Ryan Debski_Landscape Architecture Portfolio 2024

Experience

RYAN DEBSKI, RA

ARCHITECT + LANDSCAPE DESIGNER

Ballinger Architects + Engineers

Fall 2015 - Fall 2021

Architect - Architectural Designer II - Architectural Designer I

Stuart Rosenberg Architects

Spring 2013 - Fall 2015

Architectural Designer I

Drexel University

Winter 2012 & Winter 2013

Teacher's Assistant - Architecture and Society

“I believe that designing to place means recognizing that each site has a unique essence or genus loci, and there exists a particular way to dwell in a place that aligns with and respects its distinct characteristics.”

Distinctions

ASLA Honor Award 2023

"In Recognition of Outstanding Academic Achievement"Graduate Studio Design Retrospective

Best Venture Lab Project 2018

"NestList" - Best Business Plan

Pearson Prize 2015

"Rebuilding Home: Memory, Dwelling, and Architecture"Best Undergraduate Architectural Thesis

Wilson Prize 2013

"Barcelona's Santa Caterina Market:

A Collage of Time, Imagery, and Imagination"Best Architectural Research Paper

Education

Master of Landscape Architecture 2021-2023

Temple University / Philadelphia, PA

Current GPA: 3.84

Professional Landscape Architecture Degree

Master of Architectural Management and Design

2017 - 2018

IE Business School / Madrid, Spain

GPA: 3.73

Graduated Summa Cum Laude

Master of Business for Design Professionals

Bachelor of Architecture ( 2 + 4 Option )

2009 - 2015

Drexel University / Philadelphia, PA

GPA: 3.61

Graduated Cum Laude

Professional Architecture Degree

52

Sanctuary Garden 2022 - Upper Gwynedd, PA

Stormwater Illustrated 2022 - Siteless

Willowbrook Village 2022 - Warrington, PA

The Fungus Machine 2021 - Chestnut Hill, PA

Steel Valley Park 2023 - Swissvale, PA

Trenton Capital Park 2022 - Trenton, NJ

Native Plant Communities 2022 90

Andorra Meadow 2021 - Chestnut Hill, PA 74

“Traces” is a landscape architecture thesis project at the abandoned Carrie Furnace along the Monongahela in the Pittsburgh industrial town of Swissvale, PA. The thesis project combines ecological renewal, memory, temporality, and what it means to dwell in a post-industrial landscape. Over the course of a century, from the mid-19th century to the late-20th century, the Carrie Furnace site was gradually transformed from a forested floodplain to a farmstead (mid-19th century) to a heavily industrialized site that featured six blast furnaces and a nearly 30’ sea wall that disconnected the river from its historic floodplain. In response to a precipitous drop in steel prices, as the market became saturated with steel from previous demand, Carrie Furnace was closed in 1982. Following a decade of decay, many of the historic industrial structures of the site were demolished to make way for future development; however, the original blast furnaces were preserved and now serve as a remnant artifact of Pittsburgh’s 20th-century domination of the steel industry.

In the three decades that preceded the selective demolition of the site, a thriving novel ecosystem has emerged featuring several invasive pioneer species, herbaceous species, and predominantly native trees and shrubs. My design intervention seeks to create a park that reconnects the surrounding communities with the river and to the history of the site and the people

TRACES: ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION, MEMORY, AND LIFE AFTER INDUSTRY GRADUATE THESIS

who worked there while preserving and fostering the site’s current successional trajectory. The concept of succession has traditionally been used in ecology and landscape architecture to describe the evolution of a habitat over time. However, as societies continue to experience rapid environmental and technological changes, it is necessary to broaden the notion of successional ecology to develop design strategies that address the complexities of post-industrial sites.

