BRANDON STONE
SELECTED WORKS 2012 - 2021
+1 315.456.9091 www.stonedesigns.org
SELECTED WORKS by Brandon Stone Years 2012 - 2021
RELATED WORK EXPERIENCE ARCHITECTURE @ SHEPLEY BULFINCH March 31, 2020 - Present Lead Visualization artist on Dartmouth College’s Berry Library, Loyola University’s Beatty Hall, and Harvard University’s Medical School Library. 3D Artist for Trinity College’s Vernon Social Renovation
DESIGNER & DESIGN LEADER @ KING + KING ARCHITECTS June 1, 2017 - February 21, 2020 Lead exterior and interior lobby designer on Oswego Health Behavioral Health Center. Lead Visualization artist on Oswego BHS, Baldwinsville High School, Manlius Municipal, United Way Competition, OH Med/Surg, BHG exterior/interior designer.
BRANDON STONE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNER 3D DESIGNER / ARCHVIS ARTIST www.stonedesigns.org
PROFILE I’m a designer that is interested in integrating emerging technologies and software within the context of Architectural design in order to be able to represent ideas to clients in visually informative ways. This interest stems from my passion for Film, Production Design and Visual Effects.
FRESHMAN DESIGN STUDIO T.A. @ SUNY BUFFALO August, 2015 - June, 2016 + August, 2016 - June, 2017 Instructor for the freshman Architectural design studio. Mentored and taught students design fundamentals / design software. Design studio critic for freshman, sophomore, junior and senior studios.
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN INTERN @ CANNONDESIGN June, 2016 - August, 2016 Created physical and digital site and concept models. Created schematic space plan diagrams within Revit.
RESEARCH ASSISTANT @ STUDIO NORTH ARCHITECTURE June, 2015 - June, 2016 Worked primarily on structural abilities of rigidized metals within the architectural context. Designed and developed drawing sets and models for small scale commercial and residential projects.
LAB TECHNICIAN @ B/FAB DIGITAL FABRICATION LAB August, 2015 - June, 2016 Operated laser cutters, 3D printers, CNC machines, and assisted students in design fabrication.
CONTACT +1 315.456.9091 211 Rantoul Street Apt. 406, Beverly, MA 01915 brandon@stonedesigns.org
SKILLS Unreal Engine Autodesk AutoCAD Autodesk 3DS Max GrowFX, PhoenixFD, PolySnow, ForestPack Autodesk Revit Adobe After Effects Adobe Illustrator Adobe InDesign Adobe Photoshop Agisoft Metashape Rhinoceros 7 Vectorworks SketchUp Grasshopper + Kangaroo V-Ray 5 + NEXT Arduino + Processing 3D Printing Laser Cutting CNC Machining
LANGUAGES English (Native) German (Intermediate)
EDUCATION MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE @ UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO June, 2017 - 3.8 GPA, Tau Sigma Delta Honors, Deans Scholarship BACHELOR OF SCI. IN ARCHITECTURE @ UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO June, 2015 - 3.5 GPA, Cum Laude, Tau Sigma Delta Honors ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE, ARCHITECTURE @ SUNY OCC June, 2011 - 3.7 GPA, Magna Cum Laude, Phi Theta Kappa Honors
DESIGN ACTIVITIES 2017
- ‘Buffalo Velodrome’ project showcased at “ATELIER” week exhibition
ON, April 2017
2016
- Work showcased at “Hayes Hall Re-Opening Exhibition” ON, September 23 - 24, 2016
- Work showcased at the “Exhibiting Architectures” Exhibit ON, April 13, 2016
2015
- Work selected to be showcased at the “Student Academic Excellence Celebration”
ON, April 21, 2015
2014
- “CIVITAS” project featured for NAAB Accreditation
ON, December 11, 2014
- “Buffalo Office” project featured in “ATELIER” week exhibition ON, March 24 - 28, 2013
2013
“Fort Niagara Theater” project featured at “ATELIER” week
ON, April 8 - 11, 2013
AWARDS + SCHOLARSHIPS 2016
- Recipient of the “Design Excellence Award” for the Situated Technologies Graduate Research Group
2015
- Recipient of the CannonDesign Internship / Scholarship
2015
- Second place in Senior Year ‘Civitas’ Design Competition
2012
- Hyatt Award for Individual Achievement (Freshman Year)
Skyline of Serenity
