Cat Brownell Portfolio 2023

architecture and design portfolio

cat brownell

“ I want a temple of spirit, a monument! ”

ARCHITECTURE

de-fractured

003

the valley

015

sculptural synthesis

027

context station

035

rebranding brutalism

041

fall 2022

spring 2022

spring 2021

CONCEPT

spring 2022

spring 2021

+1.401.855.4980 brownell.c@northeastern.edu catsbrownell@gmail.com catbrownell.com

DE - FRACTURED fall 2022 boston, ma urban design framework

the neighborhood of mission hill is best defined by its groupings of nodes around its primary axes; tremont street, columbus avenue, and huntington avenue. the concept behind this urban design involves creating a series of patterns on the site and breaking them at key intersections, creating a new axis of activity and growth. the spaces that result are flexible and adaptable to infinite typologies and programs, cohesive internally and externally, and create connection through gathering, education, and access to nature.

003 introduction

a combination of interconnected plazas with space for transit and markets and a variety of housing typologies centered around internal courtyards develop a system of public and private spaces, fractured, but brought together through design.

004 project rendering

005 site analysis

006 site analysis

007

site analysis

008 site analysis

009 illustrative site plan

010

parti schemes

011

illustrative axonometric

011

plaza transect studies

013

transect and design guidelines

014

transect and design guidelines

THE VALLEY spring 2022 madrid, es community center

located in a dense block in central madrid, this community center carves a valley of democratic multi-use space. blended into the street through floating brick facades and a pedestrian bridge, this community center provides a meandering path of program and freedom. rather than considering the site as a blank space to be filled, i chose to consider it as a solid block to be carved into 9 distinct programs, thus its interpretation as a valley.

015

introduction

the valley itself is ecologically valuable, as the hot pools of the spa below feed and water the roots of the native cypress and eucalyptus trees that live above. these trees thrive in the environment and, through the wind tunnel effect of the structure, spread fresh air throughout the neighborhood.

016

project rendering

the valley

017

parti scheme

018

illustrative site plan

019

longitudinal section

020 longitudinal section

021

lateral section perspective

022 farmacia elevation

023 plans

underground

floor 1

plans

floor 3

024

floor 2

025 project rendering

026 model photos

SCULPTURAL SYNTHESIS spring 2021 boston, ma housing complex

this studio aims to develop a villagestyle community through sculpture and a synthesis of design techniques, applied through circulation, landscaping, and modular aggregation. apartment style housing in boston has often fallen victim to cheap gentrification, and along with it, the residents of the city fall victim as well. this project aims to resynchronize the relationship between the individual, the community, and the landscape, through terraforming a parking lot into a valleylike escape among crippling urbanity and homogeneity.

027 introduction

the push and pull of the structure is representative of its interior and its inhabitants, providing structure in a turbulent area, and freedom to grow.

028 project rendering

029 unit type axonometrics

floor 1

floor 2

floor 4

030 unit plans

floor 3

031

illustrative site plan

032 illustrative site plan

033 lateral section

034 lateral section

CONTEXT STATION spring 2022 madrid, es transportation center

in a 4 day workshop, i worked from a two-dimensional set of rhythmic lines in a boundary towards a vaulted, multilayered transportation center. the arrangement within the bound, along with the lack of solid walls and ceilings, contributes to the pavilion-like and contextless nature of the structure, while maintaining the important archetype of a train station.

035 introduction

naturally, a location without context leads to a population with infinite context. those who pass through this train station are going to infinite locations for infinite reasons. this suggests a boundless infrastructure of transportation, able to exist in the middle of nowhere and earnestly used by an entire population.

036 project rendering

037 schematic paper models

038 conceptual site plan

039 conceptual axonometric

040 conceptual axonometric

REBRANDING BRUTALISM spring 2021 boston, ma design study

this study re-imagines i. m. pei’s building 54 through digital and analog media, exploring how a rigid and brutal form can be warped and conceived differently. the goal of this exercise was the decontextualization of a beloved structure and idea, painting the style of brutalism in a new light that respects its history.

041

introduction

the work focuses on the rhythmic facade of building 54. i attempted to break and incorporate new patterns and styles, through mies style collages, spirograph visualization, and manual scanner manipulation.

042 project image

043 digital facade studies

044 analog facade studies

+1.401.855.4980 brownell.c@northeastern.edu catsbrownell@gmail.com catbrownell.com