Breno Lourenço RIBA Part 1 Architectural Assistant
EDUCATION
GCSE’s -
EXPERIENCE
Open 2024 Show, UoW, London End of Year work Exhibition.
In my final year of architecture studies, I took a lead role in organizing exhibitions, designing temporary sculptures, and curating engaging spaces. My responsibilities included overseeing setup, team coordination, and creating functional, visually appealing layouts.
Kier
As part of a 3 month Site Diary module with Kier, collaborated with partners to document and track changes and experiences at Marylebone Square (RIBA stages 0-7), achieving the highest grade in my year for this module (88/100).
Co Production Imperial College London participated in interdisciplinary workshops with UoW and ICL to redesign St Mary’s emergency department, enhancing the experience for people facing homelessness by addressing stigma, accessibility, and design.
Open 2023 Show, UoW, London End of Year work Exhibition.
In my second year of architecture studies, led exhibition organization, designed temporary sculptures, coordinated teams, and created functional, visually appealing spaces.
V&A Ramadan Pavilion
During my second year at architecture school, had the privilege of collaborating with my tutor Shahed Saleem on the Ramadan Pavilion 2023 project. Through my involvement in co-production and curation, I contributed to the realization of this dynamic and culturally significant project.
Brenozart
Brenozart is my creative Instagram where share architectural content, showcase my work, and connect with the design community, enhancing my skills in content creation, social media strategy, and engagement.
Mace participated in a two-day work experience program with Mace, where explored the impact of technology on the construction industry, specifically through the use of virtual reality (VR), at the 6 Marble Arch site.
Construction Youth Trust
participated in a two-day work experience program with Mace, where explored the impact of technology on the construction industry, specifically through the use of virtual reality (VR), at the 6 Marble Arch site.
ISG
During my two-week internship at ISG, I had the opportunity to shadow architects and sustainability professionals at high-profile construction projects, including Westminster City Hall, the Kew Gardens’ Temperate House, and the Google Headquarters.
UK Time Services
I’ve been involved in my family’s business, UK Time Services, where I’ve accompanied my father in maintenance projects for clients such as Altido, including work on projects like Westminster Fire Station.
Skills
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▶ Sanctuary of Antiquity: Exploring the Private Realm
Structural Strategy of the Fortress
Contemporary Ideas of Ruins Unveiling Stories of Antiquarianism at Somerset House.
This project explores the dynamic evolution of architecture, taking inspiration from the rich history of Somerset House and imagining speculative futures shaped by natural and human-induced events.
Central to the design is the concept of “managed decay,” symbolized by Brighton Pier’s decline, where the organic interaction between architecture and its environment leads to new narratives.
I propose the partial demolition of Somerset House’s north wing, reusing neoclassical elements to bridge the past and future. The design envisions a timeline from 2030 to 2080, where Somerset House transforms in response to rising temperatures and water events, such as the 2024 UAE floods. The debating chamber becomes the “Garden of Ruins” over time, with nature gradually reclaiming the space, blending historic architecture with a fluid, ever-changing landscape. Additionally, I examine the “Antiquavolution” of architectural elements and imagine an alchemical laboratory where materials
transform into architectural components.
The Fortress serves as an educational hub, preserving Somerset House’s legacy while allowing visitors to interact with its evolving facade. This project celebrates the transformation of built environments, encouraging reflection on how architecture can honor the past while adapting to future challenges.
Y3 Project 2024
Reflections in Solitude The Purifying Hoist Details
Steel Veins: The Heart of the Fortress
The Intellectual Qualities of ‘Ruin’ & how they play into the Architecture/Programme
Fluctuation
The columns undergo transformations, symbolizing the fluidity and adaptability of architectural forms.
Construction and Deconstruction
Each iteration represents a stage in the process of creation and dismantling, highlighting the cyclical nature of architectural
Recombination and Combination
Elements from different iterations are combined to create new forms, demonstrating the potential for
Imagination
The column iterations inspire creativity and imagination, encouraging viewers to envision new possibilities in architectural design.
Multiple Interpretation and Alternative Interpretation
The varied interpretations of the column iterations
Unfinished
The exploration of unfinished forms underscores the idea of perpetual change and the continuous quest for architectural perfection.
Morphing Column Apparatus
This intricate machinery orchestrates the evolution of the Antiquarian's signature columns, seamlessly transitioning between states of construction and deconstruction.
Contribution
Symbolizes the fluidity of architectural narratives, showcasing the dynamic interplay between tradition and innovation.
Phantasmagoric Light Emitters
These specialized light fixtures cast dynamic hues across the laboratory, enveloping the space in a kaleidoscope of colors inspired by the surreal landscapes of Somerset Phantasmagoria.
Contribution
Enhances the atmosphere, blurring the boundaries between reality and imagination, and infusing the space with a sense of otherworldly enchantment.
