Cynthia (Ziyu) Liao | 2024 Portfolio

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by Cynthia Liao. #landscape architecture #planning + urban design #2024

(404)536-4909 ziyuliao314@gmail.com

Education

Experiences

Cornell University | 3.99 GPA

DESIGN WORKSHOP Intern | May 2023 - Ded 2024

B.S. Landscape Architecture B.S. Urban and Regional Studies Environmental and Resource Economics Minor

References

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KIMBERLY MICHAELS

TWMLA | Director of Landscape Architecture

RYAN KOVAC

TWMLA | Senior Project Manager

MITCH GLASS

Supported domestic and international planning projects and private residential designs.

Produced construction documents and specs, 2D illustration and renderings, 3D models and renderings, illustrative diagrams, GIS data analysis, and other client package contents.

FISHER ASSOCIATES - TWMLA Intern | May 2022 - May 2023 • • •

Supported a range of projects including private residential, campus FMPs, waterfront redevelopment, and urban design/planning.

Produced concepts, designs, hand sketches, technical drawings, 3D renderings, and illustrative diagrams.

Actively involved in the concept development and graphic production for project proposals.

Cornell | Lecturer

CORNELL DESIGN CONNECT Project Manager | Jan 2020 - Dec 2022 •

Managed teams of 8-10 students from different disciplines on projects ranging from community park, trail expansion, to natural playground.

LANDSCAPE FOR CARBON REMOVAL Research Assistant | Feb 2022 - May 2022 •

Facilitated a workshop series to convene citizens to consider city, town, and county lands for climate mitigation that could be reforested to store carbon.

SUSTAINABILITY AND ADAPTIVE REUSE OF GARAGES Research Assistant | May 2021 - Aug 2021 •

Examined the social, economic, and environmental impacts of garage conversion options, such as accessory dwelling unites (ADUs), by performing paitred-comparison analysis.

CORNELL SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTANTS Project Manager | Oct 2019 - May 2022 •

Led the Branding and Engagement Team to promote communication among teams, clients, local community, and partner review platforms.

CHINA ARCHITECTURE DESIGN & RESEARCH GROUP Intern | May 2019 - Jan 2020 • (404)536-4909 | ziyuliao314@gmail.com

Supported a collaboration project with MIT on Beijing Waterfront Redesign and the creation of Beijing Water System Regulation Guidelines.

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CITY OF SALAMANCA EDUCATIONAL PARK #landscape architecture

SUNY GENESEO CAMPUS FACILITY MASTER PLAN #landscape architecture

I81 VIADUCT #planning + urban design

NIAGARA FALLS GATEWAY PROJECT PROPOSAL #planning + urban design

RESIDENTIALS #landscape architecture

OTHER SKILLS AND WORK

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SENECA NATION EDUCATION PARK CITY OF SALAMANCA | ACADEMIC

Studio Title: “Medium of the Landscape” - Landscapes for Seneca Nation and Dilmun Hill Farm Instructor: Mitch Glass The project site is located in the City of Salamanca, which is in western New York and within close proximity to schools and local communities. The site was once a railyard, but has faced challenges since it became vacant in the late 1950s. This project aims to address these issues and honor the connection between the site and the Seneca Nation, a Native American tribe and member of the Iroquois Confederacy, by drawing inspiration from their shared experiences. The design for this project aims to honor the past and present of both the City of Salamanca and the Seneca Nation, while also envisioning a brighter future for both through the creation of a community park with educational and recreational usages.

HISTORICAL ANALYSIS

Historical development and colonial displacement map of Seneca Nation

Present day Seneca Nation territories and infrastructures

Analysis on space usage and communal services in the City of Salamanca

The historical analysis brought together timelines on the national, regional, and site-specific scale. From 1860s to 1930s, Indigenous communities across the US were forced to enroll their children in the Indian Boarding Schools, many mistreated the students and broke their cultural connections. Regionally in Seneca Nation’s territory, the Thomas Boarding School took in indigenous students from all over the New York state, leading to a great loss of identity and trauma within the region. The site’s history shared a similar pattern of environmental trauma where the railroads in the 1900s transformed the site into a railyard, resulted in a disturbed ecosystem and contaminated soil apparent even decades after the termination of its service.

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DESIGN STRATEGY

ADA Accessible Landbridge over Railroad

Phytoremediation and Mycoremediation Design

Carrying findings from the analysis phase, the final design focuses on history, culture, and nature as the main themes. The programs revolve around 5 lexicons: acknowledgement, reflection, restoratioin, reconnection, and celebration One major challenge of the site is soil contamination caused by railroads. To address this, soil capping and phytoremediation with culturally significant species that can extract and degrade contaminants is recommended for the first few generations to remediate the soil and prepare the land for future use.

The following generations can then plant and farm on the remediated soil, with the goal of reconnecting younger generations with traditional crops and farming techniques.

