Vivian Gruendel
Skills
Digital Literacy
AutoCAD
Rhino 6 + Grasshopper
SketchUp
Revit
Bluebeam
Representation
Adobe Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom & Premiere)
Enscape
Digital Fabrication (LaserCAMM, 3D
Printing & CNC)
Manual Model-Making
Photography
Sketching
Other
Post-Occupancy Evaluations
Written & Verbal Communication
Python & Java (Introductory)
Microsoft 365
Experience
Email vivian.gruendel@gmail.com
Phone (703) 980 - 1204
Summer Intern - Perkins&Will, Washington, D.C.
Jun 2023 - Aug 2023
Developed materials for SD & DD packages for a multi-story, two-tenant lab/office space. Assisted development & delivery of presentation materials for weekly client & consultant meetings. (10 weeks)
• Collected & organized data for NIH Sustainability & Resilience Assessment publication. Designed graphic content & coordinated feedback & contributions from Perkins&Will, CFR Engineering & Client. Assisted on-site POE & resilience workshops with NIH employees. (4 weeks)
• Contributed to punch visits, model-making, design studies & community-engagement documentation for multiple projects. Facilitated office-wide transition of digital content alongside marketing team.
Service Desk Associate - The Home Depot
May 2021 - Aug 2021
• Quickly & accurately answered customer questions, suggested effective solutions & resolved conflicts to increase customer satisfaction.
• Enhanced team’s productivity by anticipating coworkers’ needs & delivering support. Organized & developed retrieval processes for large-format online-order inventory & reduced order retrieval time by 50%.
Tiny House Build - Gap Year Experience
Aug 2018 - Jul 2019
• Crowdfunded, designed, built & donated a grid-connected mobile tiny house. Managed a $20,000 budget, developed materials lists & coordinated special orders. Coordinated consultations with industry professionals including contractors, plumbers & electricians.
• Learned & applied relevant skills & codes online using YouTube, Google & Reddit.
Education
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
Aug 2019 - May 2024
Bachelor of Architecture; Minors in Sociology & Landscape Architecture; GPA: 3.86
Languages
English (Fluent, native bilingual)
Spanish (Fluent, native bilingual)
French (Proficient)
• Awards Harold Hill Memorial Award (1st Year Competition), Deans List (2019 - Pres.)
• Published Works ‘Breaks: A Post-Colonial Mural’ (in collaboration with Room One Thousand, Cruz Garcia, Nathalie Frankowski & 10 students at Virginia Tech); ‘How Will We Live Together,’ 17th Venice Architecture Biennale Italian Virtual Pavilion Sezione del Padiglione Italia (15 teams including Workshops for Other Worlds at VT)
• Research & Thesis Architecture of a Stitch: Sewing & embroidery as lens & rehabilitative design tool for Virginia’s fading rail towns.
Clubs + Activities
Honors College Student Council
Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
VT AIAS
Ceramics Independent Study`
Europe Travel Program
Aug 2022 - Oct 2022
Architecture; Fall Semester, Western Europe
Collected photographs, sketches & notes to include in research papers & graphic materials
Assisted organization of lobby exhibitions & student publications
• Research ‘Empathetic Functionalism: A Study of Alvar Aalto’s House & Studio’ analyzed how light, material simplicity & spatial organization reinforce relationships with nature & improve quality of life
Design Studies of the Built Environment
May 2022 - Jul 2022
Landscape Architecture + Industrial Design; Summer Semester, Western Europe
Research ‘Fragmentation, Layering & Weaving: A Study of Organizational Design Methods at Three Scales (Urban Fabric, Building & Material)’
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology
2014 - 2018
Prototyping Research Laboratory Graduate; GPA: 4.2
Research ‘Hybrid Production & Construction of an Electric Ukulele’ year-long thesis employing manual woodworking & digital fabrication techniques