De-Centered Design

Joseph Butts1367 S. Milledge Ave.Athens, GA 30605(706)-850-JOSE

Objective: Seek the position of Landscape Designer.

EDUCATION:• UniversityofGeorgia,LandscapeArchitecture-3years• SavannahStateUniversity,MarineSciences-3years• Daniel Tal Sketchup Workshop• SkidawayInstituteofOceanography-2years

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

Design/BuildPrivatePractice-2014,Athens,GALandscape Design and Install• Completedandinstalledanupdatedplantingplanandhardscapeforthecommercialproperty,NewEarthMusicHallinAthens,GA.• CompletedanupdatedplantingplanfortheLyleResidenceinWinder,GA.• Successfullycompetedforjobsasafreelancedesignerusinghand-drawngraphics.

WasecaBiomes-2014,Athens,GACarpenter/toymaker• Createdhighquality,handcraftededucationaltoys.• WorldwidedistributionofproductsincludinglargemarketsinJapan,Europe,anddomestically.• Responsibleforrunningandmaintainingavarietyofequipmentincluding,alasercutter,bandsaw,mitersaw,airbrush,etc.

ResearchVesselSavannah2008-2010,SkidawayIsland,GAChief Steward/Second Mate• Responsiblefordeployingandmaintainingabroadrangeofscientificequipment.• Responsiblefornavigationandproperrunningofshipwhileunderway.• Responsibleforprovidingandmaintainingtheship’sfoodinventoryforscientificexpeditionsuptotwoweeks.• TookpartinmanycoastalandoceanographicstudiesfromNewEnglandtotheCarribean.

LivewireMusicHall:2007-2010,Savannah,GAManager/Bartender• Responsibleforsmoothoperationofthebar,receiptandinventoryaccountability.• Responsibleforsettlingbandcontracts,managingemployeesandclosingmanagerialduties.• Responsibleforfood(ifnecessary)andbeveragepromotionwithanoutstandingtrackrecordforboostingsalesineach.

As designers working at the scale of the builtenvironment,everydesigndecisionshould be a thoughtful choice, and con-sider both the intentional and uninten-tional effects. To mitigate unintendedeffectson the site I takemyself outofthe center of the process. I avoid the thought process that I am creating asolution. Instead, I nurture the idea that thelandscapeisacomplexsystem,andthrough the AIMmethod, I can discov-er the solution that the site presents. Anal

ysisof

metric

s Immers

ionin

thesit

eMeditation on th

e process

Projects

Regent

’sVillag

eNewEa

rthMu

sicHal

lAtlanta Beltline

Atlanta

Highw

ay

Costa Rica

Designing with Music

Monteverde, Costa Rica

A 60-

acre tract of rainforest

adjacent to the University of Georgia

Costa Rica campus is being sold by the current landowner. If it

is developed sustainibly, he will offer it to the university at a discounted price. 5 teams

worked on different models for the sustainable de-velopment, while my team would pursue the profit-driv-

en, high-intensity development option as a counterpoint. In an ecologically sensitive area of Costa Rica surrounded by rare bird

habitat, the Monteverde design was able to achieve a highly profitable development while preserving large tracts of forest by creating large lots with a

development envelopes that preserved the ecologocially important areas within the owner’s property.

GISslo

pe,co

ntour,

andan

daeria

loverla

y Finished concept with contours a

nd aerial photo

Site Photo

The design remains so-cially account-able to the people and culture of Costa Rica by creating a “Calle Principal” with a café, farmer’s market, a convenient store and 6 mid-dle-income homes to provide community and income for property caretakers and fam-ilies living in the area.The adjacent eco-lodge will take advantage of the grand views, and provide a seasonal income stream.The remaining prop-erty will be developed with 13 large, sustainably developed lots with homes with an aver-age market value of $350,000. Increasing the total property value to $6,850,000.

The Real ThingAtlanta Beltline Charette

The Atlan-

ta Beltline Charette was

a week long design charettesponsoredby

the Atlanta Beltline to introduce fresh ideas for the proposed Bank-

head connection. The Bankhead area is characterizedbyahistoricallylow-income,Afri-

can-Americanpopulationrichinhistory.Thederelictareaisafooddesertwithpoorpublichealth,andverylittle

walkability.ThestreetscapeofBankheadconsistofsingle-familyhomes,fast-foodrestaurants,abandonedwarehouses,anddilapidat-

ed buildings.

Map of Site Visit

Spatial

Layou

tSuitabilityZones

Multi-FamilyResidential

CommercialZone

Marta/BeltlineHub

HealthCenter

Proposed Pedestrian Overpass

ConnectivityDiagram

FurtherDevelopmetoftheconceptrevealedopportunitiesforfundingfromnearby,largecorporationsseekingtorenewtheirhomecityandcreateaniconforAtlanta.

Corporate sponsored health center

Hydrolo

gicalA

nalysisBase of Coca-Cola

StructureLarge Iconic Landmark

Proposed Streetscape

The Bank-

head de-sign relies on the

repurposed MARTA stationtobecomeahub

for the pedestrian Beltline, The BeltlineLightrail,andtheexistingMar-

ta line to connect in one place, and create a thriving location to serve and integrate the

neighborhoodsoftheareawiththeexistingfabricofthecity.Thepublichealthcenterre-imaginestheexisting

centertopromotelocalfood,recreation,andhealthylifestylepractices, along with its traditional services.

