Senior Architecture Portfolio

masters portfolio

Evy Lange Wacker

My portfolio highlights my passion for equity in both design education and the built environment, featuring a selection of my work. Over the course of my education, I have learned the value of strong morals including uplifting my fellow students and working tirelessly to fight for the education I believe we deserve. This commitment is reflected through my roles as a researcher, teachers’ assistant, club leader, and human.

Over the past two years, I’ve actively contributed to shaping WSU's design school curriculum and community by participating in tenure faculty interviews, serving as a guest reviewer for firstand second-year studios, and collaborating with program heads to enhance student involvement and engagement.

contents

Living Proof autonomous, self-organized space

fall 2023, 9 weeks arch 203

Cascara material explorations

fall 2024, 4 weeks arch 401

Joso High Bridge uncovering ashes

spring 2024, 12 weeks sdc 495

Comradery & Nature returning to Arizona

spring 2024 sdc444

BluePrint community living

spring 2024, 9 weeks arch302

Margiela Suites degeneration of form

spring 2024, 4 weeks arch302

Graphic Works form and color

2021-2024

fall 2023, 9 weeks arch203 with Ayad Rahmani

LIVING PROOF featured in eunoia volume 5 [wsu school of design and construction magazine]

“CREATING AN ALTERNATIVE, CULTURAL, AUTONOMOUS, SELFORGANIZED SPACE” Barrio to the Barricades: "Grafiteros", Punks, and the Remapping of Urban Space

Living Proof is a study in autonomy, not only in design but as a student of design. In addressing the studio prompt — a center for the education of freedom — I first had to define freedom for myself. Freedom is a transformation of self and power, and it is interpersonal and complex. The politics of representing marginalized communities through the lenses of freedom and architecture became central to the project. Providing spaces without appropriating people is a fine line to walk. In empowering without appropriating, architects must design space that can be shaped by its inhabitants. Through design, architects can give the tools - or space - to be autonomous then letting the inhabitants take it in their own direction. In this case, and as it should always be, designers need to be a conduit of power, not the source.

STATISTICAL RESEARCH POPULATION

AT RISK GROUPS I N WHITMAN COUNTY

ETHNICITY*

*for residents living here for 8+ years

PAST INCARCERATED PERSON

68

%

.6

%

68% PULLMAN 22% UNINCORPORATED 6% COLFAX 2% PALOUSE 1.5% TEKOA

80% WHITE 11% ASIAN 5% HISPANIC 5% BIRACIAL 0.6% INDIGENOUS

INCOME MEDIAN INCOME OF WHITMAN COUNTY 42% LESS THAN WASHINGTON’S M.I. AND 32% LESS THAN U.S.

42

%

vulnerable position, as 1/5 released incarcerated persons become homeless immediately out of prison

$44,000

modern prisons lack programs within jail or prison that will positively contribute to their life outside

INCARCERATED PERSON

CHILD

at the whims of their parents and community, high risk for unstable home in rural area

Whitman County median income per town $8K - $19.5K $43K - $55K $55K - $73K $73K+

median income of whitman county

LIVING PROOF

r

t

collage of Whitman County made from GIS parcel images

lia osa

GROUND

GIS maps, unorganized and each labeled by numbers and letters e.g. A - ##

MAPPING LIVES

ekoa

GARDEN

malde n

for released incarcerated persons facing homelessness throught sweat equity, they pay their way garden used to feed cafe

ouse

lfax co

oaksdale

sunset

HOUSING

pal

john st

interactions of unlikely individuals

aster

lanc

LIBRARY MUTUAL AID CAFE

FIRST

g a r fie ld

N

PULLMA

on

a

FREE CHILDCARE

la

ct

osse

win

voicing ideas and experiences

dusty

incarcerated persons learn vocation skills finance and counseling for reidentification and social reform greater access to resources

