BETTY LAURINCOVA urban designer . een people and architecture tw be nts me mo the g rin plo ex
Hi, I am Betty, an architect and urban designer with varied experience and constant curiosity about space around us and its impact on the space within us. In my work process and research I have always been fascinated how different people interact and perceive the space that surrounds them. This fascination led to my interest in UX (User Experience) design and motivated me to achieve a professional qualification. I find urban design is all about user experience, because urban space should be created with its users. During my professional career I developed and collected range of skills, from graphic design and animation, 3D modelling and printing, hand-sketching and illustrating, and social skills during workshops. I am a passionate urban and recreational cyclist and I am active in urban cycling initiatives and activities connecting the world of casual cyclists, bike messengers, road cyclists for the common cause of more cycling in our cities. I see cycling as a way to build a relationship with the city, leading to responsibility and respect.
BASIC INFO: full name: Alžbeta Laurincová nationality: Slovak date of birth: 1st February 1989 contact: betty.laurincova@gmail.com +44 7624 326009 www.bettylaurincova.com
WORK EXPERIENCE: May 2019 - Dec. 2019 Tovatt architects and planners (Stockholm, Sweden) - urban designer, architect - urban design, social development strategies, competitions Oct. 2016 - 2019 Urban Minds (Stockholm, Sweden) - urban designer - development design strategies, microspaces, illustration, 3D modelling, presentation, workshops Sept. 2015 - Sept. 2016 Mandaworks (Stockholm, Sweden) - internship - conceptual competitions and competition second phase Nov. 2014 - July 2015 at26 (Bratislava, Slovakia) - architect, interior designer - interior visualisations, detailing blueprints, construction supervision COLLABORATIONS 2018/2019 studio Urban (Bratislava, Slovakia) - architectural and urban competitions - winning proposal of urban development strategy and public space design in the town Poprad 2014/2015 studio BKU (Bratislava, Slovakia) - various architectural and urban proposals - Bratislava City Interventions 2015 (exhibition, publication) 2014 AtelierArt (Bratislava, Slovakia) - second phase of a landscape competition Jama EDUCATION: 2013-2014 Master’s degree Slovak University of Technology (Bratislava, Slovakia) Architecture and Urban Design 2012-2013 Erasmus Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Leuven, Belgium) - courses of postgraduate program focused on human settlements, urbanism and landscape urbanism 2008-2012 Bachelor’s degree Slovak University of Technology (Bratislava, Slovakia) Architecture and Urban Design
ADDITIONAL EDUCATION: UX Design Institute Diploma Course Professional Diploma in UX Design (2020) six-month GCU accredited diploma course ETHx Zürich (verified certificate) Future Cities XSeries Program (2018) - Future Cities - Smart Cities - Quality of Life: Livability in Future Cities - Responsive Cities CornellX
Civic Ecology: Reclaiming Broken Places (2015)
Academy X (Bratislava)
V-ray for Rhino (certificate)
ACTIVITIES: 2015 2014 2014 2013 2013 2013
Shabby Shabby Apartments, recycled housing competition GRAPE festival pavilion, special prize, on site workshop XELLA SM(ART) house TrenčínCityInterventions -two proposals, second phase, book 1x1 Pavilion, building workshop, event organisation Houses for Change, international competition, Addis Ababa
SOFTWARE SKILLS AutoCad Adobe Illustrator Photoshop InDesign AfterEffects XD Rhinoceros + V-ray SketchUp Ultimaker Cura (3D print) Wacom Graphical Tablet LANGUAGES Slovak English German Czech Swedish
In my free time I enjoy cycling, discovering and learning new things, drawing, painting water-colour cities and imaginary places, jazz and electro swing music, cooking and yoga. I used to keep few breeds of pet crabs and it is my all time favourite animal.
Väsby EntrÊ
New train station development principles
Upplands Väsby is a fast growing town north from Stockholm, Sweden. Urban Minds in collaboration with other Stockholm based studios created a development strategy and design principles for the new area connected to
planned train and bus station (designed by Zaha Hadid architects in 2012). It was an ongoing project, that I was part of from my beginnings at Urban Minds in 2016, for over two years.
