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BRENT CASTROselected works

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selected work . fi rst year

welcome center . chapel of the resurrection off the holy path .

The following welcome center is located off axis from the Woodland Cemetery’s main chapel to not interrupt funeral processions that walk through the forest. The spaces created imitate the human journey into the ground by controlling light which symbolizes a decent into darkness. A museum component pays tribute to the Chapel of the Resurrection‘s architect Siguard Lewerentz and his life work and dedication to the preciseness of the built form.

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beyond borders . an attempt to be touched by time excerpt from published scholarly journal a garden of memories children’s plant nurseryenvironmental educational center re-development of old prisoner of war camp for educational usevanderbilt secret society house For the order of the fugitives and agrarianssequoya hills . high density community charleston inspired high density residentialsolar decathlon home . living light facade + lighting + hvac team

polish tour . krakow new cultural center new urban plan . krakow towermax min competition winner + bronze metal award . assembly. required : re-measuring the landscape

selected works .

BRENT CASTROselected works

[email protected]

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Italy is one of the most desired locations for members of our profession. In Verona, the Castelvecchio, revitalized by Carlo Scarpa, offered my soul a look into the far reaches of the past. At dusk the sunlight peered through the teeth of the castle walls. The warm rays of sun silenced external noise, reminding me of the innocence of my childhood, in a place twenty-eight times my age. By seeing, feeling, and sensing the Duomo, the expanse of St. Marks Square, the bells of Notre Dame, and the warmth of Zumthor’s thermal baths, we can start to decipher thoughts about the history of time and our existence. We can conceive how time led to our innovations; we can remember what changed in time to create a notion of what beauty truly is. We can fear and welcome the time that led to wars, religion, love and loss. We can be thankful for the time that allows people to continue to learn about themselves.

“Here I am sitting in the Gardens of the Villa Rotunda and it is as if time stood still. I am alone with my thoughts and living a once in a lifetime architectural experience. My senses run wild from the perfection infused by landscape and building. They penetrate the deepest of my psyche and spirit. This is what beauty truly is.”

-Personal writing from The Villa Rotunda, Vicenza

Time is our most powerful possession – without it we would be unable to learn. Our ancient and new worlds have had thousands of years to

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rethink and refine themselves. From five thousand years of recorded history, we have books, art, sculpture, and architecture to guide our curiosities towards answers. The ability to walk past walls that have two thousand years of history flowing through them allows your mind to fully understand their purpose.

“… all I can think about is what it would have been like to experience this space. A coliseum that was once full of passion, greed, and death that begged all your sensations to combine into one and become an unforgettable experience. The harshness of the space now sits in solitude and dormancy of the past. What happened within these walls 2000 years ago? History happened and it was truly God’s intervention.”

-Personal writing form the Roman Coliseum, Rome

Through these passing years great minds have created beautiful and innovative designs. Still to this day, many of our cultural leaders progressively design without fear, creating intrigue sometimes not seen from the ordinary steps of our homes. However, ask any of these designers and one will find that the influences of their past made them who they are. But here we cannot truly experience living in a history that has built upon itself for centuries.

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the epistemology of studying abroad

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Loss is an inevitable aspect to our biological lives as humans. Due to the deaths of grandparents, relatives, siblings, friends and sometimes parents, children are being exposed to this loss many times before they become adults. A similar sense of bereavement is also felt when a child loses a parent due to divorce or abandonment. It is not possible to shield children from the realities of our world, but they can be guided through the grieving process.

Some children have abruptly lost the most important aspect to their lives, a sense and memory of home and the feeling of belonging. It is true when they say that home is where the heart is. The heart is created through the love and protection of family and friends. The idea of the home is reinforced by place. The sense of belonging then takes effect and these spaces become the most comfortable for the child.

Without the love and support of family and friends, a true sense of home is harder to find. Children and adults need human interaction because it is part of our biology. If this is interrupted it can be a huge detriment the child and may affect his development.

