BRETT M. CHARLESMONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

ARCHITECTUREP O R T F O L I O

THE DESIGN APPROACH APPLIED TO MY UNDERGRADUATE WORK CAN BE DEFINED BY TWO WORDS; SIMPLICITY AND

RESPONSIVENESS. BY UTILIZING MINIMALIST NOTIONS FUSED WITH A MODERN AESTHETIC, I PREFER MY WORK TO CONVEY

SIMPLE PRINCIPLES BY ALLOWING SIMPLICITY TO PROJECT BEAUTY. ALTHOUGH THIS IS MY PREFERRED DESIGN METHOD, I’VE REALIZED IT’S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT THESE ARE PREFERENCES AND NOT DOGMATIC STANDARDS. I’VE LEARNED

IT’S IMPORTANT THAT I POSSESS THE ABILITY TO ADAPT MYPROJECTS TO THEIR INDIVIDUAL CONDITIONS AND GUIDELINES

IN ABLE TO DESIGN EACH PROJECT ACCORDINGLY. SECONDLY, I WANT MY PROJECT TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO

RESPOND, WHETHER IT BE TO PROGRAM GUIDELINES, SITE DYNAMICS, OR OVERALL DESIGN AESTHETIC. IT PROVIDES A DESIGN OPPURTUNITY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW I CAN MAKE A RESPONSE IN A RESPECTFUL AND RESPONSIBLE WAY. HAVING THE ABILITY TO RESPOND AND ADAPT TO CHANGING DYNAMICS INVOLVED WITH THE PROJECT IS A TRAIT I APPLY TO

EVERY PROJECT. I BELIEVE THE PROJECT’S ABILITY TO RESPOND TO THESE CONDITIONS LEND TO THE OVERALL

HOLISTIC COMPLETENESS OF THE PROJECT. USING THESE QUALITIES AND APPLYING THEM TO MY WORK, I FEEL I HAVE ESTABLISHED A BASIS OF DESIGN THAT WILL HELP ME BECOME

A SUCCESSFUL DESIGNER AND ARCHITECT.

I WOULD LIKE TO PURSUE A PROFESSIONAL ARCHITECTURE DEGREE IN AN ESTABLISHED GRADUATE SCHOOL SO I CAN

CONTINUE TOWARD BECOMING A REGISTERED ARCHITECT. I FEEL THAT THE PROGRAM AT MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY HAS

HELPED ME ESTABLISH A STRUCTURED FOUNDATION OF DESIGN PRINCIPLES, CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURES, AND

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS THAT I CAN EVENTUALLY APPLY TO THE REAL WORLD.

DESIGNS TAT E M E N T

OF CONTENTSTABLE

Not-a-Stool (2nd Year).........................................................................................4

Butte Infill Project (2nd Year).................................................................................6

Seattle Hydrology Institute (3rd Year).....................................................................8

Community Kitchen (3rd Year).............................................................................10

Downtown Rooftop Residence (3rd Year)............................................................12

Rome Study Abroad (4th Year)............................................................................14

Bozeman Hybrid Midrise (4th Year)......................................................................16

Architecture Graphics.........................................................................................18

Building Construction 2.......................................................................................20

Through the Lens................................................................................................22

NOT-A-STOOLC H A I R D E S I G N

Not-A-Stool Grinding and Final Touches Not-A-Stool Final Product

For this Second Year project, I was tasked to design a flexible chair, formally known as a Not-a-Stool. This Not-a-Stool needed to be able

to accommodate for different resting positions, specifically crouching, sitting, and leaning. My approach for this design was

focused on how the the occupant’s body conformed to these three positions, looking at massing, pressure points, and positioning of

their joints.

