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RACHEL NICOLE LEFEVRE PORTFOLIO
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RACHEL LEFEVRE2565 norwood rd.
bloomfield hills, mi 483021.248.872.4319
[email protected]
EDUCATION:
Andover High School | Bloomfield Hills, Mi | Graduated in 2013 |
gpa: 3.97
Washington University in St. Louis | BS in Architecture
candidate | gpa: 3.86
PROFICIENCY: Computer modeling: rhinoceros 3d, grasshopper,
t-splines
Adobe: in-design, illustrator, photoshop, bridge
Rendering: maxwell
Environmental analysis: DIVA, Autodesk Flow and CFD.
SKILLS:
Leadership: former managing editor of andover shield newspaper:
delegator and enforcer of deadlines.
Model building: quick and efficient in producing quality and
well crafted models by hand and in the computer.
Experience creating models using laser cutters and 3D
printers.
Experience using most tools in the woodshop: saws, mills,
routers, drill presses, belt sanders, planers etc.
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REFERENCES:
Jaymon DiazProfessor1.314.935.3642
Elisa KimProfessorelisakim@wustl.
ACHIEVEMENTS: Deans list: 2013-2015 (5 semesters/5
semesters)
Published in Approach Fall 2014 and Fall 2015 - school
publication for best work in each core designstudio
Parametric model work exhibited in graduate exhibition of
computer design
ORGANIZATIONS:
Alpha Phi Omega national service fraternity | engaged in
service, brother-hood, and leadership activities | 2013-2014
City Faces | helped design community garden at Clinton Peabody
public housing
Alpha Rho Chi | professional fraternity for architecture and the
allied arts | brother and Fundraising Commitee Head | 2015-2016
WORK EXPERIENCE:
Teaching Assistant at Washington University in St. Louis - 2015
- Present TA for Arch 112: required studio for second semester
Freshmen Worked teaching Rhino, computer drawing, model building
skills
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RACHEL LEFEVRE was born in Bloomfield Hills, MI and is a 3rd
year Junior level student at Washington University in St. Louis
pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Architecture. During her
time as an undergraduate, Rachel has had projects featured in
exhibitions and publications.
Her other interests include philosophy and the intersection
between philosophical inquiry
and design. Of particular interest is the question of how design
can influence human decision making and support sustainable
behaviors both on the macro and the micro scale.
In addition to academics, Rachel has been involved in City
Faces--an organization which works with the children of Clinton
Peabody Public Housing-- as a member of the community garden and
Alpha Rho Chi--a professional fraternity for architecture and the
allied arts--serving as the head of the fundraising committee.
In her free time, Rachel can be found in search of the best
coffee around, perusing book stores, and reading existential
literature.
ABOUT
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SELECTED WORK
1| static turbulence
2| gray area
3| prairie paradigm shift
4| refract
5| compress
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STATIC TURBULENCECHAIN ROCKS BRIDGE,
GRANITE CITY, ILINSTRUCTOR: ANNA IVES
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CONCEPT: TURBULENCE EXPLORING HOW OBSTACLES AFFECT KINETIC
ENERGY
Turbulence is the chaotic movement of a fluid after it
encounters an obstacle. Within nature, this results in rapids,
eddys and vortexes. In fluid streams, obstacles can be introduced
into the system as sources of entropy. This material study focused
on intervening in a stream of water in order to induce this entropy
and study how this intervention could be applied outside of a
stream of water, seeking to understand the results in terms of time
and discrete movements which can be extended to other architectural
and social conditions.
