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Laura Baer Portfolio 2013

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22.06.1987FemaleSwiss and Brazilian

laura.carolina.baer@gmail.com+ 41 78 831 09 37 + 55 21 8530 8333

Ed. EiffelPraça da República 177Vila Buarque - Sao Paulo

Laura Baer

Architect EPFL

Based in Sao Paulo Available from January 2014

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Architect project manager: Project design for the Cornavin hotel renovation in Geneva. Interior design for a villa attic in Tannay. Architect collaborator: Competition for two housing buildings in Clarens (p.30), Transformation project for a 60’s school complex in Geneva. Renovation project for an apartement in Geneva.

2011-2013 Devanthéry et Lamunière Architectes, Geneva

Intern: Project design, including furniture, for a restaurant in London, concept development and events organization for “Cornwall with love” exhibition.

2010 Something from Us, London

Intern: Drawings for housing complex “Rautistrasse” in Zurich. Concept and project design for the transformation of Warteck factory, in Basel.

2007-2008 UNDEND Architektur, Zurich

Work Experience

Teaching Assistant: Project critic of 1st year students, coordination and organization of a 20-students class.

2012 ALICE studio - EPFL, Lausanne

Assistant: Curating “Dream Evian” and “Blue Hub” Exhibitions, London architecture travel guide conception

2011 LAMU studio - EPFL, Lausanne

Master in ArchitectureMinor in Technology Management and Entrepreneurship Industrial Design option at ECAL

Bachelor in ArchitectureIndustrial Design option at ECAL

Fashion Design

2010 - 2012 Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

2009 - 2010 Central Saint Martins, London

2005 - 2009 Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Education

Software Vectorworks, Autocad, Archicad, Artlantis, Rhino 3D, VRay, Sketchup, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Excel, Word, Powerpoint.

Skills & Interests

Languages Fluent (spoken and written) in French, Portuguese and English. Basic knowledge of German.

2012 Beyond Oscar, Community Career Investment, WISH Foundation - EPFL2012 Global Shaper membership, World Economic Forum

Awards & Distinctions

2011 Best Of Architectural Design, Archizoom - EPFL (project p.16)2011 Published in Best Of Architecture, EPFL (Media x Design lab)

2013 Le Perrier, 1st prize for housing competition, with dl-a team (project p.30)

Hobbies Gastronomy, Design, Fashion, Photography, Ski, Pilates, Travels

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Table of contents

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Curriculum Vitae 3 Selected Projects 6

Nomade Hotel, Prof. I.Lamunière et M.Ruzicka-Rossier, 2012 8 Dream Evian in New York, Prof. I.Lamunière, 2011 16 Green Heatscape, Prof. J.Huang, 2010 22 PAV - Parc, Prof. A.Bassi, 2009 24 Ario - contemporary art center, Prof. C.Rebelo, 2008 26 Getaway House, Prof. D.Dietz, 2007 28 Le Pierrier, competition with dl-a, 2013 30

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Selected Projects

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Nomad Hotel

“Urban nomad” is the name we give to a new population of temporary residents increasing in metropolitan cities in this new generation of heightened mobility.

New York is where we propose a new model of hotel that meets the needs and desires of these urban nomads while catalyzing the neighborhood life. The hotel occupies the site adjacent to the extension of the hub of Penn Station, currently occupied by the underground railway, and acquires the role of a condensed city, becoming an equipment for the city and the neighborhood.

The extension of public space from the station takes the conceptual form of a carpet of public programs from which emerge three towers - the hotel. By disseminating the public program of the hotel in the carpet, urban nomads become actors as well as spectators of the city.

Urban nomads with varied purpose of visits have different frequency and time of stay. The hotel responds to these different types with standard rooms, and a flexible system that allows studios as well as apartments of 1-2 rooms.

Diploma projectSpring 2012Professors: Inès Lamunière & Monique Ruzicka-RossierAssistant: Déborah Piccolo

classic hotel

Public programs are concentrated within the building and does not communicate with the city.

concept 1

Public programs are exported from the hotel and disseminates into the city.

concept 2

Public space of the street thick- ens and connects various pro- grams on several levels.

