Portfolio 2020

INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO RACHEL SMITH rachelsmith.interiorarch@gmail.com 865.382.4052

“Everything you can imagine is real.”

-Pablo Picasso

BIOGRAPHY

At the heart of all my work, I am a storyteller. During my architectural education and professional experience, I have developed a passion for research-based design and the infusion of interior spaces with digital and interactive technology. The relationship of the human senses to space is integral to every aspect of an interior’s design, each of equal importance. How do we “feel” a space? What do we see? What do we smell? What do we touch? These are questions I ask myself at the basis of every design opportunity. As technology develops further each year, this infusion only grows more and more, giving more possibilities for this exploration in architecture. I strongly believe art has the power to change the world.

CONTACT

EDUCATION

Rachel began designing with a background in visual art and theatre.

Before studying at the University of Tennessee, she created costumes for various theatrical productions in the Knoxville community, A recent graduate of UT with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture, Summa Cum Laude, Rachel is a storyteller at heart and focuses her design intentions on creating conceptually rich and immersive interior spaces.

DESIGN VISION

RACHEL SMITH

University of Tennessee, Knoxville / College of Architecture and Design Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture / 2020 / Summa Cum Laude Santa Reparata International School of Art / Summer 2019 phone / 865.382.4052 email / rachelsmith.interiorarch@gmail.com mailing address / 1253 Woodsboro Rd, Knoxville, TN, 37922 linkedin / bit.ly/RSinteriorarch instagram / rachelsmith.design click here for resume

CONTENTS

INTERIOR PROJECTS I. Perfect World

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II. 19 / 19

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III. Future Cities Studio

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EXPLORATION + IMAGINATION IV. Industrial Design

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V. Photography

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PERFECT WORLD Nomination - Donghia Foundation Interior Design Awards

Perfect World is a child care center in downtown Knoxville’s historic Daylight Building that aims to help downtown kids keep a connection with nature in an urban environment.

The center would serve those who live, work and visit downtown.

The concept of this project is “Perfect World”; meaning, it is an exploration of the perfect condition for children in the future—an environment which is clean, pure, safe, etc.

Simply put, Perfect World is an architectural metaphor that explores what a “perfect world” is. This metaphor manifests in the space through the contrasting ideas of refuge and hostile environment. The exterior represents direct exposure to the outside world, while the interior pods represent refuge, purity, and the future; and the space inbetween serves as a filter between the two. Strategies taken to fulfill this concept include: levels of purity, real nature vs. simulated nature, and the visual language of science fiction films.

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SITE

daylight building - 517 Union Avenue, Knoxville, TN

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site context

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DESIGN IMPLICATIONS Levels of purity define the three zones within the space— the first is the Hostile Environment, representing the exposure of the outside world through people on the outside against the existing glass storefront. The second zone is the Decontamination Zone, which serves as a transitional space in-between the Hostile Environment and the Perfect Worlds.

It contains modular plant grids on the ceiling that serve as a means of purifying the air and the space. Its flooring consists of G8 Pedigrid, an entry flooring, which cleans the shoes and feet thoroughly in order to prepare them for the Perfect Worlds—the third zone. These zones contain terrariums, which allow for a contained species of native plants and reptiles to be observed and maintained by their inhabitants, but not touched.

The second strategy used to convey the concept is real nature vs. simulated nature. The Decontamination Zone represents real nature, with the plant grid serving as a raw exposure to nature as well as creating an organic dappled lighting effect in the space. The Perfect World represents simulated nature, with ceiling panels that emulate stars. Each panel set contains alternate LED lights in addition to the perforations on the panels, located on the bottom of each one. These LEDs would be scheduled to occur during certain times of the day while all other lights turn off (ex. nap time), emulating stars in the sky.