son john

MEMORIES OF PLACE

onto wn

WOODSHOP SECOND

uni

ton col

VOCATION CLASSES

LIVING PROOF

EXISTING TO CHANGED changing the guts to reflect the residents’ needs

N OR TH ER N S E C T I O N

PROGRAM VOICING IDEAS AND INFORMATION

COURTYARD

EXPRESSION

ART ROOM CREATIVELY

PUBLICITY

INTERACTION OF UNLIKELY INDIVIDUALS

FREE HOUSING FOR RELEASED INCARCERATED PERSONS FACING HOMELESSNESS

SWEAT EQUITY

SHARING MESSAGES

WOODSHOP

GARDEN

ACCESS TO RESOURCES

FEEDS CAFE

LIFE SKILLS

LIBRARY

INCARCERATED PERSONS BUILD SKILLS IN PRISON

TEXTS, PAPERS, & ZINES

KITCHEN SOCIAL REFORM

COUNSELING

E AS TE R N S E CT I O N

FINANCE REIDENITFICATION

MUTUAL AID FREE FOOD FOR CHILDREN

CAFE

LIVING PROOF

CASCARA

fall 2024, 11 weeks arch401 with Maryam Mansoori group project with Kai Schonborn, Yvette Colmenares, and Lindsay Carlos

Our design features an unexpected yet sustainable material – corn husk. This material is used in all facets of life besides the built environment. The natural fiber is severely underutilized in architecture despite its versatility and adaptability. This design relies solely on corn husk, as both a member and surface, emphasizing its strength. Natural features, including its transparency, are captured and highlighted with colored lighting.

This lightweight and flexible design embodies the benefits of rethinking conventional materials.

he

cycle o f

t

In my most recent studio project, my group and I sought to challenge ourselves with something we may not get to do again - material experiments.

We wanted to tackle the use of natural fibers in architecture, specifically through corn husk.

Corn husk is already so durable, but we wanted to test different coatings to enhance its strength and light permeability.

october

ma ing k

december

NARROWING RESEARCH hemp mineral

WAX

rice husk acetylation

sisal

NATURAL FIBERS

CELLULOSE

bamboo jute

animal

SURFACE

peroxide treatments

FIBER TREATMENTS

other topical

PVA GLUE

loofah

MEMBER

corn

STREAM OF THOUGHT expl oring active bending

form finding

structure

material coatings

lighting scheme

di gital modeli ng

layering

F IN A L P AV IL ION M O D E L made by Evy, Yvette, and Lindsay

COATING TESTS

SCORE OF COATINGS * 100 means passing all 5 mechanical properties tests

LIGHT PERMEABILITY (LUX) original

LIGHT PERMEABIILITY

wax pva resin benzoyl peroxide hydrogen peroxide acetic acid

48

PRESSURE (OZ.)

60

original

36

wax

52

pva resin benzoyl peroxide hydrogen peroxide

30

acetic acid

PRESSURE 90

WATER ABSORPTION (MIN.) original wax

ACETIC ACID

pva resin benzoyl peroxide

HYDROGEN PEROXIDE

hydrogen peroxide acetic acid

BENZOYL PEROXIDE PVA GLUE

TENSION (X-AXIS, OZ.)

NATURAL WAX

original wax

NO TREATMENT

pva resin

TENSION

benzoyl peroxide hydrogen peroxide acetic acid

TENSION (Y-AXIS, OZ.) original wax pva resin benzoyl peroxide hydrogen peroxide

ORIGINAL

NATURAL WAX GLUE MACHE ACETIC ACID

research done by Evy coatings and tests split between all

BENZOYL PEROXIDE

HYDROGEN PEROXIDE

acetic acid

CASCARA

TECTONICS PROCESS

* * * single husk

layer and glue

* * * * layer sections and glue

apply wax treatment to improve pressure and tension resistance

husks oriented vertically have more bend ability than those layered horizontally

higher density of layers at the bottom keeps shell structurally stable

japanese square knots used to tie corn husk rope together; the rope acts as a guideline for quick assembly

corn husk surface is wrapped then sewn to itself in order to stay around the rope

modular assembly of panels allows for easy set up and take down

TH E V I S U A L A N D T A C TI L E

JOSO HIGH BRIDGE Spring 2024, 12 weeks SDC 495, Research under Phil Gruen

Timeline situating Joso High Bridge and Trestle City, Evy Wacker, 2024.

