adam fearing
landscape architecture portfolio
contact Phone: Email: Address: Blog:
339-933-1745 adamfearing15@gmail.com 9 River Dr. Hadley, MA 01035 instagram.com/the_land_arch issuu
blog
bio
I have had a strong affinity for the natural world since childhood. Through my studies and extensive work experience I have formed an inseparable bond with nature and have found great passion in designing the landscape. What has struck me most in studying landscape architecture is the importance of navigating between natural and man-made spaces and the effect that this relationship has on humans. Through careful observation and practice I have determined that landscape architects are more than just artists or designers. We are sociologists, ecologists, preservationists, and activists. Landscape architects play a vital role in the future of the built environment and the preservation of environmental resources. Modernists built our nation for the automobile. Now it is time to re-imagine the role of the bicycle, the pedestrian, the sidewalk, and, most importantly, the human being. Landscape architecture is my calling to change the world. I am excited for the future and am eager to devote my life to the fields of landscape architecture and urban design. The following selection of works contains graphics that I created. All sketches, logos, graphic design choices, and infographics were a labor of love. I hope you enjoy.
Thank you, Adam Fearing
contents
Park Design
Springfield’s NatureScape Project Metro Park 06-15
Urban Ecology
Springfield’s NatureScape Project The Riverfront 16-17
Urban Design
Springfield’s NatureScape Project East-West Boulevard 18-19
Housing + Ecology Multi-Family Housing Studio
20-21
Chair + Bench Design
22-23
Samples
24-27
Credentials + References
28-29
Furniture Design Hand Sketches Resume
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Project Overview
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Park Design
Proje
Springfield’s NatureScape Project was a product of a 14 week urban design studio. In teams of three, we generated master plans that aimed to reconnect the Springfield, Massachusetts downtown with the Connecticut Riverfront. I focused on providing a playful yet functional design program for Metro Park and the Riverfront. I also wanted to establish a streetscape that carefully considered the needs of pedestrians along East-West Boulevard.
Process
Sketching: The Hand + Mind Unite My approach to the design process always begins with a pen and a sketchbook. I am constantly sketching ideas and observations.
Exploring my ideas by sketching has allowed me to visualize my thought processes and better understand the spatial qualities of both my own designs and the world at large.
Adam Fearing
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people’s plaza
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Master Plan
court st. pedestrian boulevard
interstate 91
metro park rock gym
memorial bridge lawn
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union plaza + overlook
highway bosque
prospect hills
MGM casino
the grand lawn
overlook hill stage
state plaza + overlook
restored riparian ecosystem
meadow walk system
river boardwalk
south end park apartments
court plaza + overlook
east-west boulevard
south end neighborhood
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ark p d n e
new mixed use edge east-west boulevard stormwater remediation gardens south end playground meadow walk system affordable housing
wetland overlook
riverside lawn
basketball hall of fame
restored riparian ecosystem
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Adam Fearing
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riverside boardwalk
restored riverfront
the fall, or even sledding in the winter, the park provides a place for year-round fun and excitement. The design consists of several large civic spaces that range from open to secluded. Every visitor can find a space here.
overlook deck
river walk
the grand lawn
stage hill
state plaza
Metro Park provides a hub of activity for the proposed NatureScape design. Being the “heart” of the design, the park is a place of constant action. Featuring an arts fair in the spring, Frisbee in the summer, a harvest concert in
the grove
Metro Park
A Green “Heart” for Springfield’s NatureScape Project
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The Grand Lawn provides a place for large events. Outdoor events stimulate the local economy and establish a sense of pride and community among Springfield residents.
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Metro MetroPark Park
lawn walks river walk + bike path successional planting boardwalk
Meadow Walks
riverside ecology
The Meadow Walks that traverse the entire park system serve as remediation spaces and introduce a successional woodland ecological system to Springfield. Constructing a meadow showcases nature’s primitive beauty and provides space for wildlife.