This thesis examines succession in the context of memory and environmental degradation on post-industrial sites. It argues that a successful design strategy for post-industrial sites must integrate the concept of succession with elements of memory and ecology to create a sustainable, resilient, and meaningful landscape. What will be branded at the Steel Valley Park is a transformative post-industrial landscape project that gracefully combines nature’s reclamation with a powerful testament to the past. As you wander through the site, nature’s succession unfolds, allowing most of the land to flourish into a lush climax forest. Yet, amidst the green tapestry, carefully curated meadows emerge, carved out like patches of memory where historic blast furnaces once roared. Graffiti art galleries within these furnace remnants tell the stories of the resilient workers who endured perilous conditions. Allees of black gum trees will stand sentinel over walking trails and mark the paths that

molten pig iron followed to and from the blast furnaces, their vibrant red foliage in late September revealing the pig iron’s fiery journey. Rising above the graffiti meadows, a single black gum tree, nourished by a water-collecting depression at its base, will mark the historic blast furnaces’ exact location and act as a symbol of renewal. Corten steel monoliths mark the entrance to the graffiti galleries like tori gates, and they act as a symbol to mark the transition from the ordinary, everyday world to the sacred. Repurposed elevated train tracks also form pedestrian walkways that provide panoramic views of the Monongahela River Valley and connect the park to a new innovation district. A public amphitheater, with artificial hills reminiscent of iron ore storage yards, is comprised of the rubble and capped fill that was imported to the site in the 1990s, pays homage to the site’s industrial heritage, and rises from the landscape like stone age burial mounds.

A plaza between two remaining support buildings features Corten steel monoliths inscribed with quotes from predominantly black steelworkers, ensuring their voices are not forgotten. The “Struggles in Steel” path culminates in a cantilevered stair rising above the sole remaining complete blast furnace, offering visitors a poignant vantage point of what was once a gateway to an infernal past. “Traces” is a living tribute to resilience, a harmonious blend of history, nature, and innovation that invites all to reflect on the journey from industry to renewal.

Post-Industrial

P

E

The de-industrialization of the United States in the latter half of the 20th century has increased the need to rethink derelict urban post-industrial sites throughout the country. Generally located in valuable locations near city centers or along waterfronts and supported by existing infrastructure, post-industrial landscapes constitute environmentally compromised resources that need to be returned to productive uses and reintegrated into surrounding communities.

However, these sites often face several regulatory, political, financial, and cultural barriers to redevelopment. These barriers, which can include competing political interests, cleaning-up or remediating site contamination, cultural stigmas, and often massive financial hurdles, frequently result in redevelopment plans that follow the path of least resistance to profit. For instance, historic structures are demolished, not preserved and re-used; soil contamination is capped by vast parking lots instead of being remediated; landscape plantings are sparse and do not maximize the site’s full ecological potential, and private modes of transportation are favored over public transportation and site access.

Despite these hurdles, landscape architects worldwide are increasingly challenging the notions of what a post-industrial site can be. Projects such as Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord in the Ruhr Valley in Germany and the Natur-Park Südgelände in Berlin have resulted in an epistemological breakthrough in design that advocates that ruinous industrial landscapes should be seen as a new type of cultural heritage to which values may be dynamically ascribed over time. These two parks that treat industrial relics as found objects represent a new open space typology and a new way of thinking about post-industrial landscapes. Both designs respected and incorporated the spontaneous novel ecosystems that had filled the voids left behind by man. As neglected artifacts of the production-oriented economy, post-industrial landscapes reflect a form of society that we are relinquishing; therefore, they function as both a mirror of society and as places of remembrance.

One such post-industrial landscape is the site of the Carrie Furnace, a former blast furnace located along the Monongahela River in the greater Pittsburgh region of Pennsylvania. The Carrie Furnaces were built in 1884 and were operated until 1982. At its peak, the site produced 1,000 to 1,250 tons of pig iron daily. A majority of the structures on the site were demolished in the early 2000s to promote redevelopment; however, furnaces #6 and #7, as well as the hot metal bridge which linked the site to the Homestead Steel Works, were designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006 and are the only remaining pre-WWII blast furnaces to exist in the United States. The site still contains localized areas of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs).

This capstone expands on the legacy of Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord and the Natur-Park Südgelände insofar that this capstone seeks to rehabilitate the Carrie Furnace site in a way that not only returns the site to ecological productivity and remediates the remaining pollutants on the site but also honors the history of the Carrie Furnace site, the legacy of the people who toiled there, and the spontaneous plant communities that have retaken the site in the absence of man.

