Vivian Gruendel
Skills
Digital Literacy
AutoCAD
Rhino 6 & Grasshopper
ClimateStudio
Ladybug & Honeybee
Revit
Bluebeam Revu
Representation
Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator,
InDesign, Lightroom & Premiere
Enscape
Digital Fabrication (LaserCAMM, 3D
Printing & CNC)
Manual Model-Making
Ceramics
Photography
Sketching
Other
Post-Occupancy Evaluations
Written & Verbal Communication
Python & Java (Introductory)
Microsoft 365
Languages
English (Fluent, native bilingual)
Spanish (Fluent, native bilingual)
French (Proficient)
Clubs + Activities
Honors College Student Council
Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
VT AIAS
VT Empty Bowls
Ceramics Independent Studies
Experience
LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/vivian-gruendel/ Portfolios https://issuu.com/vgruendel
Email vivian.gruendel@gmail.com
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 site & usage data across 6 NIH campuses for NIH Sustainability & Resilience Assessment publication. Designed graphic content & coordinated feedback & contributions between Perkins&Will, CFR Engineering & Client. Facilitated on-site POE & resilience workshops at Bethesda main campus with NIH employees including administrators, engineers & researchers. (4 weeks)
• Volunteered assistance with punch visits, model-making, marketing, design studies & communityengagement documentation across various other projects in addition to primary responsibilities.
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 - Self-Directed Gap Year
Aug 2018 - Jul 2019
Designed, built & donated a grid-compatible mobile tiny house Managed a $20,000 crowdsourced budget, developed materials lists & coordinated special orders
• Collaborated with industry professionals including contractors, plumbers & electricians
• Self-taught relevant building codes, design & construction skills by leveraging local & online resources (libraries, Youtube, Google & Reddit)
Education
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
Aug 2019 - May 2024
Bachelor of Architecture; Minors in Sociology & Landscape Architecture; GPA: 3.87
• Accreditation Leed Green Associate (August 2024)
• Awards Harold Hill Memorial Award (1st Year Competition), Deans List (2019 - 2024)
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 failing Virginia rail towns
Europe Travel Program
Aug 2022 - Oct 2022
• 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 Architecture; Fall Semester, Western Europe
• Collected photographs, sketches & notes to include in research papers & graphic materials
• Assisted the organization of lobby exhibitions & student publications
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
Prototyping Research Laboratory Graduate; GPA: 4.2
2014 - 2018
Research ‘Hybrid Production & Construction of an Electric Ukulele’ year-long thesis employing manual woodworking & digital fabrication techniques