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This portfolio summarizes my full undergraduate and professional work to date. 2008-2014 Contains: Award Nominated BArch thesis project, six selected undergraduate studio projects, Bachelor of Fine Arts Work Samples Professional Work Samples For more information please email me at [email protected] Rhode Island School of Design BArch 2014 BFA 2013
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Portfolio Architecture and Design
Jessica N Luscher
I am seeking a challenging entry-level position as a designer in an innovative architecture firm where I can expand my design skills and gain expertise as I pursue my career and license as an Architect.
RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN (RISD), Providence, RI Bachelor of ArchitectureRISD Scholarship Program, Final GPA: 3.7 Bachelor of Fine Arts 2009-2014
HONG KONG UNIVERSITY, Hong Kong Semester Abroad, BA(AS)Faculty of Architecture, Visiting Student Fall 2012
PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS, Erie, PA Architecture, 2008Scholarship-based Pre-college Summer Program
STATE COLLEGE AREA HIGH SCHOOL, State College, PA High School DiplomaHigh Honors Student, Top 7% of Graduating Class, Debate Team 2006-2009
EDUCATION
TechSTYLE HOUSE, Solar Decathlon Europe 2014, Versailles, France
• Worked as a primary 3D parametric modeling expert on our 100+ student team,
• communicated our design aesthetic to structural consultants and Tensile Fabric
Specialists in USA and Germany to design the structure of our tensile membrane
house, with focus on ease of construction and Passiv Haus energy efficiency.
• Attended weekly Site Operations meetings with Shawmut Construction in RI, to
coordinate the 9 day construction/disassembly of the house
RISD CAD LAB, Technician’s Assistant, Computer Lab Manager, Providence, RI
• Developed leadership, management and conflict resolution skills while hiring, training
and coordinating the team of 27 student computer lab monitors for the RISD Architec-
ture Department.
• in charge of repairing and monitoring all CAD Lab hardware.
RISD DESIGN + BUILD, Blossom Community Garden, Pawtucket, RI
• Elected as one of six Project Design Managers of a studio in which 70 RISD MArch and
BArch students cooperatively designed and built a permanent raised garden and two
pavilions
• Elected as one of six student represenatives to speak at the Final Presentation of the
finished project. Represented our team for community leaders, clients, students and
faculty, 17 guest critics, and the media
ACADEMIC
LEADERSHIP
(1 of 2)
Student Designer, 2013-2014
Lab Manager, 2013-2014
Student Leader, Spring 2011
Rhode Island School of Design BArch 2014, BFA 2014, Providence, RI, USA
814.380.2461 / [email protected] / Online at http://issuu.com/jessicaluscherr
Jessica N Luscher
Architectural Visualization Intern, June 2014-Present
Design Intern, June-August 2013
Design Intern, June-August 2012
Design Intern, June-July 2011
Design Intern, July-August 2011
Summer Intern, 2008
Rhode Island School of Design BArch 2014, BFA 2014, Providence, RI, USA
814.380.2461 / [email protected] / Online at http://issuu.com/jessicaluscherr
(2 of 2)
HARTNESS VISION, Boston, MA, USA
• Creates precise, imaginative architectural visualizations to help clarify, strengthen and
communicate conceptual, narrative and aesthetic aspects of design projects
PAYETTE, Boston, MA, USA
• Designed an efficient parametric script to model project’s 800+ unique vertical fins for
shading
• My script’s outputs allowed us to instantly correct issues pinpointed by our structural
consultants, efficiently disperse fin geometry and density variations for lighting quality tests,
and produce precise building renderings and an efficiently fabricated physical model.
FISCHER ARCHITEKTEN AG, Zurich, Switzerland
• Completed a competition entry for a 60-apartment complex in Zurich
• Completed site analysis, building concepts, apartment layout design, client profiling, and
landscape concepts, all necessary diagrams, final presentation layout
• German Language: Drafted weekly Design Team meetings’ agenda in German
EMCH + BERGER GESAMTPLANUNG HOCHBAU, Basel, Switzerland
• Independently developed remodeling concepts for the rooftop condition of a large multi-use
facility in Basel in order to discern the project’s future
• German Language: Presented to the project’s engineers / owners in German and English
BACHELARD WAGNER ARCHITECTS, Basel, Switzerland
• Performed landscaping and façade studies for a 7-building, 360-apartment complex
planned for Schwamendingen, Zurich Switzerland
ZULAUF & SCHMIDLIN ARCHITECTS, Zurich, Switzerland
• Designed a built-in storage unit for a physiotherapy clinic
PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE
Professional experience at six diverse firms in Europe and the United States.