AERIAL EXISTING CONDITIONS VIEW

Brownfield to Greenfield Challenges

Many urban neighborhoods are currently underserved by traditional park and green area models in close proximity to abandoned post-industrial sites. New York’s High Line has inspired other cities and localities to take a fresh look at their brownfields in the hopes of turning them into greenfields. However, few governments and municipalities have the resources to fund such expensive makeovers. Creating resource-efficient designs and management strategies will be essential to transforming brownfields into greenfields on a large scale.

Providing a North American Precedent

The acceptance by the public of a more naturalistic approach to landscape in private and public environments is influenced by growing awareness of the ecosystem services supplied by spontaneous wild plants. With the exception of a few locations in Germany, like Berlin’s Natur-Park Südgelände and Duisburg North’s Landscape Park, not much of the natural plant growth that often populates brownfields has been maintained in the final designs of parks. The Addition by Reduction project, a bespoke landscape management strategy developed by Rick Darke for the Carrie Furnace site, preserves the site’s authentic floral and faunal biodiversity while utilizing sustainable fiscal and ecological practices.

TRESTLE EXISTING CONDITIONS

RAINWATER POOL UNDER TRESTLE

AERIAL TRESTLE VIEW

AERIAL TRESTLE VIEW

GRAFITTI ART GALLERY

STEPPED POOLS

TRENTON CAPITAL PARK ACADEMIC WORK

The Trenton Capital Park Project Sought to transform Trenton’s underutilized riverfront into an urban waterfront park that provides receational amenities to a revitlized high-density, mixed-use downtown district. The project’s primary objective was to reconnect the city of Trenton with the Delaware River, and highlight the significant economic potential that investing in the Capital Park could bring to both Trenton and the State of New Jersey. The project proposed a mixed-use district that converted several acres of surface parking lot into a mixed-use district that seamlessly integrated the new development with Trenton’s existing street grid, incorporating new residential, retail, commercial, and civic programming. It also involved the conversion of State Route 29, which had long seperated Tretonians from the river, into a pedestrian friendly multi-modal boulevard. The project also proposes to remove an adjacent sea wall, thereby reconnecting the river with its historical floodplain.

The park itself creates a continuous car-free zone that features riverwalks, riparian edge islands, tidal wetlands, and overlooks. These elements offer abundant recreational opportunities, including fishing, kayaking, and birding. Additionally, the park creates a variety of wetland habitats such as vernal pools, bald cypress swamps, and emergent tidal wetlands that provide essential shelter and sustenance for migratory waterfowl. Curving pathways, inspired by the water’s flow, interconnected different levels of the park, while notable features such as the new Roebling Overlook, a cable-stayed walkway, paid homage to Trenton’s industrial past and offered panoramic river views. Capital Park was designed to serve as a daily-use park and a gathering space for the community, seamlessly integrating diverse programmatic needs and representing a shift towards ecologically sustainable and contextually sensitive landscape urbanism.

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M ixed-Use Development

P arks & Public Space

R ecreation & Wellness

Streetscape s & Corridors

U rban District

E cological Resotration

- Ye ar 2022

- L ocation Trenton, NJ

- S ize (Enlarged Area)

255.4 Acres (22.0 acres)

- R epresentation Software

ArcGIS

Autocad

S ketchup 2022

Enscape Photoshop

ROEBLING OVERLOOK

ROEBLING OVERLOOK (500 YEAR FLOOD)

ROEBLING OVERLOOK

ROEBLING OVERLOOK (500 YEAR FLOOD)

ROEBLING OVERLOOK CROSS SECTION

ROEBLING OVERLOOK

ROEBLING OVERLOOK (500 YEAR FLOOD)

FRESHWATER WETLANDS

FRESHWATER WETLANDS (TIDAL FLOOD)

