PORTFOLIO ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
Rylee Higgins Iowa State University Architecture Student
2016-2019
Inf o rh i g g i n s@i a sta te.edu 402-216-8014
S of twa r e S ki l l s R ev i t R h i n oc eros 3D A u toC A D A dobe Ph otosh op A dobe I l l u stra tor A dobe I n Desi g n Ma xwel l R en der B l u ebea m PDF En sc a pe
Honor s & Awa r d s C SI +B a ssa rd C ompeti ti on F i n a l i st F a l l 2018 C ol l eg e of Desi g n R ome a n d I n tern a ti on a l Stu dy Sc h ol a rsh i p Spri n g 2018 I n a u g u ra l Wel l s Prec a st C on c rete C ompeti ti on 1st Pl a c e F a l l 2017 Dea n ’s L i st 2017 & 2018 Ma son ry I n sti tu te of I owa U n i t Desi g n C ompeti ti on 2n d Pl a c e F a l l 2016 Th e B est Stu den t Desi g n -B u i l d Proj ec ts Worl dwi de 2016 “ A rc h Da i l y ”
R e f e r e nc e s Da v i d Sorg Pri n c i pa l OPN A rc h i tec ts C eda r R a pi ds, I owa I v on n e Sa n toy o-Orozc o A rc h i tec tu re A ssi sta n t Prof essor I owa Sta te U n i v ersi ty A mes, I owa Tom C l a rk Sen i or A rc h i tec t A dv a n c ed H ou sepl a n s Oma h a , Nebra ska
S u m m ary W ith being in my fi ft h ye a r o f c o l l e g e a nd f o ur t h y e a r i n a r c hi t e c tu re, I h a v e g a i n ed a g reat amo u n t o f e x pe r i e n ce i n a r c hi t e c tu r a l d e s i g n . I h a v e d e v e l oped exc epti on a l skills and exp e r i e n ce i n pl a n n i ng , d e t a i l i n g , d e s i g n i ng a nd c o o r d i na ti n g proj ec ts b oth in the pu bl i c a n d pr i va t e s e c to r s .
Edu ca t i on Iow a S tate Un i ve r s i t y A mes, Io wa Bachelo r o f Ar ch i t e ct u r e 2 0 1 9 Study Abro ad Spr i n g 2 0 1 8 Roma, Italia L ewis C entra l Hi gh Sch o o l Council Bluff s , Io w a Gra duated: M a y 2 0 1 4
Expe ri e nce S ummer 2018: In t er n OPN Architec t s C ed a r R a p ids , Iowa Res po nsibilit i e s • P ar take in de s i gn l a yo u t s o l u t i o ns f o r l i b r a r i e s a nd s c ho o l s . • Co nstruct te x t i l e ma t e r i a l s t h r o u g h Pho to s ho p i nto R e v i t. • Ex pand a str o n g u n de r s t a n di ng o f th e i m p o r ta nc e o f f i e l d v e r i f i c a ti on s a n d constructio n a dmi n i s t r a t i o n . • Co nvey eleva t i o n r e n de r s a n d i nte r i o r r e nd e r s f o r v a r i o us p r o j e c t s. • W orked with a va r i e t y o f di ffe r e nt s k i l l e d p r o f e s s i o na l s i n t h e w o r k f i el d i n c l u di n g : architects, in t e r i o r de s i gn e r s , c o n s t r uc ti o n a d m i n i s tr a to r m a na g e r, l a n dsc a pe architects, a n d k n o w l e dge s pe c i a l i s t. • P ar ticipate a n d a s s i s t w i t h a p h y s i c a l m o d e l f o r a n o f f i c e . S ummer 2016 & 2017: In t er n D alrymp le Sa l l i s Ar c h i t ec t u r e Pe nsa cola , F l or i d a Res po nsibilit i e s • P repare and u pda t e a r ch i t e ct u r a l p r o j e c t b o o k • P ar ticipate i n t h e a r ch i t e ct u r a l d e s i g n p r o c e s s a nd d e v e l o p a l t e r na ti v e sol u ti on s and present a t i o n gr a ph i cs u s e d to c o m m un i c a te c o nc e p t s to t h e cl i en t. • Invo lved in pr o du ct r e s e a r ch , c a r p e t s e l e c t i o n, a n d p a i nt c o l o r . • Co mmunicat e a n u n de r s t a n di n g o f t a s k a s s i g n m e n ts a nd e x p e c t a t i on s. • D evelop desi gn s k i l l s . • Ex plo re alte r n a t e de s i gn a ppr o a c he s a s d i r e c te d b y Pr o j e c t A r c h i t ec t/Desi g n A rc h itect. S ummer 2014 & 2015: In t er n A dva nced H ou s ep l an s Oma ha , N ebr as k a Res po nsibilit i e s • D irect the pr o du ct i o n o f co n s t r uc ti o n d o c u m e n ts , d r a w i ng s a n d s p ec i f i c a ti on s • Co o rdinate e ve n t s , pr e pa r e a n d s e n d i nv i ta t i o ns • Review arch i t e ct u r a l do cu m e n ts f o r p o te n ti a l c o n f l i c t w i t h o t h e r di sc i pl i n es • Responsible fo r o ve r s e e i n g t h a t a l l ne c e s s a r y n o te s a r e c o m p l e t e d f or el ec tri c a l plans • O r ganiz ed fi l e s , o ve r s e e s pa ci a l q u a l i t y i n o f f i c e
