2. Contents
Brandon Taylor
4438 Yorkfield Ct.
Westlake Village, CA 91361
(818) 632-9472
brandontaylor87@yahoo.com

3. 2-7
Capstone Project
8-13
Mixed-use Plaza
14-16
Residential Streetscape
17
Design + Build
18-20
Hotel Garden
21
Chairs

4. C a p s t o n e P r o j e c t - 1st
F
p l ac e d e s i g n awa r d i n c l a s s o f fa l l
or years now this 6-acre site has been seen as
a ghost town withering away as time moves on
without it. Existing vegetation is nearing the end
of their lifespan; invasive weeds have begun to
sprout up in planters and in between the cracks
of the almost vacant parking lot. Most of the retail
and restaurants have been vacant for a number of years, which is
becoming dilapidated and forgotten about in the plaza. Contaminants
from the asphalt parking lot creep into the harbor’s water, thus causing
detrimental long-term affects on the marine habitat in the harbor.
T
he project will accommodate and focus on aspects such as
aesthetics, cultural, educational, environmental, historical,
recreational, and sustainability in order to design a harbor front
Fisherman’s Wharf will become the heart and soul of Channel Islands
S ite
P lan
Harbor once again!
M edia :
promenade that will attract public interest for years to come.
2
AutoCAD & Photoshop
2011

5. S upporting
P erspectives
M edia :
Photoshop & Rhino 4.0
I nspirational P hotos
M
I
I
S
S
I
O
N
ncorporating captivating outdoor environments, and sustainable practices to the design will rejuvenate
Channel Islands Harbor back to a winsome tourist destination. It will be seen as a cherished destination
with lush public open spaces along with modern mixed-use buildings, which will include dining, retail,
and multi-family residences. The new improvements implemented into the surrounding landscape will
rejuvenate the sense of place within the harbor.
G
L
O
A
L
S
EED certification will help magnify the community’s interest with sustainable awareness. These “Green”
ideas include designing a planting palette that uses vegetation native exclusively to Channel Islands or
Southern California. Designing around existing materials, such as the old wooden pier and recycled shipping
containers from Port Hueneme. Also, more efficient water management practices will be implemented.
Circulation and safety between pedestrians and vehicular traffic is a high design focus. The projects intent is
to strive for a successful integration between all these factors, while being aware of its surrounding ecosystem.
S ite
M odel
M edia :
Photoshop & Rhino 4.0
3

6. Capstone Project
Unmanicured grass
slope leading to
bioswale
ADA ramp
to upper
parking lot
Terraced planters,
beige stuccoed
retaining walls
ADA ramp
to lower
parking lot
Planters with
manzanita &
wild rye
Unmanicured bunch grasses
sloping towards bioswale
with sycamore trees throughout
14’ wide one lane
road entering
from CIH Blvd.
S ection
B-B
M edia :
AutoCAD & Photoshop
4
Planter with Guadalupe palms,
Deer grass, Pacific reedgrass,
and top layer of mulch
Front gathering area with
corten steel planters extruding
from beneath the surface
Limestone paving
sidewalk leading
to transit stop
Steel frame
overhang at
transit stop
Transit
stop lane
on CIH Blvd.
S ection
C-C

7. Buildings
Open & Rec.
Retail
S
Gov’t Navy Base
Single Family Resid.
Asphalt
Hydrology
Multi-family Residential
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Fisherman’s Wharf occupies 6-acres within the 310-acre harbor.
Mixed-use buildings include dining, office, and retail spaces.
The structures have become dilapidated over time.
About 75% of the buildings are currently vacant.
Vegetation is in a poor state of health.
Asphalt paving has signs of cracking with weeds beginning to surface.
Asphalt paving consumes about 50% of the site.
The sites pedestrian circulation is undermined by vehicular flow.
Nautical theme blends with the surrounding site while adding character.
Parking lot is mostly vacant, which produces wasted space.
Rock shoreline (riprap) is eroding away.
Pedestrian linkages between buildings are poor and offer no continuation.
The average depth of the harbors water is about ten feet.
The once popular water taxi has disappeared from FW.
The plaza circulates water runoff in the least environmentally efficient way.
Traces of efficient water irrigation is not found on site.
Located west from across the harbors water is multi-family duplexes.
Buildings lack successful pedestrian circulation routes between one another.
The site was designed for vehicle circulation, not so much for pedestrians.
S ite
A nalysis
M edia :
Photoshop
S ection
A-A
5