Antiquarian's Workbench
A central fixture for experimentation and assembly, the workbench serves as the nucleus of creative endeavors, facilitating the synthesis of historical fragments into contemporary forms.
Contribution Anchors the space, fostering collaboration and craftsmanship.
The Shifting Evolution of the Debating Chamber, 2050
By 2050, the Debating Chamber embodies the slow dissolution of architectural permanence, inviting a temporal disengagement that reveals the fragility of human structures. Natural light seeps through widening cracks, illuminating dust and decayed materials as stone erodes and metal corrodes. As the chamber leans and volumes shift, the architecture transitions, mirroring the ebb and flow of time’s influence. Here, light and material degradation dissolve the boundaries of built form, allowing viewers to witness a structure caught between stability and collapse.
The Alchemical Theatre transforms Somerset House’s courtyard into a stage where architecture takes the lead, challenging traditional concepts of theatre. Columns act as dynamic, interactive performers, experienced from multiple angles inviting viewers to disengage from linear time and explore a constantly shifting interplay of light, shadow, and water. This evolving space immerses the audience in a sensory experience that transcends conventional engagement, drawing them into a realm where the elements drive an ever-changing narrative.
The Courtyard Theatre of Voluminous Insight
▶ ▶ Antiqua[Morph] Engine
The Manipulation of Soane’s Theatrical Architectural Vision
2030 Antiquarianism
History through the Ages of Architectural Manipulation.
In this design proposal, I reimagine 19thcentury antiquarianism within Somerset House’s North Wing, currently occupied by the Courtauld Gallery, by assuming the role of a 2030 antiquarian. My aim is to manipulate architectural elements to redefine antiquarianism for the 21st century, drawing on the philosophies of William Chambers and John Soane.
Through the persona of the “Theatrical Reverie,” inspired by Soane’s Spectacular Theatre, explore a poetic deconstruction of architectural components using shadow puppeteering. This persona represents a transformative, small-scale approach that uses architectural destruction as a tool to impart historical lessons to future communities. The second persona, the “Neoclassical Alchemist,” engages in a constructive process, reassembling the elements deconstructed by the Theatrical Reverie—like Somerset House’s entrance columns—by blending tradition and innovation through model-making and large-scale marionette puppeteering.
Both personas converge into the antiqua[morph] engine, a conceptual machine capable of redefining the experiential, visual, and educational aspects of Neoclassical architecture. This collaboration symbolizes a paradigm shift in antiquarianism, offering a forward-looking interpretation of architectural heritage in 2030.
Y3 Project 2023
Somerset House polytriptych
The 2030 antiquarian as a Theatrical Reverie Antiquarian Dialogues: Theatrical Reverie meets Neoclassical Alchemy
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▶ Multiversity Cross-Section of Curiosity
The Malleable Classroom
Multiversity: Learning Through Unintentional Encounters.
In my design for Multiversity, I sought to redefine the conventional educational environment by crafting a fluid, boundaryfree space that fosters freedom of learning and creative expression. Drawing inspiration from the metaphor of the “fountain of knowledge,” Multiversity embodies a setting where education flows organically, unconstrained by traditional frameworks. Influences such as the Fun Palace, Reggio School, and Pompidou Centre informed its design, integrating adaptability, openness, and a vibrant, modular aesthetic.
Positioned at the heart of Elephant and Castle, this public educational and cultural hub features four suspended platforms for collaborative activities and three secluded pods, facilitating diverse, serendipitous learning experiences. The structure incorporates a sophisticated modular panel system, designed for soundproofing and energy efficiency, while the use of sustainable, locally sourced materials significantly reduces the carbon footprint. Multiversity operates as a reconfigurable summer school, offering an evolving educational landscape that adapts to the needs of its users, symbolizing a progressive vision for learning in the 21st century.
Y2 Project 2023
Multiversity’s Educational Theory
Ai Reconstruction Of Fountain Of Knowledge Into Tangible Architecture
Illustration Based On The Idea Of A Fountain Of Knowledge
Multiversity Final Model: A Tapestry of Learning
Multiversity Long Hybrid Elevation And Section. Pathway Of Possibilities
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Exploring The Site Through A Photographic Journey
Imperial War
Dynamic Experiential Final Plan
Fragmented Perspectives: Enhancing The Museum Experience.
This project is driven by the exploration and relationship between the user and object in a particular narrative expressed architecturally. Introducing an alternative entrance to the Imperial War Museum and an enhanced experience to objects displayed around the current structure, my proposal aims to have users experience the narratives through their journey through the fragmented views of objects.
The chaotic and non-traditional positioning of curved walls around museum objects are aimed to critique the current museum display and the relationship users have to the complex narratives behind each object. My expressive and abstract approach to my drawings are present to have viewers interpret the drawings for themselves through their unique frame and perspective on them. This way, narratives of objects and experiences are more unique, valuable and represented in each individual.