The goal was to create and coordinate materials and publications that could be presented to the public for feedback. My role in the process was to mainly create presentation materials, 3D printed models, typology models, illustrations and sketches. Through 3D analysis I was searching for problematic areas focusing on microspaces, their possible solutions and use. These solutions
were presented as handsketched illustrations at the final exibitions. One of the publications was a manual of public spaces and typologies. One of my responsibilities was making of the 3D printed model that could be adjusted according to upcoming changes. The model was used at workshops and presentations explaining the big changes that are coming for this growing part of Väsby.
With my passion for human perception and communication I was focusing on creating the materials the way that the general public and current neighbours of the area understand the changes and welcome them in a positive way.
Lilla Mรถrby
Development Strategy
Lilla Mรถrby was a strategy proposal created with Urban Minds in 2017. The goal was to find motivations for further development of an area at the entrance to the town of Vallentuna. Inspired by the recent intervention of a green bridge we focused on closing the loop of
connections of this town. Loop of housing, central services, recreation, historical remains located in the forest and agricultural production. The strategy was based on research and observations of the life in Vallentuna.
As a part of our work we organized an internal workshop. Three teams had very limited time to come up with basic concepts and proposals. Small parts of each were used in the final work. I enjoyed this little project for its character of connecting dots in existing environment and the research that made me get to understand the town.
Following the concept we created two simple scenarios Small and Large that can be used separately or as a phasing strategy. The presentation included research, concept, scenarios, limitations and restrictions that have to be followed, visuals and illustrations. The concept was succesful and the considered land is now assigned for development. Lathund parallellt uppdrag Lilla Mörby UM workshop 2017-06-13 Uppdraget Skapa en stadsbyggnadsvision för - scenario S (egen fastighet) - scenario L (inklusive omkringliggande jordbruksmark). Leverans workshop • Timskiss – zoner, stråk och kopplingar (jodå, det funkar!) • Koncept (tight om tid? Kämpa på!) • Stadsbyggnadsprinciper (nja, kanske lite optimistiskt…) Platsen Utredningsområdet är beläget vid landsväg 268 (binder samman E4 och E18, samt Upplands Väsby och Vallentuna) i ett jordbrukslandskap utanför detaljplanelagt område ca 2 km från Vallentuna centrum. De byggnader som finns på fastigheten är ett äldre småhus och ett antal ekonomi- och komplementbyggnader. Platsen är idag något av ett tillhåll med 7 företag och 24 personer bokförda inom fastigheten. Drygt 2 km från Vallentuna station (Roslagsbanan), 25 minuters promenad, 8 minuter på cykel. 10 km från Upplands Väsby centrum. Förutsättningar • ÖP anger platsen som utredningsområde som kan vara möjlig att exploatera. Varje exploatering ska förutom sitt egenvärde tillföra kvalitéer till kommunen. I detta fall: tillgängliggöra kultur- och naturreservatet för fler • Stora kultur- och naturhistoriska värden i närområdet: Skålsätravägen, riksintresse för kulturmiljövård samt Naturreservat Björkby-Kyrkviken ca 1 km söder om området. • Förslaget ska innehålla en bro över väg 268 som fortsatt ska vara en 70-väg med farligt gods och stora trafikflöden. Ingen omvandling till stadsgata alltså. • Det högsta befintliga bostadshuset i kommunen är 12 meter, kyrkan är 24 meter. • Kommunen ser platsen som entrén till Vallentuna och förslaget får gärna avspegla detta. Kommunens vision "Med det goda småstadslivet i en nära och högt värderad natur- och kulturbygd bidrar Vallentuna kommun aktivt till en växande och hållbar storstadsregion." Frågeställningar att ha med sig • Vad motiverar den nya stadsbygden? • Vad är USP:en för kommunen att utveckla just här? • Hur kan ett ianspråktagande av åkermark motiveras? Team Urban: Karolina, Niklas, Amina och Betty (repr projektet) Rural: Johanna S, Peter, Calle och Johanna L (repr projektet) Suburban: Anna, Daniel, Joakim och Caroline (repr projektet)
Staffanstorp 2016 Kassmyra 2017
Björknäs 2018
Stångholmsbacken 2018
During my work with Urban Minds I worked on various types and scales of projects as examples: vision for Staffanstorp suburban area, new development Kassmyra, vision for Björknäs, design manual Stångholmsbacken and others.
Lilla Mörby 2017
VĂĽrt Furuset
Embracing the multicultural diversity
VĂĽrt Furuset was a proposal for the first phase of Nordic Built Challenge competition (2015). I worked on it as a part of Mandaworks in collaboration with Dyvik & Fasting Arkitekter. We placed focus on embracing the qualities that this place already has.
