brandon hall architectural portfolio

BRANDON HALL

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4000CF: Derivative GeometriesProfessor Ben Pell

Fall 2010

Derived from a leaf, this surface represents the molecular

ordering as represented by 7 sections. The surface is a sectional

exploration, demonstrating a relationship between the ordering

of the molecular lines and programmatic functions, which are

inserted between the regulating sections. The project capitalizes

on the shift in complexity from the molecular structure to

simplifi ed program sections. The wall is conceptualized

as a solid, which allows aperture for the user to engage

simultaneously with the tangible as well as select focuses to the

other side of the wall and voids within the wall.

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SOCIAL SPACE VIEWLOUNGE

BRIDGEVOID

GATHERING EATING BRIDGEENCLOSURE

VIEWCONTEMPLATION

SHELTER

REGULATING ORDER

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INSERTING PROGRAM INTO SURFACE

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SEAM: The Visual_Temporal StratumSocrates Sculpture Park, New York, NY

Professor Ben Pell

Fall 2010

Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens, NY utilizes diverse climatic

conditions to offer a variety of activities throughout the year.

These activities are limited by time, season, and scales creating

a situation where activities are in a constantly changing

dynamic condition year round. Utilizing two axis as organizing

elements, the project situates the temporal space by altering

the landscape, and visual space through the articulation of

elements on the built form, derived and interpolated from two

axis based on site conditions. The axis creates a grid where

the visual realm operates parallel to the axis and the temporal

operates perpendicular to the axis. The project capitalizes on

the changing tides and elevations to create an experience

where the interface between art(visual) and water(temporal) is

constantly changing.

Boat Staging/Signup

Boat Dock (low tide)

Bicycle Parking

Gallery Entry

Entry/Meeting/Yoga Space

Waterside Space(low tide)

Waterside Space(high tide)

Performance/Movie Space

PROG

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LATIO

NTID

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Unused in High Tide

SUPP

ORT Bathrooms

Bike Storage

Kayak Storage

Park Entry (Park Goers)

Street Entry (Bikes/Boats)Water Path

Site

INTER

FACE

Interactive Sculpture

Performance/Movie Space

Extrude the Site to Visual Line (+5’)

Implement AxisAxis 1: Beach to Park to Midtown

Axis 2: Entry to Water to Roosevelt Island

1

2

Create GridTemporal Level: Perpendicular to Axis

Derive Building Form From Grid

Implement Form on SiteRemove Solid to Create Space

Create Grid Visual Level: Parrallel to Axis

Derive Building Form From Grid

Implement Form on SiteCreate Space Through Positive Elements

Itinerant Musicians Hostel: ARMATURENew Haven, CT

Professor Jennifer Leung

Spring 2011

This hostel is conceptualized as a building which acts as both

an armature for musicians visiting the New Haven area, as well

as an armature for musician’s personal affects. The result is

a system where each individual unit is an extension from the

main core and provides space imbedded into it that provides

accommodations for different functions (i.e. desk, bed, storage).

The armature is in a constant dialog with the site and the

individual unit, contorting itself to accommodate circulation and

service functions, and creating a variety of interactions with the

adjacent buildings.

Unit Support Structure

Unit Veneer Panel

Armature Skin

Ribbed Building Support Structure

Floor Panel

Roof Structure

Ribbed Unit Support Structure

Section StructureFloor Structure

Balcony Structure

Insulated Panels

Building Skin

Perforated Panels

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Unit Locations

Bathroom Locations

Practice Room Locations

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Elevator InstallationNew Haven, CT

Professor Ben Pell/John EberhartDesign Team: Teo Quintana, Brittany Hayes, Ollie Niuland-Zlotnicki, Daisy Ames

Fabrication Team: Brandon Hall, Ryan Salvatore, Noah Morgenstern, Amy Kessler

Spring 2011

Originally designed by the design team, this ambitious project

quickly became a collaboration between the fabrication and

design teams to fabricate and build this MDF installation in a

matter of a week. Intended to provide a respite for passengers,

this installation creates a distinct set of spaces in an otherwise

Normal box elevator. The installation acts as a seat, a leaning

post, and a fi lter of light. My responsibilities on this project

included overseeing the CNC Milling of the pieces as well as

heading the assembly and addressing many installation issues.

