Dm

About Me

I am a designer living in the heart of Philadelphia, PA. My work focuses on urban design through the medium of landscape architecture: particularly the retrofitting of underutilized urban centers with productive public space, public transport, and green infrastructure.

With a background in digital media design, I have introduced new methods of multimedia representation to my project work - including internet and time-based media - both to better visualize the complex relationships within urban and ecological systems and to better conceptualize design ideas for clients and stakeholders.

I am currently a landscape designer at Wallace Roberts & Todd where I have worked on a range of international projects at various scales, from competitions to construction documentation.

Work Experience

Wallace Roberts & Todd Landscape Designer Philadelphia, PA. Sept. 2008-Present

  • Created conceptual design master plan and design manual for Red Mountain Park, a new 1,200 acre public park on a former iron ore mining mountain in Birmingham, Alabama.
  • Designed custom paving pattern and developed construction documentation for an amphitheater and series of plazas on the site of the Bethlehem, PA Steel Stacks
  • Collaborated with Takenaka Architects in Tokyo, Japan on the landscape design of a new office building outside of Tokyo. Helped develop the overall landscape design concept and designed a series of three interior courtyards for the building.
  • Worked with a team to create a design concept and plan for Gwanggyo Lakeside Park, a new park anchored by former agricultural reservoirs in Gwanggyo, Korea.

EDAW Internship Program, Surfer's Paradise, Australia + Edinburgh, Scotland. Summer 2007

  • One of 30 landscape architecture, architecture, planning, and environmental science students selected from around the world
  • Created a vision and masterplan for Surfer's Paradise in 2050 entitiled "Intertidal Urbanity" focused on adapting to climate change and positioning Surfer's as a world-class radically sustainable city
  • Worked as a Design Intern in EDAW's Edinburgh office. Designed landscape and streetscape plan for a brownfield/adaptive-reuse infill development in downtown Glasgow

Wallace Roberts & Todd Design Intern, Philadelphia, PA. Summer 2007

  • Worked with a design team headed by Margie Ruddick on a competition entry for a new park on Governor's Island
  • Helped design and digitally model the topography and integrated green building roofs
  • Created several perspective drawings and plan renderings of the various experiences within the park

Hargreaves Associates Design Intern, San Francisco, CA. Summer 2006

  • Built topographic study models, and drew planting and grading plans for a park project in Texas
  • Created design development diagrams, drawings and renderings for a pool deck and entryway project at a Las Vegas hotel
  • Created perspective drawings and plan renderings for a variety of other projects at various scales

City Parks Association Intern, Philadelphia, PA. Summer 2005

  • Facilitated large community forums focused on innovative ways of utilizing vacant land in Philadelphia
  • Synthesized community input, along with research and case studies, into a brief for the Urban Voids: Grounds for Change International Design Competiton

Site59.com/Travelocity.com Director of Interface Development / Senior Web Designer, New York, NY. Mar. 2001-Jun. 2004

Iron Street Labs Web Designer, New York, NY. Sept. 1999-Mar. 2001

Teaching Experience

University of Pennsylvania School of Design Guest Critic, Philadelphia, PA. Spring 2010

  • Participated in the jury for Marion Weiss & Michael Manfredi's architecture studio focused on designing a botanical garden on sites in Queens, NY and Tanzania, Africa.

Temple University Guest Lecturer, Philadelphia, PA. Fall 2009

  • Invited to give a lecture on the topic of landscape urbanism to students in the architecture department

University of Pennsylvania School of Design Teaching Assistant, Philadelphia, PA. Spring 2005, Fall 2007

  • Teaching Assistant for CPLN 655: Transportation & Land Use with Professor Rachel Weinberger
  • Teaching Assistant for LARP 542: Digital Visualization with Sarah Widener Astheimer

Skills & Software

  • 2D Design: AutoCAD, Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign
  • 3D Design: Rhinoceros + RhinoScript, 3D Studio Max, SketchUp
  • Motion Design: AfterEffects, Flash
  • Analysis: ArcGIS, AutoCAD Civil 3D
  • Web: Hand-coded HTML & CSS, Django, JQuery, Textpattern
  • Operating Systems: Mac OS X, Windows, Linux
  • Programming languages: HTML, CSS, Python, PHP, Javascript, Actionscript

Education

University of Pennsylvania School of Design, Philadelphia, PA. 2008

  • Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA)
  • Master of City & Regional Planning (MCP), Concentration in Urban Design

Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. 1997

  • Bachelor of Arts; Major in Psychology, Minor in Theology. Varsity Lacrosse Captain, WGTB Student Radio, Georgetown Gonzo Magazine

Awards

  • Fargo Urban Infill International Design Competition First Prize 2010
  • Urban Land Institute Gerald Hines Urban Design Competiton Finalist 2008
  • PennDesign Landscape Architecture Fellowship 2008
  • PennDesign Outstanding Achivement in Landscape Architecture Award 2007
  • Pennsylvania Planning Association Student Project Certificate of Merit 2005