Brendan T. Westfall
First Year Studio
Borland Building Renovation
Professor: Jodi LaCoe
Semester: Fall 2010
This project was the first project of my first year in Penn State's five-year program. It was also the first of two projects that focused on the use of hand drawing. The Borland Building is located on Penn State's campus, and is home to the offices of the College of Arts and Architecture. In addition, it formerly housed the Berkey Creamery in an addition to the building, which was located along Curtain Road. We were asked to add back on to the building in the same location where the Creamery once stood, and were given Graphic Design students as clients. My client saw the need for a library with creative elements such as standing carousel horses, among other quirky objects. This particular project was an interesting start to a rewarding collegiate experience.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Professor: Greg Olsen
Semester: Fall 2010
Following our renovation project, we were asked to watch the film The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. From this film, we were asked to re-create the house featured in the opening scene, and imagine Angel Eyes as a traveling salesman. The ultimate outcome of this imaginary scenario was a sustainable strategy that was only appropriate to the era depicted in the film, but also of our own design. Because my interpretation of the house featured a large central patio, I proposed a patio cistern as the best sustainable strategy for the house, which was located in Winslow, Arizona (fictionally, of course!) Please click on the photos at left to view them in greater detail.
Visual Communications
Professors: Jodi LaCoe & Reggie Aviles
Semester: Spring 2011
This semester-long class in the Spring of 2011 was my introduction to the use of the computer as a design tool. We completed two projects: a design study of Peter Eisenman's work and a flat-pack book cube that could be a modular unit of a book case. In dissecting the architecture of Peter Eisenman, we were introduced to the computer programs Form-Z, AutoCad and the Adobe suite, including Photoshop and Illustrator. This assignment helped us ease into the more complex design project that we finished the semester with: the design and fabrication of a flat-pack book cube. In addition to actually making one module of the book shelf, we had to digitally illustrate how it would look multiplied into a book case, and provide a set of construction drawings detailing the construction of the book cube, which could not be glued or screwed together. My design ultimately was a trapezoid, which gave the individual unit stability and the overall bookcase a dynamic honeycomb pattern. Please click on the photos at left to view them in greater detail.
Design/Build at Penn State's Recycling Center
Professor: James Kalsbeek
Semester: Spring 2011
The culminating experience of first year in Penn State's architecture program is the design/build project, which is a collective effort of all four first ear studio sections. Our design/build client was Penn State's Recycling Center, which is one of the most efficient and profitable in the US. The project we completed was broken down into four parts: a screen wall, a projector screen, a paving pattern, and a 45-seat conference table. The project encompassed a full six weeks of production and three weeks of designing the table, for which my studio section was responsible. In keeping with the mission of our client, we used recycled materials as all of the aggregate for our concrete table, legs, and chairs. From styrofoam to glass to flyash, our table was packed with materials that are processed daily through the Recycling Center. The table was designed as a large ring with ample space for the employees to walk around during presentations made at the Center, as well as to display the paving pattern of our fellow section. This project induced quite the maturation process, as we were not only responsible to each other as a team, but also to the three other sections with which we collaborated in order to have a well-integrated project--an experience with lessons that I will carry over to the professional arena.
Hand Drafting | Design/Build | Visual Communications