8. Capstone Project
S upporting
C onstruction
D rawings
M edia :
AutoCAD
6

9. M aterial
C olor
C oncepts
M edia :
Marker
I
n addition to my capstone project, I
constructed a sign that would compliment
the designs concept of layers. The focus
of my research was based on two colors
that would play with light during different
times of the day to create multiple effects.
A translucent light blue acrylic was used as
a backdrop, while a transparent dark blue
was utilized as a foreground plane to create
a depth of perception. The mahogany in
front is intended to mimic the patina finish
of corten steel.
M ock - U p
E vening
L ight
E ffect
M aterial :
Cardboard
C onstruction
D rawings
M edia :
Pen
7

10. Mixed-Use Plaza
F
or the Winter 2011 quarter,
a property located in the
heart of North Hollywood was
presented to my architecture
partner, Charlie Tedstrom, and
I to renovate the dilapidated
site. Elements such as
acoustics, light and thermal
were required by the client
to create a place of serenity,
which would dismiss the
users from the surrounding
busy Hollywood lifestyle. The
four multi-family units along
with the market and cafe
buildings were specifically
laid out to create three linear
paths that draw attention to
the central pavilion. Colors
of the landscape compliment
the buildings hues, while
the contemporary hardscape
intertwines with the structures
facade.
I llustrative
S ite
P lan
M edia :
8
AutoCAD & Color Pencil

11. S ite
A nalysis
M edia :
Illustrator & Photoshop
F inal
C oncept
M edia :
Pen & Color Pencil
E xisting S ite
C ontext
M ap
M edia :
Google Earth
9

12. Mixed-Use Plaza
P rivate
R etreat
P erspective
M edia :
Photoshop & Rhino 4.0
C afe
P erspective
M edia :
Color Pencil & Marker
10
M arket
P laza
P erspective
M edia :
Photoshop & Rhino 4.0
S econdary
R etreat
P erspectives
M edia :
Rhino 4.0

13. SYM
Botanical Name
Common Name
QTY
Size
Large Plants & Trees
AF
Acacia farnesiana
Sweet acacia
3
24" box
AT
Aloe thraskii
Dune aloe tree
13
15 gal.
BM
Bambusa multiplex
Alphonse karr
3
15 gal.
CF
Parkinsonia aculeata
Mexican palo verde
1
36" box
FS
Fouquieria viscosa
Candlewood
2
24" box
LF
Acacia estrophiolata
Ironwood
1
36" box
OE
Olea europaea
Olive tree
6
24" box
Medium Plants & Shrubs
AS
Agave shawii
Shaw agave
24
5 gal.
CD
Ceanothus 'Dark Star'
California lilac
13
15 gal.
RF
Cordyline 'Red Fountain'
Festival grass
41
5 gal.
SS
Cordyline 'Southern Splendor'
Dracaena palm
15
15 gal.
CR
Kniphofia sp.
Torch lily
50
5 gal.
DV
Dodonaea viscosa 'Purpurea'
Purple hopseed bush
1
15 gal.
MD
Muhlenbergia dumosa
Bamboo mulhy
13
5 gal.
OA
Otatea acuminata aztecorum
Mexican weeping bamboo
31
5 gal.
AST
Aloe striata
Coral aloe
152
1 gal.
CT
Chondropetalum tectorum
Cape rush
405
1 gal.
DM
Dymondia margaretae
Dymondia
553
plug
EC
Eschscholzia californica
California golden poppy
621
plug
FI
Festuca idahoensis
Blue fescue
736
1 gal.
RO
Rosmarinus officinalis
Dwarf rosemary
73
plug
Small Plants & Groundcovers
P lanting
P lan
M edia :
AutoCAD
11

14. Mixed-Use Plaza
T
he grading of the site was
strongly influenced from the
design of the Architecture. By
orienting the buildings within the
existing landscape, it introduced
the conceptual shape of the
golden spiral, which can be found
in Le Corbusier’s modular system.
Utilizing this idea allowed for
individually unique spaces to be
implemented. The plan identifies
the proposed site elevations at
each corner and intersection of
paved surfaces, while considering
the direction of water runoff.
12
G rading
P lan
M edia :
AutoCAD & Pen

15. S upporting
C onstruction
D rawings
M edia :
AutoCAD
13

16. Residential Streetscape
I llustrative
S ite
P lan
M edia :
AutoCAD & Marker
F inal
C oncept
M edia :
P roposed
M aterials
P alette
AutoCAD & Marker
F
14
or the Fall 2010 quarter, based on a proposal from the County of San Luis Obispo, the
project was to reinvent the cultural aspects & incorporate a walkable community design
plan for 17th St. Oceano, Ca. The overall design intent focuses on creating a healthy and
sustainable community to promote physical activity and improve public health through
environmental design and planning. To improve understanding about the site in terms of
social, cultural, aesthetical, physical, natural, and behavioral factors; our class conducted
thorough site inventory and site analysis processes individually. This analysis allowed me
to further examine the constraints, potentials, and solutions for designing a successful
walkable streetscape for Oceano’s residential community.