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OBSERVATION: PARTICIPATORYSCIENTIST:
TIME ACTIVITY
7:00 AM
7:30 AM
8:30 AM
9:00 AM
10:00 AM
12:00 PM
1:00 PM
2:00 PM
3:00 PM
4:00 PM
5:00 PM
6:30 PM
8:00 PM
9:00 PM
10:00 PM
11:00 PM
WAKE UP
SHOWER
BREAKFAST
MORNING TESTING
PAPERWORK
LUNCH
RESEARCH
MEETINGS
AFTERNOON TESTING
DATA ANALYSIS
DINNER
LEISURE TIME
STROLL
NIGHT TESTING
DATA RECORDING
BED
PEDESTRIAN:
WIND:
BUNKERED VERSUS EXPOSED CONDITION
LAMINAR VERSUS TURBULENT FLOW
winter
summer
spring and fall
exposed
bunkered
december
march
june
september
RENDERED AXONOMETRIC
1/8 = 1 - 0
PROGRAM AND CONTEXT: SCIENTISTS DWELLINGEXPLORING THE POETICS OF
RESTING AMIDST CHAOS
The dwellings program is for a scientist observing a natural
phenomenon, here the flow of pollution in and out of St. Louis
proper via thermal currents and wind. The building poetically
situates itself on the center of the bridge and acts as an obstacle
in the normal flow of pedestrians, the air itself, and the
scientist -- forcing each party to react to the building and its
program in a turbulent manner. The scientist observes wind both
scientifically and experientially, the interior programing
containing many obstacles, the most significant being the large air
vents used to capture air samples and bring them into the building.
Pedestrians experience and observe air flow through participating
in programmatic diversion and also having the opportunity to feel
wind on the exposed side of the building and be shielded from the
wind on the bunkered side. On each side, tall prairie grass
enhances the experience, registering the
speed, direction, and sound of the wind.
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RECORD WATER LEVEL
BRIDGE LEVEL
PEDESTRIAN LEVEL
CIRCULATION LEVEL
NODE LEVEL
NODE LEVEL
ELEV: + 100
ELEV: + 97
ELEV: + 97.5
ELEV: + 120
ELEV: + 118
PRESSURIZATION
BRIDGE LEVEL
PEDESTRIAN LEVEL
CIRCULATION LEVEL
NODE LEVEL
RECORD WATER LEVEL
KITCHENLIVING ROOMBEDROOMBATHROOM
PROGRAM AND CONCEPT: TYPOLOGIESINTRODUCING TYPE TO ENHANCE
OBSERVATION
Pedestrians are diverted off the bridge into two different
typological experiences: bunkered and exposed. Both typologies
change the pedestrians registration of wind on the site, denying
and allowing the experience. On each side, tall prairie grass
enhances the experience, registering the speed, direction, and
sound of the
wind.
SECTION
UNROLLED SECTION
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TYPOLOGY DRAWINGS | EXPOSED | BUNKERED
BRIDGE LEVEL
CORE TEN SPANDREL
PRAIRIE GRASS PLANTER
SOIL
CONCRETE SLAB
CONCRETE SLAB PEDESTRIAN PATH
SHORT PRAIRIE GRASS TO REGISTER WIND
STEEL BOX BEAMS RUNNING THROUGH BRIDGE
SKYLIGHT
CORE TEN LINED PLANTER BOX
CONCRETE SLAB
TYPOLOGY DRAWINGS | EXPOSED | BUNKERED
BRIDGE LEVEL
CORE TEN SPANDREL
PRAIRIE GRASS PLANTER
SOIL
CONCRETE SLAB
CONCRETE SLAB PEDESTRIAN PATH
SHORT PRAIRIE GRASS TO REGISTER WIND
STEEL BOX BEAMS RUNNING THROUGH BRIDGE
SKYLIGHT
CORE TEN LINED PLANTER BOX
CONCRETE SLAB
TYPOLOGY DRAWINGS
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LAB SPACEELEV: 95 - 0
FLOOR PLAN 1/8 = 1 - 0
ELEV: 95 - 0
BEDROOMELEV: 97 - 0
FLOOR PLAN 1/4 = 1 - 0
ELEV: 100 - 0 AND 97 - 0
MARCH
DECEMBER
SEPTEMBER
JUNE
KITCHEN ELEV: 97 - 0
FOYERELEV: 100 - 0
LIVING ROOMELEV: 97 - 0
PROGRAM AND CONCEPT: DIVERSIONUTILIZING INCONVENIENCE TO FOCUS
EXPERIENCE
SEPTEMBER
MARCH
DECEMBER
ROOF PLAN 1/4 = 1 - 0
JUNE
EXPOSED PEDESTRIAN ZONE
BUNKERED PEDESTRIAN ZONE AND PRIVATE ENTRANCE
EMBEDDED STRUCTURE
Within the plan the pylon of the bridge acts as a main obstacle
disturbing circulation for the Scientist. Depressing each of the
spaces within the building also creates obstructions to a dwellers
path within the space while simultaneously creating a division
between indoor and outdoor spaces. Outdoor porches between each
space allow for air intake into the system for sampling as well as
for seasonal variation in circulation
depending on the desire for outdoor exposure.
