Maddie Swaney MLA Portfolio 2025

Maddie Swaney

Email: mswaney@ksu.edu

Phone: 314-688-1770

About Education

2022 - 2025 MLA program at Kansas State University with a minor in city planning.

2013 - 2018

B.S. in Environmental Plant Science and Horticulture from Missouri State University.

I am a third-year post-baccalaureate student at K-State studying landscape architecture. My background is in environmental plant science and horticulture, with experience in organic farming, residential and commercial landscaping, commercial greenhouse production, and botanical gardens. I returned to school to further my education in landscape design and develop skills in placemaking. Landscape architecture allows me to merge my passion for horticulture with design skills that foster creative problem-solving while integrating elements that enhance human comfort and enjoyment. My interests include sustainable design, community engagement, and advocating for inclusive and equitable spaces.

of

01. Urban Bayou | Urban Design

02. Montana Green Mountain Institute | Master Planning

03. Edwards Hall Planting Design | Plant Selection

04. Construction Documents

05. Work Experience

06. Artwork

Urban Bayou

New Orleans, LA

This project is set in a downtown plaza in New Orleans, LA, and celebrates the region’s native wetlands to highlight their ecological benefits. The design features Louisiana’s state tree, the bald cypress, chosen for its vital role in wetland ecosystems. These trees help improve air and water quality by absorbing pollutants and aiding in stormwater filtration.

The contrast between the urban landscape and the lush, swamp-like plaza offers visitors a refreshing escape, allowing them to breathe cleaner air and experience a bayou within the city. This green oasis provides a peaceful retreat from the surrounding skyscrapers, creating a welcoming space for social gatherings, reading, or enjoying coffee with friends. Additionally, the plaza serves as a dynamic venue for concerts, art exhibitions, and cultural events in collaboration with the neighboring cultural center.

New Orleans Bayous

The inspiration for this design stems from the swamps native to New Orleans, LA. These wetlands provide many beneficial properties to their surrounding communities. My goal is to bring awareness of these important ecosystems to the public, as well as achieve similar benefits these landscapes provide to an urban setting.

Site Plan

The site plan highlights three primary access points to the Urban Bayou plaza, each framed by tall cypress trees and seating areas. Within this oasis, a series of water features create a cooling and tranquil atmosphere, with seating along the edges inviting visitors to pause, converse, read, or admire the tree canopies. A pergola serves as a versatile gathering space, providing a stage for live music, art exhibitions, and other events.

Materials Diagram

Water features on the north, south, and west sides of the plaza create an immersive swamp-like experience, enhancing urban tranquility. These water features, along with surrounding vegetation, help absorb pollutants and reduce city noise.

This area would be the location where visitors could come to drink a coffee, have a small meeting, or eat their lunch. The high-top bar area is where visitors can sit with others and discuss local attractions.

This perspective shows how this space can be used at night. There are lots of ground lighting to provide a safe, well-lit area for visitors to enjoy this plaza after sunset. The pergola area can be used to host live music, galleries, or other small events.

Montana Green Mountain Institute

Bozeman, Montana

The Montana Green Mountain Institute is an innovation hub for science, art, and research, extending Montana State University’s focus on ecology, geography, climate studies, and art. Located 30 miles southeast of the university, near Livingston, the site borders Gallatin National Forest, providing access to its trails.

The campus connects to a festival field for concerts, outdoor events, and recreational activities, with a central axis linking it to the parks and recreation facility. A visitor center with a lookout tower offers panoramic site views, while its parking lot serves both campus and festival events.

Housing options range from dorm-style apartments and cabins to hotel-style rooms at the equestrian center. The southern site preserves natural landscapes with trails leading to Gallatin and Yellowstone forests, while an on-site creek supports fishing, kayaking, and research opportunities.

Landmark Map

Slope Percentage Map

Aerial view of the site and the existing conditions which contributed to site conceptual circulation and programming.