• Project Categories: large/small-scale housing, academic, mixed use, laboratory, interior/refurbishing
and urban design/landscaping
• Tasks: Competitions, Schematic Design, Design Development, Site Surveial and Analysis, Site and
Project Documentation, Facade Design/Parametrics, Layouts/Graphic Design, Final Renderings, Cost
Calculations
• Digital and physical modeling, parametric modeling/scripting and digital fabrication.
• 10-hr OSHA Health and Safety certification, on-site small-scale construction experience
• Mac and Windows, AutoCAD, Revit, Archicad, Rhino 3D (Grasshopper parametric modeling. basic Python
scripting knowledge), Adobe Creative Suite, Lightroom, VRay and VectorWorks.
• Bilingual Swiss German/English. Basic Spanish. USA/Switzerland Dual Citizen. Past residence in USA, Eu-
rope, Asia leads to an understanding of diverse world cultures, lifestyles, building and living environments.
• Fine Arts/Architecture Double Bachelors degrees included crossdisciplinary design and technical instruc-
tion in fields including Graphic, Interior, and Furniture Design, Drawing, etc (in addition to completing all
courses required for an Architectural License in the USA)
• Able to learn computer programs quickly and apply them to projects creatively and intelligently
• Hardworking, determined, focused, and self-disciplined. Socially outgoing and collaborative
STRENGTHS
Jessica N Luscher
BArch Academic Work (2010-June 2014)
BArch Thesis: Stillness in Motion: Excavation of an Alpine Soundscape.............
Breath of the Mountain: A Voice for Each House............................
Architecture of Ground and Sky: Vineyard and Winery Design .................
Mass, Tower, Hill: Concrete Formwork Design for Housing in Hong Kong..........
Providence Train Station and Hotel................................................. Urban Villiage: Reinterpreting the Cohousing Model....................................
Solar Decathlon Europe 2014: TechStyle Haus.....................................
Recent Professional Experience (2010-Present)
Hartness Vision................................................................................ Payette..............................................................................................
Fischer Architekten..........................................................................
Emch + Berger Gesamptplanung Hochbau.....................................
BFA Fine Arts Work (2008-2013)
Fine Art Samples..............................................................................
Table of Contents
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RISD BArch Thesis, Thesis Award Nomination
Part 1: Drawing and Making Ideas through Process
The drawings below were produced throughout the first
half of my thesis research period. This hybrid hand-dig-
ital drawing process allows me to develop and distill
ideas for a project concept and further investigation.
Elements of each piece were then carried into the final
work, which is portrayed in more detail in the following
pages. The works are created with a mixture of hand
drafting, acrylics, ink, graphite and computer enhance-
ment via Rhino, Vray and Photoshop. Each drawing is 64
inches tall.
STILLNESS IN MOTION: EXCAVATION OF AN ALPINE SOUNDSCAPE
Part 2: Collecting Sound in the Oeschinen Valley
The Oeschinen Valley is a special place in the central Swiss Alps which I have had the priveledge of exploring repeatedly both while I lived in neadby Zurich and long after I moved to the United States.
The project tests how a site can be experientially excavated, collected and amplified into a single enclosed space using sound. The Sound Vessel is designed to excavate and amplify the subtle sounds of nature in order to enhanve the visitor’s understanding of this place.
The excavation relies on basic physical properties of sound waves, water and ice, and the existing geometry of the particular site. The project is designed to have a low impact on the existing site, but a large impact on the people who move through it.
The lake center is the ideal location to successfully
excavate sound from across the valley due to the
specific mountain geometry, glacial water properties,
and connection to various fluctuations in the site. (See
Diagrams to right)
RIGHT: In order to build the sound vessel, a site-
specific dry dock and crane are constructed at the
edge of the lake. The empty structure remains on the
shoreline while the soundvessel drifts into the water.
The Dock is reappropriates as a boat dock for the
nearby hotel, but hikers will wonder what prompted
the Dock’s construction and they will feel the absence
of the vessel which it is built to support.
LEFT: This Site Plan shows the roads and
hiking routes which connect the Oeschinen
Glacial Lake to the Swiss Alpine Trail Network
and its popular hiking lodges in the mountains
above, as well as neadby Kandersteg, a popular
tourist destination nestled in the valley below.
Final Sound Vessel Path
Sound Sources
Lake Inlets/ Water Sound
Sound gravitates towards cooler air near lake surface
Mountain bowl geometry bounces sound into lake center
Front a distance, the largely
submerged Sound Vessel looks like
a floating disk.