NewEarthMusicHall,Private Practice, Athens, GA

Peach, Swiss Chard, Sage Martini

Street-view

Lasercut and etched plant tags

Axonom

etrics

ketch

Initial Plan

The plant-

ing plan for New Earth Music

Hall,wasacquiredaf-terspeakingcasuallywith

the owners about enhancing thevisibilityofthecourtyardwith

eye-catchingseasonalcolor.Seekinganinteractive planting plan, the plants were cho-

senbasedoncustomerandemployeeexperience.Manyoftheplantshavecustomidentification tags, and

canbesmelledandtastedinthegarden.Ithentrainedtheemployeestocreatesignaturecocktailswithseasonalingredients

foundinthegarden.Thestagewastheenhancedwithalineofequi-setumtocreateanaturalfacadeforthefrontofthestage. The entire

designwascompletedinjustafewhours,andinstalledthesameweek.

Saltwater Grille, RestaurantCourtyard

Beginning as a

simplesketchfor a restaurant

courtyard,thisdrawingwasdevelopedasmyfirst

experiencewithAutocadaswellasformalconstructiondrawings,completed

inthe2ndyearofmyBLA.Usingtimesaverstandardsasareferenceonly,thedrawingswere

developedusingthemind’seyeandintuitiveconstructiontechhniques.Anexcitingprojectuponcompletion,thisexercise

reallyhelpedtodevelopmyvision,intuition,mindfulness,andunderstandingofcompleteness.

Regent’sVillagea conservation subdivision

ExplodedRadiatingForm

LayoutConcept

StrategicForm

SoilInv

entory

Hydrolo

gicalA

nalysis

Fol-lowing

the initail siteanalysis,

including water di-rection, soils, wildlife hab-

itat, and opportunistic areas, I movedintoconceptualformsforthe

site.Ichoseaserpentineformasaen-vironmentallylow-impactsolutionforacon-

trolled-growthdevelopmentthatmeetsthedevel-oper’shousingrequirementswiththeminimalamountof

roadconstruction.Theretailarea,locatednearthehighwaytoprovidevisibility,hashousinglocatedonthetop2floorstomaxi-

mizespaceandprovideconveniencetotheresidentsthatlivethere.

Regent’sStreetcasestudiesincludeRegent’sSt.,London,RedRibbonParkinQin-huangdao,China,aswellas,ForsythParkinSavannah,GA.

Precon

structio

ndocu

ments

:Silt-fe

ncing

plan

Initialh

anddra

wnan

drende

redma

sterpl

an

Red Ribbon Park, Qinhuangdao,China

Regent’sStreet,London, England

ForsythPark,Savannah, GA

Bi-sect-

edbyalong, flowing

greenway,Regent’sPark,inspiredbythedra-

maticcurveofRegent’sStreetinLondon,blendstraditionalhomes,

townhomes,andcommercialretailintoavibrantwalkablecommunity.The11public

parksandmultiplenaturetrailsoffersanarrayofopportunitiesforallagesandtypestofind their own

placeinthecommunityorenjoythepreservedhardwoodforest. The initial design was altered to include the switchback

turn,inordertomeetprojectcompliance.

Designing with Music

Digital rendering using Autocad and Adobe Suite

Hand-d

rawns

itepla

nPastel SketchExpressionofBrubek

DigitallyRenderedSection

Inspired bythe

musicofDaveBrubek and his

union of classical training andmodernimprovisation.

TheLowe’smedianimprovementuses lines based on the wavelengths

ofmusicalharmony,1,1/2,1/4,1/7,1/8.Thehedgescreatearhythmthatmovesthecustomer

towardthedoor,andthethreemajorareasofinterest.Twooftheareaswillbesouthern-styleplantings,whilethe

third,centralareawillbeprovideasetto“improvise”productdemonstrations.

TheSeamAtlantaHighway, Athens, GA

GISan

alysis

Explora

tionof

formt

hrough

claym

odel

Inital Bridge ConceptConnectivityDiagram

ExistingConditions

Sections of clay model with tunneled street The Atlan-

taHighwayDesign Charette

exploreddifferentopportunities for long-

termdevelopmentofadefunct,big-boxbusinessdistrictofAthens,

GA.InspiredbytheBigDigandGeorgeHargreaves6thSt.BridgeovertheLosAngeles

River, we provided the fresh concept of a land-bridgecoveringtheexisitngcommercialarea.Complete

with paths, gardens, forest, and bike lanes. Our solution rec-reatesthearea’spastoralhistory,whilestitchingthetworesidentialareastogetherandprovidinganinterestingthoroughfarefortraffic

Developing Skills

Engine bought at g

arage sale, re

furbished, and self-

installe

donto

used

bikew

ithat

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stof$1

25.

Playho

usefor

myda

ugher:

Improv

isedfro

mavai

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aterial

s

Travel in India Surfboard Shaping

MyInspiration

Al-ways

following myinsatiable

thirst to fill gaps in myunderstandingofthe

world,myfree-timeisspenton hand-crafted projects, travel

to developing countries, and spending timewithmywifeanddaughter.Attheage

of19,Ihad,independently,savedenoughmoneytospend4monthsalone,travellingthrough11differ-

entcountriesinEastandSouthernAfrica.Mostlybypublictransportation,andonashoe-stringbudget,Ibegantoimmerse

myselfintotheAfricanwayoflife.Thesuccessofthattriphasledmetoimmersiontravelinover20differentcountriesonmultiplecontinents

includingIndia,Asia,CentralAmericaandtheCarribean.Iamverygratefulformyexperiences,andintendtoreturntothoseplaceswithnewskillstoshare.