Architecture cannot replace family or guarantee a sense of home, but program and design may spatially support a coping process. The journey of healing can be guided by the spaces we create and the architectural story we tell.

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selected works . 5th year

a garden of memories . plant nursery

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a garden of memories . plant nursery

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The path of remembrance :

The following depicts the memorial path and garden for the nursery. The procession begins with a walk through the flower garden where children can plant and grow flowers for their own memorial. Once fully bloomed, the flowers are cut and placed on the eastern memorial wall. The movement is then focused down the path to acceptance. The final view is looking out at the quarry of the beautiful view. This is about a moment of peace.

a memorial connection to landscape

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selected works .

of whom need a symbol of acceptance, the architecture will guide their heart along this process of re-building home.

The garden creates structured landscape created for the purpose of horticulture and beauty which presents itself as an escape from the modern world in which we live. These areas of refuge allow the senses to run rampant fulfilling the need of all the sensory organs.

This was a great joy-- to be out in the air-- for I had not been outside in almost a month. A pure and intense joy, a blessing, to feel the sun on myface, and the wind in my hair, to hear birds, to see, touch and fondle the living plants. Some essential connection and communion with nature was re-established after the horrible isolation and alienation I had known. Some part of me came alive, when I was taken to the garden, which had been starved, and died, perhaps without my knowing it.

Warner . Restorative Gardens

This proposal seeks to investigate how architecture may support a child who has experienced loss, providing a place of safety, comfort, and belonging that speaks of home, and draws on ideas of sanctuary to promote healing and reinforce memory.

The following plant nursery will explore these issues of support, safety, comfort and belonging through the design of a plant nursery.

A plant nursery presents itself as a program that begs for the attention of the child who is grieving. Since it is a symbol of life, re birth and re-growth this place of refuge can move the child through the steps of grieving while physically showing them that life goes on through growing their own flower or plant.

Nature is one of our purest forms of re-birth and this symbol can stand as a beacon of hope for those of who are grieving from their past detriments that have affected their inner souls. It is also a place that allows the imagination to permeate the barriers of our known world. [a process that takes them from conception to re-birth]

This plant nursery will allow for the constant progression towards acceptance for the child in need. If we are considering that half of all children have experienced grief at some point in their childhood, these spaces will be created that allow for an escape for all. For those

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a garden of memories . upper site plan

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selected works .

A garden for the child not only evokes the senses to allow for inspiration in this landscape, but symbolically can aid in the process of healing.

There is a certain symbolism that comes with the plant and gardening. It can begin to help aid in memorializing the past while guiding the child to accept reality.

The plant is something tangible that the morning child can hold in his hands to then take care of. The act of taking care of this organic object allows for the repetitive movement of the muscles that in turns gives the child a chance to either concentrate on or escape from theirreality. They are both imperative towards this process.

It can be a symbol of re-birth that gives the child a purpose while they are recovering from loss. Starting from the seed to the point of the bloom, one can realize that life does go on.

The Plant Nursery will be to serve for the education of the child. The theme here will be on horticulture and how this program can guide in an understanding of plants and space. The underlying focus will be on the grieving child. As dictated previously, more than half of children will experience either death, divorce or separation from ones they love. Therefore, this plant nursery will also create spaces andprogram that will guide in this healing process.

The Mead’s Marble quarry, dating back to 1881, is an area of land located in close proximity to the Ijams Nature Center and since 2005 has been a integral part of their mission and context. The Quarry allows for a unique connection to nature due to the fact that the hillside has been affected by the touch of man’s hand.

Since its abandonment of the quarry in the late 1970’s, the once luscious forest was able to grow again and the rain filled the now deep gorge with an abundant amount of water. This created a unique experience to whomever beheld its views and beauty.

This context, chosen for its close proximity to the city of Knoxville, fills all the needs to the program stated previously. The quarry presents us with a history and a context that is now used for outdoor activity every day. My goal would be to not disrupt that activity, i.e. hiking and walking trails, but add to the experience as a whole.