In each pod of the Perfect World, various simulated nature sounds that fill the space are scheduled as well.

ideation sketches 12

parti diagram: conceptual strategy

visual language of science fiction films

PERFECT WORLD

DECONTAMINATION ZONE HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT

2001: a space odyssey

circulation

https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/2018/03/08/2001-a-space-odyssey-charles-champlin-review-los-angeles-times/

https://architexturez.net/file/olivier-mourgue-djinn-chairs-1965-stanley-kubrick-2001-space-odissey-1-jpg

program zoning

tron

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floor plan

reflected ceiling plan

furnishings plan

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detail section perspective

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ramp detail

tile detail

click here to view the full set of construction documents 15

plan perspective

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life safety plan

HVAC diagram

lighting analysis

acoustical analysis

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VIEW OF GRADE SCHOOL PERFECT WORLD

THE EXPERIENCE You can experience this room in virtual reality via internet browser or with a VR Headset without creating an account.

VIEW IN BROWSER: https://irisvr.com/library/shared?code=VW5JNR

VIEW IN VR: (Cardboard, Gear VR, or Google Daydream required): Download IrisVR Scope mobile App on your phone and add panoset with code: VW5JNR

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section perspective

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NINETEEN NINETEEN 19/19 is a store-front installation located in Market Square in Knoxville, Tennessee, which aims to memorialize those who lost their lives during the events of the Red Summer of 1919, where a series of race riots occured across the United States, including the city of Knoxville. At the time, Maurice Mays was a Knoxville police officer who was accused of murder and sentenced to death, resulting in a race riot on the historic Vine Avenue and Central Street.

Hundreds were wounded and seven people killed from shots fired by the guardsmen, prompting many African Americans to flee the city. In light of the one hundred year anniversary, the installation ultimately aims to memorialize and bring awareness to those who have died due to the same injustices and police brutality that manifests in our world today.

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SITE

market square - knoxville, tn

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1919

2019 https://blacklivesmatter.com

Unarmed African Americans were killed at 5x the rate of unarmed caucasian people in 2015.

https://www.npr.org

Only 13 of the 104 cases in 2015 where an unarmed African American person was killed by police resulted in officer(s) being charged with the crime.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/31/the-counted-police-killings-2015-young-black-men

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DESIGN IMPLICATIONS Comparing the injustices of 1919 to those which exist today is reflected in the symmetrical floor plan of the installation, creating two sides - 1919 and 2019. The interior is fully red with a mirrored ceiling to represent violence and cause disorientation, while also displaying graphically the stories of what happened in a silhouetted nature. Inbetween the two, much like an intermission, is a small space with singular glass hallways on each side, only wide enough for one to experience individually. At the end of the hall is an empty, inoccupiable room with the names of victims lit up on all sides of the walls. The simulation inside this space begins with the piercing sound of a gunshot, followed by a name blacking out, continuing until all of the names have gone out. The same silhouetted graphic appears on the wall in the second space (2019), this time telling the story of Michael Brown and the Black Lives Matter movement.

The space then becomes progressively dimmer, followed by the presence of a single mirror, forcing the occupants to view themselves before exiting the space.

maurice mays

graphic

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EXHIBIT FEATURES

mike brown

graphic

1919 name

simulation

mirror

2019 name

simulation

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contrasting space diagram

time diagram

1919

floor diagram

constant diagram

representation diagram

lighting diagram

view of 2019 simulation interior 30

2019

conceptual drawing of transitional (constant) space

conceptual drawing of transitional 1919 space

physical model exterior + existing storefront

1919 space name simulation

name simulation 2019 space

physical model interior details 31

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THE EXPERIENCE You can experience this room in virtual reality via internet browser or with a VR Headset without creating an account.

VIEW IN BROWSER: https://irisvr.com/library/shared?code=VW5JNR

VIEW IN VR: (Cardboard, Gear VR, or Google Daydream required): Download IrisVR Scope mobile App on your phone and add panoset with code: VW5JNR

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THE

SIMULATION click here to watch the simulation via Youtube trigger warning : gunshot sounds in video

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COAD X GENSLER: F U T U R E C I T I E S S T U D I O Tau Sigma Delta Bronze Medal