Swimmers and boaters can
sunbathe on the gently sloped roof
or enter the submerged portion of
the vessel through the oculus.
Water Datum Line Plan
Roof Plan
Radial Geometry
Machine Room Plan
40’ of seasonal
water level
change due to
glacial melt
Part 3: How It Works: Sound Physics Study and Demo Models`
Model 1: Vibratios Resonate via Sound Box
The vibrations of the metal spring are inaudible until a
styrofoam cut is inserted into the spring, allowing the
vibrations to resonate. (from silence up to 60 decibels)
Similarly, a vessel in the datum line of the water will
amplify otherwise inaudible vibrations in the water.
Model 2: Buoyancy, Cable Tension and Pitch
A vertical column of water provides an upward buoyant
force on an aluminum can anchored by an elastic
cable.
Varyations in the water level change tension in the
cable and the frequency with which cibrations are
propogated through the cable to the can.
Similiarly, pitch of the sound produced inside the sound
vessel will vary with the depth of the water in the lake.
(seasonally varying lake depth +-40’0”).
Axon illustrating the lock and
tackle pulley system (red) which
teathers the Sound Vessel to
the lake bottom. The tension of
the cable is regulated by a large
walking crank located in the
machine room.
Part 4: Details and Presentation
A final 1/2” = 1’0” model was constructed from
various thicknesses of lasercut baltic birch
plywood, which was stained, painted and laquered
to represent various materials. The model was
presented suspended in a sheet of engraved
plexiglass symbolizing the water plane of the lake.
For more drawings and information on this project
please visit my online portfolio.
The model is constructed radially, using 13 simple flat modules which notch together (ribs are designed on a 15 degree increment)
The following two pages summarize a project
which led directly into my thesis project on
the understanding of site and place through
sound.
There are several seasonally inhabited
buidings located throughout the mountain
bowl. In order to create a network between
these distant locations, I designed a series
of organ pipes to be mounted on the roof of
each mountain lodge. Via this sound network,
the Breath of the Mountain provided a unique
voice for each house, regardless of time of
year or seasonally varying occupation.
ABOVE: Experiential section showing the hiking route from the Oeshinen Lake up to the Fruendenhuette. (Lodges marked in red).
BELOW: Exloded Secton Perspective the Fruendenhutte.
BREATH OF THE MOUNTAIN: A VOICE FOR EACH HOUSE
Freundenhutte 2562m
Temporal hiker’s lodge, open mid-June to beginning
of October. accommodates 40 people in dormitory
style bunks a 7 hour hike from the Oschinensee.
Freundenhutte Building Crosssection depicts the integration of the organ flue pipe into the roof
I subsequendly designed and built a set of four wooden organ pipes at human scale. The pipe organs allowed me to translate the interactive sound network between the mountain houses into an interpersonal connection formed between strangers in the Architecture building. The medium, sound, remained the same.
This project led directly into my Bachelor of Architecture Thesis.
ABOVE: Sudies of common organ pipe sections. Depending on materiality and sectional conditions, organ pipes can be designed to imitate many different families of instruments. Pitch is varied via pipe length.
ABOVE: Studies of a harmonica
ARCHITECTURE OF GROUND AND SKYCinematic Manipulation for Constructed UnderstandingAdvanced Studio: Re-imagining the Many Scales of Wine, Silvia Acosta, Spring 2013
The Architecture is built to register the visitor
within the surrounding landscape. Through natu-
ral and constructed datum lines, the architecture
frames landscape, extends landscape, and pro-
vides varying understanding of time, scale, and
material in the vineyard.
The farmers market is constructed for the Ground.
The greenhouse is for the Sky.
The Farmer’s Market is constructed for the Ground.
The Farmer’s Market is constructed for the Ground.
FaF rmr er’s Market Plan
Farmer’s Market Cross Sectionshows arc of the roof moving with the flow of the earth berm
Farmer’s Market Shade Structure, seen from performance amphitheatre.
Greenhouse Interior View, Facing South
The Greenhouse is constructed for the Sky.
Longitudinal Section Facing East
Greenhouse Plan
The Greenhouse is constructed for the Sky.
Roof Structural Diagram
(In cooperaton with a 3rd Year BA(AS) student at the University of Hong Kong, Kelly Ziqi Zhao)
Through an indepth analysis of Tunneling Formwork,
we aimed to design an innovative construction system
for insitu cast concrete housing projects. The effec-
tive, economical formwork precedent was pushed to
overcome its spatial limitations. The final structural
system was applied to a hypothetical site, simulating
the steep, varied terrain common in Hong Kong.
