BENJAMIN BRAUN, ASLA, ULI 23872 Wavespray Circle (949) 945.3752 1bbraun@cox.net Laguna Niguel, CA USA 92677
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SUMMARY
An articulate visionary with a passion and enthusiasm for planning, project administration and team management. An energetic team player and a transformational leader capable of formulating a compelling vision, setting a strategy, promoting it in an inspiring manner and executing multi-disciplinary planning, landscape design and development for communities, commercial, civic, residential, resort, and recreation development projects.
Qualified as a highly accomplished and decisive professional with multicultural expertise and international exposure. A competent business professional capable of multitasking under pressure while maintaining a high degree of effectiveness and efficiency orchestrating projects and delivering results on time and within budget.
Specialties
Value Added Master Plan & Community Planning & Development / Team Building & Mentoring / Design Conceptualization & Lifestyle Setting / Development Strategies / Mixed-Use Development / Feasibility Studies &Research / Budget Management.
STRENGTHS IN LANDSCAPE PLANNING, DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
Internationally recognized expertise in lifestyle setting master planning, land use, site planning, and implementation of all scales of community planning and site specific design for hospitality, residential, civic and recreation projects.
Ability to combine business development and management skills with a diverse knowledge of project planning and design.
Extensive experience in team formation, management and direction of multi-disciplinary design and engineering consultant teams, preparation and administration of proposals, contracts, budgets and schedules.
Thorough expertise in master planning, public and private development strategies, specific plan and design guideline preparation.
Effective oral and written communication skills, including multi-cultural communications, and mentoring of planning and design staff.
Multiple disciplined education and experience in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Design.
Accomplished concept presentation and graphics.
PLANNING AND LANDSCAPE DESIGN CONSULTANT, Laguna Niguel, CA, US, Principal
Planning and design team mentoring, developing client relationships for China projects.
In-fill/Redevelopment land use conceptual planning for Commercial, high Density Residential, and Civic Facilities.
Provided conceptual planning and design for City of Anaheim, California Convention Center Grand Plaza urban use redevelopment.
Design of public parks and recreation facilities.
EMAAR International Global Design Studio, Newport Beach, CA, US, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Lead project management team (staff of 10) for international development of planned communities in Saudi Arabia and Gulf Cooperation Council Countries.
Responsible for master planning direction and review of consultant selection and direction, proposal and budget evaluation, and project administration.
Provided consultant direction for international planning and concept development for new towns, hotels, resorts, multi and single family residential, schools, marinas, parks, golf and other recreation projects.
Directed project planning and design development of the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Recipient of 2009 Cityscape Saudi Arabia Awards for Best Planned Community - Hawadi; and Best Waterfront Development - Bay La Sun.
ValleyCrest Design Group, Santa Ana, CA, US, SENIOR PRINCIPAL/PARTNER - DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND LANDSCAPE DESIGN
Provided business development of Middle East and other international and domestic markets.
Directed and produced master planning, conceptual development and design of numerous residential planned communities, mixed-use, urban design projects including: Newport Coast and Crystal Cove; Marriot Newport Coast Resort - American Resort Development Gold Award for Site Utilization and Design; Newhall Ranch 11,200 ha (28,000 acre) master planned community, Newhall, CA.
Management participation of 51 staff.
CYP, Inc. Architects and Planners, Costa Mesa, CA, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND DESIGN
Team project director in charge of international and domestic resort, planned community and residential land use, site planning and design for major private developers in Mexico, South America, Europe, and Asia.
Responsible for coordination and design of large scale single and multi-family community planning projects. Provided mentoring to planning and design staff.
Riyadh Development Authority, Government of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, SA, SENIOR ADVISOR, PLANNING AND URBAN DESIGN
Senior government development representative responsible for coordination, planning, review and approval of design and implementation of embassies, cultural, commercial, sports and recreation facilities for 700 ha (1,730 acre), US$ 1.5B, Riyadh Diplomatic Quarter, Saudi Arabia, recipient of Aga Khan Award.
Directed international planning teams, approved urban redevelopment design plans and supervised implementation of US$ 260M civic center, commercial district and transportation corridor for Riyadh.
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Pomona, Environmental Design
BS Landscape Architecture
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, CA, US, BArch, Environmental Design
Honors and Awards - See Below, 1st Place
HONORS AND AWARDS
United States Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for Landscape Architecture
AIA Southern California Scholarship (awarded two consecutive years)
First Place Design Award – Norton Simon Art Museum California Design Competition: Furniture/Lighting Design
Outstanding Graduate Designer Award, School of Environmental Design, California State Polytechnic University