CONTENT 1-8 BLURRING BOUNDARIES
9-14 AQUEDUCT COMMUNITY CENTER
15-20 VOID | OBJECT | TEXTURE | FRAME
21-26 PRE-CAST CONCRETE COMPETITION
27-34 CHANGING THE CYCLE
35-40 SHARING THE LIGHT
41-46 TWO X TWO
47-50 SKETCHING & MODELING
The boundary is a line that marks the limit of an area.” It is beyond the meaning of single lines. The territorial boundary carries the center of confliction throughout history because it has remained an essential determinant of power. It connotes immense historical, political, and cultural values. The contemporary city filled with invisible boundary lines that are separate by sectional and planar division. The boundary plays a significant role in determining political and capitalistic power; it is functioning as a limited line to protect private property. The boundary becomes more sophisticated with legal possession and rational function. It makes public interests and convenience, but it is silent about other values. Spider web like boundaries dilute the placeness, cause strife, and isolate space/people/ activities. However, by blurring (erasing/expanding) boundary, the place isolated by invisible boundaries will disperse dominant power (placeness) and attempts to communicate with the surrounding context. This studio establishes the definition of “blurring (erasing/expanding) boundary” as the new architectural declaration in the metropolis and expands this definition to architectural space. How can we redefine the boundary in the urban context? How can we define the atmosphere in a thermal bath? How can the architect control invisible (but symbolic) boundary? This studio manipulates the demarcated boundary between existing atmosphere and newly generated atmosphere and between the site and surrounding context. Designed by: Zhelei Chen, Rylee Higgins & Jacob Murphy
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scaled model: 1” = 50’
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Architectural remnants of a dead ship building industry spot a 69 acre patch of land sandwiched between the Dogpatch neighborhood and the bay of San Francisco. In order for the revitalization of an uninhabitable site, this project implements the deconstruction of a defunct urban fabric and its boundaries in order to allow for the insertion of two seemingly antithetical programs, an automated ship breaking facility (a place of labor) and thermal baths (a place of leisure). The result is a space where the existence of two very different occupancy types and their spatial orders, are intertwined and mingled. One of humans, and the other robots. For the space occupied by humans, there are two separate routes of circulation: one for the thermal bath users, and another to educate visitors of the history and current processes of the site. Robots do not restrain themselves to the traditional orders of spatial hierarchy. They move freely as they are designed and often render a space as unsafe for humans. This project seeks to find intersections of spaces that are used by two very different occupants and understand how the boundary between these two types of occupation can exist within a singular scaffolding framework.