Trygve Lies plass is a huge opportunity. The square forms the centralising element of Furuset, a small, but growing suburb. Furuset deserves a space that celebrates the qualities that make it special.
Trygve Lies plass should embrace and encourage the multicultural diversity of its users in a proud, democratic and flexible way. By maintaining an inclusive and fluid design strategy the urban realm can take shape in response to resident’s needs, economic conditions and emerging potentials and challenges.
The main concept is based on rolling out ‘urban carpets’ – from the inside to outside, from one corner to corner. The carpets form the connecting structure of the space, highlighting building entrances, public activities, handling stormwater, helping to make biking efficient and comfortable and can grow to encompass more possibilities.
BOUNDRY
YEAR 2020
YEAR 2020
YEAR 2015
YEAR 2015
BOUNDRY
BOUNDRY
Urban carpets rollUrban out from carpets inside rolltoout outside, from inside from one to outside, corner tofrom another, one corner to another, to form entrancestoand form departures entrancestoand the departures different buildings to the different and programs buildings and programs surrounding the square. surrounding the square.
YEAR 2015
YEAR 2015
YEAR 2020
YEAR 2020
YEAR 2040
YEAR 2040
I am very glad that while working with Mandaworks I could experiment with hand sketched elements and create all graphics for this project in that way. I had lot of fun!
BOUNDRY
Beyond the boundary Beyond wethe findboundary interaction we between find interaction life in buildings between life in buildings and life on street.and life on street.
Beyond the boundary Beyond we the findboundary interaction webetween find interaction life in buildings between life in buildings and life on street.and life on street.
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YEAR 2040
YEAR 2040
PEDESTRIAN PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATIONCIRCULATION
BICYCLE PATHS BICYCLE PATHS
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PLAN 1:1000 PLAN 1:1000
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CAR ACCESS/PARKING CAR ACCESS/PARK GARAGE
The square allowsof The for square pedestrians allowstofor move pedestrians freely throughout to move freely the centre throughout the centre The mobility hub connects The mobility Trgve hub Lies connects plass toTrgve the larger Lies plass bike path to the network larger bike path network car access through carexisting access and through planned exis The flexibility of our Theconcept flexibility allows of ourinside concept program, allowsdifferent inside program, needs and different needs and The concept will be Theable concept to deal will with be different able to deal scenarios with different of development scenarios development with car withcirculation car parking underground and circulation underground spaces is achieved spaces in the isexisting achieved garage in theb diverse variation diverse of expressions variationtoof rollexpressions out into thetosquare. roll out into the square. Furuset might face, Furuset and can might be implemented face, and can on be aimplemented small scale straight on parking a small and scale straight N N away and continue away to grow and continue along withtothe grow evolution along with of Furuset. the evolution of Furuset.
PLAN 1:1000 PLAN 1:1000
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Vaasa Ravirata
A new approach to a historic grid
I joined the project of Vaasa Ravirata in its second phase in 2016. The initial design by Mandaworks was awarded a first place in a competition in 2014 organised by Vaasa Municipality and Finnish Association of Architects.
The proposal expands the city following its original grid. The grid is broken using carefully placed diagonals to create variety of public spaces and connecting the new neighbourhood with its surroundings.
In the second phase we studied the new grid options and adjustments according to the latest changes. New density and typology requirements had to be taken into account. We studied variety of typologies, block structures and parking options using references from existing Vaasa layout. The information was processed to create conceptual typology diagrams and physical models. These could be used in workshops, helping to understand how
Vaasa works now and how we can use it in out proposal. We created mixed typology blocks, boulevards and green streets using the quality of storm water system in the area. The site used to be a horse racing track, so it was very flat, making it good starting point to continue with the original grid system. The closed urban blocks have a network of smaller safety paths and nice variety of microspaces supporting neighbour spirit.
and learn to understand the original concept, city of Vaasa using research of existing structure in designing new plans and moments. On this page I present two more projects I worked on as a part of Mandaworks.
Hiedanranta Innovation Bay Tampere, Finland, 2016
Proposal for invited competition by private developer in Slovakia, 2016 Team: Martin Arfalk, Patrick Verhoeven, Danny Bridson, Andrei Deacu,
As a part of Mandaworks I worked on two more exciting competitions. Succesfull competition project for Tampere Finland and Malacky, paralell assignment that I felt most personally connected with since it is an area of my childhood summers.
