red twig dogwood Flowering dogwood Maiden grass Maiden grass Dwarf fountain grass Bugleweed Common thyme Coral bells Hosta Snow-in-summer Chives Catmint
Size 1-3/4” #2 #2 #2 1-3/4” #2 #2 #2 2 pots 2 pots #2 #2 #2 #2 #2
Spacing As shown As shown As shown As shown As shown As shown As shown As shown 6” 6” As shown As shown As shown As shown As shown
The plants have been carefully chosen to create a harmonious color scheme with lot of whites, pinks and purples and some gray foliage to contrast. The vegetable garden includes tomatoes, squash, eggplant, okra and more based on client’s choice. The herbs are mostly gray foliage with purple and white flowers. The shade plants under the roof of patio and under the trees are a mix of coarse textured shrubs against fine textured ground cover. The trees chosen are small deciduous, one’s that relate to the size of the house and maintain a visual interest throughout the year. The planting beds is a mix of fine textured evergreens, lots of grasses (tall, medium and short) and a few hydrangeas to bring in contrasting coarse texture. A few Red dogwoods for medium texture and for it’s red twigs that adds color to the space during the winter. The Bugleweed as ground cover for the front yard and the open space in the backyard is easy to maintain and spreads easily.
ENLARGED PLAN OF THE OPEN AREA
PLANTING PLAN
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PATIO/ HOUSE EXTENSION
This project focused on the design of a garden for a private residence in Pittsburgh. The proposed garden is located between the existing house and the recreational building that was proposed to be built in a year. The site stood on a high elevation providing an excellent viewpoint from the garden. The existing house had a swimming pool in the back and a tunnel with a bowling alley that connected the house to the new recreational building. The proposed garden is partly above this tunnel and also had an existing green house. The program for the garden included a patio with an outdoor kitchen and dining, a lawn space, an observation deck, an outdoor shower, and a reflection pool.
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P R I V A T E R E S I D E N C E internship at origin4design llc
CONTEXTUAL PLAN
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The existing house, green house, newly built tunnel, newly built structure for the observation deck and the unbuilt recreation center all provided unique set of considerations for the design of the garden and its connectivity. Brainstorming with the team members we created a layout with the program elements. My responsibilty included the design of patio extending from the existing house, the west elevation of the new recreation building and its extension to the garden, preparation of conceptual drawings, presentation materials and research on design details and materials. The existing house was a traditional stone house with sloped roof and hence the new building was proposed to have an old barn like appearance to relate to the house. The features of the new building included skylight over the indoor pool, stylized barn windows and huge wooden posts. The materials chosen were mainly stone, wood and concrete. The design details included fire elements, corten steel sculptures, stone pathways, crushed aggregate, pebbles, and water runnels.
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RECREATIONAL BUILDING
SITE PLAN
1 Existing pool and patio. 2 New patio & pergola with outdoor kitchen and bar. 3 Steps to garden from lawn. 4 Garden pathway. 5 Lawn. 6 Greenhouse. 7 Bridge. 8 Reflection pool. 9 Proposed vestibule angled towards the garden. 10 New recreational building
WEST ELEVATION, RECREATION BUILDING
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CONCEPT DIAGRAM
ABOVE I OVER I THROUGH
a n i rri gati o n s o l u ti o n fo r e d e n h a l l c a m p u s h o o p h o u s e ga r d en s
SITE PLAN
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7 Merit Award ASLA PA-DE Chapter Student Collaboration category I 2014
Team members: Abbie Brehm, Tony Miga, Alisa Blatter, Poojitha Ramalingachar. The team worked together brainstorming the design plan, ideas, objectives and solutions. Each student then took up parts of the graphic production. My responsibilities included the conceptual diagram, illustrative plans, CAD drawings and hand sketch overlay for the perspective. Campus goals of sustainability can be addressed not just by the addition of new elements, but by the redesign of existing features. The project under consideration harvests rainwater from an existing structure’s roof and stores it in underground cisterns to meet the irrigation needs of the campus’s hoop houses. The surface design proposes to be a visible and artful model of efficient and sustainable water management and alternative sustainable development for students and community-based outreach. Our design team took on the challenge of designing an irrigation solution for hoop house food crop production. The goals of the project were to provide a model that retrofits sustainable systems on existing structures within the context of a substantial development effort currently underway on campus, and to utilize an interdisciplinary approach to sustainability.
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The objectives of our team’s design plan are: To provide a sustainable and cost effective source of irrigation for two hoop house high tunnels (approximately 1700 sq. ft.), and supplemental irrigation for roughly 4 acres of field crops. To demonstrate a retrofit of a sustainable system onto an existing structure, the Storage Barn. To design the site to meet the functional requirements of the rainwater harvesting system, while also improving the site’s ability to handle a variety of storm events, as demonstrated by increased infiltration rates, decreased soil erosion, and improved native plant diversity. To make the system visible through design and signage to enhance the space as a demonstration site and invite its use as a garden. To create an inviting space that facilitates the engagement of site visitors with the rainwater harvesting system and fosters conversation around a variety of regionally significant water related issues such as water use, water quality, and watershed health.
UNDERGROUND CISTERN
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WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM
ILLUSTRATIVE PERSPECTIVE
WATER FROM THE ROOF DIRECTED INTO THE CISTERN UNDERGROUND CISTERNS OVERFLOW FROM CISTERN RAINGARDEN OVERFLOW FROM RAIN GARDEN
SITE PLAN WITH BELOW GRADE ELEMENTS
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Native Plant List:
Perennials Asclepias tuberosa, Butterfly Milkweed Lobelia cardinalis, Cardinal flower Mertensia virginica, Virginia Bluebells Tiarella cordifolia, Foam Flower Grasses Hystrix patula, Bottlebrush Grass Sorghastrum nutans, Indian Grass
BIRD’S EYE VIEW
Shrubs Cornus amomum, Silky Dogwood Hydrangea arborescens, Wild Hydrangea Rhododendron maximum, Rosebay Sambucus canadenis, Common Elderberry Spiraea alba, Meadowsweet Viburnum dentatum, Arrowwood Viburnum Trees Aesculus glabra, Horse Chestnut Betula nigra, River Birch
DRAINAGE AREA AND RUN OFF CALCULATION
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GRADING PLAN
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THANK YOU poojitha.23@gmail.com
