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RAECHEL SCHROEDER

Design Portfolio | 2019-2025

PROFESSIONAL WORK AND EDUCATION

INTERNSHIPS AND ABROAD EXPERIENCES

ARCHITECTURE

OLD

TOWNE CREEK COUNTY PARK PAVILLION

Community Build Certificate

HEALING HAVEN

COTE Student Competition Submission

Trauma Treatment Center

THE RESPITE

Opioid Recovery Treatment Center

GENOA ALBERTI MUSEUM

Architectural and Art Museum

CERAMIC TOWERS

Craft Exploration

DESIGN EXPLORATIONS

POOL HOUSE PHYSICAL MODEL

Internship Model in Dallas, TX

ARRAN FARMS CHAPEL DIGITAL PAINTING

Wedding Gift for The Carter’s

SHOPPING CART ANALYSIS

Undergraduate Drafting and Model Analysis Workshop

CREATIVE WORKS

Graphic Design, Bedazzled Cowboy Hats, Digital Paintings, Italian Sketches

PHOTOGRAPHY

Engagement shoots, Travel, ext.

New York, New York

Harvey Marshall Berling

Dallas, Texas

Malone Maxwell Dennehy Summer Intern 2022

Blume Architecture Fall Intern 2022

Clemson University

BA Architecture 2022

MARCH Architecture 2025

Charleston, SC

CACC Community Build Certificate 2024 Thomas and Denzinger Intern 2024

Hilton Head Island, SC

Born + Raised

Genoa, Italy

Charles E. Daniel Center Abroad Program Fall 2021

Even something as small as an apple

It’s simple and somehow complex

Sweet and divine, the perfect design

Can I speak to the architect?

And there’s a canyon that cuts through the desert

Did it get there because of a flood?

Was it devised, or were you surprised

When you saw how grand it was?

Was it thought out at all, or just paint on a wall?

Is there anything that you regret?

I don’t understand, are there blueprints or plans?

Can I speak to the architect?

The Architect, Kacey Musgraves

OLD TOWNE CREEK COUNTY PARK PAVILLION

Community Build Certificate

Site: West Ashley, SC

Professor: David Pastre

Project Type: Design Build Charleston, SC | 2024

Community Build Class of 2024 | Britt,

Mason | Ricky Grant

Professor | David Pastre

Caroline, Carter, Chloe, Clay, Erica, Jared, Griffin, Raechel, Rustin

SITE INFORMATION

Our pavilion is located in West Ashley, on a property that will open in late 2025 as a public park. Our studio partnered with Charleston County Parks to design a pavilion to host educational workshops for children, community events, and wine events, serve as a bandstand, and feature a fireplace and oyster cooker to host events. Our studio lasted a year, with the first semester focusing on the design of the pavilion and the second semester focusing on the building and construction of the pavilion.

Site Plan of Old Towne Creek County Park

The design of our pavilion focused on creating distinct, flexible spaces to host a variety of events for the community. We aimed to provide multiple “pockets” of space, allowing for different activities to take place at the same time or independently. Adjacent to the pavilion, we designed a large giving tree wall, which will be built by the next class of community build students. The wall serves as a tribute to the donors supporting Charleston County Parks, through an art installation of a giving tree to recognize all of the donors.

Renders by Erica Behm and Carter Bertram

Field View

Pavilion as Band Stand

PHASE 1: DESIGN

Fireplace Rebar Detail Foundation Plan

The design of the rebar under our fireplace was complex because it had to align with the rest of the rebar grid while also providing space for vertical rebar to connect with the CMU blocks of the fireplace and for a pipe to carry electrical wiring through the slab. This detail was crucial, as the fireplace supports beams for the pavilion, so its foundation needed to be structurally sound.

I had the opportunity to draw the design and foundation details for the site. The rebar was placed on a 16-inch grid with 18-inch turn downs at 45-degree angles around the perimeter and under the fireplace. The slab was 6 inches deep all around, and the rebar used was 5/8 inch thick, which was the largest size Community Build has ever used.