Gensler Research Studio Award Winner

Publication by Gensler: Urban Futures: The Gensler | UT Research Studio

As a shaping force of existing and future cities, Gensler is leveraging mobility through design to create multimodal, vibrant streets and new connections that support growth and sustainability. Beyond sustainability is the concept of resilience, a term that Gensler uses to recognize that design must continuously evolve, adapt to, and prepare for a changing world. Throughout the semester, this studio teamed up with designers from Gensler to explore multimodal thinking, climate sensitivity, and the transformative impact of adaptive reuse in the urban environment. An accelerated rate of development has left our landscapes cluttered with remnants and fragments of our built environments. These traces of our use and occupancy sit idle in often contested states and places. The reactivation of such settings is the main focus of this studio as we gauge the synthesis and propagation of new strategies to revitalize decommissioned parts of our built environment. My team’s site was Michigan Central Station in Detroit, Michigan- AKA, ‘the landmark.’ Our analysis of Detroit concluded the survival of the city was dependent on its relationship with the automobile industry- what initially caused it to thrive, and has contributed to its rise and fall throughout time. This conclusion led to our intervention: a building that functions as an agricultural machine to promote industry and well-being for the city. contributing team members: marta kaczor, mckenna pierce, brendan wallace

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SITE

michigan central station - detroit, michigan

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pollinator drone station irrigation system

human passenger drone landing car vending exterior occupancies wind farming vertical farming research lab water storage event space solar farming food storage

transient storage transient market galleries / exhibits

delivery / pickup

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rendered section perspective

pollinator drones

growth wall

transient market

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ground level floor plan

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1st floor plan 5th floor plan 9th floor plan roof plan

9th floor plan

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vertical garden wall detail custom detail 01

custom detail 02

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pod details

lighting sheath thermal barrier and provisional ecosystem bioreceptive concrete paneling steel reinforcement geotextile and plant catalyzer upward suspension growth medium, beyond permeable, water-receptive 3D print incubator hydroponic groth medium, vertical seed suspension hinge. point of rotation (initiated by harvest) mouth of modular incubator, pollinator drone access

transverse section

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note: watch the transition from dormant to active via youtube by clicking here

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view 46 of vertical garden

elevation 01

elevation 02

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DETROIT 2050 The year is 2050. We begin to visualize and imagine the various changes that have taken place over time and have shaped Detroit’s new identity.

In this future, nature reclaims areas of the built environment, overtaking roads, abandoned infrastructure, and surrounding areas, creating a future of urban agriculture redefined. In this future, the supplementary program is one that not only accepts Detroit’s history, but embraces it.

The full publication “Urban Futures: The Gensler | University of Tennessee Research Studio” is available to view by clicking here

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INDUSTRIAL DESIGN: SWARM “SWARM” is an experience where children engage and play with fireflies in the night sky—without going outside. Designed as play furniture for children, “SWARM” is composed of parametrically sequenced vessels made of Eco-friendly wood and premanufactured Lightblocks® Lightboxes. The boxes vary in translucency, each containing an LED inside to simulate the illusion of a night sky filled with synchronous fireflies. Each LED is programmed and connected to an external central processing unit, allowing for the boxes to be controlled via Bluetooth by a remote control/app, with three different modes: “CHASE,” “SYNCHRONIZE,” and “PLAY.” “CHASE” mode introduces embedded touch screens on the surface of each Lightbox, as children chase the glowing boxes back and forth, trying to catch the “fireflies.” As one box turns off, another turns on: it is up to the player to “catch” the next one. Parents can play, too: parents can control when each box turns on/off through the buttons located on the remote (or app), creating interactive fun for all ages. “SYNCHRONIZE” mode educates children on the synchronization process of the Photinus carolinus species of fireflies. Working like metronomes, the boxes simulate the synchronization process from start to finish. “PLAY” mode allows children to engage with the touchscreen boxes at their own pace, while also mimicking other firefly species interactions when not being activated.

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physical model

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for video simulation, click here

elevation scale: 1” = 1’

sectional axon scale: 1” = 3’

app interface

plan view scale: 1” = 1’

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PHOTOGRAPHY: ABROAD + BEYOND I strongly believe that traveling, in any capacity, allows us to experience a different culture, cuisine, people, and most importantly, stories.

It allows to empathize with those we otherwise wouldn’t think we understand, and gives a new, holistic perspective on humanity. In my life, I am thankful for the wonderful opportunities I have experienced to travel “abroad and beyond.” This is a collection of those stories photography from Siena, Rome, Florence, New York, and other explorations.

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thank you!

rachel smith 865.382.4052 rachelsmith.interiorarch@gmail.com

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