January 2021 Software: Unreal Engine 4, 3ds Max, Rhino 7 Completion Time: 1 Day
Video Developed in Unreal Engine Here: https://youtu.be/DC29eGbyQvc
Polynesian Courtyard Pool
February 2021 Software: Unreal Engine 4, 3ds Max, Rhino 7 Completion Time: 1 Week
Video Developed in Unreal Engine Here: https://youtu.be/03qWuykC1e0
Alpine Mountains
January 2021 Software: 3ds Max, World Machine, GrowFX, PolySnow, PhoenixFD, V-Ray 5 Completion Time: 2 Weeks This project had been in development for a total of two weeks and is meant to serve as a stepping stone for a larger, more ambitious personal goal that I have set. In order to achieve my personal goal, there were a number of technical skills that I needed to learn which included developing water simulations, creating a large mountain terrain that is dynamic with peaks and valleys, creating snow particle simulations, animating trees, shrubs, and grass.
PROFESSIONAL WORK
DARTMOUTH BERRY LIBRARY FLYTHROUGH
April 2020 Office: Shepley Bulfinch Position: Lead Visualization Artist Software: Unreal Engine 4, Rhino 6, 3DS Max, Revit Program: Higher Education Library Dartmouth University requested a flythrough video to be used as marketing material for a future renovation. I was tasked to create a two-minute video within Unreal Engine 4 to showcase all of the future changes to the existing space. My responsibilities included importing the Architectural Revit model into Rhino 6, cleaning up the model and adding more detail, importing furniture and entourage into the model, applying materials / UV mapping textures to all surfaces, importing the project into UE4, lighting / optimizing lightmaps, optimizing reflections for performance, applying decals to wall sufaces, composing the cinematic sequence using camera rails / dollys, adding ghosted people via post process effect, exporting the completed cinematic video into After Effects, and editing/producing the final 4k video sequence.
Flythrough Video Developed in Unreal Engine Here: https://youtu.be/Jp4jrv8rozM
OH BEHAVIORAL HEALTH December 2017 Office: King+King Architects Position: Lead Exterior + Lobby Designer, lead Visualization Artist Software: Unreal Engine, Rhino 6, V-Ray Program: Behavioral Health Center
The Oswego Health Behavioral Health Center exists within the shell of an old supermarket store that was roughly 300’ long and 16’ tall. The challenge that existed when developing the exterior design was one where the client wanted the newly renovated structure to look residential and not like a commercial building. In order to resolve this, small gestures needed to be made that did not require the movement of walls or structure. The pre-existing structure was a giant box, with no facade treatment whatsoever. My responsibilities on this project included designing the entire exterior facade, building the model within Rhino 6, applying materials / UV mapping textures to all surfaces, rendering a high quality 4k video using V-Ray, importing the project into UE4, lighting / optimizing lightmaps, optimizing reflections for performance, composing the cinematic sequence using camera rails / dollys, exporting the completed cinematic video into After Effects, and editing/producing the final 4k video sequence.
View Conceptual Daytime / Nighttime Video Developed in Unreal Engine Here: https://youtu.be/d3Gyfqi1UTQ
View 4k Nighttime Video with Environmental Effects Developed in SketchUp / 3dsMax / Unreal Engine / After Effects: https://youtu.be/YCNaX6gqQ3Q
HARVARD MEDICAL LIBRARY
June 2020 Office: Shepley Bulfinch Position: Lead Visualization Artist Software: Rhino 6, Sketchup, V-Ray, Revit Program: Higher Educational Library I was brought on to this project to develop a series of 3D interior and exterior visualizations based on a pre-designed Revit model. My responsibilities included importing the model and cleaning it up within Rhino 6, rigging the lighting within each individual scene, applying photorealistic materials / UV mapping the textures onto surfaces, and rendering the scenes within V-Ray NEXT.
