Lewis E. Brown AR CHITE CTUR E P O RTF O L IO S ELE CTED WO R KS 2 018 - P R E S E N T
Learning the history of neighborhoods, listening to current voices, and practicing sustainable design are the foundation of my passion in architecture. During my academic career at the Illinois Institute of Technology, I saw the potential architecture has to shape communities and create positive impactful spaces. My past and current experiences of working with my hands in construction has allowed me to fully understand the build process, learn from professionals in the field, and adapt and solve real time issues on the job site. Combining these skills with the principles of learning from the past, listening to the present, and building for the future guide me as I continue to learn and grow in the field of architecture.
Lewis E. Brown
I am passionate about ensuring that architecture is for all and fully represents the diversity of our city. The creative talents of architects provide an opportunity to design lasting sustainable solutions to society’s challenges. As a diverse voice, I am attuned to these needs and desire to be a part of the profession that has the power to promote a better future through design.
Education Illinois Institute of Technology Professional Bachelor of Architecture
University of Illinois at Chicago 4-year Division I Track & Field All-Conference
Chicago, IL August 2014 - May 2019 Chicago, IL August 2007 - May 2011
Experience
l e w i s e. b r o w n, Assoc. AIA 630.624.8889 lewis.e.brown.13@gmail.com linkedin.com/in/lewisebrown
Orlando Lopez Construction Project Coordinator + CNC Operator
Chicago, IL January 2015 – Present • Work directly under general contractor in project management following city code • Renovate commercial and residential projects including churches, offices, high-rise condominiums, and single-family homes from demolition to completion • Review punch lists, as-builts, and other project documentation with general contractor, architects, clients, and subcontractors • Conduct client meetings with local businesses and individuals for custom designed signage and fabricate CNC milled works using Rhino 3D and RhinoCAM
Mies Crown Hall America’s Prize + MCHAP Emerge Student Curator
Technical Skills Adobe Suite
ArchiCAD
AutoCAD Microsoft Office
Chicago, IL January – December 2018 • Facilitated student-led dialogue and conducted professionally recorded interviews with Jury Chair, Ricky Burdett, as well as MCHAP architect and client finalists • Coordinated panel discussions focusing on in-depth study of finalist projects, including: True North: Edwin Chan, Detroit and Common Unity: Rozana Montiel, Mexico City • Constructed site and project models of nominated work to evaluate the social and economic impact of the True North project
IIT Metals + Materials Teaching Assistant
QGIS Revit Rhino 3D + RhinoCAM
SketchUp V•Ray
IIT Design Build: Puerto Rico Build Team Member
Hard Skills Carpentry
CNC
Construction Management
Laser Cutter
Product + Logo Design
• Designed and built an outdoor community pavilion to support neighborhood revitalization post Hurricane Maria with a team of nine • Provided renderings at local meetings to establish public trust and project buy-in with city officials and community members • Collaborated with local business owners and suppliers to fabricate and construct the V Pavilion • Participated in negotiating a long-term commitment with an established 10-year investment partnership between IIT Design Build and the city of Loiza Bolingbrook, IL May 2011 - August 2015 • Provided multi-season landscaping for approximately 30 residential and commercial properties • Created and implemented systems to track and increase revenue and clientele
IIT Athletics Track & Field Middle Distance Coach
Organizations AIA, Member, Present
AIAS, Professional Development Chair, 2015
ILFI, Member, Present
Chicago, IL August 2014 – May 2015 • Developed specialized middle-distance trainings and strength conditioning workouts resulting in individual personal records for multiple athletes • Tracked and developed individualized speed and distance goals for athletes throughout the season
Maggiano’s Little Italy Delivery Sales Manager
NOMA, Member, Present NOMAS, IIT Student Representative, 2015
The Architecture Lobby, Member, Present
USGBC, Member, Present
Loiza, PR May – August 2018
JBC Lawncare Local Business Owner
Model Construction Moderator
Chicago, IL August - December 2018 • Assisted architecture students with metal and woodworking tools for studio projects and shop manager for course work • Managed, inventoried, and maintained metal and woodworking rental equipment and sales using Google Suite
Naperville, IL June 2011 – March 2013 • Managed catering and delivery team of ten to establish corporate clients and increase restaurant catering revenue and sales by 40% • Increased sales by soliciting new business, providing professional customer service and streamlining delivery services
L o f t e d I n f i ll Professors: Johanna Hurme • Sasha Radulovic Urban Design Team: Lewis Brown • Jess Monigal • Paul Nagtalon Building Design: Lewis Brown Location: Bronzeville, Chicago Year: 2019 Programs Used: Rhino • V-Ray
As part of an urban renewal plan in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, this hybrid housing/transportation project combines a 90-unit mixed-use and affordable housing development with a new CTA Green Line stop. The mass timber construction exhibited throughout the interior and exterior of the building promotes the revival of wood construction in Chicago.