Formal AnalysisProfessor Peter Eisenman

Fall 2010

Tugendhat House, Mies van der Rohe

Il Redentore and San Giorgio Maggiore, Palladio

Sant’ Ivo and San Carlo, Borromini

Tugendhat House, Mies van der Rohe

Unbuilt Pallazzo Plans, Serlio

Row House For A LifetimeCopenhagen, Denmark

Professor Bo Christiansen

Fall 2009

While studying in Denmark in the fall of my senior year, our studio

project assignment was to look at the conventions of the very

typically Danish row house. My proposal looked to challenge

the normal conventions of row housing to create housing to last

a lifetime. The row house was conceptualized as a composition

of three parts: the solid, the core, and the void. The idea is that

the core unit provides enough space for a couple, while the solid

and void units provide necessary infrastructure for expansion,

which is carried out via interchangeable prefabricated units

and a miniature crane integrated into the solid part to simplify

interchangeability. While the mechanics of the system are fairly

simple, the discussion became more about the community and

social situation in which this system would be effective and

sustainable, highlighting how vital the need for the community

to work together and encourage the addition and subtraction of

space in ways that all residents support.

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NurseryBedrooms

Family RoomLarger Dining RoomHome Office

Voluntary Expansion

NecessaryExpansion

Voluntary Expansion

NecessaryExpansion

Voluntary Expansion

Comunal Family Space Expansion

Leisure Space/ Storage Expansion

Exterior Space Expansion

SaunaInterior StorageExterior Covered Storage

Elevated Green SpaceElevated DeckMore Balcony Space

Bedroom Expan

RETURN TO CORE U

Typical Row Housing

Flexible Row Housing

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

NO MASS PRODUCTION OF UNITS MUST ORGANIZE AND RECYCLE UNITS thereforeIN ORDER FOR THE SYSTEM TO WORK, RESIDENTS MUST BE FRODAY 1 AND THE SYSTEM MUST BE MONITERED TO ENSURE THE A

Voluntary Expansion

sion

EXPANSION SUBTRACTION

Voluntary Subtraction

MandatorySubtraction

Voluntary Subtraction

Add-On Units Sheild in Communal SpaceCommunity Pressure

Sustainable Reduction in SpaceReduction Due to Lack of Space Efficiecy

Need to Return to Core Unit

UNIT

ULTIMATELY THE COLLABORATIVE NATURE OF SUCH A COM-MUNITY BRINGS ABOUT THE KIND OF PROTOTYPICAL SOCIAL EXPERIMENT ENVIRONMENT. BUT IN THE END THE NEED TO ADAPT TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND ADD ON WILL FORCE PEOPLE TO MOVE FROM VOLUNTARY EXPANSION TO NECES-SARY EXPANSION.

THE NEED TO FIND PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO ENGAGE BOTH WITH THE COMMUNITY AND THE DWELLING ARE CRITI-CAL, BECAUSE IDEALY THE MOST SUSTAINABLE APPROACH REQUIRES CAREFUL PLANNING.

SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT

TRASITION FROM VOLUNTARY EXPANSION TO NECESSARY EXPANSION

FAMILIES SHOULD WANT TO GET THE NECESSARY SPACE TO GROW INSTEAD OF MOVING OUT.

REQUIRES COMMUNAL BARN RAISING MENTALITYe MUST MAKE RESIDENCY CYCLICALOM SPREAD FROM EVERY AGE DEMOGRAPHIC FROM ABILITY TO HAVE A COMMON POOL OF ADD ON UNITS

Add-On Unit Installation Sequence

Private

Semi Private

Mechanical / Entry

Private/ Roof Deck

Semi Private

Leisure/ StorageSemi-PublicGreen Space

SPATIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE BUILDABLE VOID

Organization of Core Unit Reorganization of Void

Core Unit Built Up Area

SOLID

Crane Enclosed in Core

Mounting Points For Additional Units

All Mechanical Systems are Run Through Chases in the Core

Voids Created to Add Space and Fuctionality to the Core Unit

CoreEntry

Mechanical

Bathroom

Study

Family Room

Kitchen / Kitchen Table

Front / Rear Balconies

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Front Balcony

Rear Balcony

GRND FLR 1ST FLR 2ND FLR

Removable InsulatedPanels

Balcony Space (15 m2 Total in Core Unit)Liveable Space (85 m2 Total in Core Unit)