1 1/2" = 1'-0" 2 TURNDOWN

SLAB DETAIL

Foundation Footing Detail

This detail shows the dimensions of the turn-down slab and how the rebar bends through the footing. During the design process, we debated whether to use a 16-inch or 18-inch turn-down and considered a 5-inch slab instead of the 6-inch slab.

FOUNDATION SECTION

3/8" = 1'-0" 1

Building Section

A major change between our design and build was the orientation of the fireplace. The client requested that we shift it 90 degrees, which turned out to be a great decision as it created two pockets of space in the pavilion. This section also shows our rafter system and how it extends into the second pocket of space.

PHASE 2: THE BUILD

DIGGING

After constructing the silt fence, laying out the site, and scraping the area, the next step was digging for the foundation. We quickly realized the site had a steeper topographical drop than we expected. Instead of using pre-made form work from the shop, we had to build our own, 18 inches deep, around the entire perimeter. Digging the site deep enough for the foundation was labor-intensive, with some help from the excavator. It was a tedious process, but we each learned valuable skills in setting the site to the correct elevation for placing the rebar. We also used the string method to ensure perfect 90-degree angles, creating an accurate slab form. While challenging, this step was the most crucial part of the build to set us up for success.

REBAR

Designing the rebar and creating the shop drawings was a tedious process. I worked with Griffin on the rebar and foundation plans, which were challenging but rewarding. We collaborated with a structural engineer to design the rebar grid, but it was crucial to organize the shop drawings clearly so the rebar could be placed correctly in the slab. David secured a rebar bender and cutter for the first time in Community Build history. Still, it took a team to set it up properly and ensure the dimensions worked, especially for the turndown sections. We also had to bend extra rebar for the area below the fireplace, which was another first for Community Build.

CONCRETE POUR

I calculated the volume of concrete needed to fill our slab, which was just under two full truckloads. On the day of the pour, we waited around a lot, which is just part of the process. Once the concrete was poured, we had to move quickly to ensure it was perfectly flat and level. It was exciting and rewarding to see everything come together. The form work we built worked well and was sealed correctly, making the process go smoothly. However, the pour took place later in the afternoon than we had planned, which affected the quality of the tabby concrete.

TABBY CONCRETE

This project marked Community Build’s first time working with tabby concrete, inspired by the tabby concrete seen throughout Charleston. It added a personal touch of the Low country to our design. However, we faced some challenges because the concrete was poured later in the day, which disrupted the chemical process that brings out the shells in the tabby. To prevent this, we covered the slab with a tarp and applied a chemical to slow the drying process, as finishing it at 2 a.m. wasn’t an option. Fortunately, this approach worked, and the tabby concrete turned out beautifully.

PHASE 2: THE BUILD

BRICK MASONRY

Our studio had the opportunity to work with Ricky Grant, known as “Ricky the Bricky” in the Charleston community. Ricky is a successful mason guided us through the process of building the 18-foot fireplace. This was the first fireplace ever built in our program so we had a lot of learning and challenges to get through. We used Genie lifts to move heavy bricks and CMU up to the top of the fireplace, and we learned how to mix mortar in large buckets. We also reused bricks that we found on-site, incorporating them into the design to give them another life on the site.

The fireplace was designed to be double-sided—one side as a traditional fireplace and the other as an oyster cooker and cook top. While on-site, we discovered an old carriage stone that was perfect for the hearth. We didn’t need to cut it, just gave it a good cleaning. The fireplace now serves as a central gathering place, bringing people together in the pavilion and adding a functional, communityoriented element to the design.

WOOD FRAMING

The framing process for our build began in the shop while we waited on permits, which gave us time to pre-fabricate all of the framing off site. We used laminated wood for all the wooden members, ensuring structural strength and beauty. To make the process easier, we created jigs to pre-drill all the holes. Once the pieces were cut, we planed them and applied a light gray stain, chosen to match the adjacent pavilion on-site. With everything pre-fabricated in the shop, we assembled the rafters and transported them to the site on a large trailer.

