Design/Making Portfolio by Rachel Browne

rachel evvia browne a portfolio of work

rachiebrowne@gmail.com 503.705.9536 1734 NE 46th Ave, Portland OR 97213

projects .01 East Portland sro project .02 Oldtown community cultural center .03 browne house .04 three dimensions .05 graphic design .06 painting

.01 East Portland sro project Fall 2010 professor: Jason Jones Formerly homeless due to drug addiction or mental illness, the residents of 615 SE Washington now have a buffer between themselves and the elements. Their illness calls for an environment to facilitate healing and reconnection by holding and protecting these individuals while they make the progression from dependence to independence. Balancing community and privacy in this healing environment requires particular sensitivity due to the siteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s urban surroundings. The location and environmental conditions of the immediate surroundings transient population, urban noise, light pollution from Sandy blvd. - suggests the need to design a secure, quiet, heavy and internally focused building. The seating of the structure into the slope at its north end and the thick, heavy wrapping of the steel faĂ§ade progressing towards a brighter and more open, exposed south end mirrors the progression of the residents through their need for dependence and protection to a more independent lifestyle. Breaks in the building draw more daylighting into the apartments and into the main lobby through a large skylight. That skylight lets the residents view the lobby from above from their hallways. Materials and interior finishes provide comfort through tactile experience at the individual level.

neighborhood resources

aerial site map

early sketch

views from site

topography

“Modern architecture does not mean the use of immature new materials; the main thing is to refine materials in a more human direction.” —Alvar Aalto

Hand

Digital

Physical

mid-design sketch

1. SRO Unit 2. Light Well 3. Laundry Room 4. Garbage Chutes

entrance

1. Counceling Offices 2. Unisex Restroom 3. Group Meeting Room 4. Counceling Reception 5. Resident Lounge 6. Balcony 7. Storage 8. Mechanical 9. Doctors Offices 10. Garbage Chutes

lobby stair

1. MainLobby 2. Restroom 3. Computer Stations 4. Community Meeting Room 5. Public Restrooms 6. Retail Space 7. Cafe 8. Cafe Prep & Storage 9. Cafe Restroom 10. Staff Parking

Digital NW view

“Art resides in the quality of doing; process is not magic.” —Charles Eames

.02 oldtown community Cultural Center Fall 2010 professor: Jason Jones The Oldtown Community Cultural Center is an opportunity to carve into the dense fabric of the most diverse and dense neighborhood in Portland and provide a space of celebration gathering to the deteriorating neighborhood. It attempts to celebrate the significance of the area, its natural character and rich history. Manipulating the landscape, visitors are invited to pause and take in the city which they are surrounded by from this central location. The structure emulates the natural form of the basalt it is built upon and its open walkways inspire exploration of this new, semi-public city block. The interior use of the structure as a community cultural center allows children have the opportunity to spend time in an overwhelmingly adult section of the city, learn its history, and develop a deeper connection to where they live and an appreciation of the beauty and solid foundation that attracted the first Portlanders to this part of the Northwest.

nw wIND URBAN ACTIVITY imediately around site

GREATER ACTIVITY LOWER ACTIVITY

sun & wind

Activity and sight lines

N/s Section

OLD TOWN SITE PLAN

Site location

Exploded axon

E/W Section

East enterance

View from 6th ave

Big Pink view from upper deck

south lawn and stepping stones over bioswale

Performance area

Storytelling place below occulus

view from SE Corner

NW Entrance

East entrance

.03 browne house ongoing personal project For the last few years I have been working on designing and building a house with my father in the NE Portland Cully neighborhood. This experience has given me firsthand experience with the challenges of design and construction. Being both architect and building assistant, I gained valuable insight into the process on a personal and residential scale. Through this process we have learned to balance the various design elements with budgets constraints and make tough decisions that were cost effective, met our scheduling and design needs with passion and love of the experience.

digging out the basement

pouring the foundation

basement wall forms

Concrete poured

framing

sheathing

siding

painting

exterior complete

a tight budget, the d new hardware, ry to the front erred to a future new elevator was w main entry.

added to each as new ramps for . Contributing to ironment, the ith solid walls next use as pin-up ngs in the corridors m for students.

novation on efully model se and reinvention. n saved the ar in operational for themselves building has

.04 graphic design During my time at SRG Partnership, I have helped out the Marketing department compiling different documents for interviews, RFQ’s, and reports following the guidelines and standards set by our branding efforts. I have compiled several power point presentations for various principals according to these standards and now have a much better skill set when it comes to designing graphic layout.

kIRkBRIDe BUILDING ReNoVAtIoN oregon State Hospital

LIBeRtY tHeAtRe

SHAttUCk HALL ReNoVAtIoN

In the Pacific Northwest there is no more apparent example of ‘re-lifing’ than the renovation of the 1883 kirkbride building at the oregon State Hospital. the design team arrived on site in 2007 to find the state-run psychiatric facility little changed from the 1975 filming for “one Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” In a sustainable design quest to reuse as much of the historic building as possible within the hospital’s programmatic needs, the project team preserved the original 163,250 S.F. footprint and executed a full renovation of the exterior skin. the design team also navigated a complicated approval process with the City of Salem Historic Landmarks Commission.