The old limekiln’s ruins lie where the plant nursery will present its program. The new plant nursery will include the existing stone structure while enforcing the reality of their past.

The now unexaggerated view of the quarry will be enhanced for the guest of the nursery and park.

a garden of memories . plant nursery quarry 1950’s quarry 2010

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a garden of memories . lower site plan

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selected works .seseelelelecttttedededed w ww worororksksks ..

The Memorial Garden : acceptance

A small garden in a more enclosed area that guides in the healing process. This is an area where the child can begin accepting his grief from seed to flower. If the Plant Nursery is close enough to his home, this gives him the chance to be able to take something tangible back with them after their healing experience.

This will guide in his journey in memorializing a loved one. This course will be in conjunction with the planned horticulture therapy that will take place at the nursery.

Flowers work best for their speed of growth and will be selected depending on the season.

Meditative Gardens : thought

Located on site will be a series of meditative gardens that respond well to the surrounding context to the nature center or camp. These will reflect on the already beautiful nature of the chosen site and lead the child on a path of personal reflection.

Meditative can be created simply by placing a bench focused on a view or sculpting nature to create zones of intimacy.

The Greenhouse : the escape

The Greenhouse presents itself as a place to escape into a dreamworld to then go on a journey through the mind. These spaces filled with glass, light and horticulture are perfect for the child and his imagination.

Due to the temperate environment, the green house, will house plants exotic in nature that are not found in our local climate. This will guide the child down a path of curiosity that will give the horticulture specialist a platform to teach form.

The greenhouse is an component of the program that will add to the intrigue of the warmer months of service, but the carefully planned sheets of glass will allow the plant nursery to function in the dead of winter.

Imagine the warmth on a child’s face when he enters a program that allows him to touch the leaves, smell the flowers and view the height of plants never seen before when he has been devoid of such pleasantries from the winter climate.

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view towards old quarrymeditative garden

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selected works .

section through memorial garden . fall a depiction of the seasons

Remembering the past .

This section through the final path of memorial garden starts at the memorial wall where one would place the newly cut flowers and then focuses through a funneled view of the vertical garden. The vertical garden is then terminated by a balcony that overlooks the previous quarry.

old train tracks covered walkwaymemorial wall

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pavilion eatery central courtyard and garden

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selected works .

classroom + water catchment section . winter

The classroom will be an extension of the greenhouse and the gardens to act as a teaching tool for the children attending the plant nursery.

This space also allows for group discussions for children with similar issues to begin the necessary discussions in order for them to realize they are not alone in their grief. This space is never meant to single out the child and their condition, but be a warm group environment.

The greenhouse will also be considered a classroom.

The classrooms is located off of the central courtyard and garden spaces. The main view is focused towards the greenhouse and gardens so that the horticulture specialist can visually reference the horticulture happening in the background.

This section also shows the collection of water for the cultivation of the plants in the greenhouse and exterior gardens.

The greenhouse allows for exploration of plants in the winter months.classroom

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pavilion bathrooms meditative garden old lime kiln escape

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selected works .

lime kiln section . spring

The old lime kilns will be carved out to allow for a escape for the passerby and the children who are in use of the site. horticulture specialist offi ce greenhouse

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privacy carrel central courtyard and garden horticulture specialist offi ce meditative garden

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selected works .

privacy carrel + offi ce + memorial garden section . summer

The Privacy Carrels : these 8 rooms, enclosed on three sides and open to a view on one, allow for the child to escape to think or be creative; with drawing, writing, reading etc.

Each space allows for the child or guest to leave the activities of the site to then intimately contemplate their surrounding landscape. The atmosphere allows for one’s mind to ponder aspects of ones’ life.

vertical memorial garden

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lower ruin experience | memorial wall

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selected works .

upper ruin experience | water collection

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memorial garden lookout journey

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selected works .

nursery pathway

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greenhouse

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selected works .

a garden of memories .