SECOND FLOOR
FIRST FLOOR
RENDERED ROOF PLAN
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SEPTEMBER
MARCH
DECEMBER
ROOF PLAN 1/4 = 1 - 0
JUNE
EXPOSED PEDESTRIAN ZONE
BUNKERED PEDESTRIAN ZONE AND PRIVATE ENTRANCE
EMBEDDED STRUCTURE
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PHOTOGRAPHS
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RENDERING
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RENDERING
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GRAY AREA
URBAN CHAPELDEMUN, MOINSTRUCTOR: CHARLES BROWN
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CONCEPT: SHADOW GRADIENTSUNDERSTANDING HOW LAYERING AFFECTS
EXPERIENCE
Using modules which notch into each other, a systematic field of
gradients was created. As styrene modules aggregated, different
variations of shading were produced, drastically affecting the
experience of the space within. While in plan and elevation the
aggregation seems chaotic, in section the form takes on an
extremely regular character--showing exactly how layering of
the
modules allows for the entrance of light.
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SITE PLAN
DENSITY MEASUREMENT SYSTEM
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PROGRAM AND CONTEXT: URBAN CHAPELEXPLORING SHADOW GRADIENTS IN
AN ON-SITE CONTEXT
The site, a pre-existing park in Clayton, MO, creates its own
gradation of shadows by virtue of the middle-aged trees present.
Each tree contributes some degree of shading which becomes
compounded when the trees clump and aggregate themselves. Through
mapping these shaded conditions, a path through the site was
developed to lead those on their way to the urban chapel through
their own symbolic pilgrimage, through the darkness into the
light.
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PHOTOGRAPHS
PLAN AND SECTIONS
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PROGRAM AND CONCEPT: LIGHTSYSTEMATIC LAYERING, GRADIENTS, AND
EXPERIENCE
The chapel itself is comprised of six modules from the initial
spatial study. In the chapel the modules develop a thickness and
situate themselves in the land so as to bring organic elements into
the build-ing: the vertical elements become layered glass acting as
light chan-nels and the horizontal components allow for indoor
growth of grass and organic material. This speaks to the idea that
the chapel is a continuation of the pilgrimage like experience
through the site itself. Once inside the chapel, dwellers travel
from the entrance--designed only to be accessed one person at a
time-- to the main chapel space allowing for both individual and
collective reflection.