A continuous load path maintains structural efficien-
cy despite spatial variance.
Splitlevels and Connections creates varying spatial dia-
logues and scales and masks
the repetitive building piece.
Terracing of Units adapts to a sloped site. It
creates views and outdoor
space at the unit level.
Project Goals in Diagram
The three main goals of
the design investigation
of tunneling formwork
are detailed below.
MASS, TOWER AND HILLConcrete Construction for Housing in Hong Kong
LEFT: The tunneling system is redesigned as a specific set of five modular units which can be reused to cast countless
spatial combinations while maintaining the system’s original efficiency and cost effective characteristics.
ABOVE: Numerous concrete models were made to experiment with concrete properties, formwork design, and spatial pos-
sibilities.
BELOW: The axon below diagrams the floor-by-floor concrete construction system, followed by the insertion of prefabricat-
ed door and window modules.
MODELS: Models were built to consider concrete prop-erties, unit aggregation, formwork design, and spa-tial possibilities.
BELOW: The plan and Longitudinal section below portray the final structural system applied to a hypothetical 90 degree
arc, simulating the steep, varied terrain common in Hong Kong.
Plan
Longitudinal
Section
90 Degrees
DIAGRAMS BELOW: The formwork was developed to allow for apartments which vary in section as well as in plan.
Cross Section
Units are created out of groups of 3 split-level spaces between corridors (corridors in yellow).
Corridors are reduced to every three floors to eliminate redundancies.
Apartments absorb this redundant circulation, allowing unit expansion and variability.
BELOW RIGHT: The Final Concrete model (scale 1:50), represents 9 stories of split-level housing. It was cast in 19 stages to mimic the proposed floor-by-floor construction method. The final model weighed about 45 kilos.
Proposed Station
ABOVE: Urban Massing Proposal for the development of downtown ProvidenceBELOW: Train Station, Hotel and Conference Center plans
EXIS
TIN
G C
ON
DIT
ION
Ground Floor: Train Station Hall, Bus Terminal, Mixed-Use Commercial
Floor 2: Conference Center with Ballroom
Floor 3: Hotel Lobby, Restaurant, and Upper Ballroom
TRAIN STATION, EXCHANGE PLACE AND HOTELA Public Center for Providence, RIAdvanced Studio, Spring 2012
This design explores Train Station as:
City Threshold Historical Reference Providence Icon for IdentityCommercial Enterprise Hub
A new, larger train station and interchange hub in downtown Providence will connect Providence to an extensive network of cities in the Northeast. The improved access will increase exchange of capital, flow of people, entertainment, and culture, and make Providence a much more attractive place to live and work.
The massing of the station hall above the tracks expresses the powerful axis of moving trains below and imparts this energy to the cityscape.
The building’s diverse mixed-use program will promote the train station as an important and vibrant place in Downtown Providence.
Floor 4-7: Typical Hotel Floor
N
Train
Tr
acks
Tra
Waterfront
Downtown
2nd Floor confer-ence rooms with train lobby view
Hotel
Cross section showing hotel reorientation over train tracks
2nd Floor confer-ence rooms with train lobby view
Longitudinal section showing train rein-
tegration through train building’s diverse
user groups
Hallways upstairs allow views into the train hall.
Double-height ballroom and lobby area connect into the hotel restaurant.
RestaurantBallroom
Bus Terminal
LobbyHotel Lobby
State House Views
RISD Urban Design Principles. Fall 2011
Considering an urban context in post-industrial
Providence, I was asked to design housing in
proximity to Brown University’s Medical School.
50 units for medical students, 50 units of elderly living50 units of Faculty Hotel
I designed two apartment blocks that integrate
housing for the elderly, graduate students, and
families of medical students and young faculty.
The floorplan aims to promote cooperative
family-style living, giving residents the option to
make the best of their generally displaced living
circumstances.
Private Room
Shared Space
Private Room
Shared Space
Atrium Cross Section
Unit SectionThrough Shared Dining Room
URBAN VILLAGE:Cohousing Model Reinterpreted
1 TO 3 BEDROOM UNITS (wach with livingroom and bathroom)
UNIT QUADS(around shared living areas )
PAIRS OF UNITS (around front porches)
BUILDING ATRIUM(with communal ammenities)
form around aform
N
2nd Floor Plan 4th Floor Plan
TECHSTYLE HAUSSolar Decathlon Europe 2014An international team of students from three univer-
sities collaborated to design and build the first-ever
Solar Decathlon entry to incorporate a complete tex-
tile enclosure. The house, built to Passivhaus energy
standards and powered exclusively by solar power, was
built first in Providence and then in Versailles, France
for the 2014 Solar Decathlon competition.