Lofted Infill’s program includes residential units with private balconies, public outdoor gathering and garden spaces throughout each floor, retail and commercial space on the ground level, and a new CTA Green Line stop. The new station will connect the Lofted Infill community with the rest of the city to increase access to employment and commercial opportunities. Merging public transportation with affordable housing pioneers a new way of Chicago living. With today’s technological advancements of mass timber construction, Lofted Infill serves as a pioneer to the new potential of the building material. This sustainable, cost efficient practice allows for community-first development that will help to bring new life to the Bronzeville neighborhood and add to its vibrant history.
LOFTED INFILL PROJECTED DEVELOPMENT COSTS CONDOMINIUM DEVELOPMENT
$295.00 per ft2 2.
Gross Selling Price / square foot project costs per unit
total
% total
land 1.
$6.06
$14,047.62
$1,278,333.00
2.76%
construction costs [HARD]
$210.00
$417,600.00
$38,001,600.00
82.13%
development costs [SOFT] development fees technical consulting fees legal and accounting fees operating costs administration
$4.50 $14.40 $1.72 $0.86 $0.86
$10,440.00 $33,408.00 $4,000.00 $2,000.00 $2,000.00
$950,040.00 $3,040,128.00 $364,000.00 $182,000.00 $182,000.00
2.05% 6.57% 0.79% 0.39% 0.39%
total development costs
$57.61
$51,848.00
$4,718,168.00
10.20%
marketing costs
$1.08
$2,500.00
$227,500.00
0.49%
$0.54
$1,252.80
$114,004.80
0.25%
$0.14
$319.37
$29,062.50
0.06%
total financing fees
$0.68
$1,572.17
$143,067.30
0.31%
project contingency
$9.00
$20,880.00
$1,900,080.00
4.11%
total costs
$284.42
$508,447.78
$46,268,748.30
100.00%
gross sales (gross floor area) gross sales (net floor area)
$295.00 $316.97
$684,400.00
$62,280,400.00 $62,280,400.00
134.61%
gross sales (tax credit) gross sales (incl net gst)
$316.97 $327.11
$684,400.00 $706,300.80
$62,280,400.00 $64,273,372.80
projected profit w/interest projected profit w/o interest
$10.58
$175,952.22
$16,011,651.70 $16,154,719.00
34.61%
91 211,120 196,487 $210.00 $1,278,333.00 $2,500.00
550 650 750 850 950 1100
$174,333.26 $206,030.22 $237,727.18 $269,424.13 $301,121.09 $348,666.53
165000
finance costs interim financing fees permanent financing fees interim interest
Data Input Information Number of Units Total Gross Area Total Leaseable (sale) Area Construction Cost / Square Foot Land Cost Marketing Costs / Unit
Site Plan
Unit Design
The building’s glulam structure is utilized in both the interior and exterior. The simple grid system reduces construction time and cost, which creates affordable units for the community while maintaining a profit for the building.
Unit Variations
Unit Cluster
Typical Floor Plan
Typical Mezzanine Level
The two available unit types allow for multiple configurations and unit customization while keeping inside the structural grid of the building. From studios to two bedrooms with a den, the units provide each owner with the space to meet their individual needs. The building’s terraced floors allow for an ample amount of direct natural light to reach each unit. The outdoor community and garden spaces on each floor provide green space in an urban setting. The high ceilings and multiple levels maximize natural light which provides a luxury feel that is often omitted in affordable housing.
North Elevation
Lofted Infill provides several outdoor spaces for the residents to gather and live. A rooftop dedicated to urban gardening provides residents the opportunity to have the freshest produce available just a few steps away from their front doors. The farm to table strategy is also shared with the commercial and retail spaces that are at the ground level. This self-sustaining community creates a new model of living in Bronzeville and the city of Chicago.
The new CTA Green Line stop is two double-height stories that provide a grand station feel while allowing large amounts of natural light into the space throughout the day. It is connected to both adjoining buildings allowing public and private access to the station. Residents of the buildings have private secured entryways for convenient commuting throughout the city while the public can share the space that includes retail from local businesses and vendors.