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Not-a-Stool Exploded Design Drawing

HISTORIC BUTTEI N F I L L P R O J E C T

Structural Diagrams

For my final Second Year project, I was tasked with designing a multi-use infill building in historic uptown Butte, Montana. I was

assigned artist Claes Oldenburg as my client, and was to design him a gallery space and residence as well as an

open rentable office space and a rentable one room apartment. My inspiration for this project came from a combination of

Oldenburg’s trademark art approach by emphasizing undervalued evey day items, while utilizing uptown

Butte’s use of the arch in their historic building designs.

Site Context ModelSection Model

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Artist Collage Board Butte Collage Board

Infill Floor Plans

Structural Diagrams Residential Interior Perspective Gallery Interior Perspective

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Artisit Gallery

Shared Bathroom

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Open Office

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OpenOffice Space

OpenOffice Space

ArtistResidence

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Butte Collage Board

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S E AT T L EHYDROLOGY INSTITUTE

Proximity Mapping

Industry Mapping

District MappingPeripheral Veiwing Device

The Seattle Hydrology Institute project was a 3rd Year design problem, where I designed an educational place where the public could come to learn about Seattle’s history and relationship with water. I also had to respond to the redevelopment of Seattle’s iconic waterfront. To start, I was tasked to create a device that allowed me

to view the city in an unconventional way. My device focused on utilizing peripheral vision to better understand the public’s engagment around the site as well as giving a better understanding of the surrounding urban fabric. I then was tasked

to develop a series of mapping diagrams of different systems established within Seattle. From these studies, I discovered an established system of separation

through city districts and zoning. I then began applying this separation I discovered within the city to my building’s program by establishing different user

experiences through public, semi-public, and private spaces. The goal was to push the boundaries of each program’s space by overlapping and integrating into

each other to create a hybrid building experience.

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Seattle Hydrology Floor Plans

South Building Section

West Building SectionContext Model

Alaskan Way

University Street

(Pedestrian Thoroughfare)

COMMUNITYK I T C H E N

This was a 3rd year joint project between a fellow student and I. The goal with this project was to provide the Community Cafe’s staff with a building suitable for servicing the town of Bozeman through their unique dining experience and community classes. One element the Community Cafe expressed desire for was a greenhouse that could provide fresh fruits and vegetables year round. The introduction of a greenhouse allowed for a great oppurtunity to create a more holistic connection to the idea of community within the Community Cafe that would allow it to rise out of the realm of just serving food. The

building is comprised of two interlocking elements: the programatic cafe element and the greenhouse element.

First Floor Plan

Second Floor PlanWest Building Section

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The greenhouse offers a direct connection from the public front of the building, which houses the

dining areas and kitchen, that then transitions into the second floor of the building which houses public,

semi public and private areas being an outdoor dining

patio, a flexible culinary classroom, and staff offices. While the programmatic elements are

covered by brick, the greenhouse is covered by a double facade of metal sheeting with extrusions to allow small glimpses into the

space. This is done to encourage people to come into the building to fully expereince what the cafe and the greenhouse have to offer. This

project was expressed and presented solely through

presentation boards.

Outdoor Patio Rendering

Exterior Building RenderingExterior Skin Development

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DOWNTOWNROOFTOP RESIDENCE

For this 3rd Year final project, I was to design a rooftop residence for a client who was a famous

Montanan. My client was NBA player, coach, and avid outdoorsman Phil Jackson who was also known as the “Zen Master” for his holistic coaching methods. I began looking at holistic methodologies such as zen

and yin and yang and how they may become the catalyst for the project.

Context Massing Model Front Perspective

Study Iterations

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Front Perspective Back Perspective

Elevation Perspective

By emphasizing dualities through materiality and creating inferred “connecting” greenspaces that carried throughout the dwelling, I was able to create and capture a connection to the zen and yin and yang philosophies as well as my client. This

project was developed soley through model iterations.