This community farming system will gradually mature over the next few generations, with regular planting and harvesting schedules. The rest of the park will achieve restored natural beauty for recreational use. Ultimately, the ecosystem will become resilient and there will be more opportunities for humannature interaction for all, completing a cycle of restoration and reconnection.

Design Response to Water Level Changes

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The park provides natural play area intended to be not only used by younger generations but also the elderly, the generation that was the most impacted by the Indian Boarding Schools, creating a space for them to relax, exercise, and interact. An ethnobotanical garden is also designed as an opportunity to learn about different species’ historical usage and cultural significance, as well as how they can be used innovatively as bioremediation tools. By involving the community in planting and harvesting these species, this garden is also a micro-version of the park where people can interactively learn and apply their knowledge.

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Throughout the site 3 land bridges that connect the park and its surroundings across the railroad are designed, and in the back of this rendering is one of them, overlooking the river and connecting the riparian buffer zone. It extends over the water and creates great view point. Along the river bank people will have access to the water and thus more water related activities. The current riverbank is really vertical and a sharp fall. By replacing it with softer and sloping banks, it will provide a green buffer and aquatic habitat. This will be a learning opportunity for people to interact with nature and realizing the importance of biodiversity.

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FACILITIES MASTER PLAN SUNY GENESEO | INTERNSHIP

Project Title: SUNY Geneseo Fasilities Master Plan Update (JMZ | TWMLA) Project Manager: Ryan Kovac This project is one of the main project I focused on during my internship and I had the opportunity to work on almost all phases of it, including inventory and analysis, preliminary recommendations for exterior campus improvements, and final recommendations for site improvements. One of my major focus of work was on improving pedestrian accessibility and enhancing the campus’s identity through the creation of gateways and improved arrival sequences at key points of connection to the residential halls and Main Street.

CIRCULATION AXIS ANALYSIS

Major Circulation Axis Profile

Circulation Analysis and Project Site(s) Selection

Campus Arrival Points

Campus Vegetation Inventory

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Campus Topography Analysis

BANK STREET CONCEPT 1

BANK STREET CONCEPT 2

BANK STREET CONCEPT 3

Campus Entrance at Bank Street (Plans)

Campus Entrance at Bank Street (Sections)

Campus Entrance at Union Promenade (Sections)

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03

ERIE BLVD E WATER ST E WASHINGTON ST E FAYETTE ST E GE NES

FOCUS AREA 1

EE S T

CEDAR ST. MADISON ST.

I-81 URBAN DESIGN

STREET WIDTH STUDY - POTENTIAL REDEVELOPMENT SPACE

SYRACUSE | INTERNSHIP

Project Title: I-81 Viaduct Project Manager(s): Jonathan Peet, Ryan Kovac, Steve Woods The Interstate 81 (I-81) corridor is a vital transportation route for the Central New York and Metropolitan Syracuse regions, serving as a major north-south travel and commuter route. However, the I-81 viaduct, which was built in the 1950s and 1960s, is now reaching the end of its design life. TWMLA/Fisher was engaged in proposing alternative design solutions for the viaduct removal and as their intern, I was actively involved in the working progress. One of our main priorities was improving connectivity between local, regional, and state facilities.

HARRISON ST.

Different Street Layout in Each Option E ADAMS ST.

MONROE ST.

Washington St

JACKSON ST. E TAYLOR ST. BURT ST. VAN BUREN ST. ROSE AVE.

E RAYNOR AVE.

Fayette St

FOCUS AREA 2 E RAYNOR AVE.

Major Study Areas

Resulted Potential Redevelopment Space Sizes (Pink)

STANDARD ST.

M LK

E

OKLAND ST.

Original Design in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)

Option 1: Minor Buffer Reduction

Option 2: Bike Consolidation

Option 3: Median Removal

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CONCEPT COLLAGE

PROJECT PROPOSAL NIAGARA FALLS | INTERNSHIP

Project Title: Niagara Falls Heritage Gateways Project Manager(s): Ryan Kovac, Steve Woods This proposal was submitted to the USA Niagara Development Corporation. As an Intern, I was fully engaged in the creation of this project proposal from concept brainstorming, site analysis, and design iterations. The final design proposed a series of gateways in different parts of the Niagara Falls city that aimed to expand access to meaningful public open space, express the historic and cultural narratives of the site, and serve as a catalyst for economic and community growth.

NIAGAR A FALL S HERITAGE GATEWAYS Architecture & Engineering Consulting Services for the Design of a Public Plaza, Outdoor Recreation and Space, Observation Deck and Pocket Park in Downtown Niagara Falls August 22, 2022, 3:00 PM

Submitted to: USA Niagara Development Corporation Submitted by: Trowbridge Wolf Michaels, a Fisher Associates Landscape Architecture Studio Fisher Associates, P.E., L.S., L.A., D.P.C.

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT Through revealing the layers of history and reconnecting lost contextual relationships, the project proposed to provide spaces and experiences to revel in the growth and development of community and culture of Niagara Falls.

Gateway 1 with a celebratory activated civic space for performance, commerce, and play.