It is now quiet with the sun shining through the trees. A gentle breeze. The shadows grace my page. The sound of a private plane fl ies overhead. The sound engulfs the gorge. The echo bounces of the stone walls.

The sky’s refl ection graces the man-made pond while a small gust of wind glides over top.

I feel so at peace . . . I am thankful

I sit here in waiting. Waiting for the seasons to change. I cannot wait till leaves of fall the shadows of winter and the fl owers of spring. This place will change and memories created. The quarry is a miracle . . .

I wonder if man had never presented himself here in such a way. I feel that they wonder if this place would no longer exist. It is a miracle because of man and his intervention.

personal writingsSeptember 17th 2011

procession to site : the view

A fork in the road, which shall I take. . . This time I take a different route, up the man-made hill, the space is open. The ruins of the old kiln are now only visible at the root. I turn, through the clearing of trees the quarry peaks through. The experience of discovery. What I see is a blessing. personal writing

September 17th 2011

procession to site : the ruins

A fork in the road, which shall I take. . .

As I walk alongside the vacant train tracks, thoughts race through my mind about its potential. Filled with history and mystery, it wasn’t until now, my second visit, that I even noticed the ruins of the old kiln. Safeguarded by the nature that grew around it, the perfect place for a child to explore and to enhance with my architecture.

personal writingSeptember 17th 2011

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selected works . third year

environmental educational center . west elevation

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environmental education center main fl oor plan

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selected works .

environmental educational center .

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environmental educational center .

the environmental education center . crossville tennessee

This education center will help students develop factual knowledge about the natural environment, particularly with regard to how ecosystems work and human impacts on the natural environment.

The spaces created shall foster more positive perceptions about the value of the natural world. The center will guide in the development eco-friendly habits, such as getting people to recycle and to produce less waste. The leaders of the camp will engage students in environmental rejuvenation projects and action.

The following architecture will cause a sense of curiosity and wonder within the mind as students develop psychological and spiritual relationships with nature and their surroundings.

The center is located at a 4-H Camp on the rural outskirts of Crossville Tennessee. The site is surrounded by existing camp program to the north and east. Views expand to the natural surroundings to the south and the west. The best view of the camp resides in the east therefore it will be important to rise above the old World War two bunker that deters from the view.

the camp now sits on what used to be a world war two POW camp.

At a 4-H camp a few miles outside of Crossville, Tennessee, an empty hospital building, a lone chimney, and a collection of photos and artifacts are the only remnants of the prisoner of war camp that closed shortly after World War II. Called the “Jap Camp” by locals despite the absence of Japanese prisoners, Camp Crossville housed over 1,500 German and Italian prisoners of war between the fi rst prisoners’ arrivals in November 1942 and the camp’s closing in December 1945.

-Tennessean Magazine

The architecture leads off with a ramping promenade that is along side a terracing water catchment system filled with native plants. At the end of the promenade camp attendees can either engage the water catchment system or filter through the vertical ramping system the leads to the interior educational components.

A tower infused within the program, which takes reference from the lone chimney on the site, leads children upwards and allows for a more vertical engagement of the site throughout the day and becomes a observatory of the stars at night.

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environmental educational center . children ramping system

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selected works .

environmental educational center . water catchment system section

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selected works .

environmental educational center . observation tower section

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secret society house . order of the fugitivessectional site model

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selected works . second year

THE MEDITERRANEAN Quem das fi nem, rex magne, dolorum?

Where we went in the boat was a long bay A slingshot wide, walled in by towering stone--

Peaked margin of antiquity’s delay, And we went there out of time’s monotone:

Where we went in the black hull no light moved But a gull white-winged along the feckless wave,

The breeze, unseen but fi erce as a body loved, That boat drove onward like a willing slave:

Where we went in the small ship the seaweed Parted and gave to us the murmuring shore,

And we made feast and in our secret need Devoured the very plates Aeneas bore:

Where derelict you see through the low twilight The green coast that you, thunder-tossed, would win,

Drop sail, and hastening to drink all night Eat dish and bowl to take that sweet land in!

