landscape architecture graduate portfolio

Christopher Mateo MLA ‘10Landscape Architecture

Urban Design

Portfolio I thaca, New York 14850

3 2 3 We s t B u f f a l o S t re e t

[email protected]

4 1 5 - 6 0 2 - 9 3 1 3

Christopher [email protected]

curating urban infrastructure


Land XhibitHigh Bridge, Manhattan

Christopher [email protected] Christopher [email protected]

Bronx

Manhattan

1. Contiguous Infrastructure

p g

The Major Deegan Expressway, frontage roads, the Cross Bronx Expway, and the George Washington Bridge splice and create gradients in the land both horizontally and vertically.

3. Covered Open SpaceThese static open spaces hav e the opportunity to provide structure without the infrastructural investment.

4. Unattractive WaterfrontGrey fields and the 207th St. rail yard of NYC Subway system and Metro North’s Highbridge Yard dominate the watefront.

2. Topographic BoundariesIn addition to horizontal and multi-planal infrastructure, grade differentiation plays a large part in keeping the waterfront and open space discontinuous.

5. Large Washington Heights ‘High Bridge’ ParkThe park in Washington Heights is not only larger, but also has a larger ratio of well maintained open space compared to its Bronx counterpart.

6. Small Bronx ‘High Bridge’ ParkThe Bronx park is not only smaller, but has a smaller ratio of well maintained open space compared to its Washington Heights counterpart.

C

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W 181st St.

W 175th St.

W 173rd St.

W 168th St

Un

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163 St

Edgecombe A

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YeshivaUniversity

Roberto

Clemente

State

Park

GeorgeWashington

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Cross

Bronx

W 188th St

Met

ro N

htro

eniL

nos

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H

W 170th St

Expway

W 191st St

High Bridge

Morris-JumelMansion

RalphRangelHouses

PoloGroundsHouses

155 St

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le

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Macomb Dam Bridge

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Dyckman St

Harlem

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MORRISHEIGHTS

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QuisqueyaPlayground

RaoulWallenbergPlayground

Fort GeorgePlayground

Recreation

MullayRecreationCenter

Coogan’s BluffPlayground

West BronxRecreation Center

Water Tower

Sherman Creek

SwindlerCove

1/3 Mile Radius

20 minutes Walk

A. Neighborhood Discrepancies Washington Heights median income and median prop-erty values are slightly larger than that of the Bronx, in addition the urban fabric in Washington Heights is regularized and democratized in the grid compared to the inpredictability of the layout in the Bronx.

B. The Trail Plan to Connect between Roberto

Clemente State Park and Yankees StadiumThis trail is important to draw people to an interventionist High Bridge park design in addition to link to the larger manhattan Greenway.

C. Displacement Predictability The owner occupied housing is only 6.5% in both communities, lending itself to displacement.

D. Housing Stock More than 90% of houses in both areas are multi-family dwell-ings with more than 10 families in a building. North Harlem’s about 70% of houses were built before 1950s. On the other hand, Bronx has more newly built houses, more than 40% between 1950s and 1990s.

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Highbridge Recreation Center

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Washington Bridge

Alexander Hamilton

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Washington Bridge

Alexander Hamilton

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Lan dXhibitAnalysisHigh Bridge, Manhattan


The Major Deegan expressway experiences the largest amount of daily traffi c, AND ample views to the site. The average speed is 35 mph, by creating a grid that is 35’ x 35’, many instances are made available by which the exhibit areas can be framed by rows of trees. The grid begins at the intersection of the Major Deegan and the Hamilton Bridge. The grid is stopped by the railroad tracks, since they views are interrupted here.

35’ x 35’ Tree Grid

The grid is then broken by viewshed preservation and infrastructure horizontal placement. The gallery spaces are then graded to make their Xhibit areas most available from the key areas of infrastructure they are meant to be viewed from.

Viewsheds preserved from Tree Grid

Discontigious parcels of land remain lifeless in the centers of the shapes created by the on and off ramps for the various pieces of highway and train transportation. Linking the parcels by physical means would be infeasible. Visual connection would be best, and the programme for art creates an outdoor exhibit venue with multiple individual parcels available for exhibit space.

