Wes Scholz
Landscape Architecture Portfolio 2024
About Me
Hi! My name is Wes Scholz and I am a fifth year in the landscape architecture program at Virginia Tech. I was born and raised in Richmond Virginia, where I experienced a vast mix of different landscapes, from farms to rivers to cities. Because of this, I developed an appreciaton for nature and my physical environment from an early age. I decided to study landscape architecture due to my love of drawing, plants, and gardens. The joy and amazement I experience outside are feelings I want people of all backgrounds to enjoy, so I wanted to study how to design such spaces.
Edward “Wes” Scholz
Virginia Tech, Blakcbsurg, VA
Landscape Architecture
GPA: 3.47 (in major)
Expected to graduate May 2025
Education:
• High School Advanced Diploma
• Bachelor’s of Landscape Architecture (in progress)
• Horticulutre Minor
Extracurriculars + Awards:
• Manager at Green Market Farms
• Fly Fishing Club at Virginia Tech
• ASLA Virginia Tech
• Registered USA boxer
• Farmhouse Fraternity: Vice President of Recruitment + Apparel Chair
Software Skills:
Idea Challenger Pride
A re-design of Mountain Mission Boarding School’s campus, located in Grundy, Virginia. This project featured a master plan phase, but the focus was placed on the detail design portion. I selected to redesign the central area of campus for the detial design phase.
Skills and Takeaways
• Construction document lineweight
• Designing with theme
• Photoshop rendering
Inventory and Analysis
Determined the general location of numerous programmtic elements by identifying areas of ciruclation for both boys and girls. A slope analysis was also conducted to determine areas that were eligible for construction.
Challenger Pride in Detail
Detail Design
Displays a detail plan of the central area of campus. Accompanied with a persepctive, a plant pallete, and sections for placemaking and visualization.
Challenger Pride
Concept and Theme Diagrams
The concept diagram determined the specific location of programmatic elements using the information gained from the site analysis while applying the theme and goal of the project to the design. The theme diagram shows how the design reflects the theme spatially. The circulation diagram shows how people and cars move through the site.
Concept Diagram
Athletic
Academic
Community
Theme Diagram
Circulation Diagram
Challenger Pride
Construction Documents
A complete construction document set was created for this project. I have chosen to feature my grading plan because it contributed the most to the form and function of the design. A page of site details, with a custom check dam detail, is also featured
The New River EcoPark
A multi-use eco tourism park that features the different ecologies and habitats seen throughout the New River Valley. Designed to support education, recreation, and research while treating the on-site contamination through phytoremidiation. The site is located in Radford, Virginia, on an industrial brownfield.
Skills and Takeaways
• Photoshop rendering
• Concept diagramming
Master Plan
Inventory and Analysis
Informed location of programatic elements, plant selection and location for phytoremediation, and plant selection for natural areas.
The New River EcoPark
Concept and Process Diagrams
The three diagrams below depict the concepts of the project as well as processes featured in the project. Diagram one shows the primary goal of the project, which is to turn old heavy industry and contaminated grounds into a commercial success while WWshowcasing and protecting the ecology of the region. Diagram two showaces the project’s methods of approaching the economic, environmental, and social concerns of Radford. Finally, diagram three showcases the process of phytoremediation, which was utilized in the project.
The Forest Bathing Retreat Center
Idea
A retreat center that focuses on improving the mental health of It’s guests through forest bathing, tai-chi, meditation, therapy sessions and outdoor exercise. The project is located on the north side of Heritage Park, in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Skills and Takeaways
• Photoshop rendering
• Section creation
Master Plan
Inventory and Analysis
Informed location of programatic elements through slope, vegetation, and flood zone analysis.
The Forest Bathing Retreat Center in Detail
Detail Design
Displays sections and a detailed plan to show site specific design throughout the retreat center. A small plant palette is also depicted in the detail plan and section.
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Western Europe Study Abroad
Goals of the Research
From May 26 - June 30, 2023, myself and 17 other students traveled throughout western europe under the guide of two professors. The group of us were comprised of landscape architects, industrial designers, interior designers, and a business major. All of us set out to study different topics of research, ranging from cars to silverware to gardens; there were lots of intersting things happening in this newly made cohort. I elected to study european garden and park design, specifically aksing what parks and gardens created certain effects on the user through design elements? The effects I looked at for each park are linearity, enclosure, grandness, framing a view, comfortable, uncomfortable, gathering, and isolation. The goal was then to see if any trends arose in specific countires or cities we visisted along the way. The following pages show a few of the cities we explored.
Comprised of brilliant water managent through a multi-use playground made of recycled tire rubber and salix plantings surrounding.
Linearity:
Enclosure:
Grandness:
Framing a View:
Comfortable:
Uncomfortable: Gathering:
Isolation:
Parco Biblioteca delgi Alberi-Milan
Western Europe Study Abroad
Old Botanical Garden-Zurich
Comprised of a rectaliner main path network with secondary interwoven paths, filled with wonderful planting varieties, inclduing some uncomfortable conditions.
Linearity:
Enclosure:
Grandness:
Framing a View:
Comfortable:
Uncomfortable:
Gathering:
Isolation:
8HOUSE
Linearity:
Enclosure:
Grandness:
Framing a View:
Comfortable:
Uncomfortable:
Gathering:
Isolation:
Where landscape and architecture synergize, consisting of green roofs and an open central greenspace with a playground and terraced seating.