City of Astoria, oR

Location: Astoria, oR Size: 21,000 sf Completion: 2006 Awards:

Dr. edward Harvey Historic Preservation Award, 2008

LIBeRtY tHeAtRe

Portland State University

City of Astoria, oR

Location: Portland, oR

Location: Astoria, oR

Size: 66,000 SF

Size: 21,000 sf Completion: 2006

Completion: 2008 Cost: $11.9 Million

Awards:

Awards

Dr. edward Harvey Historic Preservation Award, 2008

2010 AIA Northwest + Pacific Region Honor Award

tj DAY HALL Linfield College

2010 IIDA oregon education Honor Award

originally serving as a library for both the City of McMinnville and Linfield College, tj Day Hall is a three-story building constructed in two major phases in 1936 and 1962. Converting it into a modern and code-compliant classroom and office building required the complete and thorough remodeling of its interior, as well as major renovation and revisions to the entry systems on the exterior. SRG designed a new accessible entry strategically located on the side of the building facing the main quad. As most classrooms are on the lower level, the ramps down are somewhat hidden, yet enhance the landscape in front of the building.

2009 AIA Portland Honor Award 2009 AIA Portland Sustainability Award

PIke PLACe MARket Pike Place Market

this project involved the conversion of a 1921 vaudeville movie house into a community performing arts center and the upgrade of an adjoining retail and commercial building in the heart of Astoria’s historic downtown district. Liberty theatre is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was selected as one of 12 historic treasures by the National trust for Historical Preservation. SRG completed a conditions analysis and renovation/restoration master plan for the theater and an adjoining two-story office building. During the first phase of renovation, the electrical, lighting, and roofing systems were upgraded, ADA required upgrades were made, and the historic interior and exterior elements were restored. Retail spaces were built out in subsequent phases.

the renovation of Shattuck Hall, built as an elementary school in 1915, began as a deferred maintenance project addressing seismic, mechanical/electrical systems and ADA upgrades. When the project was completed in 2008, it emerged as a contemporary building juxtaposing historic fabric with innovative learning environments and program solutions while performing at an impressive level, a remarkable feat given its limited budget. the LeeD Gold building houses the School of Arts and Architecture at Portland State University.

Pike Place Market, the nation’s oldest continuously operating farmers market, celebrated its centennial in 2007. SRG worked with the Pike Place Market PDA to prepare the nine-acre campus for its second century, crafting a series of basic infrastructure improvements while ensuring minimal disruption to daily activities. the targeted placement of new elevators and restrooms at several locations have made all of the public areas fully accessible for the first time. the newly reconfigured Western Avenue entry to the campus graciously engages the Pike Street Hillclimb stair from the waterfront below with generous stairs and landings and an elevator serving all levels.

CARNeGIe LIBRARY ReNoVAtIoN

Making historic buildings fully accessible is challenging, as they were constructed when ADA was not a prevalent concern. For Shattuck Hall, with a U-shaped corridor system, the only accessible entry occurred on the first of three floors where the “U” met the grade. Additionally, only the first floor had restrooms, the aging elevator was distant from the ADA entry, and some interior level changes were accessible only by stairs.

Willamette University the oregon Civic justice Center is a remodel of Willamette University’s historic Carnegie Library, accommodating several programs of the adjacent Law School, including a law clinic and the University’s collection of law journals the renovation effort focused on re-creating the historic character of the original library space, and included the removal of a mezzanine that was constructed during a previous remodel. the new justice Center incorporates seismic, HVAC, and accessibility upgrades, as well as a new entryway and an elevator providing accessibility to all floors of the building.

State of Oregon | Oregon State Capitol

SRG Partnership

Upgrading the building on a tight budget, the existing ADA entry received new hardware, while a new accessible entry to the front door was planned and deferred to a future phase. In preparation, the new elevator was located adjacent to the new main entry. Accessible restrooms were added to each of the three floors, as well as new ramps for reaching the various levels. Contributing to Shattuck’s educational environment, the ramps were constructed with solid walls next to the teaching studios for use as pin-up space, and with open railings in the corridors to create a viewing platform for students. Shattuck Hall is the first renovation on the PSU campus to purposefully model sustainability through re-use and reinvention. Not only has the renovation saved the University $13,000 per year in operational costs; its users can also see for themselves how their beloved historic building has received a second chance.

State of Oregon | Oregon State Capitol

.05 three dimensional art Molding, carving, stitching and slicing has always appealed to me. Creating an object with weight and texture can be a way of processing a thought leading to design or it can be the product of the design itself.

laser cut perspective

vase designed in rhino

Wedding Dress

Conceptual artifact - permeated soapstone

.06 painting During my undergraduate education, I was encouraged to explore different media to help develop my designs and communicate my ideas. I was able to lose all sense of self while creating these, entering the metidative state that some people get through exercise or controlled breathing. Using India Ink, collage, water colors, and acrylics I have painted from life, from photographs, from imagination and imitation.

India ink

Acrylic

“Start copying what you love. Copy copy copy. And at the end of the copy, you will find yourself.” —Yohji Yamamoto