The columns were designed to float and sat on welded steel pieces, which were welded by Rustin. However, we each got a turn to learn how to weld. The columns slid our floating welded bases, and the rafters were then secured into the columns and bolted in place through our pre-drilled holes. We worked together to lift and position the pre-assembled rafters, using genie lifts to carefully raise them and attach them to the columns. After the rafters were in position, we proceeded with the installation of the purlins and completed the roof structure.

HEALING HAVEN

Trauma Treatment Center

Adaptive Reuse of Existing Mill

Partner: Claire Hussey

Site: Ellicott City, MD

Professor: Franco, Pass, and Mihalache

Project Type: Adaptive Reuse for Healthcare

This project was for a studio dedicated to the COTE Student Competition, which required us to address all 10 AIA principles. Our project, The Healing Haven, is located in Ellicott City and focuses on supporting the growing mental health crisis. The crisis in Ellicott City is driven by an increase in population from Baltimore and Washington D.C. The site, prone to flash flooding, was elevated above flood lines to protect the building while incorporating a large public park on the ground floor to foster a healing environment. The building, an abandoned flour mill, retained much of its existing structure, including silos, columns, and floor plates, blending new architectural gestures with the old to connect users to water through sensory experiences. The project focused on supporting individuals suffering from PTSD, anxiety, and depression, offering therapy programs and residential apartments in private areas for security and healing. Additionally, two central silos served as gateways to the building’s public programs, and the outer silos housed a hydroelectric turbine system that used the Patapsco River to generate and store energy for the entire building.

Transverse Section

MIGRATING URBAN POPULATIONS

BALTIMORE

ELLICOTT CITY, MD

WASHINGTON, D.C.

INCREASING LOCAL POPULATIONS

NATURAL DISASTERS

ACTIVE COMBAT

TRAUMA TYPES

LACK OF INTEREST NUMBNESS

CHANGED FUTURE GOALS

MEMORY LOSS

IRRITABILITY

DEPRESSION AVOIDANCE ANXIETY INTRUSION

VIOLENT CRIME PTSD SYMPTOMS

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

DETACHMENT

AVOIDING PLACES AND PEOPLE

FLASHBACKS EASILY STARTLED INSOMNIA

NIGHTMARES

INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS

DEVELOPING COPING METHODS

EXPOSURE THERAPY

ACKNOWLEDGING

STAGES OF HEALING TREATMENT TYPES

PROCESSING TRAUMA

COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY

REGAINING SENSE OF SAFETY

EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION

MEDICATION

Floodable Ground Floor

Green Roof

Pedestrian Entry

LEVEL EIGHT

Apartments

LEVEL SEVEN

Apartments

LEVEL SIX

Apartments

LEVEL FIVE

Apartments

LEVEL FOUR

Public Green Roof

Residential Green Roof

LEVEL THREE

Public Gathering Spaces

Group Therapy

Eye Movement Therapy

LEVEL TWO

Cafe

Public Seating

Exposure & CBT Therapy

LEVEL ONE

Public Entry

Residential Entry

Therapy Entry

Pharmaceutical Services

ENTRY LEVEL

Floodable Program

ENTRY LEVEL

Floodable Program

Located in Downtown Ellicott City, the existing site is located in a valley that experiences regular heavy flooding

HYDROPOWER PUMPED STORAGE SILOS

By utilizing the water flow of Downtown Ellicott City, the Healing Haven will harness its energy for electricity. The existing silo will be transformed into a turbine chamber, and will create clean and sustainable power. The hydroelectric system will preserve the historical significance of the flour mill while powering Downtown Ellicott.

To honor the existing mill, our new design will incorporate the original structural framing including the concrete columns and floor plates

To build structural resilience, the Healing Haven will be suspended above flooding lines. Passive strategies are implemented to create a porous structure, with floodable programming.

While inviting the community into our public areas, it was also important to acknowledge and honor the privacy of our residents. This is possible by separating our program into different programmatic spaces.

Water is pumped from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir.

Water is released from the upper reservoir, flowing down through the turbines.

Turbines spin from flowing water and electricity is produced.

Potential energy is stored and converted into electricity during peak demand times.