17. S chool
E ntrance
P erspective
M edia :
Color Pencil & Pen
I llustrative
S ections
M edia :
AutoCAD & Marker
S katepark
P erspective
M edia :
Color Pencil & Pen
15

18. Residential Streetscape
I
ntroducing a concrete skatepark
into the business/commercial
district of Oceano was a design
decision that conformed with
the existing noise pollution of
the nearby railroad tracks and
zoning ordinances of Oceano. The
park would offer benefits to the
community such as an after school
program to help keep adolescent
children out of trouble, along with
increasing their physical well being.
The park offers a number of unique
lines, which allow for a handful of
kids to skate at one time without
intruding on each others space.
S katepark
L ayout
P lan
M edia :
AutoCAD & Photoshop
16
T ransition
S ections

19. Design + Build
M
y first design build project was a great oppurtunity for
me to be challenged with an array of constraints. Due to
an existing Valley Oak, I had to choose a pallet of plants that
could tollerate oak root fungus (left planter bed) and thrive on
the same low water needs. The plants also had to be able to
handle the scorching heat of the south-west facing slope.
C onceptual
P erspectives
M edia :
iScape (iPad App)
Westlake Front Planting Schedule
Botanical Name
Flw.
Color
Flw.
Season
H’ x W’
Qty.
red
summer
20 x 10
3
Chamaerops humilis
yellow
spring
10 x 10
1
Syagrus romanzoffianum
n/a
n/a
40 x 20
exist.
Myrtus communis ‘Compacta’
white
spring
2-3 x 2-3 3
Genista stenopetala
yellow
spring
3-6 x 3-4 1
Salvia leucantha ‘Midnight’
purple
yr round
3-4 x 3-4 3
Lavandula stoechas ‘Madrid Purple’
purple
spr-fall
2x2
2
Mimulus longiflorus
orange
spr-sum
3x3
1
Zauschneria ‘Catalina’
red
sum-fall
3x3
2
Punica granatum ‘Nana’
orange
summer
3x4
2
Santolina chamaedrys
P lanting
P lans
Lagerstroemia f. Hyb. ‘Arapaho’
yellow
summer
2x3
9
Nassella tenuissima
n/a
n/a
2 x 2-3
3
Teaucrium chamaedrys
purple
summer
1x2
5
Penstemon heterophyllus vr. australis
purple
spr-sum
1-2 x 1-2 2
Thymus x citriodorus ‘Aureus’
purple
summer
6” x 1
2
M edia :
Pen
F inished
P roduct
17

20. Hotel Garden
D
uring Winter quarter of 2010,
this boutique inn revitalization
project was designed with Fredrick
Law Olmsted’s City Beautiful theory
in mind. The existing dirt parking lot
was replaced with a smaller scale
permeable lot, while a semi-private
viewing garden was placed along
with a private garden specifically
for the hotels residents. The
theme was based on the existing
mediterranean/spanish stylings of
Les Artistes Inn located in Del Mar,
CA.
S ite
P lan
M edia :
AutoCAD & Photoshop
18

21. P lanting
P lan
M edia :
AutoCAD
19

22. Hotel Garden
F ire P it
S ection
C-C
M edia :
AutoCAD & Photoshop
H illside
S ection
B-B
M edia :
AutoCAD & Photoshop
R ill
P erspective
M edia :
Pen
R ill
S ection
A-A
M edia :
AutoCAD & Photoshop
20

23. Chairs
C onstruction
D rawings
M edia :
AutoCAD
C ustom
B uilt
C hairs
M aterials :
Plywood & Re-used PVC
T
his joint furniture design utilizes
recycled materials along with
the intent of creating multiple
seating configurations for the users.
My partner, Charlie Tedstrom, and
I focused on a minimal design
approach. Allowing both chairs to
be placed forward or rotated 180o
from one another. The construction
called for several types of joints
that required the least amount of
hardware for construction, thus
utilizing the simplistic approach
that we had intended for in our
design.
21