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY BEATTY HALL
May 2020 Office: Shepley Bulfinch Position: Lead Visualization Artist Software: Sketchup, V-Ray, Revit Program: Higher Education Science Center I was brought on to this project to develop a series of 3D exterior visualizations based on an existing SketchUp model. My responsibilities included cleaning up the model, rigging the lighting within each individual scene, applying photorealistic materials / UV mapping the textures onto surfaces, composing the shots, and rendering the scenes within V-Ray NEXT.
Trinity College Vernon Social Renovation
December 2020 Office: Shepley Bulfinch Position: Lead Visualization Artist Software: 3ds Max, V-Ray 5, Revit 2021 Program: Higher Education
MANLIUS MUNICIPAL SITE PLAN May 2019 Office: King+King Architects Position: Lead Visualization Artist Software: SketchUp, Skatter, V-Ray, Photoshop Program: Municipal Office Building
The Manlius Municipal Site Plan was developed to give the town of Manlius’ municipal staff an idea of what the developed site would look like. The entire site was to be redeveloped with the inclusion of a new office building, patio, two ponds, a garden space, and a nature trail that connects to the historic Erie canal site. I was brought on to this project to develop both the design of the site, as well as to create the graphical representation of the site plan.
PERSONAL WORK
STONE LOG CABIN
November 2020 Software: Rhino 6, V-Ray Position: Lead Designer / Visualization Artist Program: Residential The client that recently purchased an old log cabin was looking to renovate their kitchen, which was in a state of disrepair. The existing pine wood was stained with a mixture containing orange hues. The new appliances and floor tile were purchased before I was asked to design the space. In order to compliment the orange hues of the walls/ceilings/copper farm sink and the dark grey tones of the slate floor tile/dark stainless steel appliances, a dark blue-gray paint was selected to be used on all of the casework. A white-gray countertop and backsplash were used to compliment the casework and to add some brightness to the space.
CANVAS APARTMENTS STEREOSCOPIC VR PANORAMIC RENDERINGS January 2020 Software: Rhino 6, V-Ray Position: Lead Visualization Artist Program: Mixed Use Residential
This project was created with the intent on advertising / selling apartment spaces within a brand new apartment complex. The use of 360 degree stereoscopic images allows potential inhabitants to view the entire space by way of an interactive panoramic image. I was tasked with building a Rhino 6 model while referring only to basic 2D CAD drawings, creating 3D entourage / models, applying entourage within the scenes, applying photorealistic materials / UV mapping textures to all surfaces, lighting the scenes, composing the shots, and Rendering 8k Stereoscopic images using VRay NEXT.
View Interactive 3D Panoramic Visualizations Here: https://stonedesigns.org/Beverly-Apartment/
HORSEHEAD RESIDENCE December 2019 Software: Sketchup, V-Ray Position: Lead Visualization Artist Program: Private Residence
WESTERN WASTELAND
December 2019 Position: Lead Visualization Artist Software: Rhinoceros 6, V-Ray, Quixel Mixer
ACADEMIC WORKS GRADUATE LEVEL
HAPTIC BATHHOUSE Spring 2017 Studio: Master’s of Architecture Thesis Advisors: Omar Khan, Mark Shepard Program: Bathhouse
The bias that vision holds over the profession of architecture suppresses all of the other senses. The hegemonic eye, with its ability to absorb information faster than any other sense, has allowed designers to create buildings that “look” good, but might not necessarily “feel” good. Tactile sensations can affect a person’s social behavior, self-perception, enjoyment and comfort within a building. It not only refers to one’s sense of touch through material contact, but also sensations felt through atmospheric conditions. Three dimensional space can be deceiving through our lens of vision. However, the tactile and haptic sensations that we experience do not misguide us. Through experimentation, this project provokes those interacting with it to question how hapticity and tactility could be utilized to inform our decisions when occupying space, while diminishing the role of the eye in the process. It allows us to look at how space can interact with us at a more intimate level where the skin comes into direct contact with elements that provoke a response, both consciously and sub-consciously.