Outdoor Gallery Locations

In addition to the views from infrastructure, two structures designed to move people vertically and occupy both the slope adjacent to the Bronx HB Park and the Harlem Riverfront will occupy the Highbridge in order to bring an extra sense of intrigue and create more of a destination. These spaces can also be used as indoor gallery spaces.

Signifi gant Views from infrastructure

Viewshed

Viewing Area/Vertical navigation created

Beginning of GridSecondary gallery space

Primary gallery space

Land XhibitDesignDevelopmentHigh Bridge, Manhattan


Lan dXhibitL ayo u tHigh Bridge, Manhattan

Secondary Gallery Space

Primary Gallery Spaces

Meadowland Open Space

Typical Triple Allee

Viewing Knoll

High Bridge Building (Gallery space and stairwell to waterfront)

Viewing Knoll

Renovated High Bridge Park Building


Land XhibitSiteS ec tionsHigh Bridge, Manhattan

CC

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Scale: 1” = 100’

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Lan dXhibitVir tualShotHigh Bridge, Manhattan


Land XhibitVir tualShotHigh Bridge, Manhattan



Lan dXhibitVir tualShotHigh Bridge, Manhattan



Catchment/Croton Catchment/Croton

DistributionDistribution

Catchment/Catskills

Acreage of Land and Water overtaken by Reservior

Available private lands to residents in catchment areas

1800

10,000

5,000

15,000

1848 1917

and Land Ordinance Holdings

The original system was started by the Manhattan

water company that became Chase, and consisted of

wheels surrounding Collect Pond by Lafayette street

that we distributed through a network of wood troughs

After the opening of Croton Dam and the High Bridge in 1848

Manhattan for the first time had a public source of high quality

water. While to revealing of the resource in the city made the government out to be a hero, the communities in the Croton

watershed quickly saw the government as an adversary.

In 1917, the connection of the new Croton Aqueduct and the Catskill Aqueduct eliminated the need for the High Bridge because the new

infrastructure was so massive that the older structure was made

unnecessary.

Land XhibitWatershedResourceAl l o c at i o nStudyHigh Bridge, Manhattan


New York City water distribution area

Reservoirs

Catskills/Catskill supplied watersheds

Water tunnel

Water tunnel under construction

Croton watershed

Croton aqueduct

Catskill aqueduct

Water tunnel under construction

Local well water

Catskill supplied

Supply and Sewer Grid

City tunnel 1

Croton supplied

City tunnel 2

City tunnel 3

City tunnel 3 under construction

Croton aqueduct

25 Miles

Catskills

Croton

Distribution in the Urban Core

Land XhibitWatershedResourceAl l o c at i o nStudyHigh Bridge, Manhattan


1804 1889 1899 1916

Lakeshore Progression: Open Water to Wetland to Upland

1925 1940

Interstit ial HabitBuffalo Waterfront, New York


open water open water open water open water open water open water

wetland wetland wetland wetland wetland wetland wetland wetland

wetland wetland wetland wetland wetland wetland wetland wetland

upland upland upland upland upland upland upland upland wetland

upland upland upland upland upland upland upland upland wetland

Dredging for Shipping

Shipping

Wetland Creation

Preservationist

Lake Research

Place Image Identity



Public Education Lake Research

Upland Creation

Yacht Club

Space for

Housing

Demand for Moderate to High End

Housing

Demand for Moderate to High End

Housing

Demand for all types of

Employment

Demand for Aff ordable to Moderate

HousingDemand for Aff ordable

to Moderate

Housing

Plants

Plants

HabitatByproductPrimary Catalyst

Milling

Cancer Research

Birds

Fish



50 Years

50 Years

(DCF) Dredge Containment Facility/

Nature Reserve as shown in Toronto’s Tommy

Thompson Park

50 year Dredge Buildout utilizing available dredge

quantities.

Habitat Creation:

Nesting areas for endangered Least Tern Spawning Grounds for

Rock Bass, Yellow Perch, Walleyes, Muskellunge,

and Pike

Research facility is world renowned, Ohio Street is an active private marina with restaurant and retail opportunities.