Silo Entrance

THE RESPITE

Opioid Recovery Treatment Center

Partner: Brian Moulder

Site: Summerville, SC

Professor: George Schafer

Project Type: Recovery and Rehab Facility Charleston, SC | Spring 2024

Our project, The Respite, aims to support opioid recovery by providing a space that helps reintegrate recovering addicts into society. With the opioid epidemic continuing to worsen, we wanted to create a center that supports recovery through wellness programs addressing financial, spiritual, physical, and mental health. The concept of weaving runs throughout the project, influencing both the building’s form and program. The floor plates, massings, and spaces intertwine, creating fluid connections between public and private areas. For example, the theater seamlessly integrates with the library, which, in turn, weaves into an open collaboration workspace.

RESIDENCE

CO-WORKING

DAYCARE

99% of opioid users do not achieve recovery in the first five years.

41% increase in opioid related deaths in Summerville, SC.

GREEN ROOF

THEATER

THEATER BALCONY

THE GENOA ALBERTI MUSEUM

Partner: Aditya Singh

Site: Genoa, Italy

Professor: Julie Wilkerson

Project Type: Cultural and Architectural Museum

Genoa, Italy | Fall 2021

Designed while studying abroad, the site of the museum sits on Piazza Dante in Genova, Italy. Focusing on the urban tissue of the site, this project aims to take the ancient historical and architectural influences of the city and create a new innovative approach to the site. By intertwining proportions from Piazza De Ferrari with the ancient style of a Roman Amphitheater, this design aims to create a cohesive mass that balances a walkable site with the true resting nature of a piazza.

Gallery Render

THE ANCIENT

The ancient Roman amphitheater is characterized by raised circular seating in an open- air theater. We choose this ancient type because we were fascinated with the stage lowered in the center of the space. The word “amphitheater” translates to theater all around, an ancient type that makes up the most famous architectural landmarks across Italy and beyond.

Ancient

The ancient Roman amphitheater is characterized by raised circular seating in an open-air theater. We choose this ancient type because we were fascinated with the stage lowered in the center of the space. The word “amphitheater” translates to theater all around, an ancient type that makes up the most famous architectural landmarks across Italy and beyond.

THE STAGE

Our Stage To contemporize this ancient type, we knew that we wanted to keep our “stage” lowered and in the center of our piazza. Our musuem tha surrounds the stage represents the 360 degree seating of a Roman amphitheater. Instead of a ﬂat plane for our lowered stage, we chose to use a steel-replica of the Nemi shipwreck boat which creates an architectural experience in our site.

THE NEW

New Our contemporized design, uses the same concept as a Roman Amphitheater by having a lowered focal point in the middle of our museum’s piazza/theater. Our boat which represents the Roman stage is the central point which our site circulates around and encourages a meeting point. The use of our ancient type has also strengthed our main thesis that architecture invites community.

Our contemporary design, uses the same concept as a Roman Amphitheater by having a lowered focal point in the middle of our museum’s piazza/theater. Our boat which represents the Roman Stage is the central point which our site circulates around and encourages a meeting point. The use of our ancient type has also strengthen our main thesis that architecture invites community.

Piazza

Second Gallery Render

Upper Level Atrium

THE GENOA ALBERTI MUSEUM

GLASS PANE REINFORCED CONCRETE

METAL DECKING

INSULATION

EXTERIOR FACADE

The facade is offset from the building itself, featuring a special white stone staggering to create a design present on the solid concrete portions of the exterior building. They are supported using small steel support pieces connecting the facade to the main building.

EXTERIOR FACADE SUPPORT

INTERIOR SUPPORT COLUMN

The interior support columns provide extra support to both the larger concrete slab closing the glass roof off from the exterior of the building as well as the mullion and glass that is present between the concrete slab and glass roof.

GLASS PANE FOR ROOF

GLASS PANE SUPPORTS

ANGLED STEEL BEAM

The roof system uses a set of angled steel beams that rest in connection to a steel crossing beam. There are then glass pane supports that come up to support the large glass panes making up the roof.