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grand lawn
events stage
Riverside Boardwalk
grove walk
urban forest
train tracks
meadow walk
meadow ecology meadow walk
west columbus ave.
urban forest
The Riverside Boardwalk system provides a direct visual and physical connection to the Connecticut River. Establishing a space directly along the river where visitors can be in close contact with the water creates a more immersive experience. The boardwalk celebrates the restored riparian system while providing an escape from the bustle of the urban setting.
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Metro Park
Educate through Design
With an emphasis on ecological restoration, stormwater management, and habitat rehabilitation, the NatureScape Project becomes an educational platform for future urban development. With issues such as climate change and resource management affecting our environment, it is important that landscape architects provide a sustainable design approach that is visible and sets precedents. In doing this, we become teachers of sustainablity and advocates for the natural world.
Inspire the Youth
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The sustainable program elements throughout the project can inspire future generations. The park systems serve as engaging preserves that connect the city’s youth with nature. This will invoke a sense of wonder for the natural world, which has too often been lost in urban settings. Whether on a field trip or a picnic, children can have a fun and educational experience in the parks.
The Riverfront
Reconstructing an Urban Riverfront When examining an urban riverfront, we must consider the existing conditions and realize a plan for reconstructing a healthy riverside ecology. The following proposal was created to restore Springfield’s degraded, disconnected, and under-utilized urban riverfront.
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The renewed riparian corridor is a major element in contemporary ecological restoration projects; re-establishing the ecology of the riverdside is not only an environmental benefit, but also an aesthetic and educational benefit.
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A Neglected Urban Riverfront Adam Fearing
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em iv yst al R S n nd sio dla cces o Wo a Su e v ti es Na duc tro -in e R
t t ron n wi f r e o Riv ecti e l b nn i ess a Co c Ac es An blish ta -es e R
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g tin er a Se iv nd the R a f ks ec ws o D ie k oo he V l r e t Ov ates r leb Ce
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A Restored Riverfront System Adam Fearing
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E-W Boulevard
Designing for the Pedestrian Often we find that city streets were designed for the automobile. This once modern conception has degraded the human-to-human interaction so valuable to urban streetscapes. Establishing an interconnected transportation system consisting of pedestrians, bicycles, public transit, and automobiles is vital to the future of our cities.
Designing this street system with a green backbone is also neccesary in develping a streetscape that is economically, aesthetically, and environmentally beneficial. The sidewalk must be treated as a habitable space, rather than a margin. It has and will always serve as a meeting ground. Designing a human scale street is key to effective urban design.
mixed use edge
parking bike lanes raised crosswalks
lively sidewalk and storefronts
sidewalk
bike lane
traffic lanes
filtration swale
filtration swale
traffic lanes
bike lane
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storm water management
rden det a i l
infiltration/rain garden
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sidewalk
a sustainable street system
of Lights l a v sti e F A Lively Streetscape The Festival of Lights is a celebration of the night through art and performance. Local artists and shop owners coordinate with youth volunteers to adorn the boulevard with lanterns. The festival features live performaces at participating venues along the boulevard.
Kids’ Night Out is a monthly event held during the spring and summer months. Participating venues along the boulevard open their doors and hold activities that all youth and younghearted can enjoy. The event is free and draws visitors from the surrounding areas.
Springfield’s Arts Night Out is a monthly event that showcases local artists. Participating shops and galleries along the boulevard welcome visitors to view local art and enjoy light refreshments. This event promotes the local economy through a shared love of art.
Adam Fearing
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Multi-Family Housing Adam Fearing
Rediscovering the Stream The goal of the multi-family housing studio was to provide a master plan for a proposed affordable housing development located in Amherst, Massachusetts. I worked with one other team member to produce a plan that was inspired by Ebenezer Howard’s gardencity model, as well as Stein and Wright’s separation of car and pedestrian in their design for Radburn, NJ. Along with promoting a strong sense of community through design, we aimed to reconstitute a stream that would feed into the adjacent meadow and dell. Through meticulous grading, we melded the existing landscape with the new housing units, preserving the character of the site and allowing a stronger connection with the magnificent surrounding landscape. With this ecologically-minded design, we hoped to promote a passive recreational experience for all community members. 20
Re-estblishing a stream system rather than piping and retaining stormwater on site will provide a sense of place within the community and serve aesthetic, recreational, and ecological purposes.