Land Cover Map

An aerial view highlights the site’s surrounding context. To the southeast, a residential neighborhood has access to Mill Creek, which runs along the site’s edge. On the opposite side, existing ranch land offers potential grazing space for the equestrian center. The site is adjacent to Mill Creek Road, a key route leading to Yellowstone National Park.

Visitor Center Perspective

The look out located in the visitor center sits at a higher elevation than the campus, equestrian center, and the cabins. Guests have the opportunity to view the majority of the site from this vantage point. The field next to the visitor center can host events from concerts, outdoor art exhibits, to recreational activities, outdoor classrooms, and a variety of other activities.

Site Plan

1. Equestrian Stables

2. Equestrian Center

3. Festival Field

4. Administration Building

5. Gymnasium

6. Visitor Center

7. Art Studios

8. Dorm-Style Housing 9. Dining Hall & Retail 10. Science Building 11. Research Labs

12. Trail & Fishery Building

13. Large Cabins

14. Small Cabins

15. Cabin Dining Hall

16. Creek Access

Edwards Hall Planting Design

Manhattan, Kansas

This project focuses on redeveloping Edwards Hall on K-State’s campus to house the K-State Garden Visitor Center, a café and restaurant, and second-floor office space. The adjacent garden will extend the existing K-State Garden, located just a block away.

The garden design aims to create inviting spaces where visitors and employees can relax, dine, and engage with the landscape while learning about ecological processes and plant species. A central plaza, positioned at the entrance of the café and restaurant, offers outdoor seating for dining, meetings, and casual gatherings. It features two interactive water fountains that provide ambient sound and a sensory experience.

Designed for year-round visual interest, the garden incorporates seasonal color, diverse textures, and pollinator habitats. Native plant species are prioritized to reduce water consumption and maintenance while enhancing biodiversity.

Quiet Garden Perspective

The Quiet Garden has an intimate lawn space that is bordered by a garden that provides annual seasonal interest. This is the perfect space to read, relax, conduct a meeting or phone call. This garden features a sugar maple, serviceberries, nandinas, blue spruces, and pollinator flowers that give summer color and floral scents.

Seasonal Planting Studies

Plant Palette

Trees

Shrubs

Grasses

Perennials

Rain Garden Perspective

The rain garden is positioned at the southeastern corner of the site, the lowest elevation point. A series of swales throughout the site collect and slow runoff, directing it to this final catch basin. Here, the rain garden provides essential filtration and temporary storage before the water enters the drainage system.

The Great Lawn Perspective

The great lawn is east of the plaza. This space has a great big chinkapin oak that provides shade during the hotter months of the year. This space is good for outdoor recreation, hosting events, and scenic strolls. The sidewalk is bordered by pollinator gardens that provide educational information about these habitats and what kind of species pollinate the plant species. The sidewalk next to the building is lined with Ginkgo trees that will turn bright yellow in fall. These have catmint underneath them which will line the walk with purple, mint scented flowers.

Past Work Experience

Sunflower Hill Farm | Garden Manager

A glimpse into the vegetable garden I managed, where we curated seasonal produce baskets for our CSA program. We also canned and processed vegetables while integrating fresh, seasonal ingredients into the café menu.

Family Tree Nursery | Assistant Grower

I assisted the growers at the greenhouse facilities. I helped with watering, transplanting, pulling orders, and inventory. I mostly worked with annuals and arranging seasonal floral containers.

Kansas Forest Service Student Worker

SWT Design | Summer Intern

I was a landscape architecture design intern at SWT for three months. I was exposed to many different project types, went on site visits, and enhanced my skills as a designer and life time learner.

I worked part time as a student worker at KFS. I helped out with their conservation tree program. My tasks included planting seeds, transplanting, thinning, collecting seed, and seasonal shipping.

Site Sketching Artwork

University Garden Program Collage

Wichita, KS Street Art and Community Identity Collage.

Denver, CO Project Expression Collage.