MY LEADERSHIP:
Structural Construction Detailing
Detailed the required structural sections, plans, and
details for the Structural portion of our Design Devel-
opment deadline for Solar Decathlon Europe.
3D Parametric Modeler
Worked closely with our Tensile Fabric Specialists
as a primary 3D parametric modeling expert on our
100+ student team in order to find the best spatial and
structural solution for our house’s tensile mem-
brane enclosure.
Construction Coordination
Attended weekly Site Operations Coordination meet-
ings with Shawmut Construction to coordinate the
project construction schedule.
ABOVE: Current Renderings of our tensile membrane design and photos of the mock-up house while under construction in a warehouse in Providence.
ABOVE: Output from my grasshopper script, which allowed us to share the desired shape of our tensile structure with our consultants.
BELOW: Drawings I made which were part of the structural drawing set submitted by our team at the end of Design Development.
PROFESSIONAL WORK SAMPLES (1 of 4)
HartnessVision
During my summer at HartnessVision, I worked as
part of a four-person team of visualization consul-
tants. We use strong transdisciplinary skills, spatial
understanding, and creative/aesthetic talents to create
precise, imaginative architectural visualizations. Our
design input helps clarify, strengthen and communicate
conceptual, narrative, and aesthetic aspects of design
projects for consulting architectural, landscape and
urban design firms.
All of the imagery on this page was created in close
collaboration with the members of my team at Hart-
ness Vision and in dialogue with client design teams
including Sasaki Associates (Boston), Perkins + Will
(Atlanta) and Utile (Boston).
Architectural Vizualization Intern, June 2014- PresentBoston, Massachusetts, USA
At Payette, I translated a project’s facade concept into an extensive parametric script which efficiently modeled variations of the building’s 800+ unique vertical fins for shading. My 3D models were shared with our structural consultants, building scientists and the rendering team during the Design Development phase of the project. I attended meetings with these consultants to contribute to discussions on facade structural issues, lighting and shading, and building imagery. I also built the 1/8” scale sectional model of the building and rendered the images shown on this page.
PROFESSIONAL WORK SAMPLES (2 of 4 )Design Intern, June-August 2013Boston, MA, USA
PROFESSIONAL WORK SAMPLES (3 of 4 )
During this three-month internship I worked in a 3-person team on a competition entry for a 60-apartment complex in Zurich. I participated in all design phases from site analysis and initial building concepts to apartment layout design, client profling, and landscape/garden concepts.
I was in charge of designing the final presenta-tion layout and illustrating all necessary sche-matic diagrams. I detailed the final 1:500 con-textual plans. During Design Team meetings, I drafted the weekly agenda with German Lan-guage proficiency.
Design Intern, June-August 2012Basel, Switzerland
Emch+Berger AG Gesamtplanung Hochbau
During my summer internship, Emch + Berger was coordinating the massive renovation of a large multi-use facility in a suburb of Basel. I was put in charge of photo-documenting a section of the building’s rooftop which originally held a covered swimming pool, a fitness center, a small 90-seat auditorium, and multiple garden terraces.
I was asked to develop a series of remodeling concepts for this portion of the project, which I then presented through manual and digital sketches in powerpoint and printed book formats to groups of outside professionals, including the project’s engineers and owners, in order to facilitate a dialogue regarding possibile design options. My presentations were conducted in both English and German.
PROFESSIONAL WORK SAMPLES (4 of 4 )Design Intern, Summer 2011Basel, Switzerland
RISD’s BArch program is unique because it allows Architecture students pursuing their professional degrees towards licensure to concurrently pursue a supporting, enriching BFA, with a strong focus on thinking through making. This thinking is inherently important to architectural design.
Paper cones on fabric were used to articulate and document complex curves around Providence.
Flat stainless steel and aluminum sheets fold up into cubes with high compressive strength. De-pending on the direction of the exerted tensile force, the cubes flex to articulate various textures.
BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS SAMPLE WORK
Violin Box. Stained poplar wood, hand carved ( 8” x 6” x19”) Oil paint, sewn thread and paper collage on layered canvas (13” x 24”)
Thank You!Please do not hesitate to contact me for more information.
Jessica Luscher
Rhode Island School of DesignBArch 2014BFA 2013
[email protected] online at http://issuu.com/jessicaluscher