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outdoor bath
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indoor/outdoor bath
private bath
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The site within the Alessandrino neighborhood presents a historic typology of architecture that represents the way in which many neighborhoods developed on the outskirts of Rome. This was an area where many families lived in improvised dwellings under old Roman aqueducts and in other ancient ruins scattered throughout the city. A single collection of shacks hints towards this spontaneous urban landscape of the neighborhood from decades past. In order to link itself to the community and its history, the Alessandrino Community Center transforms the archetype of the shack into architecture of contemporary function. The small street of Via dei Pampini represents a path of circulation that has developed from a historic footpath into a contemporary street. Places within Rome’s urban sprawl ring of poorly planned, inhuman scale developments, the shack and Via dei Pampini demonstrate a way of small-scale urban development in which architecture comes second to the means of pedestrian circulation. By applying this same principle to the development of the community center, this project represents a method of development where the desire lines of circulation footpaths determine the shape of architecture plots rather than the contrary. The contemporary shack is composed from a single historic material of the shack’s time period. The superimposition of the historic shack’s roof line onto the facade of the contemporary shack determines the areas of transparency. Project designed by: Rylee Higgins & Jacob Murphy
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This project introduces a subway station that is located between two historic preservations, the Aurelian Wall, and the Castra of Hadrian. The objective of this project was to create an atrium space for visitors to this space. This project’s approach is based on the representation of the thresholds of the time periods and archaeology of the site articulated through the use of an arched framework inserted into a void of the urban fabric. Project designed by: Samuel Contreras, Rylee Higgins & Jacob Murphy
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The task for this competition was to design a gymnasium with precast concrete, and with specific dimensions. The design of the roof, and walls were completely up to the team. The design of this gymnasium uses a series of one way span precast concrete folded plates. By using pre-cast concrete, we can reduce the amount of construction time on site by having almost all of our building’s assemblies manufactured ahead of time. These plates span a total of 80’ with a depth of 6’ in the center. Because each plate has two members acting like beams, it is more efficient than a single plane member. Each of these roof beams will be pretensioned and reinforced with steel cables. The angles of the folded plates also act very well as and with light diffusers. The angles allow sun rays to bounce off of the surface and into the space as soft, diffused light. In addition, there are light diffusers that also enhance the light quality inside. The angles of the plates also serve as sound diffusers by bouncing sound in multiple directions and reducing echo and sound levels in the space. The “wings” on each end of the folded plates act not only as architectural moments, but also as shading devices to prevent direct sunlight from entering into the windows directly below them. Project designed by: Rylee Higgins & Jacob Murphy
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The percentage of nitrate in Iowa river water has increased in recent years, introducing the public to a number of different health hazards. Des Moines Water Works alleges that the increased level of nitrates in the water supply is caused by the Drainage Districts channeling nitrate-contaminated groundwater into the water supply. Currently, opponents to Water Works’ lawsuit have criticized the utility for targeting upstream nitrate contributors while they discarded nitrates back into the waterway. Currently, there is some sort of break in the water cycle, they strip (the nitrates) out, and then they’re stuck with them in their hands and they throw them back into the river. This project extends the nitrate facility by connecting the old water process to a new process. This process holds a system that uses algae from wastewater, and cleans the nitrates, and produces electricity, biofuel, and many other energy products. Project designed by: Mona Albaghdadi & Rylee Higgins
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This project uses the harmful byproducts of the water treatment facility, which in this case is the nitrates, and turns them into a more useful product. Researchers have developed a way to provide this facility with biofuel and energy through the use of the algae that feed on nitrates. Two main causes of nitrate pollution are agricultural run off and inorganic fertilizers. Nitrate levels in water are usually regulated and constrained to 10% according to EPA. Within the Fleur drive water treatment facility they pump around a 100 million gallons per day, that require cleaning if found contaminated by over 10% of nitrate. As a product of their cleaning process, an approximation of 240,000 gallons of water are dumped back into the river with their waste. Algae is one of the best Pathogens to help reduce contamination of nitrate.
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Hudson yards is the largest private real estate development in American History. The development broke ground over Manhattan’s historic West Side Yards in 2012, and isn’t expected to be fully complete until around 2025. When complete, the 20-billion dollar “mini-city” will include more than four thousand residences, numerous office buildings, over one hundred shops and restaurants, a public school, and around 14 acres of open space. With an existing office building just across the street, can this space start to help the problem of the housing crisis in New York? This project takes advantage of the day to day lives of a New Yorker to make this building occupiable for residents, and make these apartments affordable with a scheme of co-housing. Project designed by: Rylee HIggins & Alyssa Mullen
Neighborhood Demographics: Hudson Yards Total neighborhood population: 22,000 Median Household Income: $132,462 Median House or Condo: $969,465 Median Contract Rent: $2,000/month Residents below poverty level: 22.7% Median Resident age: 34.6 years
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Two by Two is an in-depth exercise towards an understanding of public space through the rethinking of formal proportions and conventions of program and privacy. The project is fundamentally composed of 2x2 lumber pieces. The final assembly appears as a kinetic and continuous surface that incorporates various spatial qualities such as inclines, overhangs, ledges and pockets, similar in form. Five sections, five parts. This project incorporates five different iterations that were planned and designed to all flow together. The whole architecture class was included in this project, which consisted of 77 individuals. To make this project possible, everyone worked consistently, cohesively, and as one team. Recognized by: ArchDaily - The Best Student Design-Build Projects Worldwide 2016, and SHoP Architects.
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I’ve taken an interest in diverse integrated studios helping develop an understanding of scale and proportion. This work has been chosen to show what I have learned through studying in Rome, engaging in a 3D sculpting class and furniture design courses. Human figure sculpting includes three-dimensional problems in visual invention, organization, and expression emphasizing creative manipulation of tools, materials, and techniques as means for threedimensional thinking and problem solving. Freehand drawing emphasizes on perception, conception, permutation and optimization as design ideas exploring and solution discovering tool.
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https://issuu.com/ryleehiggins