Where we feasted and caroused on the sandless Pebbles, affecting our day of piracy,

What prophecy of eaten plates could landless Wanderers fulfi l by the ancient sea?

We for that time might taste the famous age Eternal here yet hidden from our eyes When lust of power undid its stuffl ess rage; They, in a wineskin, bore earth’s paradise.

Let us lie down once more by the breathing side Of Ocean, where our live forefathers sleep As if the Known Sea still were a month wide-- Atlantis howls but is no longer steep!

What country shall we conquer, what fair land Unman our conquest and locate our blood? We’ve cracked the hemispheres with careless hand Now, from the Gates of Hercules we fl ood

Westward, westward till the barbarous brine Whelms us to the tired land where tasseling corn, Fat beans, grapes sweeter than muscadine Rot on the vine: in that land were we born.

- Allen Tate, Poet Secret Societysecret society house . order of the fugitives peabody college . nashville

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secret society house . order of the fugitives main fl oor plan

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selected works .

The building presented separates itself with secret ramping system and wall that can only be attained through the small back passage located on the less traveled southern boundary. This wall made of reclaimed lumber symbolizes the separation of the public from the order of the fugitives.

The public part of the program is envisioned to provide a contemplative environment for scholars who wish to be inspired by the landscape and southern poetry.

A secret ramping system leads society members down into the society’s gardens and then more ramps lead them on a journey to the Ritual Room, the contemplation rooms and the society’s library

For the order of the Fugitives and Agrarians a secret society at Vanderbilt University

The Fugitives were a group of poets and literary scholars who came together at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee around 1920. Together, they published a small literary magazine called The Fugitive from 1922-1925 which showcased their works. Although its published life was brief, The Fugitive is considered to be one of the most influential publications in the history of American letters. The Fugitives made Vanderbilt a fountainhead of the New Criticism, the dominant mode of textual analysis in English during the first half of the twentieth century.

secret society house . order of the fugitives section through the gardens and ramp

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secret society house . order of the fugitivesview of the private poetry carrels

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selected works .

A ritualistic procession shall lead new members through the secret ramping journey and gardens where the individuals holding pieces of their own written poetry culminate at the orders meeting room where the only essence of light comes from the library above.

Once at the light covered stage and before initiation, new members must read their selected works to prove their ability to speak and write in the poetic language that is demanded by this society.

The ceremony is then culminated with a lighting of candles that fills the room with light being held by all the members of the society.

The public museum of the fugitives is filled with light and views of the surrounding context. The space allows an unknowledgeable public to be well informed of the Fugitive Order of Poets.

The series of walls the divide the spaces within the project are to symbolize the many layers of life and what one must go through to really write poetry of true meaning.

Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. -Leonard Cohen

secret society house . order of the fugitives entry to ramp entry to museum

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sequoya hills . high density residential site sectional model . 4 units

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selected works . third year

This high density housing community is located within the heart of the Knoxville neighborhood Sequoya Hills.

The homes are placed in a serpentine pattern around the existing natural conditions of the site to pay tribute to its’ inherent beauty as well as to emphasise views and connection back to community.

Three home types are placed delicately into the sloped landscape. The homes are inspired mainly by the Charleston South Carolina side porch houses.

In this context, the Charleston side yard plan gives neighbors outdoor private spaces of their own which connect back to the communal space.

The fenestration is located on only three sides of each home. The left over blank wall allows neighbors the chance for privacy.

The large southern windows, with overhangs, keep a connection back to the communal zones so neighbors don’t lose their sense of interconnection among their peers.

sequoya hills . high density residential exterior unit type b exterior unit type a

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sequoya hills . high density residentialtype a main fl oor

type b rest fl oor

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selected works .

sequoya hills . high density residentialtype a section

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living light . 2011 solar decathlon house

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The home is illuminated entirely by sunlight during the day through translucent and transparent walls on then north and south.