Urban Room Professor: John Ronan Building Design: Lewis Brown Location: Printer’s Row, Chicago Year: 2018 Programs Used: Rhino • V-Ray
This public library and museum project features large indoor and outdoor event spaces that support gatherings and events as well as a bookstore and café. It serves as a unique space for readers and writers to engage in literature and the city. Precast concrete panels create various room sizes to meet the needs of several types of activities.
The building is comprised of three kinds of spaces: individual workspaces, group meeting spaces, and large gathering spaces. An initial study of staples and their modular form helped to inform the design decisions for the building’s structure. 5’x10’ precast concrete panels are positioned to create various room sizes from private reading nooks, to rooms, to large event spaces which became the basis for the building’s design.
W HARRISON ST
Site Plan
S paces
S M L
S STATE ST
S DEARBORN ST
S CLARK ST
W POLK ST
2nd Floor
3rd Floor
The small spaces, located on the perimeter, allow for individual views of the city as readers and writers think and create in their own personal nooks. The medium rooms provide transition points as well as gathering spaces for workshops, meetings, and other group activities. The spaces increase in size as you move towards the Urban Room, which is designed as a large outdoor public gathering space.
South Elevation
West East Section
The Urban Room, the courtyard of the building, creates an elevated space above ground level. The height and shape of the courtyard walls, along with the trees and plants, insulate against the city noise to create a quiet green space just steps away from the heart of downtown. The indoor/outdoor public space creates a unique experience for its users which allows for intimate private gatherings and events or a large public seating area.
IIT D e s i g n B u i l d Professor: Frank Flury Design Team: Levi Berger, Kat Bernardo, Lewis Brown, Kurt Cheang, Piotr Jelonek, Christina Mikhail, Chris Shedleski, Elizabeth Vasquez, Farid Zerbo Location: Las Carreras, Loiza, Puerto Rico Year: 2018 Programs Used: AutoCAD, Rhino, V-Ray
Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017. IIT’s Design Build 2018 studio, set out to design and build an outdoor community pavilion in the Las Carreras neighborhood of Loiza.
The spring semester was spent learning various building techniques and materials to make the design practical and durable. The summer was spent in Puerto Rico working with community members, politicians, local business owners, and suppliers to construct the V Pavilion. The design intent was to provide the community of Las Carreras a practical resource that serves as an example of proper building practices. Using steel tubes, which can withstand the extreme weather conditions of hurricanes, heat, and moisture that are common in the region, as the main structure, the team fabricated the pavilion and completed the build in two months.
West Elevation
South North Section
Connection Details
Roof Details
Having a background in construction and landscaping proved to be very beneficial. Understanding the practical aspects of design and construction, down to the detailed assemblies, is a skill that carried from my construction experience into my academic career. From the fabrication of the structure to the minimalist landscaping, I was able to bring my unique talents to the team. IIT Design Build has committed 10 years of redevelopment in Loiza as a direct response to listening to the needs and concerns of the community. V Pavilion is an anchor piece that provides renewed community space and will serve as a growth site over the decade ahead.
St. Mary’s Lyne Center Client: Arch Diocese of Chicago Employer: Orlando Lopez Construction Location: Riverside, IL Year: 2019 Type of Work: Gut Rehab
Demolition Plan
Floor Plan
St. Mary’s Parish envisioned a space, that previously operated as a PNC Bank, to relocate their pastoral office. The 4,600 sf building was modestly transformed to meet the growing needs of the church and its community. A full gut rehab of the building created several offices and meeting rooms, a kitchen and break room, as well as an open office/lounge area for small events for the staff and parishioners.
Fireplace Detail
cnc work Client: Various Local Businesses + Personal Clientele Employer: Orlando Lopez Construction Location: Chicago, IL Year: 2015 - Present Type of Work: CNC Milling Programs Used: Rhino, RhinoCAM, Adobe Illustrator, V-Ray
The in-shop large scale CNC machine is used for custom milled work with Rhino and the RhinoCAM plugin. Materials consisting of woods, foams, and plastics are used to create artwork and custom signage. A 3D laser scanner offers reverse engineering of existing objects which can be scaled and replicated for restoring antique pieces.
RhinoCAM File
RhinoCAM File
Completed Work
Completed Work
RhinoCAM File
3D Scan in RhinoCAM
Rhino V-Ray Render
Reverse Engineered Samples
Completed Work
Completed Work