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diagrammatic site plan

diagrammatic long section

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long section

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level +1

level 0

level -1

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level +2

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art gallery / lobby

traintracks

supermarket / lobby

fitness / lobby

cinema / cafe / theatre

cafe / ballroom / pool

gallery / offices / karaoke

retail

dalle de répartition

restaurant / retail

restaurant / retail retail / bar / nightclub

workshop lecture room / library / yoga

cafe / media center / spa

bar / panoramic rooftop

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Dream EvianMaster ISpring 2011Professeur: Inès Lamunière Assistant: Julien Fornet

What is the feeling of Evian? How can we build the feeling and atmosphere of Evian to transpose them in the urban context of New York? These are the questions we sought to answer in this project.

For us, Evian is precious. We conveyed this theme of preciousness in our hotel as if it was a reversed jewel. A form worked in the mass, which has some special qualities: it is pure, fluid, but developed with different types of angles causing a loss of marks in the space.

This theme has first been worked on with the lobby, the main area of the hotel, in which the visitor finds himself immersed in the atmosphere of the precious. Entirely gilded, it is a great, majestic and introverted volume that leaves its imprint on almost all floors of the hotel. It is built within a consistent mass containing among others the vertical circulation.

In the spa, on the top floor, we find the same formal work of fluidity, angles and purity of the material. This time, the only connection with the outside world is the sky. The space is bathed by a zenithal light penetrating by large wells of light in the roof. Whiteness and purity of space are reminiscent of Evian water and mountains.

Regarding the hotel room, it is a very simple and quiet space with one highlight: a window where, as in the lobby, one is absorbed in a precious atmosphere, but this time the experience is more intimate, at the scale of the body.

The exterior of the hotel is like a big stone. It reminds us of Evian, the Alps, the universe of the lake. The façade is made of a very smooth concrete, slightly greenish and poured in strata. The window’s glazing is fixed flush with the façade, so we perceive continuity in the mass. In the rooms, the windows deform outwards so that we have a window for the bedroom and another for the city. In this way, the building fits subtly into New York’s scenery, while preserving its special atmosphere of Evian.

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spa

standard floor

ground floor

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rooms typology

section

west elevation

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Green HeatscapeMaster IFall 2010Professeur: Jeffrey HuangAssistants: Nathaniel Zuelke & Trevor Patt

In the harsh and demanding environment of the Emirati desert, the establishment of a university campus raises many questions in terms of energy saving and thermal comfort.

This project interrogates the design process through the instrumentalization of digital media and computational methodologies to generate dynamic and evolving systems based on changing circumstances, thus providing an effective and accurate architectural response. A precise knowledge of local climatic conditions is crucial to do so.

This is why we initially analyzed existing forces affecting the site in order to extract patterns of adaptive growth. These site-specific climatic mappings defined a design strategy and implementation areas. They confirmed the presence of a potential network of vernacular oases at the lowest points where all the conditions (topography, runoff, wind, humidity, etc..) are combined to provide an environment suitable to the implantation of the university infrastructure.

We subsequently developed a model based on this mapping to simulate the campus development over time, along with the capacity to respond to anticipated and unanticipated future scenarios.

climatic mapping

longitudinal section

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campus development phase 1

campus development phase II

campus development phase III

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20 m

0 m

20 m

0 m

baer laura

2,3 m7 m

travees : structure pl. de parc

PAV - Parc

As part of the redevelopment of a former industrial zone at the outskirts of Geneva, the studio proposes a reflection on the urban form and programatic diversity.

The mix of housing, offices and activities offers a new urban neighborhood that lives 24/24h. Here, the project tries to maximize the interactions of working and living communities through a central park.

The buildings are placed in relation to existing access present on site, a train track coming from central Geneva on the west side and the national highway on the east side, and they are oriented in a way to protect the park from adjacent nuisances.

The typology can be expanded to a bigger scale, through the repetition of this urban form in the identical parallel sites. In this strategy, all the neighborhood parks combined engage to the city scale.

Bachelor IIISpring 2009Professor: Andrea BassiAssistant: Julien Woessner

long section

Bureaux Logement Activités

ST SBPH Densité Bureaux Logement Activités

12’500 m²

60 personnes10 commerces453 personnes96 logements611 personnes611 places de travail

6’111 m²15’092 m²15’290 m²336’493 m²

20 m

0 m

baer laura

16,9 %41,3 %41,8 %36’493 m2sbph

bureaux logmnt activites

baer laura

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453 p.611 p.

hab. p. travail comm.

