January Student Member of the Month

Brenna Fransen

Iowa State University

4th Year Architecture Student

1. Why did you choose the design/construction field?

Architecture is a great mixture of creativity, logic, and comprehensive thinking which both challenges and pushes me to view everyday life in a new way. 

2. What is the most unusual medium you have used for a model, and what did it represent?

In a class called “Formworks”, I utilized other students’ scrap castings such as broken concrete or spilled plaster and created new castings through recycling other’s waste.

3. What has been your favorite studio trip so far?

The first field trip we ever went on was to Chicago which was about a month after we started studying architecture. It was a great bonding experience for everyone, and it was the first time I went to a city with a new perspective of what architecture can be.

4. What is the best advice you have received from a professor or mentor?

The best advice (that I get often) is to go to bed when you’re stuck. Easier said than done but looking at work with a refreshed mind in the morning can make a big difference in noticing what is working and what isn’t.

5. How has Iowa Women in Architecture influenced you?

Having portfolio reviews and discussions where I can connect with women who are currently in practice has helped me gain confidence and better understand what the next steps in my career can look like.

DSM Art Center and Cutural Hub

Located across from the Pappajohn Sculpture Park, the hub hosts a series of outdoor gathering spaces and openings in the façade that invite pedestrians strolling past the site to look down and observe the art.