Sectional Organization of Core Unit

Buildable Void

Void for Expansion

SOLID

CORE

BUILDABLE VOID

DESIGN PROPOSAL: MAXIMIZING EFFICIENCY AND FLEXIBILITY THROUGH A COMBINATION OF PERMANENT AND TEMPORARY SPACES The Key to Flexibility: 3 Separate Zones

Parking Meter GallerySt. Louis, MO

Professor Liane Hancock

Spring 2008

A studio project assignment in the spring of my sophomore

year was to select one object of interest and design a collection

space for that object on Cherokee Street, a neighborhood

street in St. Louis. My chosen object was an ordinary parking

meter and my study was about the perspectives created when

meters are positioned along a street. The result is a fi eld of

meters, arranged within a gallery going over an undulating fl oor

plane which highlights the perspectives that are carried from

the street into the space, a standard 30’ x 90’ lot. The lines

of parking meters are highlighted by transparent poles. The

symbolism of the ever-present parking meter in the urban fabric

was highlighted with the use of glass partitions of the building

selectively refl ecting the street-scape.

Partition wall (combination of reflective and non-reflective glass)

Grid of parking meters (collection of various meters as the gallery compo-nent)

Perspective lines and the transparent poles that mark the meters as part of the greater system

Transparent panels even out the floor condition

Undulating floor surface highlights the network of perspectives

Bringing the perspectival lines of the parking meters into the site

Testing alternative pole materiality with full-scale mock-ups (transparent and PVC) Reflective panels bring urban fabric into gallery

GUTTERTOGULFNew Orleans, LA

Professor Derek Hoeferlin

Spring 2009 - Spring 2010

Guttertogulf is a research and design initiative to understand

and advocate for legible water infrastructure in New Orleans.

The idea being that once the infrastructure that sustains the

city is understood it can infl uence design to help delay and

accommodate water that would normally go straight to the

water evacuation system. The following pages are dedicated to

a variety of projects that I have been a part of in this movement.

Cover Page: Layered Systems Model, Spring 2009:

Built collaboratively as a studio over two weeks and transported

via plane to New Orleans. Displays the layering of infrastructural

systems.

Page 2: GUTTERTOGULF.COM, Summer 2009

Website created to show work of fi rst Gutter to Gulf Studio to

fellow designers and residents of New Orleans.

Page 3: Water Neutral House, Spring 2010

Working with two fellow students, Sofi a Balters and Jim Peraino,

This Competition entry explored the potential of a house that

retained all stormwater on site.

Measuring Device and ReliefSt. Louis Basilica, St. Louis, MO

Professor Janice Wang

Fall 2007

A studio project in the fall of my sophomore year focused on a

study of the St. Louis Basilica. Sketching the vaulted hallway

at the back of the pulpit led to an idea for a measuring tool

that enables an artist or architect to capture the panoramic

view of the geometry of a space such as a vaulted ceiling. The

model photographed to the left portrays how the lines of the

vault converge and diverge due to perspective, which change in

distortion based on the geometry of vault. The lines were then

carried into a relief that played between 2D and 3D perspectives,

as the geometry of the vault was shown in a fl at, vaulted, and

arched condition.

Panoramas of a single vaulted space. Distorting one of the panoramas in order to derive lines from the space, which were transferred to the relief

Each individual layer tests how the flat perspective of the panorama changes when recreating the vault of the ceiling, either in the regular or inverse direction

Panoramic Measuring Device

Networks For SustainabilityGammel-Torv/Nytorv, Copenhagen, Denmark

Professor Bo Christiansen

Fall 2009

Concurrent with the COP 15 Climate Conference in Copenhagen,

our studio project was to design a pavilion in the old city hall

square. My proposal challenged the concept of a pavilion by

utilizing the entire area of the square as a projection screen

which would educate visitors and residents alike about how

networks zooming out in scale, the pavilion aims to show how

Copenhagen’s networks integrate with each other to create

sustainable solutions. Utilizing the symbolic nature of the

site, which was the footprint of the old city hall, the center of

each map is situated on the historical center of the city. The

networks range from transportation and power, communication,

and information networks, but also for showing how necessary

it is to integrate networks on every scale in order to promote

sustainability.

