Sam Brannon ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO
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Housing
INFILL
Sketches
CUBE
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09
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Installation
GRID
LINEAR
TURNED
Alumni center 310 Fall 2008 Shields This project was to redesign an existing site; the UWM Alumni house. The existing site features a historic mansion overlooking Lake Michigan on the east side, and a sunken garden on the west. My goal was to design several courtyard type spaces and fully develop the housing units (green). Within the site I created three separate courtyard areas while fully utilizing the existing sunken garden.
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Infill
320 Spring 2009 Dicker The infill project was no exception when it came to creative demand and thoughtfulness. Although the program was different from other projects in the past, it provided the challenge to be able to design a complex building within a simple, compact space. Using a nine-square grid layout proved to be a very beneficial and practical layout scheme in such a restricted site. This provided the opportunities to divide the building according to specific functions such as circulation, light wells, and a service core. The facade was developed in three layers of depth not unlike Kahn’s Exeter library. This created the connection needed to the two surrounding buildings.
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circulation
service core
light well
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SKETCHES
Cube 320 Spring 2009 Dicker All materials have different properties that make them unique. Having to join different materials into one cube and having those materials interact with each other in a harmonious way proved challenging. By using a rigid wood skeleton and flexible fabric, I was able to create a cube with the concept of equalizing tension. Once all six fabric pieces are attached, the lateral forces acting on the wood equalize and get redirected to the center block.
INSTALLATION 320 Spring 2009 Dicker After carefully analyzing of our site in Milwaukee’s 5th ward we realized there were two major aspects of our site. Bordering this stretch of road to the east and west are two sets of railroad tracks. In order to get these tracks elevated above the ground to allow vehicle passage, the city created an artificial grade. Our site is the hills that are created from this. Our idea was to stitch the hills together thus conceptually filling the hole that was dug out to create space for the road. To achieve this goal, we developed a pole and light system. These poles with solar lights connected to the top were spaced apart on a grid based on the dimension of the road. During the day, the grid is visible from the black light frames, then at night the lights turn on and all the grid nodes become visible, completing the grid.
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Group members: Sam Brannon, Beth Juedes, Nick Mather, Nick Sorce, Adam Spoerri, Janet Ceicel, James Wall, AJ Knee, Dane Stycznski, Matt Silkey, Kevin Mueller
Grid 310 Fall 2008 Shields This design is a tartan grid form. For the large grid pattern, I used a tree form. I felt it was appropriate and symbolic to use for a food market. The ‘trees’ are used, not only to harness rainwater for flushing the toilets, but they also harness solar rays with twelve photovoltaic arrays. The smaller portion of the tartan grid is designed to provide a very natural feel for the user. The roof has been punctured by a random array of different sized and spaced rectangles. This provides a random scattering of light on the inside of the building, reducing the solar gain, and increasing the visual interest.
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LINEAR 310 Fall 2008 Shields For the linear design project I chose the stoa as my main building form. I designed the building with a south-facing facade and incorporated the use of solar shading that also act as light shelfs on the interior of the structure. I also incorporated the use of photovoltaic panels on the roof. The main entrance is located on the boulevard entrance, as well as three entrances on the south wall, and a secondary entrance on the residential (west) side.
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Turned 2007-Present Creativety can be expressed in many different ways. Whether it be through pieces of architecture or a beautiful painting. Either way, the artist can use a range of skills to tap into innate feelings and thougths and bring them into the physical rhelm. I like to step outside the world of architectural model building and experiment with other crafts and materials. I found that wood working, more specifically bowl-making, is an excellent counterpart.
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“Design is not making beauty, beauty emerges from selection, affinities, integration, love.� -Louis Kahn