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Furniture Design
This particular chair design was completed in groups of two. We used three materials to contruct the piece. It is held together by tension and was shaped with ergonomics in mind. I later went on to present the design at the Massachusetts Research Convention as an individual. This project piqued my interest in industrial and furniture design and has led me to further study the processes involved these fields.
Initial Individual Structural Concept Model
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Line + Curve
Initial Individual Sketches
I draw inspiration from master designers like Mies van der Rohe and Charles and Ray Eames, whose furniture design processes pay close attention to both aesthetics and function to yield objects that are artful and useful. This particular design for a bench system started in the pages of my sketchbooks. The process of sketching and studying master works has led me to explore all scales of design, from the park system to the park bench.
Land + Object
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Hand Sketches Adam Fearing
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Hand Sketches Adam Fearing
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Resume
EDUCATION
University of Massachusetts Amherst (2011-present) (3.5 GPA) BSLA Landscape Architecture Class of 2015
EXPERIENCE
Treefrog Landscapes Inc. (Northampton, MA) (March-Sept. 2014) (Landscape Designer, Project Manager)
Silver Lake Regional Vocational School (2007-2011) Diploma in Conservation & Horticulture Focus: Landscape Design, Floral Arrangement, Greenhouse Management (4.32 GPA) (Valedictorian)
PROGRAMS & SKILLS
ACTIVITIES
InDesign Photoshop Illustrator SketchUp AutoCad ArcGIS Hand Sketching Hand Rendering Hand Lettering Watercolor Graphic Design Vice President of UMASS’s Boston Society of Landscape Architects Student Chapter (Present) Treasurer of UMASS BSLA Student Chapter (2013-2014) Student Volunteer at National ASLA Conference (Boston, MA) (2013) Member of National Society of Collegiate Scholars (2012-Present) Chosen to attend Green Living Technology’s greenwall/greenroof training seminar sponsored by CityScapes (Boston, MA) (2010)
City of Chicopee Planning Department (Chicopee, MA) (March-April 2015) (Intern)
New England Greenscape (Sunderland, MA) (June-Sept. 2013) (Construction, Masonry, Design) TNB Landscaping (Falmouth, MA) (May-Sept. 2011) (May-Sept. 2012) (Lead Construction Team) (Significant Projects: Falmouth’s Highfield Hall Sunken Garden and West Garden) Hamilton Woods Landscaping (Duxbury, MA) (2009-2011) (Maintenance, Lead Construction Team)
HONORS & AWARDS
Alumni Achievement Scholarship (Awarded by LA Department for Academic Excellence) (2014) Presented at Massachusetts Undergraduate Research Convention for object/seating design (March 2014) Dean’s List (2012-2015) Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts Scholarship (2012) 2011 Career & Technical Education Student of the Year Award Sponsored by Massachusetts Association of Vocational Admin. and the Massachusetts Vocational Association (2012) Composed and received grant from MassAg for my horticulture program to support local agriculture (2010)
HOBBIES
Painting Sketching Dancing Bonsai Gardening Traveling Cooking
REFERENCES
Patricia McGirr Associate Professor UMASS Undergraduate Program Director 413-545-6621 mcgirr@larp.umass.edu Frank Sleegers Associate Professor Dipl.-ING, MLA, Registered Landscape Architect 413-577-0848 sleegers@larp.umass.edu
Man is that uniquely conscious creature who can percieve and express. He must become the steward of the biosphere. To do this he must design with nature. Ian McHarg
Adam Fearing
Landscape Architecture Portfolio adamfearing15@gmail.com 339-933-1745 9 River Drive Hadley, MA 01035 blog: instagram.com/the_land_arch