BUFFALO VELODROME Fall 2015 Studio: Situated Technologies Graduate Research Studio Professor: Nick Bruscia Program: Tensile Stadium
This project was the amalgamation of a semesters worth of studying the material qualities and properties of tensile structures. The goal was not to create the best programmatic space by means of the traditional architectural design process, but rather use the knowledge found through researching material properties of tensile structures to help inform how spaces are created. The crossover between digital (parametric) and analog explorations allowed for rapid development of prototypes. By having an understanding of how tensile materials work physically, one can quickly construct parametric models digitally to experiment with the conditions and parameters necessary to create a free standing tensile structure. Through refinement, the gap between the digital and physical model making process shrunk to become almost 1:1 representations of each other. Something that was previously thought to not exist when designing tensile models. *Won ‘Design Excellence Award’ for the Situated Technologies GRG
SATELLITE WHARF
Spring 2016 Studio: Situated Technologies Graduate Research Studio Professor: Jordan Geiger Partners: Unnati Marsurkar, Koushik Thunuguntla, Sepehr Salehi Program: Mixed-Use Shipping / Transport The ‘Satellite Wharf’ project was a foray into how collateral, or secondary spaces, can be revitalized and reconfigured to become something new. This project not only focused on the reinvention of left over space, but placed a heavy emphasis on studying how different methods of representation can inform and showcase certain design decisions. The work that resulted from this research studio was presented as though each piece was a part of a curated set of work. The board game ‘Collateral’ was designed with the intent to be played by port developers. The end result being that they would better understand how the distribution of people, goods and ferry boats operate in and around ports. Within the design process, the board game enables one to pin-point specific elements and issues surrounding the shipping industry. In particular shipping containers, and how they could be considered collateral. It forces one to think about how these secondary objects could be reconstituted and re-used within the architectural field.
The development of a map that marked existing points of commerce and transportation along the waterway was important when trying to identify where points of overlap occur. These intersections could then be utilized as areas of collateral to create new interactions between goods and people.
Extracting information from the NYC Waterway map was important in identifying specific points of architectural intervention. The development of shore-side ports, in this case the old Red Hook Terminal, located in Brooklyn, is only one of a series of ports that could be viewed as ‘collateral’. Often, these ports have hundreds of shipping containers stacked upon each other, only to rot. These containers have value and can be re-used in ways that they were not previously intended for. Shipping containers are extremely durable. They can float in bodies of water for weeks upon end without sinking. This is a big issue, as millions of them are lost at sea. They are the modern day iceberg, waiting for an unsuspecting ship to one day collide. The idea of floating debris may not be a welcoming thought. But what if shipping containers could be used as floating points of access along a waterway? These containers could be retrofitted in a way that allows them to move throughout a body of water to create platforms that boats could stop at. These platforms could house restaurants, bars, markets, clothing stores, etc. inside the shipping containers. The containers could move along the waterway, “docking” at ports. This would result in market ports, which would constantly change over time with new container stores. This transformation would allow once forgotten ports and shipping containers to serve new purposes.
ACADEMIC WORKS UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL
EQUINOX DWELLING Fall 2014 Studio: Senior Design Studio Professor: Brad Whales Partner: Caroline Niederpruem Program: Apartment Complex
SINGLES UNIT
SINGLES UNIT
The ‘Equinox Dwelling’ project, located in Buffalo, NY sits at the center of an astrological phenomenon. It converges on the bisection of Allen street (once Allen farms) and Delaware street. The phenomena that inspired the orientation of the structure, known as the equinox, directed farmer Allen’s cattle along a path that eventually led to the formation of Allen street. The Grid formed by the convergence of the astrological and institutional inspired the shape of the massing for this multi-use apartment complex. Each level of the structure is designed to provide maximum sunlight and outdoor balcony space for each unit, with two central cores that splits the structure into thirds. The ground floor consists of a market, inspired by the produce that the land beneath once provided to farmer Allen. The apartment spaces above range from one-to-two story dwellings for both single studio living, as well as family living.