Museum:
Y2 Project 2022
Experiential Window Frame Collage
Dynamic Experiential Sections
Introducing An Alternative Entrance To The I.w.m
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▶ Above the Waters: Aerial Serenity Over Deptford Creek
Elemental Harmony: Materiality in Bathing Design
Hydrosphere: The Art of Bathing as Experience.
The project explores the profound relationship between bathing and the human experience, emphasizing the dramatic and immersive qualities of bathing houses across cultures. Central to my design is the concept of shared experiences within a dynamic, atmospheric environment, where varied room shapes and hidden spaces create a theatrical ambiance. Through the use of casting techniques, aimed to embrace the unpredictability of form allowing for organic shapes that contribute to the therapeutic nature of the space. The proposal features a series of pools at different levels, each designed to offer unique bathing experiences, from invigorating cold water immersion to tranquil warm baths.
Inspired by the staged experiences found in traditional Turkish hammams and modern architectural precedents such as The Vessel by Thomas Heatherwick, my design incorporates a horizontal circulation of steps that guide users through a journey of sensory exploration.
The interplay of geometry, informed by the works of Carlo Scarpa, introduces a rich spatial complexity that enhances the experience of movement and interaction with water. The design thoughtfully integrates the landscape, addressing the challenges of tidal fluctuations in Deptford while creating decorative pools that harmonize with the natural environment.
Sustainability is a key consideration, with the bath house constructed from cast-in-situ concrete, ensuring longevity and minimal maintenance. The design incorporates solar paths for passive heating, while ventilation strategies optimize comfort and air quality. Ultimately, this project seeks to redefine the bathing experience as an accessible, multi-sensory journey, celebrating the transformative power of water in a space that is both contemplative and engaging.
Y1 Project 2022
1. Gelatine, 20% Plaster & Clay 2. Straw, Plaster & Clay
3. Plaster & Clay
4. 20% Egg Shells, Plaster & Clay
Length Sections. Layered Perspectives: A Faded Journey Through the Bathhouse
Exploded Isometric Drawing of Bathhouse Deconstructed Elements: The Architecture of Immersion
▶ ▶ On Site View of Marylebone Square Sketches And Model Of Basement Construction Sequence
Marylebone Square: A Site Diary Exploration.
Over a three-month period, I had the privilege of visiting Marylebone Square on multiple occasions, where I meticulously documented the progress of the project from its initial planning phases through to its completion. Throughout this process, maintained close communication with the Senior Project Engineer and Design Manager, which provided me with invaluable insights into the intricate layers involved in a project of this magnitude and historical significance. This experience deepened my understanding of the various responsibilities encompassed within the RIBA stages of work. Achieving a commendable grade of 88/100 for this module reflects the substantial knowledge and skills gained from this enriching experience.
Y2 Project 2022 -23
On Site
The Ramadan Pavilion is a specially designed architectural structure that serves as a biannual showcase of creative art, design, and architectural innovation inspired by the holy month of Ramadan. It is accompanied by a diverse range of public programming centered around the arts and creativity, featuring events, workshops, performances, and Open Iftars.
The primary purpose of the biannual Ramadan Pavilion is to honor the lived experiences of Muslims both in the UK and around the world during the holiest month of the Islamic calendar. It aims to highlight the core values and traditions of Ramadan through architectural expression, experimental design, and a related public arts and culture initiative.
During the final stages of the Pavilion’s development, I had the privilege of working closely with Shahed, my tutor from my second year. This experience involved extensive collaboration, including painting, filing, and contributing to team dynamics and leadership roles. I was also present on-site during the assembly process which allowed me to gain hands-on experience in the practical aspects of bringing the Pavilion to life.
Designed by Shahed Saleem, the Pavilion evokes the essence of an abstracted mosque. The design draws inspiration from the V&A’s Prints and Drawings collection, reflecting the historical significance of mosques and depicting the experiences of Muslims in Britain.
Painting Sections Of The Pavilion Before Assembly With My Colleagues
Y2 Project 2023
Ramadan Pavilion.
Final Year Exhibition works.
Throughout both my second and final year of undergraduate architecture studies, I played an integral role in the organization and execution of various exhibitions. was heavily involved in all aspects of the exhibition process, from the design and creation of temporary sculptures to curating a cohesive and engaging exhibition space. My responsibilities included overseeing the build-up, coordinating with teams, and ensuring that the spatial layout was both functional and aesthetically pleasing. This experience allowed me to develop a range of skills, including project management, creative problem-solving, and attention to detail, all while fostering collaboration and teamwork. My involvement in these exhibitions has strengthened my ability to translate design concepts into immersive physical environments, enhancing the overall experience for visitors and participants alike.