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PRAIRIE PARADIGM SHIFTVERTICAL GREENHOUSE
SOULARD, MOINSTRUCTOR: JAYMON DIAZ
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4 months
8 months
12 months
lat: 38.627lon: -90.199date: 1/2/15time: 12:00
azim.: 159.01elev.: 31.66--
30 degreessm
oke
focal l
ength
:1.5 in
fresnel lens
convex lens
principal rays
focal point: rays con -verge and create heat
focal length
elevation 3:4
plan 3:4
elevation 3:4
Terrarium | Plans, Elevations, Diagrams
DROUGHT: attraction: lid brings in sunlight to dry plant out
GROWTH: deection: lid creates partial shade for optimal
growth
BURNING: focus: lid focuses light rays through fresnel lens to
create controlled burn
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4 months
8 months
12 months
lat: 38.627lon: -90.199date: 1/2/15time: 12:00
azim.: 159.01elev.: 31.66--
30 degreessm
oke
focal l
ength
:1.5 in
fresnel lens
convex lens
principal rays
focal point: rays con -verge and create heat
focal length
elevation 3:4
plan 3:4
elevation 3:4
Terrarium | Plans, Elevations, Diagrams
DROUGHT: attraction: lid brings in sunlight to dry plant out
GROWTH: deection: lid creates partial shade for optimal
growth
BURNING: focus: lid focuses light rays through fresnel lens to
create controlled burn
MATERIAL STUDY: ELIOCHARIS ACICULARIS ECOLOGICAL PLANT ANALYSIS
AND TERRARIUM DESIGN
spike rush | eleocharis acicularis
epidermal cells
stem [vernation]
blade [leaf ]
seed
horizontal cross section
blade exterior
color range
rhizome:subterrainean root that allows plant to spread
3 cm
brous roots: secondary roots
seed closed and opened
nativity missouri counties
nativity in continental US
parenchymous tissue
[aerenchyma]
lacunae for otation
cross section
rachel lefevre | arch 212 sp 2015
layers of vernation
The material study began with researching a specific plant
native to South East Missouri: Spike Rush or Eliocharis Acicularis.
This re-search centered around spike rushs relation to other native
prairie grasses, all of which require cyclical burning. Thus, the
terrarium construction centered around the idea of cyclical burning
and a dynamic platform was developed with removable lids to
simulate the growing, drying, and burning cycle. This concept was
carried through to the actual greenhouse design.
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PROGRAM AND CONTEXT: SOULARDURBAN TENSIONS AND ACCESS TO
GREENSPACE
The site for the vertical green house is Soulard, Missouri--a
com-munity characterized by a sharp racial and economic divide
caused largely by the construction of Highway 55 through the
neighbor-hood. While the highway systematically deprives the North
part of the neighborhood of prosperity, it also provides a unique
oppor-tunity for the introduction of equal access green-space.
Thus, the greenhouse design focuses on a way to re-appropriate all
of the banks along the highway to make them ecologically and
socially
functional: planting prairie grass.
Plan | First Floor 1/4 = 1.
Site Plan | 1/ 128 = 1 N
Promenade Entrance Prairie Planter Outdoor Walkway Oce Indoor
space with operable glass enclosure
Promenade Entrance
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Plan | First Floor 1/4 = 1.
Site Plan | 1/ 128 = 1 N
Promenade Entrance Prairie Planter Outdoor Walkway Oce Indoor
space with operable glass enclosure
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Plan | Second Floor Plan | Basement FloorNN
Restroom Planter Interior Space Elevator Oce Elevator Service
Room
PROGRAM AND CONCEPT: EXTENTINVERTING HORIZONTAL
EXTENSIVENESS
The use of prairie grass is central to the overall program of
the building, which serves as a community education center for
native prairies. Since prairie grass has such deep root systems,
usually 14 feet, its extensiveness is both horizontal and vertical.
This verticality is accentuated as the prairie grass runs all along
the sides of the building, following the
circulation every step of the way.
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Plan | Second Floor Plan | Basement FloorNN
Restroom Planter Interior Space Elevator Oce Elevator Service
Room
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PHOTOGRAPHS
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REFRACTKITE PROJECTART HILL, ST. LOUIS, MOINSTRUCTOR: ELISA
KIM
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[ final model acrylic pieces][ rachel lefevre ]
[ B ]
[ A ]
[ figure 1.1 ] [ figure 1.2 ] [ figure 1.3 ]
[ exploded joint ]
[ exploded rod ]
[ figure 1.1 ]
[ figure 1.2 ]
[ figure 1.3 ]
[ folded mylar plan and perspective ]
[ light diffraction study ]
[ light ][ light ]
[ diffraction grating sheet ]
[ ground ]
[ light source ]
[ final model with mylar and material study ][ rachel lefevre
]
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buoyancy / boi-ns,booyns / noun:the ability or tendency to float
in water or air or
some other fluid.
