Brandon Ekman landscape architecture portfolio

The Continuing Works of BRANDON RAY EKMAN

Landscape Architecture Portfolio a

Unorthodox Urban Honey Bee Pioneer

Resume BRANDON RAY EKMAN

EMPLOYMENT • Grounds Keeper, Santa Fe College • Grounds Maintenance Worker 3, Tree Crew

University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) • Pool Technician, Pool Chlor • Intern, Linden Nursery • Gardening Crew Member, BYU • Sales Associate, Kitsap Sports

Oct. 2015 – Jan. 2016 Nov. 2014 – Oct. 2015 Mar. 2014 – Nov. 2014 Feb. 2012 – May 2012 Apr. 2007 – Aug. 2011 Aug. 2005 – Jan. 2007

on tie Co

Pa lm ett o Sa w

Sa ge W i ld

ac hS un flo we Sp r ot ted H Ga llb ors e er ry min t

ly

Be

Li

Gr as s

Sp id er

ste m

Bl ue

Apr. 2012

yP lan t

Apr. 2017

nt ur

EDUCATION • Master of Landscape Architecture

University of Florida (UF) • Bachelor of Science, Landscape Management

Minor: Business Management

Brigham Young University (BYU)

3301 SW 13th St. #Q243 Gainesville, FL 32608

Ce

(801) 922-0591 theekman@gmail.com

The pantry started out as an idea to propagate honey bees and disperse hives over urban areas along with plants that would give the honey produced distinct and sought-after flavors. That idea evolved, as I realized the vast number of a specific plant it would take to influence the flavor of the honey, into an edible outdoor room with vertical layers, giving the feeling of shelves and walls.

DRAFTING, RENDERING AND COMPUTER SKILLS • Computer Aided Drafting: AutoCAD • 3DDrafting: Google Sketchup, Rhinosorous • Adobe Creative Suite: InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator • Microsoft Office: Excel, PowerPoint, Word • Geographic Information Systems (GIS) MEMBERSHIP • American Society of Landscape Architects, Student Member • Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), Member • Boy Scouts of America, Eagle Scout

3

A Twist in the Park We were tasked with creating a neighborhood park that would celebrate the city of Gainesville, Florida.

I was new to the area and was fascinated to learn that the area had been primarily pine forest before palm trees were imported from further south to give it a more tropical feel. I at once decided to design my park around that change.

This project was to be our introduction to topography, and I took the challenge head-on.

5

Creating a Living Street

Existing Figure-Ground

Existing Circulation

Public Domain

Proposed Figure-Ground

Proposed Circulation

Spacial Diagram

I chose to slow down the street by creating a living cooridor with every element in the design, from the specific pavers to the color of the flowering trees, encouraging vehicles to slow and coaxing vehicles to calm down and inviting heavier foot traffic.

The City of Longwood is a suburb of Orlando, Florida.

Longwood is a nice place with a historical district and an industrial district. The town is, however, sliced in half by a very fast-traveled road. This road has made a major barrier in the city and has started causing serious blight. We set out to bring life back to the area, slow down the street, and increase walkability and access to public transit.

7

Horsetail Equisetum hymale

A Place to Start

Shooting Star

Crepe Myrtle Lagerstroemia indica ‘Pink Velour’

I painted a picture of my daughter Faye dancing and gave it to her for Christmas. The gift was lacking something vital, so as a second part to the Christmas present, Faye and I had a date in which we finished the painting together. Faye, age 2, named the painting “Faye Shooting Star.”

Dwarf Azalea Rhodendron ‘Red Ruffles’ Asian Jasmine Trachelospermum asiaticum

Schillings (Dwarf) Yaupon Ilex vomitoria ‘Schilling’s Dwarf’

This studio design was frustrating at first because there was no context for the site, just a rectangular patch; I needed a place to begin. I started with the image of a puzzle piece and began to work with the horizontal and vertical layers off of the base to create additional sections in the design.

Thank You

9