Jake Brannon - Portfolio - 2022

JA K E B R A N N O N P O RT F O L I O

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Animation and Illustration Studios Kansas City Art Institute

BTBC Phase Three

Bioscience and Technology Business Center

Satchel Paige Historic Home Kansas City Homesteading Authority

Reflection Fort Powell Botanical Gardens

01 Animation and Illustration Studios Kansas City Art Institute Kansas City, Missouri Completion Fall 2021 44,000 ft2 The Kansas City Art Institute’s campus underwent a great deal of change between 2019 and 2021. Once Helix completed the Barbara Marshall Residence Hall on the west edge of campus, Gould Evans was enlisted to renovate the vacated Student Living Center -- a decaying brutalist structure designed by Kivett and Myers in 1962.

The renovation was to house the Animation and Illustration departments which had previously been distributed in spare classrooms and closets around campus. It also was to become the new home for the KCAI Art Gallery which showcases works from students and alumni throughout the year. One of the primary goals of the project was to provide a prominent “third art space“ between the Nelson Atkins Museum and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. The existing building brought a multitude of unique constraints to the project. The original design consisted of many small dorm rooms, with only 9’-4” from floor to floor. Additionally, a significant portion of the budget had to be dedicated to deferred structural and masonry repair, limiting what was left for the remaining scope.

Our design response was inspired by the way we observed the two departments working. Illustration depends on physical media, and their students preferred to work in bright airy spaces. In contrast, Animation has a strong connection to digital production, and students were known to put cardboard over their studio windows so they could better focus on their computer screens. Our team developed a simple design language using humble materials and relied on meticulous coordination to make the most of these renovated spaces. The Animation and Illustration departments were distinguished with two material palettes -- light for Illustration, and dark for Animation.

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Illustration

Animation

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02 BTBC Phase Three Bioscience and Technology Business Center Lawrence, Kansas Completion Fall 2022 67,000 ft2 The Bioscience & Technology Business Center (BTBC) is a unique partnership among the City of Lawrence, Douglas County, Kansas Department of Commerce, University of Kansas, and the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce to support the bioscience and technology industries in northeastern Kansas. In addition to providing modern facilities and vital business guidance to its tenant companies, the BTBC helps entrepreneurs and technology businesses develop relationships with other entrepreneurs, professional service providers, and universities. BTBC works to create and grow companies that transform the high-tech landscape in the region.

This project was Phase Three of a masterplan for a massive biotech hub in west Lawrence. Design took place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic while biotech companies were growing at breakneck pace.

Our team had a compressed timeline, a wide range of stakeholders, and constantly changing cast of tenants with their own unique space requirements to accommodate.

My primary area of focus during this project were the entrance canopy, the shade structure, and site design. Construction is currently underway and completion is scheduled for Fall of 2022.

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03 Satchel Paige Historic Home Kansas City Homesteading Authority Kansas City, Missouri Completion Winter 2023 10,000 ft2 Satchel Paige is perhaps the most iconic pitcher to have ever played professional baseball. His career spanned an astounding five decades, and he was loved for his abilities as an entertainer in addition to being a worldclass athlete. Paige began living in Kansas City’s Santa Fe neighborhood after joining the Monarchs in 1942. His home on 28th street was well known as a hub of activity for the black community. He hosted parties with the likes of Cab Calloway, Jackie Robinson, and Charlie Parker in the upper floor late into the night.

Since his death in 1982, the home fell into disrepair and suffered a major fire in 2018. It was then acquired and made stable the Kansas City Homesteading Authority. Many in the Santa Fe Neighborhood and the baseball community at large were dismayed that a home with such significant historical importance was being left to rot, and decided to do something about it.

In partnership with the Paige Family, representatives from Gould Evans, the Kansas City Royals, and the Santa Fe Neighborhood Association formed a joint venture with the goal of restoring Satchel Paige’s former home. The project will consist of exhibit spaces documenting his life in Kansas City, a permanent home for the Santa Fe Neighborhood Council, and an incubator space for small businesses. While the project is still in it’s early phases, the future for this site and the legacy of Satchel Paige in Kansas City is looking brighter each day.

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04 Reflection Fort Powell Botanical Gardens Kingsville, Missouri Completion Spring 2022 200 ft2 This project began with a call for proposals to design a fort for children to explore as part for Fortopia at Powell Botanical Gardens. It was truly a rare opportunity to design something with no defined program, and with such a specific user in mind. Children have an innate ability to use their imagination and see wildly different possibilities in the simplest of forms. The same pile of sticks can be transformed into anything from a spaceship to a medieval castle in the mind of a child.

Sadly, our own capacity to use imagination and wonder to fill in the gaps of what we see in the world around us tends to dwindle as we grow older. Like a muscle, this skill becomes weak with disuse.

This proposal seeks to act as a catalyst for the imagination of children, and to inspire the rekindling of this ability in adults. Our team challenged ourselves to create a space using simple materials that can be transformed into something fantastical with the active input and participation of each visitor.

This proposal also seeks to provide a similar experience for all, regardless of physical ability. Rather than relying on physical play and exploration, we made the choice to rely on perception and the senses to engage those that will visit Fortopia during its inaugural run at Powell Gardens

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Fortopia Plan + Elevations 1’ 2’

4’

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Fortopia Plan + Elevations 1’ 2’

4’

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