The north and south walls are composed of double facades housing motorized blinds for light control, privacy, and thermal comfort. Just as daylight enters the home through these facades during the day, so too will electric light at night.

Embedded within the double façade and hidden from direct view to prevent glare, the electric lighting will be capable of approximating the visual comfort levels of daylight as well as other theatrical effects. In the mornings and evenings there will be a soft transition from natural to artificial light, allowing the home automation system to brighten or darken the electric lighting as needed.

The horizontal blind that modulates incoming daylight will also be used to reflect electric light into the home. At night, a few discrete task lights will be used to supplement the integrated façade lighting.

selected works . fi fth year

Dating back to the late 18th century, natives of East Tennessee established passive design strategies to accommodate the varying climate of our region. The Cherokee constructed different shelters for both the summer and winter months. European settlers continued to advance these ideas with the cantilever barns of southern Appalachia, providing shade and moisture protection with their deep eaves. Early settlers truly understood the challenges of Tennessee’s dual climate and built accordingly to adapt to each extreme. These initial design practices continue to be relevant today, becoming more effective and efficient with new technologies.

The Living Light home is inspired by the cantilever barn of Southern Appalachia, organizing the floor plan around two dense cores that are pushed to the perimeter of the space.

This leaves the living area free, opening it up to exterior views and maximizing daylighting capabilities. These two cores organize the daily routines of life. The utility core contains most kitchen appliances and is near the mixed-use island accommodating dining and food preparation. The millwork of the utility core can be entirely closed for a clean, uncluttered look. An indoor/outdoor dining table can be moved in from the patio for additional seating when entertaining. The opposite core contains the more private elements of the Murphy bed and bath. The adjacent living area can be reconfigured to create an

living light . 2011 solar decathlon house

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living light . 2011 solar decathlon house

During my forth year at the academy, during our integrations course I had the fortunate chance to be apart of the UT Living Light Solar Decathlon house design and construction document studio. I was assigned to the Facade, Lighting and HVAC team that was charged to design how to place all these systems into the double facade glazing system.

During our design process, we had to consider that the majority of the north and south elevations will be composed of an all system encompassing double façade system. The outer plane of the double façade will be a single fixed pane of tempered R-1* glass set in shock absorbing mounts. The inner plane of the system will be composed of fixed R-11.4 suspended film, tempered glass set in wood veneered aluminum frames. Smaller operable panels will be placed in an alternating manner within the fixed units. The inner south façade will be composed primarily of transparent glass while the inner north façade will be composed primarily of translucent glass. Both inner façades will have the same operable area.

The north and south facades become the stage upon which the building comes to life. Sandwiched between the two panes of glass will be a motorized horizontal blind system which blocks solar radiation/sunlight before it reaches the conditioned space. The blind system will be programmed to provide proper lighting and shading throughout the year. It also provides privacy when desired. Heat that

is harvested within the double façade system will be directed to an energy recovery ventilator, supplying the home with preheated air. When the outside temperature and humidity are acceptable, the operable panels allow outside air into the house. The outer pane of glass also reduces the wind load on the house thus reducing unwanted infiltration and allowing the blinds to be deployed under any weather condition.

The cores on the east and west facades contrast the glazing to emphasize the concept of two dense volumes defining an open space in between. The exterior walls of both cores are composed of a wood veneer rainscreen protecting an R-30 stud wall. The wood will continue visually on the interior as fixed wood panels and operable cabinet doors.

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selected works .

living light . 2011 solar decathlon housefull detailed section . smart facade

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living light . 2011 solar decathlon housedetailed wall sections

During the design processes team members were assigned different areas of focus to then find products and spec information in regards to their findings. I was assigned the task of lighting our living light home and worked with local consultants to make design decisions that would help benefit our goals. Most of the lighting had to be incorporated within the double facade system.

The Living Light house is illuminated entirely by sunlight during the day. Electric light illumination levels are designed only for nighttime.

