brandon finley / body of work architecture + design
Brandon Finley University of Memphis Architecture + Interior Architecture Class of 2020 bfinley1@memphis.edu 901 831 4713
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modular wall life capsule associated geometries kit of parts sculpture garden cinematic interpretation formal exploration point line plane typeface lecture series poster brand identity room with a view desert waypoint memphis reads house of the 21st century small living / gala object
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modular wall Graphics Studio / First Year A view looking east. The morning orientation of this system of modules had to address thermal comfort and views. Framing the sunrise was one of my goals in this design. Each module had a top and bottom portal. As a unit the negative space in between them also created a viewing opportunity. The fins radiating away from the center blocked the sunlight as the sun rises during the day. It does this without blocking the views from ground level. Looking up at the fins is also visually interesting. Some portals have a translucent screen over them to add more variety and to break up the direct sunlight coming through the system.
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life capsule Fundamentals of Design / First Year By joining sustainable recycling of plastic with empathic design, we created several objects that could help the nomadic urban dweller community. These objects were meant to be easily constructible for the users who needed it. The project that I worked on was the Life Capsule. Two 2 liter bottles could be constructed into a capsule. This could be filled with necessary items for survival. The design of this capsule went through many iterations, mostly with the latch. Which was designed to stay closed with the possibility of putting it in a lock position. Sandpaper was used to give it a creative texture on the outside and to possibly provide content privacy depending on the degree of abrasion.
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associated geometries
Design Studio 1 + Computer Applications Using a plane, a mass, and a line, make an object that associates these geometries. I chose to make these geometries center along a vertical axis that creates an origin point where they intersect.
A place on campus was personally selected to digitally place this object and I made it look like it was snowing as woman walks by.
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kit of parts Design Studio 1 + Computer Applications Given an inventory of pieces, I was to design a space on campus. I decided to make a train station as homage to the old trolley stop that was once on campus. It has degrees of
1 Platform
public and private spaces and allows users to see through the windows from the other side.
2 Inhabit + Privacy Public Semi-Private Private
3 Visual Connections
4 Shelter + Ventilation
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sculpture garden Design Studio 1 / Second Year The duality of man and nature is evident at Overton Park. A planned highway was halted just as it reached the edges of this great park. In large part due to activists that wanted to protect the ancient forest. The sculpture garden therefore must reflect this codependency between man and nature. Two of the sculptures represent these two entities. The Muse for humanity and Pangaean Disc for the Earth. Each of these sculptures are placed in prominent positions in the park with a direct link between them.
Two other sculptures, the Quiltsurround and Trees, are placed in places where they can provide a benefit to the users of this park. Quiltsurround provides a noise screen near the park’s edge and Trees is near a crossroads, providing a place of rest underneath it. The art gallery is near the bike gateway to give travelers a place to rest and to view the artwork inside. It provides a canopy to draw people in and connects with the main sculpture garden axis.
The link was carefully chosen to go past the trees in the park, leaving them undisturbed.
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Site Plan 0 10’
100’
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Program Listing 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
The Muse Pangaean Disc Trees Quiltsurround Gallery Hall Bridge Outdoor Classroom Outdoor Dining Area
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Bike Gate
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Program Listing
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Floor Plan 0 1’
10’
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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
Hall Security Office Catering Room Gallery Storage Utility Closet Women’s Washroom Men’s Washroom The Muse Reflecting Pool Meditation Area
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Southwest Elevation 0 1’
10’
01.Northeast Section
Northwest Elevation
02.Southeast Section
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cinematic interpretation Computer Applications 1 / Second Year Select a movie and render an interior and exterior view using SketchUp, Kerkythea, and Photoshop. I picked the Polish film Ida. It’s about a girl ready to take her vows to become a nun when she finds out she has an aunt still alive. She goes on a journey to discover her origins and dark past. Along the way there are two moments of self discovery and rebellion. When she visits the farm her mother grew up on and when she puts on a dress and dances with a boy for the first time. I rendered the nightclub and the exterior of the barn, which had stained glass windows. The film is set in 1960’s Poland and is in black and white.
Interior rendering / 25
Exterior rendering
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formal exploration Computer Applications / Second Year This project was a final rendering exercise. I was given two 8’ x 16’ structures to design with. One open and the other closed. My design was as if ship wreck castaways built this structure to be able to look out for potential rescue. The structure is made of wood and some steel beams. A ladder leads to the top plane in the makeshift tower. Inside is a dark place for relaxation.
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point line plane Computer Applications 2 Second Year Graphically using planes, lines, and points to create different graphical designs. I choose the words align, perforate, tension, imply, divide, and perspective.
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typeface project Computer Applications 2 Second Year Using only typeface characters. I created images that represented each of 6 different words. The words expressed here are scale, positive/negative, pattern, congestion, tension, and playful.