TRENTON GREEN

Willowbrook Village, a visionary residential project comprising 88 townhomes, breathes new life into an underutilized soccer park in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, while enhancing the natural environment and ecological connectivity. It leverages the income generated from private housing to create a vibrant, ecologically productive park at the heart of the community. The homes are thoughtfully clustered around two points of access along Bradley Road, strategically positioned on the higher contours of the site and separated by a woodland margin, promoting ecological connectivity while breaking up the site’s vastness. Lower areas of the site have been transformed into step pools and wetlands, creating a riparian edge between the cultural landscape that includes the new residences, a community center, sports fields, and a protected palustrine wetland beyond. These additional homes increase the site’s rainwater load, which is used to support site hydrology and enhance floristic diversity. Willowbrook Village also offers three housing typologies that cater to different household sizes and offer a combination of outdoor balconies, intensive green roofs, and outdoor spaces that allow inhabitants

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Ne w Communities

P arks & Public Space

S treetscapes & Corridors

R ecreation & Wellness

E cological Resotration

WILLOWBROOK VILLAGE ACADEMIC WORK

to live harmoniously with nature while taking advantage of the extensive views of the surrounding landscape. The houses are designed to let rainwater cascade down the balconies and roofs via rain chains that nourish bioswales that break up the housing clusters and allow for a varied urban experience. Each housing cluster features an outdoor “living room” featuring an undulating, serpentine communal table that provides for several different social interactions and fosters a sense of community among residents. Surrounding the housing clusters is a low-key, ecological landscape with a forested walking circuit, natural play areas, wildflower grasslands, athletic fields, footpaths, and enhanced boundary plantings. The project prioritizes local wildlife, creating habitats and movement corridors for diverse species. In essence, Willowbrook Village is an innovative model for suburban housing, enhancing residents’ quality of life while setting a high standard for responsible ecological development. It nurtures the human community and the natural world, transforming an underused park into a thriving, sustainable community.

- Ye ar 2022

- L ocation

W arrington, Bucks County, PA

- S ize (Enlarged Area)

77.8 Acres (15.4 Acres)

- R epresentation Software

ArcGIS

Autocad

S ketchup 2022

L umion

WETLAND WALKING TRAILS

BIRD BLIND

ANDORRA MEADOW ACADEMIC WORK

Nestled in the serene northwest section of Wissahickon Valley Park, along the meandering Forbidden Drive, lies the enchanting Andorra Meadow - an underutilized natural treasure in the Philadelphia Parks System. In order to increase the accessibility and visibility of the park, several invasive tree and shrub species were cleared along the northern edge of the site and were replaced by a native meadow that extends down to Forbidden Drive and terminates at the newly formed Andorra Green. The project also proposes several new access points on Northwest Avenue, equipped with SEPTA bus stops, welcoming visitors to explore this revitalized landscape. The true essence of the new Andorra Meadow masterplan, however, lies in its three unique focal points: The aforementioned Andorra Green, an inviting outdoor space that fosters community interaction at the park’s core; the new Forest Tower offers sweeping panoramic vistas of Wissahickon Valley, appealing to nature enthusiasts and photographers; and the crown jewel, the Andorra

Natural Pool serves as a recreational haven for local communities and the project’s central attraction. Gracefully nestled within a naturally occurring basin, the pool expertly channels water along its edges, permitting overflow to meander downhill through a lush, wet meadow. It reaches a meticulously restored palustrine wetland enhanced by a serene sugar maple tree grove. The pool itself stands as a sustainable marvel, boasting aquatic plants that delicately filter its waters, ensuring a pristine and natural swimming experience. Adjacent, a circular building houses essential amenities, including guest services, locker rooms, bathrooms, and pool filtration facilities. Its undulating intensive green roof showcases native meadow species, embracing eco-friendly principles. The Andorra Natural Pool offers a refreshing summer escape and serves as the area’s sole community pool, enticing visitors deeper into the park and serving as an exemplary example of ecological restoration, community engagement, and recreational infrastructure.

