Architectural Design Professional Portfolio
About Me
Hi, I’m Jakob! I’m an architectural designer and furniture maker. After working as a designer for 10 years, I’ve learned to love thinking critically about how changes in an environment can affect people positively. People are first and foremost at the center of my focus. Whether it’s interiors, buildings, landscape, or urban design, I believe all are connected to our wellbeing, which is why I also care deeply for sustainability in my work. I like to specify local, eco-consious materials, or re-use what is existing in a clever way. I’m particulary fascinated by the history of buildings in New York City, and am always looking for ties to the past, especially if it involves renovation or preservation. I am a quick learner and eager to know more about the things that make the world a better place to be. My passions outside of work are furniture design and building, surfing, and cycling.
Jakob Brainerd
EDUCATION & CERTIFICATION
EXPERIENCE
Academy of Art University | San Francisco, CA
BFA | Interior Architecture & Design | Graduated: Spring 2014
Seeking Architecture Licensure In California | Projected Licensure Date: Spring 2025
Jakob Brainerd Interiors & Furniture | New York, NY, Oct. 2023 - Present
Owner/Freelance Designer - Workplace, Hospitality & Furniture Design/Build
Design & build custom furniture pieces for residential & commercial clients
Lead interior design projects for workplace, retail, and hospitality
Management of multiple project to ensure on-time delivery
Hand sketching perspective & elevations for concept communication
Responsible for Revit based construction drawings
WRNS Studio | San Francisco, CA & New York, NY, July 2019- Oct. 2023
Designer (2019-2021) Senior Designer (2021-2023) - Workplace & Hospitality
Presented conceptual design to high profile clients
Lead and directed design workshops with staff & partners
Managed and mentor Junior Designers/Interns
Participated in all phases of design through to construction administration
BVN Architecture | Sydney, AUS & New York, NY, May 2017- Feb. 2019
Designer - Workplace & Hospitality
Presented design concept thinking to client
Researched and introduced new materials to library
Produced detailed construction documents in Revit
Rapt Studio | San Francisco, CA, June 2014- February 2017
Designer - Workplace & Hospitality
Collaborated in multi-disciplinary design discussions
Developed custom FF+E with local craftsman and fixture makers
Planned graphic wayfinding concepts with art director
Conceptualized and/or curated large-scale art installations
Academy of Art University | San Francisco, CA, July 2016- Jan. 2017
Interior Architecture & Design BFA/MFA Revit Tutor
Supported instructors through tutoring BFA and MFA students in Revit
Held Revit workshops highlighting best professional practice
RECOGNITION
Interior Design Magazine | Best of Year Awards, 2016, EGD, Collateral: “JDawgs”
Architizer | A+ Awards, 2017 Architecture + Branding: “JDawgs”
SKILLS EXTRA CURRICULAR
Revit
Sketchup
AutoCAD
Adobe Creative Suite
Hand Sketching
Advanced Color Theory
Project Management
Construction Documents
Furniture Making (Wood)
Furniture Design & Build | Founder of a NYC based critique night called Soundboard
Life Sciences Project (NDA)
Architects: WRNS Studio, HDR, & OJB
Location: La Jolla, California
Sectors: Workplace, Lab, Hospitality
Date: 2020-2023
Life Sciences Project is a 60,000 square foot research labratory and workplace in La Jolla, CA. It consists of labratory, open & private offices, a central hall for various events, a cafe, and sub-grade stacked parking. The roof will hold solar and a portion of landscaped “green” roof. The site is situated on axis with a building by renowned Architect Louis Kahn. The Parti considers central axis elements of Kahn’s design, and brings it to the roof plane with two cantilevered concrete slabs.
My primary responsibilities on the project were interior design, primarily in workplace. The phases I was a Designer on were Concept Design, Schematic Design, Design Development, and Construction Documentation. I specialized in the exterior and interior millwork inwhich I researched a vault of Kahn’s drawings and materials to influence the design of this building. The millwork aims to provide users with a layer of tailored functionality like operable window louvers, intergrated light switches, task lighting, and HVAC controls.
View of Front Entrance from Street
Jakob Brainerd
Central Hall Daily Use
Central Hall Modes of Use
Central Hall Gallery Room
Central Hall Green Room
Jakob Brainerd |
Perspective: Open Office, Studies, & Collaborative Niches
Section: Highlighting relationship between Collaboriative Niches and Studies
Elevation: Office Front at Study
Workstations
Typ. Workstations
Studies
INTERIOR ELEVATIONS -STUDY
Axonometric: Workplace Quadrant
Collaborative Niches
1/2" = 1'-0"
Axonometric: Studies
Axonometric, Plan & Elevations: Custom Design Sit-Stand Desk Clusters in Relationship to Labratory Seating
Labratory Module Composite RCP/Plan & Elevation
Jakob Brainerd
Jakob Brainerd
Primary Cafe
Designer: Jakob Brainerd
Location: Sydney, Australia
Sectors: Cafe
Date: 2019
Daniel Kim came to me with a big idea for a small cafe in Sydney’s Pott’s Point suburb. As a sole proprietor Daniel roasted the beans at night and made coffee by morning. He would go on to be one of the best coffee shops in Sydney. Daniel found a small laundromat with the appropriate services to host a small espresso bar. We moved forward in space planning a minimalist cafe with an espresso bar, millwork seating, a sunken seated area. Daniel’s primary goal was to achieve a sense of place and hospitality. My first thought was then to situate the espresso bar in the middle of the plan so that Daniel could have a 360 view of his customers, and they had a feeling of being inclusive to the coffee making process. Another scope of this project was to help out with graphic design in a resourceful and unpretentious way. The suggestion was to illuminate a “PRIMARY” sign as a 1:1 replacement of the “LAUNDRY” sign that cantilevered from the existing art deco facade previously.