[ weight ]
[ thrust ][ drag ]
[ buoyant force ]
[ low pressure ]
[ high pressure ]
[ turtle study ][ rachel lefevre ]
[ plans, sections, perspective views ]
[ force diagram ]
[ habitation map]
[ turtle flipper study with diagramed water flow ]
[ diagramed water flow ]
CONCEPT/PRECEDENT: TURTLEEXPLORING BUOYANCY AND
HYDRODYNAMICS
The aim of this project was to create a flying machine based on
a series of precedents, one natural and one mechanical. A turtle
was selected for the natural precedent because of its genetic
characteristics which allow it to float and glide through water,
similar to how a flying disc operates in the air. A simple joint
was selected as the mechanical precedent. The geometric qualities
of the turtles shell were married to the naturally rigid yet free
moving qualities of the joint, ultimately creating a flying machine
which moves dynamically through the air and explores the poetics of
how systems constrain free motion.
[ figure 1.1 ]
[ figure 1.2 ]
[ figure 1.3 ]
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[ flight path drawing ][ rachel lefevre ]
[ mid-flight plan views ]
[ mid-flight elevation views ]
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EXPERIENCE: FLIGHT PATH COMPRESSION, EXPANSION, AND ROTATION
The flight path of the machine is a product the compression and
expansion the machine does in addition to the rotation created by
throwing the flying machine.
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[ flight path drawing ][ rachel lefevre ]
[ mid-flight plan views ]
[ mid-flight elevation views ]
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COMPRESSPARAMETRIC DESIGN
INSTRUCTOR: LAVENDER TESSMER
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cancellous bone: utilizing sectional views to model three
dimensional volumes
overlayed precedent images creatiing volume
abstracted and overlayed planes from the image with line
tracing
lines can be transferred and points can be selected for bridging
between planes
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cancellous bone: utilizing sectional views to model three
dimensional volumes
overlayed precedent images creatiing volume
abstracted and overlayed planes from the image with line
tracing
lines can be transferred and points can be selected for bridging
between planes
CONCEPT: COMPRESSION AND EXPANSIONCOMPRESSING 2D LAYERS TO
CREATE 3D SPACE
The process of creating a three dimensional model began by
abstracting a 2D X-Ray of cancellous bone into three dimensional
space by layering. Then, a model was constructed using t-splines
and was subsequently 3D printed. The same construction techniques,
mainly bridging between planes of space, was then applied to the
parametric design strategy.
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a: a single line divided into ve points
b: points on the line get moved serially
c: line of points gets copied and moved serially again
d: lines of the same length get drawn vertically from grid
e: lines get subdivided random-ly and voronoi component creates
linework from random-ized points
f: voronoi component is applied to every layer of lines
g: verticies of preceding layer become start points. component
selects closest vertice on next plane as end point and draws
bridging line
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
APPROACH: GRASSHOPPER ORGANIZING SPATIAL GEOMETRY
The parametric model is based off of a simple grid arrayed
diagonally through space to replicate a slice of cancellous bone.
Subsequently, voronoi
was used to create planes which were then systematically bridged
using a weave.
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VAR. 1
VAR. 2
VAR. 3
VAR. 4
VAR. 5 VAR. 6
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TECHNICAL DRAWINGHAND DRAFTED WALL SECTION
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AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY / MAPPINGPUBLIC LAB RIVER RAT PACK
COLLABORATIVE BALLOON IMAGINGINSTRUCTOR: DEREK HOEFERLIN
