Architecture
Portfolio
Elaina Ralph
Elaina Ralph
To Get This Out of the Way...
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
EDUCATION
ARCHITECTURAL PROJECTS
Architectural designer with exceptional visualization abilities across multiple typologies. Combines hand-drawn illustration expertise with technical proficiency to deliver design solutions that prioritize user experience and environmental response. Recognized for innovative conceptual approaches that transform constrains into design opportunities.
Temple University Philadelphia, PA
Bachelor of Architecture, expected 2026 | 3.87 GPA | 4+1 Program, Master’s 2027
Dean’s List: Fall 2023 - Fall 2024
Coursework: Structural Analysis, Sustainability and Architecture, Env Control Systems
The Geode | 2025 ASCA CMU Competition Entry Spring 2025
Designed a firestation that reimagines post-emergency decompression through spatial choreography and material expression. Integrated a gradient of CMU construction techniquesto symbolize psychological transition from protection to openness.
• Selected for departmental exhibition for innovative axonometric drawings and integration of hand-drawn elements
The Puurrch Fall 2024
Multi-Species Housing
Designed a 2,000 sq.ft mixed-use residential complex adjacent to Eastern State Penitentiary that redefines human-animal cohabitation in urban contexts.
TECHNICAL SKILLS
3D & BIM
Rhino, Revit, SketchUp
Documentation
AutoCAD
LEADERSHIP & EXPERIENCE
AFFILIATIONS
Visualization
The Tower Fall 2024
Structural Model
Created a structural scale model concept using geometric prinicples for structural stability.
• Only model to withstand maximum wind load testing
V-ray, Lumion, Enscape
Creative Suite
Full Adobe CC
Teaching Assistant | ADE Initiative Spring 2025
Facilitated architecture and design workshops for 32 elementary students, introducing spatial thinking concepts and creative problem-solving skills.
Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society 2025-P
Selected for prestigious architecture honor society based on academic excellence.
Parametric
Grasshopper
Illustration
Digital & Traditional Media
Mentor | AIAS 2023-2024
Assisted 4 underclassmen on one-onone meetings and through design critique workshops.
Professional Women in Construction 2023-P
ARTISTIC ABILITIES Maintain illustration and craft portfolio (@eggsense) demonstrating advanced visual communication skills. Techniques directly enhance architectural visualization and presentation quality.
DESIGN APPROACH
I approach architecture as a synthesis of technical rigor and human experience, creating spaces that respond to both practical needs and emotional aspirations while maintaining respect for human scale and environmental context.
2 The Puurch
Fall 2024
Professor Andrew Wit
1 Spring 2025
Professors Allen Pierce & Patrick Till The Geode
Table of Contents
My personal works
Fall 2024
Professior Sonja Bijelic Tower
The Geode reimagines the modern fire station as an industrious sanctuary, balancing robust function with layered experiences of recovery and growth. The architecture celebrates CMU through a material gradient that transitions from thick, protective stucco-clad CMU walls to porous breeze block with translucent glass, and ultimately to curtain wall glazing. This progression reflects a journey from defense to openness. At its core, an inward-facing courtyard acts as a flexible zone that connects the building’s programs while reinforcing introspection. Firefighters move through the building in a carefully choreographed sequence that begins in the apparatus bay, continues through decontamination, and flows into communal and restorative spaces. This circulation mirrors a psychological decompression process after emergency calls. A secluded vegetation light well, positioned around the living quarters, deepens the notion of retreat and recovery. Each space is designed not only to fulfill operational demands but also to support emotional resilience, physical training, and community engagement. The project resists the chaos of its urban surroundings by curating its own interior world, o ering protection, transparency, and connection in equal measure.
Geode e
throughout this project, i aimed to create a “firehome” over a traditional fire station by intentionally shifting my focus inward, i began to curate a calmer enviornment, keeping the comfort of the firemen inhabiants in mind in all stages
the outermost material layer is cmu clad with stucco the innermost material is transparent glass i needed an intermediary between the two and i
this was for a cmu competition, by the way
can i be honest with you?
i didn’t like our site.
or, like, a sweet chill pad for my firefighter bros
it’s in a real good part of philly, but the site itself is extremely industrious
it faces the back of an old acme, which used to be a prison, and it sits ontop of a congested, huge intersection
in doing so, the public building became not just an object, but a processional experience
but i couldn’t “fix” the site, who am i to do that? so, working within my power, i curated an inner environment
their job is way harder than mine, therefore designing to that became my personal challenge
one that values the firefighter, and supports them in their e orts
Wall Section
Water Diagram
rain water
when raining, perhaps the flowing water creates a fourth layer everywhere but here
filters into the courtyard and inaccessible vegetation spot
Sliding Door
Reveal Notgg Flashing
This project is all about a multi-generational family and as many cats as reasonably possible. Situated next to Eastern State Pennitentary in Fairmount, Philadelphia, the Puurch envokes what architecture becomes outside of the architect’s hands. Here, the question was how might we design for “life” to occur? The answer: Cats.
I strived for a “human-made” feel, so I hand drew all of the hatches, scale figures, and details on my IPad.
Site Plan AKA Cat Invasion Plan
This drawing was made after the site visit, and describes everything I liked or wanted to see more of
Function
our studio’s theme was “community” i do volunteering with cats, so community, to me, meant just that
i added this stray cat feeding station ontop of a coffee shop with a glass floor
so when you’re drinking coffee, you can look up and see a cat sitting on the glass above you
Section Perspective
Exploded Axon
The Tower was a final group project for a structural design course, and was the only project to withstand the maximum wind speed tested.
Plan
Personal Works
selected from 2019 -2025