If desired, in the mornings and evenings there can be a soft transition from natural to electric. The home is daylit through translucent and transparent walls on the north and south. These walls are composed of double facades housing motorized blinds for light control, privacy, and thermal comfort. Just as daylight enters the home through these facades so too will electric light. Embedded within the double façade and hidden from direct view to prevent glare, the LED electric lighting in the floor and ceiling will be capable of approximating the visual comfort levels of daylight as well as other theatrical effects. The horizontal blind that modulates incoming daylight will also be used to reflect electric light into the home. A few discrete task lights will be used to supplement the integrated façade lighting and natural daylighting.

operable blind system

aluminum curtain wall

lighting trough

fl oor lighting trough

aluminum store front

plexiglass panel

LED light strip

1 1/2” plexiglass awning

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selected works .

living light . 2011 solar decathlon house detailed section . smart facade

lighting trough

aluminum curtain wall

aluminum store front

louvre vent system

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the lone bike . vicenza italy

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selected works fourth year.

semester abroad poland . tour of italy

fl orence . the duomo . brunelleschi pienza . piccolomini palace vicenza . the villa rotunda rome . coliseum

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semester abroad poland .krakow lookouttower and cultureal center plan

krakow new cultural centerUrban growth is always affected greatly by the creation of new highway systems that begin to separate neighborhoods from better parts of the city. This is no different in Europe.

Just west of the Wisla River lies land divided by a highway system and it has been affecting the neighborhood negatively ever sense. How do we start to bring back that sense of community and allow this part of town to be a beacon for travel from within the city much like the cities historic town square.

With the creation of a conference center, the city of Krakow has already begun the healing process towards this part of the city. From the hotel to the conference center, this urban design project set forth to complete or re-create that sense of identity that this area of the city so desired.

Therefore, a beacon of hope was to be created allowing for an innate attraction from the old city to Krakow’s new cultural district. The goal was to create a community cultural center that the neighborhoods could use to bring everyone together to begin the re-birth of this neglected part of the city.

A 56 meter tall unprecedented tower would be that beacon of hope for the city to bring back life to a neighborhood who desires it so. A

journey upward would allow travelers and locals new views of the cityas they spiral around the ramping system filled with Polish history.

Frosted glass panels which lessens in intensity as a traveler ascended upward allowed for the curiosity of the full view to circulate through the mind of the traveler. The full outlook of the old city in Krakow is not attainable until the viewer has reached the very top of their ramping journey. Here they are able to experience the city of Krakow as one whole part not divided by a highway system.

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selected works .

semester abroad poland .krakow lookout tower and museum

Here I am standing on the cobblestones listening as the local people walk by. All the sounds seemed to merge into one, leaving me alone in this grand space. The rays of light hit my face reminds me of springs fi rst warmth. My senses run wild as I closed my eyes. They penetrate the deepest part of psyche and spirit. My time here has truly changed me. Time that cannot be taken away.

This is what beauty truly is.

Market Square . Krakow PolandPersonal journal entry

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semester abroad poland .museum ramp section .

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selected works .

semester abroad poland . ampitheater stage . cultural center

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ampitheater perspective

re-measuring the landscape

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selected works .

The following architecture presents a garden created for the purpose of leisure, education and beauty, as the A&A itself presents itself as a teaching tool for students of architecture and design.

Professors of landscape and design give lectures standing in front of their most powerful educational apparatus: the garden. The amphitheater allows for a transitory theater screen to project student work and timeless movies. The garden will be filled with native plants that are acclimated to soils and climate. These indigenous plants require minimum fertilizer and less water.

Max min design competition: Winner + Bronze Metal Recipient

Established in honor of the School of Architecture’s former director, Max Robinson, the MAX_minimum Design Competition is a recurring annual design competition meant to encourage the greatest impact on the design environment with the least possible means.

In an effort to fulfill a programmatic need of the College, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and give purpose to an underused space, this competition involves the design of an assembly space in the Reading Room Courtyard of the Art and Architecture Building. max min design competition

assembly required

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selected works .

brent [email protected]