projector grid axon

UNSUSTAINABLE ENERGYNEED TO ELIMINATE NEED FOR FOSSIL FUELS

NO EXTERNAL ENERGY

SUSTAINABLE HOUSING

MORE GREEN SPACE

HOW TO MAKE NETWORKS SUSTAINABLE

TRANSPORTATION NETWORK

PEDESTRIAN (15 MINUTE WALKING RADIUS) BICYCLE ROUTES (WITHIN 4 KM)

HIGH DENSITY10000+/DAY

DESIGNATED BIKE LANE

S TRAIN DANISH RAIL NETWORK E

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY

REVISING POWER GRID TO BE COMPLETELY CO2 NEUTRAL ENERGY SOURCES

COPENHAGEN CO2 NEUTRAL 2025

INTEGRATION OF NETWORKS IS KEYBIKE NETWORK

PEDESTRIAN NETWORK

BUS NETWORK

METRO

S and REGIONAL TRAIN

CONSUMER

ELECTRIC CAR ELECTRIC TRAIN GENERAL ELECTRIC

COAL POWER PLANT

RECYCLING TRASH

TRASH POWER PLANT

WIND POWER

GEOTHERMAL HEATING AND COOLING

SUSTAINABLE POWER SOLUTIONS UNSUSTAINABLE POWER SOLUTIONS

ROAD (MAJOR ROUTES) POWER GRID

EUROPEAN RAIL NETWORK GLOBAL NETWORK (SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA)

Redefi ning the Infrastructural ParadigmSt. Louis, MO

Professor Gia Daskalakis

Spring 2010

ONEPRIZE Competition Semifi nalist

This proposal seeks to redefi ne the role of abandoned

infrastructure. In this case an abandoned rail trestle in North

St. Louis provides necessary infrastructure for the cultivation of

urban agriculture. The trestle is conceptualized as an axis, with

a series of distribution, storage, and educational ‘nodes’, where

infrastructural interfaces are re-established with the three major

modal systems of St. Louis: road, river, and rail. Once the axis

has been developed a variety of agricultural techniques are able

to ‘plug’ into this system.

REDEFINING THE INFRASTRUCTURAL PARADIGM: ST. LOUISCONVERTING BLIGHTED ABANDONED INFRASTRUCTURAL SPACES INTO PRODUCTIVE AGRICULTURAL CENTERS

This proposal seeks to redefine the role of abandoned infrastructure. In this case an abandoned rail trestle in North St. Louis provideinfrastructure for the cultivation of urban agriculture. The trestle is conceptualized as the axis, with a series of distribution, storage, and ‘nodes’, where infrastructual interfaces are re-established with the three major modal systems of St. Louis: road, river, and rail. Once been developed a variety of agricultural techniques are able to ‘plug’ into this system.

Phase 2: Rebuild the Rail PT

Phase 1: Embrace the AXIS

REinvesting in the AXIS: A Phasing Guide

Geometry of Adjacency

Abandoned Rail Trestle as Agricultural Axis

Geometry of Adjacency

s necessary educational the axis has

Phase 3: Plug the Agricultural Typologies into the Axis

Rail GrowingRaised BedsGround FarmingHydroponics

Phase 4: Using Language of Adjacency, Establish Circulation Paths

HIGHWAAY I 0HIGHWAY 70Infrastructural Node

Geometry of Adjacency

Phase 5: Expand Form of Circulation Path to Create a Distribution Core

Circulation Paths

Phase 6: Add Educational Core on Top of Distribution Core

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Raised Beds on Ground

Hydro/Aeroponics

Raised Beds on Warehouse

Storage

Rail

Planting on Rail

River

Road

Brandon Hall25 Lynwood Ave

Apt. #5New Haven, CT

06511

p: (847) 840-8169e: brandon.hall@yale.edu