SINGLES UNIT
SINGLES UNIT
SINGLES UNIT
DAYCARE UNIT
STUDIO UNIT
STUDIO UNIT
STUDIO UNIT
SECOND LEVEL PLAN
CAFE SEATING
CAFE KITCHEN
OPEN MARKET
CAFE SEATING
CAFE KITCHEN
CAFE OUTDOOR SEATING
*Won second place in ‘CIVITAS’ design competition
GROUND LEVEL PLAN
DWELLING TYPOLOGY
SINGLE STORY TRIPLE-ASPECT UNITS
SINGLE STORY DOUBLE-ASPECT UNITS
SINGLE STORY DOUBLE-ASPECT UNITS
TRANSPOSED RESIDENCE Summer 2014 Studio: 6 Week Study Abroad Studio Professors: Nerea Feliz, Dennis Maher Program: Inversion
The concept of inverting a pre-existing structure in order to inform a new architectural design allows one to flip notions of what spaces are on their head. The Torre Agbar, currently houses Barcelona’s municipal water company. It has been proposed that there will be large renovations to turn it into a hotel. When developing the concept for this project, the idea of inversion started at a structural level. If the entire structure itself inverted from a large phallic object to an object that penetrated deep into the ground, then what implication would this have on its program? The hotel is a place where one stays temporarily, free of will. A prison, on the other hand, is a place of forceful residence. A large structure that reaches for the sky is intended to be seen. Hotels are symbols of commerce. A prison that penetrates deep into the ground is hidden from the public. The expression “out of sight, out of mind” becomes a literal expression.
RESEARCH FACILITY Spring 2013 Studio: Sophomore Design Studio Professors: Dennis Maher Program: Research Facility
The architectural field is a representation of existing space through changes in scale, rotation, transposition, extension and movement. It allows designers to take visual information from existing conditions, make them abstract, and then translate them again into occupiable space. In the case of the Villa Emo research facility, these aforementioned elements, combined with the study of the surrounding campus enables one to design a space that both pays homage to its predecessor, while creating its own mark on the landscape. The research facility is formally constituted based on the proportions of Villa Emo so that it does not overshadow the pre-existing structure.
FORT NIAGARA THEATER Fall 2012 Studio: Freshman Design Studio Professors: Greg Delaney Program: Performing Arts Theater
Found and forgotten spaces often provide us with the opportunity to imagine how one can leverage their interstitial conditions to create something new. Randomly found objects can act as a catalyst when bundled together to spur the imagination into creating an architectural space that emerges from an abstract method of space making. It allows us to construct a new interpretation of interstitial conditions, circulation and volumetric space. The question of how a space emerges from the interstitial to interact with, in this case, the fortified walls of an old civil war fort provides the basis for an architectural problem. The rigid interstitial wall, existing in between security and destruction, creates a surface, which a newly found space penetrates through. The result of which is a space that tries to break down the notion of rigidity by creating a sense of motion through both its form and function.
PARASITIC ARCH
Spring 2012 Studio: Freshman Design Studio Professors: Matthew Hume Program: Installation This full scale installation spawned from the idea that one could reconstitute an architectural element within a space to produce a new structure that provides enclosure. When one thinks of the reconstitution of elements within a space, one could imagine the non-symbiotic relationship between a host and parasite. The architectural column, which supports all of the forces of built structure upon it, acts as an anchor for the parasitic arch that hangs from it. The large concrete wings of the arch were poured in place with cables running through them. These cable were then bolted into the host column. When each section of the arch was peeled away from the column, its reliance on its host became apparent. The resulting space allows one to observe how the column plays a vital role in supporting the heavy masses used to create space.