Joso High Bridge, located near Walla Walla. is significant due to its constructors. The presence of a diverse workforce at the railroad bridge’s construction camp, found through cultural and historical research, contributes to the understanding of why this site is important. The construction camp called Trestle City is most notable for its multi-ethnic crew, which mainly consisted of Irish, Black, and Chinese workers, a rare known interaction within the region. There is also evidence that women and children were present at the remote construction camp, suggesting a larger community involved. The series of events that brought three distinct racial communities together makes the construction site unique. Archeological digs of Trestle City before the site was ultimately destroyed were vital in understanding the unrecognized diversity of the Palouse region.

UNCOVERING UNIQUE ASHES

In Spring of 2024, I, along with nine other students were selected to take a trip to Taliesin West through an NEH Grant. There, we lived on site for one week, immersing ourselves in the landscape, the history, and the people that it once housed. In speaking with past fellows, I realized the polarization of the place and the impact of the dirt beneath our feet. My partner, Steinar Goheen, and I wanted to honor this education by teaching ourselves and others about the first occupants of the site - the Pima and Maricopa people.

Through plant identification and the practicing of an ancient craft, pottery, learning through the act of doing.

1 VESSEL FORAGE

2

3 CRAFT COMRADERY & NATURE SDC 444 with Ayad Rahmanii

BLUEPRINT recipient of First Place in Idaho Forestry Products Commission Wood Design Student Competition

BluePrint offers low-income housing in Wallingford, Seattle, integrating bluecollar workers, students, and people of color into this historic, affluent neighborhood. It aims to support class mobility and reflect Seattle’s evolving landscape, including construction expansion. BluePrint provides housing for transient workers and spaces for woodworking and welding, allowing residents to teach community skills. A central community center and courtyard promote socializing among residents and neighbors. Clusters of apartments preserve trees and address concerns about density, balancing Wallingford’s historical character with the need for accessible, high-density housing.

Spring 2024, 9 weeks ARCH 302 with Taiji Miyasaki partner project with Kai Schonborn

SITE CONTEXT

south entrance

MERI

North 50th Construction

DIAN

AVEN

UE

Green Lake

46TH STREET

common room

North 45th

Water Quality Project

woodshop

A CC E S S TO U NI TS

EXTERIOR SPACES

OPENINGS

BLUE PRINT

Low Income Housing Policies

MASSING PROGRESSION

1900s

si te & s ur ro und i ng s Tenement Housing south elevation

10'

1941

corner site l a r ge , o ld t re e s sl o pe d t e r ra i n

c e ntr al i ze d

Yesler Terrace

o ut do or c our t ya r d c o m m u nit y c e nt e r C L T c o ns t ruc t io n g r i d

1958 west section

I-5 Destroys Yesler

SOLID AND VOID

1968

d e n s i t y i n c re a s e t o t a l 2 2 u nit s v ar y f r o m 1 - 3 b e d ro o m s

o utd oo r sports

Fair Housing Act o utd oo r tabl es

1974 Section 8 in Seattle

AD A ramp

70s & 80s

woo ds hop

HUD Programs

Late 1990s Unit Mixing

2013 Yesler Reconstruction

stair access

void | exterior walkways

solid | interiors and courtyards sections and floor plans done by Kai Schonborn

MARGIELA SUITES A study of the tensions between unconscious gestures that shape our expressions and strategic moves to alter our appearance. These sentiments of Maison Margiela were translated into a design focused on windows & walls and their permeability.

Spring 2024, 4 weeks ARCH 302 with Taiji Miyasaki

PUBLIC & PRIVATE featuring the MOTH WINDOW interactions through the window like moths around a flame

painted foam-core

SPATIAL EXPERIENCE chicken wire

removal and addition of fabrics as disclosure of process

paper mached fabric dried glue 16 guage wire

perspective section

GRAPHIC WORKS DIGITAL

HAND-DRAWN

texture studies and references

printable poster

posts for DAS

studies of color and texture using photoshop and illustrator

hand-drawn plan and elevation

quick site sketches

E

W