20 m

0 m

40 m

baer laura

336’493 m

ST Sbph denSiTe

12’500 m

baer laura

laura baer

Expansion strategy

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baer laura

baer laura

baer laura

site plan

typologiesoffices | housing | activity

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ARIO - contemporary art center

Long beaches, strings of hills, picturesque neighborhoods, modern buildings, favelas: Rio de Janeiro is a city of diversity, rich in contrasts. Located on the “Rodrigo de Freitas” lagoon, a few dozen meters from the shore, the project of a center for contemporary art takes advantage of this unique location to create a quiet place for contemplation in the heart of this energetic metropolis.

Standing apart from the city, the center allows the visitor to disconnect from the hectic city life. Arriving at a mysterious opening, visitors penetrate a dense mass and are brought in a vast reception area. Instantly they are immersed by a place conducive to introspection that accentuates the emotional disconnection with the city.

Amethyst, a semi-precious stone characteristic of Brazil, was the choice of the conceptual object to further define the project. Amethyst can be identified as a compact element composed of three distinct states. These three elements are transposed into the reception area, the circulation space and the exhibition spaces.

As a reflection to the carioca landscape, this big mass contains no angle. It looks like a smooth rock eroded by water. This concept of “erosion” is also applied to the openings for access and views, allowing natural light and panoramic views into the building.

Bachelor IIIFall 2008Professor: Camilo RebeloAssistant: Claudio Nunes

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top floor

2nd floor

1st floor

north elevation section

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Getaway House

In East Germany a currently active opencast coal pit covers a vast area of about 14km by 6km, with excavations varying from 0 to 40m of depth. In 2015, the mine will be closed and the extraction will be stopped. Despite the magnitude of the project, the site is planned to be regenerated in the near future. From 2020 to 2033, the open pit will be gradually flooded so that the site can regain its beauty and natural serenity.

The reflection on the development of a project thus centered around a theme that would respond to the architectural use of this site before, during and after the flood. In this context of speculative development, the project proposes to create a path that, in line with the flooding, evolves into a public bath.

Initially modular wood panels adapting to the terrain creates a public access site. Each year, the system is extended by the addition of panels that gradually form a structure of “boxes” progressively buoyant. The position of the panels define the slope of each box and its final shape is defined by the addition and removal of panels.The project proposal thus allows the creation of different spatial qualities of the bath, complete with different degrees of intimacy and a variation of light and shadow.

Bachelor IISpring 2007Professor: Dieter DietzAssistant: Daniel Pokora

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axonometry

site plan

system gradual evolution

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Le Perrier

Les résidences « Le Pierrier » se situent dans le quartier de Clarens à l’ouest de Montreux et s’intègrent à un ensemble de plusieurs immeubles de logements construits ces dernières décennies.

Le projet propose deux bâtiments, l’un à l’Ouest, l’autre à l’Est de la parcelle. Ils sont reliés entre eux, sur la Route du Lac, par des locaux commerciaux et de bureaux sur deux étages. Cette géométrie permet à la route du Lac d’être connectée à deux grands espaces extérieurs vivants et ensoleillés, un espace minéral et un espace végétal. Ceux-ci sont aménagés et orientés sur le lac et le sud, et se déploient avec générosité entre le quartier d’immeubles existants, le nouvel ensemble du Pierrier, et les villas du Bochet.

Le projet reconstruit une continuité topographique entre le contexte et le nouveau quartier. Il supprime les différences de hauteurs, murs et murets actuels afin de permettre des relations plus continues et « naturelles » avec le voisinage.

L’implantation des bâtiments permet de préserver les vues dont bénéficient les voisins tout en en créant de nouvelles pour les futurs habitants. Les balcons des appartements sont disposés de manière à maximiser les vues vers le lac et les montagnes et à préserver l’intimité des habitants. La géométrie et le décalage des balcons en alternance un étage sur deux permet d’offrir un ensoleillement optimal et de délimiter des sous-espaces, soit une partie protégée sous le couvert du balcon de l’étage du dessus et une partie en double hauteur.

L’architecture est contemporaine, elle privilégie les espaces épurés. La volumétrie en facettes des immeubles s’insère dans le quartier et permet des vues différenciées et originales sur l’environnement.

Winter 2012-2013Competition for housing, awarded 1st prizeCollaboration with dl-a team

" Le long d'un généreux balcon : une en�lade entre séjour, salle à manger et bibliothèque"

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standart floorplan

Route du Lac view | the buildings connected by a two storey plaza South view | two public spaces : the urban plaza and the park

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Laura Baer Architect EPFL

laura.carolina.baer@gmail.com