PORTFOLIO
rachel wiggins
architecture
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RANCH HOUSE
INTERIOR DESIGN
URBAN DESIGN
DESIGN-BUILD
ARCHITECTURE A+A CUBBIES
4 LOS ANGELES BRANCH LIBRARY
RACHOPOLIS CONTENTS
Through my 2 years of experience as an architecture student at the University of Southern California, I have gained knowledge in not only architecture, but product design, graphic design, structures and their assembly, materials, and urban planning. Through this knowledge, I have developed the skills to draw, 3D model, woodwork, render, animate, physical model, 3D print, and photograph as a means for representation. I love growing as a learner and am excited to continue my exploration in the endless possibilities that architecture presents.
I was born and raised in Houston, TX in a majority BIPOC neighborhood. I witnessed first hand how the city continuously neglected my community by not providing sustainable city planning and wraparound services that were created to fit our needs. As a designer, I seek to reverse this trend by combining my love for sustainable design and culture-centered architecture to build a more diverse, inclusive, and resilient future for communities like mine. I plan to use my architecture and product design background to design parks and public plazas that increase equitable access to green spaces, a necessary resource for communties. The future holds a lot of possibilites for me, and with design I feel empowered to not only better the world for myself, but to ensure success for communities across the world.
ABOUT ME
LA BRANCH LIBARY
A loose-fit building that acts as a neighborhood branch library but can convert programs over time. The site for the project is a city-owned lot located on Vermont Avenue at 37th Street across from the USC campus. The module is to placed across the parti in different scales & directions to creates bookstacks, courtyards, and interior reading rooms.
PROGRAMS: Rhino, Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign)
MODULE
PARTI
frame
courtyard barrel vaults
primary circulation
secondary circulation
PLAN
communtiy rooms & flex spaces
storage & bathroom
reading rooms & computer lab reception & administration
A A B B zinc metal roof heavy timber frame 1”x2” wooden slats 6”x2” wooden arches 4”x4” wooden posts opaque wooden cladding
start N
PERSPECTIVE SECTION
FRONT ELEVATION
WEST ELEVATION
By projecting the plans of the courtyard onto an unfolded elevation, you see how much courtyard space there is and how it’s integrated into the placement of the barrel vaults
BRANCH LIBRARY: composite elevation S W
N N E
The barrel vaults act as bookshelves, circulation, and guides to other programs distribuited throughout the space
BRANCH LIBRARY: perspective
BRANCH LIBRARY: final model
BRANCH LIBRARY: final model
RANCH HOUSE
Through a course teaching Revit for Interior Design, I was able to renovate a Ranch House in Sante Fe, New Mexico for a proposed client’s needs. This project explored my ability to organize spaces, choose material finishes, and ultimately tested my skills in Revit.
PROGRAMS: Revit, Enscape
Colors are inspired by the New Mexico desert landscape to create an interior that seamless blends with the exterior.
Textures are based on the rocky landscape & traditional indigenous tilework.
Tones are warm to invite guests in and produce a comforting environment.
RACHOPOLIS
Following the USC Studio ARCH 202a project ‘SUPER FUTURE’, RACHOPOLIS serves as the solution to fill the Pasadena 110 Freeway ditch. By employing density, program, and circulation, RACHOPOLIS is a baking-centered city that connects both sides of the previously abandoned freeway.
PROGRAMS: Rhino, Enscape Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign)
ITERATIONS
Studies of how to maximize square footage while maintaining courtyards
PLAN
Took inspiration from neighbors & incorporated farming plans
V1 V4 V2 V5 V3 V6 V7
Adopted amphitheater from Fernando Campos
Birds eye looking into CENTER
Looking up from center courtyard
SCHOOL
enstills a love for baking in all citizens
CENTER
1st floor: housing & mall
2nd floor: bakery
3rd floor: housing & center
BAKERY
bakes every food item in rachopolis + items to be distributed to Pasadena
FACTORY
manufactures baking equipment + handles distribution of RACHOPOLIS goods to Pasadena
CIRCULATION
connects the site & programs, elevated to increase room for agriculture
AXONOMETRIC
bakery 500,000 East Elevation center 150,000 150,000 retail factory 120,000 school 80,000
square footage distributuion
CUBBIES
This design-build project partnered with Amazing Grace Conservatory, a nonprofit teaching the arts to black & brown youth in South Central Los Angeles. We addressed the lack of storage in their student lounge by designing a modular set of cubbies. As Community Ambassador, I participated in workshops to learn the passions, values, and histories of AGC to influence the design.
PROGRAMS: Rhino, Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign)
PHASE 1:
Site visit to introduce ourselves to AGC and measure the space. Identify AGC’s need for organization
PHASE 2:
Learn of AGC’s history, passions, and values to better understand our partner to inform the project
PHASE 3:
Ideate and host feedback workshops with students, faculty, and parents at AGC
Current design
Phase 2 explores improvements to current design
Photos taken by Eric Staudenmaier