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P arks & Public Space

R ecreation & Wellness

E cological Resotration

- Ye ar 2021

- L ocation

Ch estnut Hill, Philadelphia, PA

- S ize (Enlarged Area)

15 8.2 Acres (59.3 Acres)

- R epresentation Software

Autocad

S ketchup 2022

L umion 12

Photoshop

PLANT INVENTORY

RAINWATER DIVERSION STEPPED POOLS

THE FUNGUS MACHINE ACADEMIC WORK

The Fungus Machine, a unique and educational children’s playground, draws its inspiration from the intricate mycorrhizal fungi networks that interconnect beech trees in the upper Wissahickon Valley, revealing the wonders of nature to young minds. This playground is a unique fusion of fun, education, and sustainability. The playground’s layout emulates the structure of mycorrhizal networks, subterranean fungal networks primarily present in forested areas and other plant ecosystems formed by the intertwining of mycorrhizal fungi’s hyphae with plant roots. These networks are critical to forest health because they allow mutualistic relationships between plants to form and enable them to share resources such as water, minerals, carbohydrates, and vitamins. The Fungus Machine features intertwining slides, a climbing ladder, and multiple ramps that mimic the symbiotic relationships in the forest. At the heart of the Fungus Machine lies an innovative composting system, utilizing the magic of fungi to transform clear-cut invasive species into rich compost to promote the growth of native plant species. The Fungus Machine takes the poetic form of a Möbius strip, symbolizing the eternal cycle of life, where decomposition feeds new growth. The composting process is gravity-fed, and the linear bin features many hatches that can be opened to peek into the mesmerizing decomposition process, bringing an element of wonder and discovery to the playground. To further enrich young minds, the playground includes an educational amphitheater where children can learn about the importance of composting, fostering an understanding of sustainability and the interconnectedness of all living things.

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P arks & Public Space

Educational R ecreation & Wellness

- Ye ar 2021

- Si ze 2400 sq ft

- R epresentation Software

Autocad

S ketchup 2022

L umion 12

Photoshop

SANCTUARY GARDEN

ACADEMIC WORK

The Sanctuary Garden is a meticulously crafted front yard redesign project that pays homage to the designer’s parents and seamlessly blends natural beauty with functionality. Located along a busy street in Lansdale, PA, a border of oakleaf hydrangea shrubs combined with a serviceberry tree creates privacy for the garden beyond but also provides shelter and food for a number of small foraging birds. Along the garden’s perimeter, a black tarred stave picket fence features an elegant entry gate that marks the front entrance to the garden and the house beyond. Beyond this gate, a path of granite pavers leads the way to a newly porticoed front door, symbolizing a warm welcome. The granite path bisects the garden into two distinct sections. On one side, a vibrant, cool-color perennial rain garden emerges. This environmentally conscious feature manages runoff from an adjacent property, promoting rainwater

infiltration and enhancing the garden’s aesthetic appeal. The rain garden showcases native flora that thrives in harmony with the local climate and the increased expected rainfall from climate change. In contrast to the rain garden, the opposing side is planted with warm-colored perennials planted specifically to attract pollinator insects. The pollinator planting surrounds two inviting Adirondack chairs, inviting residents and guests to unwind. Nearby, a graceful fire pit radiates warmth and charm, making this area a perfect gathering spot for cozy evenings and conversations under the stars. This garden oasis pays tribute to family and reflects a commitment to sustainability and outdoor living. It transforms a conventional front yard into an inviting, tranquil, and harmonious space for relaxation that will delight the senses and create lasting memories for generations to come. -

STORMWATER SYSTEM ILLUSTRATIONS

ACADEMIC WORK

The following images are part of a series of illustrative posters were created as part of the Graduate Wetland Design Studio in the Spring of 2022. The posters were meant to introduce students to a number of green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) strategies for conveying , holding, or infiltrating stormwater that relied not on built infrastructure, but were instead attempt to mimic the natural environement as much as possible. The images that follow were a part of a compendium of illustrations created by the students to be used as a resource within Temple’s landscape architecture program. Additional explanatory information about each poster below:

Step pools are open-channel conveyance structures that convert surface storm flow to shallow groundwater through attenuation ponds and a sand seepage filter.

A stone seep wall is not a green stormwater stategy in itself but can be used in conjunction with a bioswale to convey or infiltrate water while retaining soil. A seep wall is a porous wall that retains engineered soil and allows water infiltration through a vertical surface, slowing water and preventing erosion.

Bioswales are channels that are planted with native plant speciesand convey water downhill while removing pollutants and recharging groundwater.