Detailed Section Drawing

CERAMIC STACKS

Ceramic Exploration Study

Partners: Erica Behm, Carter Bertram

Professor: Matt Corbitt

Project Type: Ceramic Tower Charleston, SC | Fall 2024

Introduction to Craft is a required course in the Community Build Certificate Program. Our focus was on clay and how it can be used to create individual pieces that interlock together. I worked with Erica and Carter, who were patient and persistent, refusing to give up on our idea even when we realized it was more complicated than we had anticipated. This course and project is one of my favorites in this portfolio because, despite its simple appearance, it required a lot of complexity, work, and patience. It sparked a new love for ceramics in me and my partners, and it’s something I’m excited to continue learning and practicing in the future.

CERAMIC STACKS

CREATING THE MOLD

Designing a mold for our double-walled extrusion took most of the semester. We tried four different molds before finding one that worked. Our attempts included laser-cutting acrylic and using two types of 3D printed molds, but all of them failed structurally. The problem was that the clay generates a lot of pressure when pushed through the extruder, which caused the molds to break. The final successful mold was made by cutting acrylic and welding the floating mold pieces together.

EXTRUDING THE STACKS

Extruding clay through the mold was a learning process. We had to find the right clay that could hold the mold’s structure while also being soft enough to slide through. Our professor designed a custom extruder for this project, increasing the scale from 5x5 inches to 8x8 inches. The larger size created new challenges, including needing enough upper body strength to crank the clay through the extruder. After extrusion, we let the clay hang for 20 minutes to dry slightly, allowing the pieces to maintain their shape when cut.

CUTTING, SMOOTHING, DRYING

The cutting, smoothing, and drying process was tedious and required careful planning. The clay needed to be dry enough to hold its shape but not so dry that it was hard to cut. To prevent cracking, we wrapped it in cling wrap to slow drying. We also ensured each piece was even and straight to prevent leaning and ensure proper stacking. The clay had to be fully dry before firing, or it could explode, making the process long but necessary.

FIRING, GLAZING, FIRING

The final steps were firing the pieces, glazing them, and firing them again. This process took several days because each kiln cycle lasts about 12 hours or longer for cooling down. We loved the glaze colors, though they turned out differently depending on the type of clay used, as we had to switch to a second kind when we ran out of the first. This was the most rewarding part, seeing all our hard work come together. We enjoyed the imperfections in the pieces, incorporating them into the towers purposefully instead of trying to hide them.

POOL HOUSE PHYSICAL MODEL

Client Model

Site: Highland Park, Dallas, TX

Malone Maxwell Dennehy Architects

Project Type: Hand - Modeling

Dallas, TX | Summer 2022

In the summer of 2022, I had the opportunity to work on a detailed pool house model for a client at Malone Maxwell Dennehy Architects. Over the course of two months, I collaborated with a team of five to create the model without using laser cutting. I was responsible for building the base of the model using topographical maps, as well as constructing the interior walls. This was the most detailed model I have ever made, and it’s a project I’m very proud of.

ARRAN FARMS CHAPEL DIGITAL PAINTING

Easley, SC | November 2, 2024

The Carter’s Wedding Day Guest Book

SHOPPING CART ANALYSIS

Clemson , SC | Spring 2019

Physical Modeling and Hand Drafting

CREATIVE WORKS

MATCHBOX PRINT

Photoshop Digital Print

In 2024, I began creating custom matchbox prints as personal gifts for friends and family. What started as gifts soon evolved into a small income stream, as I began making matchbox prints as wedding gifts for acquaintances. This project allowed me to apply my design education in a new, creative way. The print to the left was created for my dear friend Allana, who lives in Brooklyn, highlighting her favorite local businesses in Brooklyn.

BEDAZZLED COWBOY HATS

In the spring of 2023, I created bedazzled cowboy hats for myself and friends attending Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. What started as a fun project quickly went viral on Pinterest, with over a million views. This led me to open an Etsy shop, where I designed custom cowboy hats for concerts and bachelorette trips. While it may seem unconventional, this experience highlights how my architectural education allows me to explore creativity in unexpected ways, building connections with others through design and craftsmanship.