Buffalo celebrates the renewal of industry and fishing while increasing the health and presence of habitat for all species.

Buffalo Dredging Company removed 84,745 cu yds. in 1906Army Corp. removed 83,000 cu. yds. in 2006




Connectedness

Stor

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Hudson Yards, an active railyard consumes much horizontal and thus even more precious vertical space on the West Side of Manhattan adjacent to the Javitz Conference Center. ProtoHood is a study in successful placemaking in existing Chelsea communities with innovative technologies for responsible design to produce a prototypical street block when organized through the existing Manhattan grid.

Grid + Neighborhood = ProtoHOODHudson Railyards, Manhattan


Grid + Neighborhood = ProtoHOODHudson Railyards, Manhattan


Urban MorphologyWashington Heights & The Bronx, New York


Prair ie Ver ticalDenver, Colorado


By analyzing the simple geometries of programmed and

existing elements, a parti was generated from which born the

layout, organization and concept of Intersecting Radials for the

planning of the proposed Visitor Center at Cornell Plantations.

Intersec ting R adialsCornell Plantations, Ithaca, New York


Intersec ting R adialsCornell Plantations, Ithaca, New York

Currently the Greenway system on the East Side of Manhattan is discontinuous

at Sutton Place. Most residents would like to keep the discontinuity. But there

is a strong contingent who would like the greenway to connect and would like

additional uses over on this side of the Island. This proposal satasfi es both groups by adding programmed day and

night time activities below grade keeping the current character of the Sutton Place intact. Illuminated glass would be used as a sculptural peice seen

from Queens and the Bronx.

Engaging ManhattanSutton Place, Upper East Side, Manhattan


Education

2007 - May 2010 Master of Landscape Architecture Cornell University Concentration in Public Education and Outreach Ithaca, New York

1999 - 2003 Bachelor of Science in City & Regional Planning California Polytechnic University Emphasis in Sustainable Environments San Luis Obispo, California

Professional Experience

06/09 - 01/10 Landscape Architecture Intern Department of Public Works San Francisco, CaliforniaGolden Gate master planning, streetscape drafting, design of neighborhood monument, facilitation of public meetings.

05/08 - 08/08 Designer / Assistant Level Green Landscape Lansing, New YorkDesign and coordination of Residential Landscape Design in CAD and manual graphic formats. Preparation of cost estimates, proposals, site surveys, active participation in client meetings.

10/05 - 08/07 Project Manager / Designer Ripley Design Group Walnut Creek, California Developer / municipal / consultant / sub consultant coordination, management and design of residential projects during planning and design phases, preliminary landscape design in various views, full-range of technical (working) drawings; in CAD and manual graphic format. Provide mentorship and training of new employees.

06/03 - 10/05 Project Coordinator / Designer NUVIS Landscape Architecture San Ramon, California Developer / municipal / consultant / sub consultant coordination and management of residential projects during planning and design stages.

Academic Experience

10/09 - present Instructor Realworld AutoCAD in Landscape Architecture Dept. Cornell UniversityInstruction and curriculum design of beginning and advanced Real World AutoCAD for Landscape Architects offered to both graduate and undergraduate students. I held office hours and individual help sessions.

Activities Skills

01 / 09 - present Vice President Cornell Chapter of ASLA AutoCAD / Photoshop / Illustrator / InDesign01 / 09 - present Teaching Assistant Site Construction for Peter Trowbridge SketchUP / ARCView GIS / Manifold GIS 09 / 09 - 01 / 10 Team Leader Design + Connect Cooperstown Streetscape Studio Max / MS Office

Christopher Mateo c l m 2 4 6 @ c o r n e l l . e d u 3 2 3 W e s t B u f f a l o S t r e e t , I t h a c a , N Y 1 4 8 5 0

landscape architecture graduate portfolio

Documents

bronx counterpart

washington heights counterpart

maintained open space

xhibithigh bridge

open space discontinuous

cross bronx expway

larger ratio

s t b u f f