Context Massing Model Back Perspective

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STUDY ABROADROME DESIGN STUDIO

For this Rome study abroad project, I was tasked to design a structure or installation that conveyed water’s importance to Rome’s history and

culture. I chose to design both a structure and an installation that simplified the act of bathing for the general public and glorifiied the act of bathing to aid Rome’s rising transient population. I chose to place this project on Piazza della Chisea Nuova, an underutilized site located in the

heart of historic Rome and a popular hang out spot for the homeless. I then drew project influences through both ancient and

modern Rome, utilizing ideas of directionality, mechanics of the aqueduct, form and materiality through the surrounding urban context. This project was developed and presented through formal presentation

boards.

aqua del popolo

Process Sketches and Diagrams Concept Collage Presentation Board

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Exterior Rendering

Aqua del Popolo Site Plan

Transient Washing Facility

Upon entering the site, I wanted the presence of water to be immediately apparent. The bathing structure for the

homeless is the anchor for the site. Water steps down from the top of the building and meets the site to symbolize the journey and changes in elevation water went through as it

traveled through the aqueducts into ancient Rome. The water then stretches into the middle of the site, emphasizing water’s importance as a focal point for Rome as it continues its journey throughout the rest of the city. This also creates a reflection pool that encourages people to dip in a hand or foot

and expresses the idea of simplified bathing.

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N

Corso Vittorio Emanuele II

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BOZEMANM I D R I S E

Building Section A

Building Section B

For my final Capstone Project, I was tasked with designing a hybrid building located at the corner of Black Avenue and Mendenhall Street in

downtown Bozeman. My goal for this project was to create a building that emphasized Bozeman’s farming culture while compensating for Bozeman’s

current issues with urban sprawl. The building’s program is comprised of commercial, educational, and residential components, all of

which are involved in the idea of an environmental intervention. Programmatic elements such as a farmer’s market, greenhouse

classrooms, and communal vertical farms and gardens were all introduced to help educate the building’s occupants as well as the general public

about growing, farming, and food-to-table ideologies. The challenge for this hybrid building was that my class was tasked with designing as if all the buildings were being built at once, forcing students on the same city

blocks to collaborate and design around each other’s designs. My response to this collaboration was to make subtle steps back from

neighboring buildings to centralize my building, allowing for optimal sun exposure and unhindered views.

Context Model Program Emulsion Diagram

Meshing Diagram

Isoscope Studies

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Wall Detail Section Interior Residence Rendering

Building Section A

Building Section B

Mendenhall Street

ARCHITECTURALG R A P H I C S

Third Year Mixed Media Design Drawing

Shown are some examples of design drawings, observation drawings, and sketches I have done over the past three years. The technical drawings were done for classes and the sketches were done during my study abroad time in

Europe.

Second Year Design Drawing

Third Year Seattle Watercolor Observation

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Notre Dame du Haut Study Abroad Sketch

La Tourette Study Abroad Sketch Tempietto Study Abroad Sketch

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BUILDINGCONSTRUCTION 2

Bird Watch Master Plan

Building Construction 2 was a 3rd Year class where groups of two students prepared construction documents for a bird

watching facility project designed earlier in the semester. These construction documents provided a full analysis on the building

which included plans, sections, structural systems and mechanical systems. We were also required to

complete exploded details of walls and mechanical components as well as an environmental control systems analysis and a specifications booklet. This project was completed in collaboration with student Connor Scher.

Bird Watch Site Plan Sheet Bird Watch Section Sheet

Bird Watch HVAC Diagram

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Bird Watch Ground Supply Vent Detail Bird Watch Spanning Structure Diagram

THROUGHT H E L E N S

The built environment can create an amazing sense of atmosphere through different qualities and characteristics. Although the personal experience cannot be replicated,

photographs come close to capturing the essence of place and time. These photographs were taken throughout my

study abroad experiences.

Empty Alley Siena, ItalySt. Peter’s Interior Rome, Italy

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Ponte Vecchio Florence, Italy Confluence Museum Lyon, France

Hagia Sophia Istanbul, Turkey Florence Cathedral Florence, Italy

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