Overall Building Section
Restroom Sunken Seating Zone
Espresso Bar Entrance/Service Area
Photography by Dimitri Tricolas
Design Development Documents
Left: Materials, Right: Light Fixtures
Left: Sunken Seating Area, Right: Entrance & Espresso Bar
Photography by Dimitri Tricolas
Confidental Tech Client (NDA)
Architect: WRNS Studio & HLW
Location: New York, New York
Sectors: Workplace
Date: 2023
This project is located in the Chelsea Market in New York City. The project brief combines many “Products” that were directed by the tech companies internal workplace Product Designers. Designed & documented by WRNS Studio with consultants like HLW as the Lighting Designer. The overall project consists of many stakeholders that directed their product by means of weekly meetings with WRNS Studio, in which we responded with space planning, programming, furniture typology research, and design solutions to cater to the many needs of the end user. These products are spaces in which employees experience, experiment, and occupy to further develop and progress the companies world-class workplace portfolio. The following pages show a snippet of what we aided the Product Design team ideate, including: Project Studios, Microkitchen (MK) & Work Lounge, and Neighborhood.
Project Studios are a series of medium-long term bookable meeting suites within the workplace. The goal of these spaces is to provide employees with a resource where they are able to book a private suite for a team of 3-10 people, depending on size, for a 1-2 week timeframe. An example of the work being done here would be software engineers who need a dedicated space to focus on solving a difficult problem as a team. The look and feel of the spaces were inspired by neighboring SoHo artist lofts.
Project Studios: Common Area
Project Studios: Garage
Project Studios: Sculptor
The Microkitchen (MK) & Work Lounge offers employees a space to work away from their unassigned workstations. Various studies took place in order to land on the plan above including: seating & worksurface typologies, acoustical studies, and an architectural replanning of the existing raised flooring/ramping in order to maximize seating and work zones. The main focus on design look & feel was to provide a sense of hospitality to complement the already warm Chelsea Market setting.
“Porch” Seating at MK
“Library” Seating at MK
MK Bridge: Backyard
The Neighborhood provided employees with a place where they could experiment with various types of vetted workplace furniture systems including phone booths (Nooks), workstations, soft seating, various worksurfaces, and personal storage. All of these items underwent rigorous research and testing by the internal teams and suggestions by WRNS Studio. Custom workstation design collaborations with various manufacturers across the U.S. Including Pair, Watson, MillerKnoll, Spacestor, and Corral.
Neighborhood West
Neighborhood Circulation & Entry
Rosbrook Chair
Designer & Builder: Jakob Brainerd
Location: San Francisco, California
Sectors: Furniture Design & Construction
Date: 2013-2014 (Undergrad)
My first chair design/build was the “Rosbrook Chair” named after my Grandmother’s maiden name. The brief behind this chair was to extract motif and stylistic symbols from an unrelated object. I took inspiration from a camera called the Argus C-3 which my grandmother had gifted me. I decided to utilize dowel, mortise & tenon, and lap joints as the primary construction methods. The camera has many dials, hinges, and a wrap around leather skin in order for a better grip. During the course - “Casegoods & Furniture Construction” - we were also tasked with budgeting, creating full scale MDF prototypes, and drawing final construction documents. The final chair was constructed by myself with black walnut & upholstered black leather. The chair was shown at the annual De Young Museum Student Show “Matter”in 2013 as well as the Academy of Art University “Spring Show”.
Argus C-3 Camera
Photography by Jessica Egbu
Furniture Design & Construction
Designer & Builder: Jakob Brainerd
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Sectors: Furniture Design & Construction
Date: 2013-Present
After many years of borrowing tools and renting out time at friends’ shops, I decided to move forward with leasing and operating my own furniture making studio in Brooklyn, NY. This is what I do with my free time. Furniture construction and design has been passed down to me through generations starting with my great grandfather - I recently inherited his tools from my Uncle, who is a timber framer in Utah. I use traditional wood joinery construction with a mix of hand tools and floor standing power tools. I have always seen the connections between architecture & furniture - they both complement eachother. Architecture makes me a more intentional furniture designer, and making furniture makes me a more rigorous architectural designer.
Constructing a Daybed
Photography by Alan David Padilla
Furniture Design & Construction 2023-2024
Every piece begins with a sketch and ends with a sketch. Throughout the design & build process I am always revising and sketching details, even up until the final day.