The project is still in process, after I left the Mandaworks office and the materials presented here are only the ones I worked on during that time. It was interesting to work on a follow up phase of a competition, adjusting the materials
Welcome to Petrzalka!
Pre-vitalizing for future development
Welcome to Petrzalka! is a pre-thesis urban project I worked on at Slovak University of Technology in 2013 with Lydia Medvecka and Alica Simkova under supervision of Marius Zitnansky.
Chorvátske rameno is a artificial canal forming and axis of the residential part of Bratislava Petržalka. Petržalka has been suffering from many urban problems, as a result of unfinished planning, postponing and cancelling the metro construction or lack of amenities and gathering spaces. This turned Petržalka into a place that most people were afraid to enter and visit.
*www.sav.sk/journals/uploads/03101209Stasikova.pdf
The rumours about high crime rate and many other urban myths are lately not even true, but the bad reputation stays. Our goal was to turn Petržalka into an attractive place, where not only current residents love to live but it also attracts people from the other parts of the city. As a starting point we took an existing research* done on the area, and gathering the information about places of fear and safety from the perception of current inhabitants. Some statements were contradictory, but we narrowed the information into pre-development previtalizing strategic steps.
There are big development plans for the area already in progress, and our idea was to prepare current inhabitants and the place for this change with smaller interventions. We analysed what
definition
makes scary places so scary and how to change that. Bringing new activities and people to these places that in the future are gonna be active part of this large neighbourhood.
activity
development
During this pre-thesis project I wanted to try photoshop postprocess and image editing. The illustration with baloon was only me playing with photoshop combining photos from the area and it was the first image I created this way.
Activities created following existing use of public spaces
Free time center
Activities for a growing neighbourgood
Free time center is my master thesis project I worked on at Slovak University of Technology in 2014 under supervision of Marius Zitnansky. The number of inhabitants in Petrzalka (residential part of Bratislava, Slovakia) will grow to the year 2030 thanks to new construction and development plans. This will
increase the demand after free time activities and services. Currently there is one free time center for the whole area, which in the future will be able to only hold up the capacity of northern part of Petrzalka. The southern part thou offers great options for the new free time center, that can be connected with the surrounding nature.
My design is based on current interest of inhabitants and the use of environment to create new activities. The architecture form is based on my previous urban work study resulting into smaller masses oriented on view and connection axes creating outdoor spaces for various smaller functions and activities.
Since I am fascinated by the influence of the space to people, actions and atmosphere I took references from old photographs of Petrzalka with its lovely corners and hidden spots. The objects create variety of unexpected spaces that hold various activities and form connections between action, people and environment.
Since this was the very last project I made on my old laptop that served me for 6 years I could not render any images but decided to approach the visuals in playfull, sketchy way. I managed to creade more views and this project led me to work with handsketched moments in the future.
I first wanted to understand how are the organised free time activities working today. I mapped institutions that provide activities for children and seniors studying which are most popular. I really enjoyed this part of research, getting to understand the real needs... ...and of course creation of this colourfull infograpgic.
The project included full set of drawings, site plan, all floorplans, set of 6 sections, 12 elevations and some construction details. I also still have the physical model in size of a big drafting table.
Personal Work
Small projects I created in my free time, as a part of postgraduate education or freelance work.
As a part of an EdX course Smart Cities I made a suggestion for an app, putting together information about playgrounds in the city. The goal is to help people to find the closest playground, collect data to improve the existing playgrounds, research the most popular activities, report problems. Bringing city closer to children is crucial for its future development.
I tested to develop the concept further to address playgrounds for all age categories, mapping not only official street sports but cultural spots where you can openly perform. Another addition could be unofficial playgrounds, places that people claimed playgrounds themselves (empty parking lots, unused building sites‌).
I constantly develop my hand sketching skills, and the combination of hand or tablet sketch with digital post-process. This is a selection of images used in design manuals, awarded competition proposal with studio Urban in Slovakia and open call for Christmas postcard by bookshop Artforum in Bratislava.
Before I started to explore urban moments by hand-sketches I also worked on post processing of rendered images. Examples here are from international student competition Houses for Change in 2013 and freelance work for AtelierArt in Bratislava in 2015 in collaboration
with Lukas Radosovsky. I enjoyed this work, but lately I am trying to focus on more illustrative presentations, experimenting with watercolour, markers, tablet with help, efficiency and flexibility of graphic softwares.
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