Gateway 2 with Overlook and Observatory Deck

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Gateway 3 with Pocket Park and Monumental Signage

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REVOICING THE EDGE NEW YORK | ACADEMIC

Studio Title: “Integrating Theory with Practice” - Re-assembling the Urban Park for Future Commons Instructor: Maria Goula Among all parts of a park, its edges are often the most ignored, usually perceived with a “muted” existence. The aim of this project is to study and propose design strategies that deal with different typologies of park edges by grounding the design in Clove Lakes Park, NY.

EDGE ANALYSIS

The park edges are classified into 4 general types. According to the analysis, type A edges are better used and regularly maintained. Therefore the majority of detailed works in the second half of the project are focused on type B, C, and D.

TYPE B:

Screened connections , privacy and

park safety of both residents and visitors, traffic noise and speed control.

Historical Establishment and Change of the Park Edges

TYPE C:

Increased visibility, viewshed

management, of safety, improved

sense

perception of space.

TYPE D: Separated traffic, widened sidewalks, noise barrier, improved wayfinding.

Internal and External Circulation across Park Edges

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Before: Fences and Vaccant Lot next to Residential Neighborhoods After: Landmark Tree Pocket Park with Screened Walkway

Before: Dark and Unsafe Surrounding near Existing Park Entrance After: Formal Entrance Plaza to Improve Arrival Experience

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Before: Unmaintained Dense Vegetation growing right up to Sidewalks After: Improved Access and Intentionally Preserved Barriers

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Residential Designs

OTHER SKILLS AND WORK

Throughout my internships, I was able to work on a range of residentials projects with various design features such as pool, spa, fireplace, fountain, garden, etc. I also involved in different project stages, from design concept to DD/CDs, actively communicating with clients, architectural and structural consultants, product suppliers, and city permit office. Due to confidential reasons, project details of renderings and drawings below are not included.

Pathway with Stepping Stones and Native Species

Boulder Retention Wall Integrated into Topography and Building

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Backyard Fireplace with Mountain Views

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SITE PLAN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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ARRIVAL AUTOCOURT ENTRY GARDEN SHADE GARDEN ZEN GARDEN POOL HOUSE FAMILY TERRACE PRESERVED NATIVE MEADOW

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Residential Designs with Pool and Spa 1 8

Rendered Site Plan

Construction Drawings

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Hand Modeling/Sketching/Rendering

ArcGIS Mapping

Adept at building sketch models using a variety of materials, as well as using laser cutting technology to create precise and detailed models. Also efficiency in creating hand-drawn graphics, which helps my idea generation and brings a unique dynamic to a project as they often have a distinct character and charm that cannot be replicated by software.

Proficient with ArcGIS and ArcGIS Pro for data processing and analysis. Shown above is a spatial analysis project using ArcGIS pro that examines equity measures of existing parks in NYC and proposes a new park benefiting asian and lower income communities using a suitability model.

Graphic Representation

Community Engagement and Outreach

carbon farming & circular bionutrient economy at Cynthia Liao

LA 2020

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This is a quick diagram showing how Dilmun Hill will practice Carbon farming in each of its farming stages...

Dilmun hill

...and students can involve in each stage by managing the farm directly or through FODVV SURMHFWV DQG RU FOXE collaborations.

Porta potties can be installed in these parking lots and the human waste collected will then be transported.

There are several problems that should be addressed in Dilmun Hill to ensure better usage and experience:

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Soil contamination of lead and arsenate from previous pesticides usage.

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4

Disconnection with other educational landscapes on campus.

Unaccessible entrance or required detour to enter the farm.

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proposed plan

,QHIÀFLHQW XVDJH RI ODQG QHLWKHU XVHG RU IDUPHG currently.

Preserved and Relocated Programs

New Programs and Buildings

Circulation

By preserving most of the current SURJUDPV DQG UHORFDWLQJ D IHZ IDUP ODQGV DUH PRUH FRQFHQWUDWHG DOORZLQJ HDVLHU DQG PRUH HIÀFLHQW PDQDJHPHQW

1HZ SURJUDPV DUH FKRVHQ WR IXOÀOO the ultimate goals of educating and raising awareness of innovative farming techniques and increasing involvement.

The new circulation builds on the existing RQH EXW PDNHV D FOHDUHU GHÀQLWLRQ RI public and private access.

If we can connect Dilmun Hill with other educational landscapes with a virtual corridor and make it more pedestrian-friendly... ...more people will know about and visit Dilmun Hill and get to learn about and engage in some of its cool farming techniques and concepts!!

Ability to effectively communicate through graphic representation such as simple collages to convey spatial feelings, as well as creating engaging and easy-to-follow storyboards for presenting designs to clients unfamiliar with the design professioin.

Designed and conducted community engagement and outreach activities in various and creative ways to understand needs of local community, communicate ideas with stakeholders, and inform design decisions.

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by Cynthia Liao.

(404)536-4909 ziyuliao314@gmail.com