An overflow infiltration basin spreads a thin layer of water over a larger surface area providing an opportunity for ground water recharge.

A sediment forebay is a periodically inundated depression planted with hearty herbaceous species that collects sediment from the first flush of rainwater and allows pollutants to settle out of the water before overlowing another larger water body.

A stone check dam provides cascade water aeration before entering a water body or a step pool.

Cattail marshes are not a green stormwater infrastrucutre stratgy in and of themselves, but they perform uptake and filtration of contaminants and transform them into benign compounds.

Marsh feeder ponds facilitate consistent water depth within the marsh and help prevent erosion.

When placed within a stormwater conveyance system, bouldering can help take the energy out of water flows and prevent scouring and subsequent erosion.

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S tormwater Design

S ystems Illustrations

- Ye ar 2022

- L ocation

Siteless

- Si ze

Various

- S oftware

Autocad

S ketchup 2022

L umion 12

Photoshop

ROCK WEIRS & STEP POOLS

NATIVE PLANT COMMUNITIES ILLUSTRATED ACADEMIC WORK

The following images are part of a series of illustrative posters created as part of a Native Plant Communities class. The posters illustrate several critical natural systems that characterize the mid-Atlantic ecology of the northeast. They feature accurate geomorphological conditions, native herbaceous, shrub, and tree species, as well as a number of fauna that call that specific habitat home, along with informative facts about one particular species in that habitat. I have listed additional explanatory information about each poster below:

Freshwater tidal marshes can be found in estuaries where the freshwater from rivers and streams converges with ocean tides. These marshes are characterized by soft-stemmed vegetation and are typically subject to frequent or continuous inundation. Despite the influence of tides on water levels in these marshes, it’s important to note that the wetlands themselves do not contain high salt concentrations. These wetlands are renowned for their remarkable species diversity.

The serpentine barrens comprise a mosaic of grasslands, pitch pine woodlands, and scrub habitat. Historically, These landscapes relied on fire and grazing to maintain their open nature. The Southeastern Pennsylvania region is one of the few places in the United States where a distinctive metamorphic rock called Serpentinite, toxic to most herbaceous vegetation, can be found. Within this unique geological area that straddles the Pennsylvania-Maryland border, rare plant communities known as serpentine barrens have emerged, globally unique due to the unusual rock and soil conditions.

Coastal salt marshes are intertidal wetlands commonly situated in low-energy settings like estuaries that are flooded and drained by salt water brought in by the tides. They come in two primary forms, extensive meadow marshes and slender fringing marshes along coastlines. Salt marshes are recognized as among the most productive ecosystems globally, and they serve many ecological purposes, including stabilizing coastlines, offering wildlife habitats, and facilitating nutrient cycling.

The New Jersey Pine Barrens, or Pinelands, represent the most extensive remaining instance of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecosystem, spanning over seven counties within southern New Jersey. The term “pine barrens” denotes the region’s sandy, acidic, and nutrient-deficient soil. While early European settlers encountered challenges in cultivating their familiar crops in this area, the unique ecology of the Pine Barrens sustains a wide array of endemic plant species, including orchids and carnivorous plants. Additionally, this region is renowned for its rare pygmy pitch pines and other plant varieties that rely on the frequent wildfires that occur within the Pine Barrens to reproduce.

The Tannersville Cranberry Bog is a sphagnum bog situated along Cranberry Creek in Tannersville, Northeastern Pennsylvania. It has the distinction of being the southernmost boreal bog east of the Mississippi River, harboring numerous black spruce and tamarack trees found at the southernmost edge of their natural ranges. Technically, it can be categorized as an acid fen since it receives some groundwater flow. The bog’s origin traces back approximately 10,000 years, when it began as a “kettle lake” formed during the retreat of the Wisconsin Glacier.

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S ystems Illustrations

- Ye ar 2022

- L ocation

Various Mid-Atlantic

Ecosystems

- Si ze

Various

- S oftware

Photoshop

Now more than ever, in the age of climate change, the anthropocene, and the continued growth of urban population centers, it is imporant to maximize the potential of our public outdoor spaces and for those spaces to reflect the local cultures and ecological processes they are an integral part of.