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All lectures will begin at 7 unless otherwise noted and are free and open to the public. Lectures will take place in the University of Memphis Rose Theater. The lecture series will be broadcast live at Memphis.edu/live. For additional information including updates, gallery hours, direction and parking please go visit www.memphis.edu/architecture.
lecture series poster Computer Applications 2 / Second Year A graphic design project to design a poster for a lecture series. I wanted a concept of rising and lift. I made the background a picture of Crosstown Concourse. It is architectural and the atrium space lifts your eyes up. I used large numbers for the dates to grab the viewers attention to the most important information first. Then I used dark orange for the speaker’s name and the orange lightens as further information is provided. A transparent screen of black lays behind the information to help the text stand out from the busy picture in the background. The title takes on this black screen to create one element.
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brand identity project Computer Applications 2 / Second Year I created this company called kronika. They are a geographical society that gives seminars and scholarships for students who would like to study abroad.
The red and yellow represent courage and determination. The star symbolizes the north star for navigation.
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Location Privacy
View Orientation
Locate room towards lake
Raise wall to block bad view
Cover
room with a view Design Studio 2 / Second Year The lake provides the best view of the surrounding park, but there is nowhere to get the best view except in the water. I created a room that extends out to get this view. Site analysis showed that this was the best place for a room of rest and contemplation. The boards rise out of the boardwalk to create an enveloping roof.
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desert waypoint Design Studio 2 / Second Year The Montello Foundation wanted a way point to display art made from it’s program in the desert. My concept is to create a visually interesting landmark that will make people wish to stop and check it out. The rising walls mimic the landscape of mountains
and sagebrush. The curving of these walls creates a journey that the users will go as they experience the art. A vista point is at the end of the journey that has a rest area with perfect views of the surrounding mountain range.
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Forest
Cycle of Life
Protect
Encompass
Connect to Views
Original forest of trees
Stumps used as seats
Lost trees have floor rings
Green patina tree signals hope for future
Floor plan
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memphis reads Design Studio 2 / Second Year The removal of the Confederate statues at Memphis Park provides the opportunity to dedicate this park to those that suffered and survived under the bondage of slavery. The first phase of this project is to create a journey that combines with another path towards freedom. The walls rise as the user walks through the installation to provide the sense of uplifting freedom. The second phase would be to dig actual trenches into the ground as living scars. These scars are
Join - two paths towards freedom converge
meant to evoke the scars that were on the victims backs from torture. The walls of these scars are to be lined with the names of those who suffered and escaped to freedom. The park is to be renamed Emancipation Park and honor Harriet Tubman with a statue in the middle, in the place of where Jefferson Davis statue was.
Lift - as journey ends, spirits are lifted
Escape - the barrier is broken
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1 Main Entrance 2 Concealed Entrance 3 Escaping Slave Relief 4 Exit 5 Memphis Reads
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1. Memphis Park - previously Confederate Park, once a symbol of segregation
2. Locate lines clear of trees
3. Scar the land to create a memorial for those held in slavery in American history
4. Erect a statue of Harriet Tubman Rename park Emancipation Park
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house for the twenty-first century Design Studio 2 / Second Year Among the urban landscape of the Memphis Uptown neighborhood lies the Nature House. The surrounding neighborhood contains very little untouched land. The Gayoso Bayou and the site itself have been tainted by excessive use. Creating a natural oasis within this neighborhood was important to the concept. Bring nature and its experiences back into this urban landscape. By relocating a tree, the house is oriented towards a piece of nature. Then the public and private functions of a home are divided between the first and second floor. As in nature where
the most private moments happen high up in the safety of a tree canopy and public moments like eating and conversing happen on the forest floor. The interior spaces are nomadic to allow the users the ability to rearrange according to the seasons as each place of rest has advantages in the winter and the summer. The center of all is the tree, every room has a view of it. The garden around it is a place of rest. The glass bricks allow natural sunlight while offering protection from the noise of the city around it.
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nature to city
orient house to tree
tilt roof for light
private high / public low
create intimate garden
extend perch
life with nature
south elevation
level one plan
east elevation
level two plan
north elevation
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small living / a gala object AIA Memphis Gala / Second Year This concrete planter was made for the 2018 AIA Memphis Gala silent auction.
Though the reflective parts were nice, I decided to make another one.
The concept was to make a planter for those who want a desk succulent, but with an architectural feature, stairs
This time I simplified the stairs and used basswood for the stairs mold. The concrete cured in a warm place which made it brittle. The result was a board formed look to the stairs side and patches of decay and age. This aesthetic was interesting to look at and I was satisfied with its imperfections.
Initially I used plexiglass and pieces of poplar strip for the stairs. This created an uneven finish.
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thank you
bfinley1@memphis.edu