Sol Braxton - Undergraduate Portfolio

SOL O BRAXTON

Undergraduate Portfolio Pennsylvania State University

education PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY

AUG 2019 - MAY 2024

State College, PA

Sol O. Braxton ISSUU.COM/SOLOBRAXTON/DOCS/PORTFOLIOMQPG

SOL.O.BRAXTON@GMAIL.COM | (610)310-0364

I am a recent graduate with a Bachelors of Architecture and related Minor and Certificate.

I am interested in the value of community driven design with a focus on structure as a design driver, and I hope to work in mixed-use design, adaptive reuse, and urban planning.

Bachelors of Architecture Minor: Architectural History Certificate: Justice, Ethics, and Diversity in Space Study Abroad: Rome, Fall 2022

work TEAM MEMBER

SEPT 2024 - PRESENT

Whole Foods Market

- Performs inventory management and daily showfloor restocking - Responds to customer and internal questions regarding products

INTERN

JAN 2023 - MAY 2024

The Lion’s Pantry

skills SOFTWARE AutoCAD Revit Lumion Rhino Adobe Suite Microsoft Office

OTHER SKILLS Grasshopper 3D Model Making

Bluebeam Hand-Drafting Photography

scholarships JOHN W. RUDOLPH TRUSTEE SCHOLARSHIP HOCKENBERRY AND PARKER SCHOLARSHIP IN THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND ARCHITECTURE ARTHUR V.K. ANDERSON JR. AWARD FOR STUDY ABROAD IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE DAHN & KRIEGER TRUSTEE SCHOLARSHIP

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- Attended front-end and greeted/directed customers - Used Excel to log customer traffic, flow of inventory, and donations - Restocked showfloor and organized inventory

ARCHITECTURAL INTERN

MAY 2022 - AUG 2022

David Thompson Architects

- Used Autodesk software to produce plans and elevations for use by principal architect - Attended meetings and site visits with clients, engineers, etc.

- Organized and assembled digital documents using Bluebeam

CO-CREATIVE DIRECTOR

JUN 2021 - MAY 2022

Sovereign Magazine

- Lead Graphic Design team in production of Issues 10 & 11 - Used Adobe and Microsoft Suites for graphics, photo editing, and layout - Created Standards Guide to outline brand and graphic standards

related experience DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL JUSTICE

SEPT 2020 - AUG 2021

University Park Undergraduate Association

- Collaborated with department to coordinate outreach aimed at identifying injustices within the University

STUDENT MENTOR

SEPT 2020 - AUG 2021

Arts Ambassadors

- Worked with incoming freshman to navigate class and major enrollment, engagement activities, and other university experiences

portese terminal

p.3-12

framework

p.13-22

game grid p.23-32

prosperar

p.33-40

sovereign & more

p.41-44

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portese terminal Open air-market and bus hub for an urban Roman neighborhood.

bus stop proximit y

existing site

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From September 2022 - December 2022, I collaborated on an urban-scale revitalization plan for Trastevere, a former industry hub in Rome, Italy.

The plan included a park, riverside promenade, and the adaptive -reuse of an abandoned wartime hangar into a local bus terminal, the focus of this section.

LA UL SWB F A CHA FE CA

proposed changes

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7

exploded axon

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Section: BB transverse section 200 400

Ground

200 400 600 1200 2400

f1

1:20

4800

9

600

1:20 1200

2400

4800

Section: AA

longitudinal section 200 400 600

Floor 1

200 400 600 1200 2400

1:20

4800

f2

1:20 1200

2400

4800

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framework

Music Education Building & Recital Hall for students and traveling artists.

From November 2021-May 2022, I designed a university building and recital hall in the State College, PA Arboretum Valley.

The building is composed of an open-gridded timber superstructure and solid programmatic spaces, suggesting the ability to add, move, or remove spaces to develop the whole.

establish directional focus

frame space with structure

plug in programmatic spaces

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site map A:

RE

EA

SIT 00

0,0

15 SF

44 0'

512 '

16

section

AA 30

’

A1 90

AB

’

30

32 ’

’

AC 30

’

’

A2 86

AD

+1170

56

’

+1170

6’

up

A3

+1170 up

+1166 +1170

1 72’

28’

2 20’

3 20’

4 20’

5 20’

20’ 380’

f1

17

+1168

Shaft +74’ Roof +66’

Floor 4 +50’

Floor 3 +35’

Floor 2 +20’

Floor 1

+1170

+1170

A 15’

B up 15’ 60’

C 15’

D 15’

E

6

7 20’

8 20’

9 20’

10 20’

11 20’

12 20’

13 20’

14 20’

15 20’

18

elevation (south)

section

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elevation (north)

Roof +66’

2’

4”

1.5’

Column

Metal Coping Roof Membrane 18“ Cork Insulation Vapor Barrier 4” Lean Concrete 2‘ CLT Beam Wood Blocking 6“ Timber Mullion .5” Double-Glazed Curtain Wall Pane 4” Structural Aluminum Tube Dynamic Brise Soleil Shader Curtain Wall Structural Connection

2’

8”

Floor 4 +50’

Poured Concrete Finish Separation Layer 4” Concrete Slab (With electrical utility shaft) Separation Layer 2” Acoustic Mat 2’ CLT Beam

Floor 2 +20’

Poured Concrete Finish Separation Layer 4” Concrete Slab 6” Insulation Layer Gravel Footing Drainage Pipe

Floor 1 +0

section detail and elevation

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prosperar

Community school and plaza revitalization for a semi-urban town in Brazil.

site map

From January 2023-May 2023, I collaborated on the redesign of an existing community school and plaza in Nova Vicosa, Brazil.

Through community conversation and adherence to the Living Building Challenge, the design employed productive urban green space and vernacular design to create a connected of spaces for several age groups.

$

site analysis and goals

The Living Building Challenge PLACE Designed in the typology of Urban Brazilian mixed-use structures, Prosperar rises only two stories at its highest, and employs an angled shingled roof and plaster facade

WATER The angled roof provides controlled runoff to an alleyway rain-garden, which drains into a water collection system located on the first floor

ENERGY A carefully designed system of operable windows and cobogo breezeblocks maximizes natural sunlight and ventilation, reducing the need for light and air-conditioning systems

HEALTH AND HAPPINESS The outdoor hallways and central courtyard at the heart of the building provides a protected green space in the otherwise dense urban neighborhood

MATERIALS The cobogo bricks used as breezeblocks in the design are both a common style of brick native to Brazil, but also are easy to produce and transport, reducing the need for foreign import

EQUITY A large ramp runs adjacent to the courtyard, providing accessible egress in a way which is hospitable and central to the design and program of the building

BEAUTY The courtyard, cobogo, and presence of natural light and vegetation offer an aesthetically and experientially pleasing space, without compromising the character of the surrounding neighborhood plan and section breakdown

International Living Future Institute, 2023

Plaza Plan

DESIGN FEATURES Main Movement path continues towards Prosperar building Bioswale sits along pre-existing sloped buffer space Fútbol field is inset into ground, with ramp and step access Shop stalls frame movement path and provide space for existing business activity Kids Play Area, with reclaimed material

Teen Area, to provide ‘third space’ for youth Adult Area, with seating and permanent stalls for local business

Central fútbol field, as heart of community recreation

plaza breakdown

game grid A valley home for a Live Action Role Player.

From August 2020 - December 2020, I designed a private residence for a Live Action Role Player, as a part of an artist’s commune.

Designed on a 3’ grid, the structure used the square to establish rigidity, regularity, and proportionality in contrast to the natural context and the imaginative game settings that the space would host.

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grid & proportion

site map

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elevation (south)

f1

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other work Sovereign Magazine Issues 11 & 12

REDOUX:

Emphasizing Empathy, Tension, and Accessibility in Skincare By: Ava Starks

Image from Instagram (@redouxnyc)

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FALL 2021 | 10TH ISSUE

JOSHUA BENITEZ “I use every opportunity I can, to show the School of Music program who I am and what it means to be an African American Latino musician with goals to become the best flute player I can be.”

‘RENEWAL’ EDITION ft.

- Interviews with Mindy Kaling, Antoinette Bradley, more - Black Lives Matter in the Aftermath - Coping With Coronavirus: Q & A with International Students 42

other work Photography Portfolio Fall 2022

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references DAVID THOMPSON

Principal Architect, David Thompson Architects

(203)624-4266 david@dta-ne.com 1211 Chapel St, New Haven, CT 06511

BRIAN PETERKA Professor, Penn State

(814)867-1229 bxp5291@psu.edu 225 Stuckeman Family Building, University Park, PA 16802

HEIDE GIBSON

Associate Director and The Lion’s Pantry Manager

(814)865-0990 hug23@psu.edu 222V Boucke Building, University Park, PA 16802