DI A N A B UL ATOVA
PORTFOLIO ARC HITECTURE | URBAN PL ANNING | DES IGN
About me
Diana Bulatova Originally from Kazakhstan, my pursuit of architecture brought me to the Netherlands, where I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Built Environment in Eindhoven. Focused on building physics within architecture, I discovered a passion for repurposing old industrial spaces into vibrant, livable environments. In 2021, I continued pursuing my Master’s degree in Delft, where two years later I graduated with Honors and Cum Laude. At TU Delft I was exploring diverse design methodologies and developed my skills through model-making and conceptual sketches. My thesis centered on creating spaces for young adults with Intellectual disabilities, fostering empathy and a deep understanding of user-centric design. Beyond architecture, I enjoy learning new creative hobbies—such as clay modeling, jewelry making, lino-printing, and digital illustrations—where experimentation with shapes and colors brings me great joy. I aspire to share this feeling through my designs and creative experiments!
Softwa re ArchiCad SketchUp AutoCad Adobe Creative Cloud Revit
L angua ge s English Russian Kazakh Dutch (B1)
P rofe s s i on a l ex pe r i e n ce Vray Lumion Procreate Enscape Delta Pi
06/2022 - 08/2022 Summer Internship at ARADA (Sharjah, UAE) Concept development through hand-sketching (urban scale) Concept development through hand-sketches and Sketchup (architectural scale) Research: case studies and report studies Lumion rendering 10/2022 - 07/2023 Architectural research internship at MLA+ (Rotterdam, Netherlands) Research by interviewing, case studies, literature review Data organization and layout-related work Diagrams and visualizations PR and communication methods 08/2023 - now Junior Architect at DP6 architecture studio Design of building facades Interior design Spatial/material studies
L EA RN I NG & LI VI NG CE NT E R FO R YO UNG P EOP LE WITH (I NT E LLECT UA L) DI SA B I LI TIES
Families of young people with intellectual and/ or developmental disabilities (YAIDD) reported that poor safety, social skills training and the unreadiness of the parents delays YAIDD from becoming autonomous adults. This master thesis focused on the Built Environment interventions that can improve Independence, Social participation and Wellbeing of the target group, to create a stimulating and welcoming setting specific to IDD. The study offers a suggested framework that could prepare YAIDD for autonomous living. The main functions that are present in the project are: short-stay residences, classrooms, community center and recreational areas. The following design concepts are addressed in detail through literature study and applied to the design at varying scales: Legibility and wayfinding, Prospect and refuge, Territoriality and control, Privacy and choice, Design for senses, Design for routine. The chosen site is located in Laakkwartier neighborhood of The Hague, Netherlands. This selection was driven by the presence of various amenities in the vicinity and the connectivity to the rest of the country offered by the nearby train station. Specifically, the focus of this
project centers around the transformation of an existing building within the area—a former school standing within a protected cityscape. The design outcome for this master thesis is to restore the building, rooted in the architectural legacy of Berlage, to its original purpose as a school while also accommodating activities beyond the realm of pure education. To foster an environment encouraging independent living, the Youth Development Center aims to provide both short-stay and longstay apartments. Furthermore, by incorporating an in-house physiotherapist and situating a community center adjacent to the school, the building strives to create an atmosphere that is both secure and integrated in the wider society. Given the monument status of the building on a city-scale in The Hague, certain limitations were imposed on the expression of the main facade and the overall appearance of the structure. Consequently, the extension structure, which houses the community center and the “inner street,” prominently features wood slats in stark contrast to the original ochre brick facade, thus harmoniously juxtaposing the old and the new elements.
Ground floor (existing - blue, new - pink)
First floor (existing - blue, new - pink)
Second floor (existing - blue, new - pink)
Classroom, ground floor
Common room (ground floor)
Laundry room (first floor)
Common living room (first floor)
Inner garden (ground floor)
Community center (ground floor)
Ground floor. Corridor as the inner street
LI GHT PAV I LI O N D ES I GN ST U DY/ EX PE RI M E NT I NG W I T H LI GHT, CO LO R an d SH AP E
Eq u ilib r iu m is a st ate of b alan ce , t ran q u ilit y, an d Ze n . Th e re are many me an in g s to t h e wo rd “e q u ilib r iu m”, h oweve r to me , to ex p e r ie n ce an e q u ilib r iu m is to ac h ieve a p e ace of min d . I n t h is sh o r t st u d y a sk ylig ht d e sig n is ap p ro ac h e d as an e le me nt b alan c in g o n a h o r izo nt al p lan e . S in ce t h e n at u re of e q u ilib r iu m is d yn amic , an d re q u ire s se lf-ad ju st in g to t h e imp ac t s of h u man an d n at u ral fac to r s, t h e sk ylig ht d e sig n is aime d to b e co me an inte rac t ive inst allat io n . E x p e r ie n c in g t h e sk ylig ht e le me nt re q u ire s e n g ag in g in t h e p h e n o me n o n of “e q u ilib r iu m“. To exag g e rate t h e effe c t s of inte rac t ive n e ss of t h e d e sig n , a p u lley syste m is mad e in co nn e c t io n w it h co lo re d g lass p an e ls. Th e me c h an ism allows v isito r s to c h an g e t h e in c lin e s of t h e p an e ls c re at in g eve r c h an g in g at mo sp h e re s p rov id e d by t h e n at u ral lig ht st r ik in g t h e co lo r p an e ls in u n iq u e an d u n ex p e c te d ways.
Preliminary sketches
Preliminary tests - physical model studies
Physical model. Final variant.
D E LTA S HE LT E R | RESE A RCH LA B T E RS CHE LLING
I n sp ire d by t h e met amo r p h o se s t akin g p lace in Te r sc h e llin g islan d , D e lt a sh e lte r is a small-sc ale re se arc h ce n te r inte n d e d to h o st fo u r re se arc h e r s. Th e islan d is k n ow n fo r t h e alte rat io n s in wate r leve ls t h ro u g h var yin g se a so n s of t h e ye ar, as we ll as t h e r ic h co ast al n at u re . Th e re se arc h ce nte r c an b e co me a to o l in t h e h an d s of t h e re se arc h e r s, as it offe r s a small lib rar y, lab o rato r y, re se arc h e q u ip me nt an d sto rag e , b u t b e sid e s it s p ro g rammat ic fu n c t io n s t h is b u ild in g is a sh e lte r - a sp ace w h e re re se arc h e r s c an re st in in d iv id u al b e d ro o ms an d st ay war m in t h e h ar sh co n d it io n s of t h e islan d . Th e p ro je c t was ap p ro ac h e d by ex p e r i e n c in g t h e lo c at io n an d d eve lo p in g an arc h ite c t u ral d e sig n t h ro u g h mo d e lin g .
Metamorphoses collage
Preliminary design idea
Structure model (plywood and foam)
Entrance sequence model (plywood, MDF, plaster)
HO B B I ES ILLUST RAT I O NS | (CLAY ) JE W E LRY MAKING | A NA LO GUE PHOTO GRA PHY
O t h e r t h an my p assio n fo r arc h ite c t u re an d inte r io r d e sig n , I am always c u r i o u s to ex p lo re d iffe re nt ar t me d ia w it h t h e fo c u s o n co mp o sit io n , co lo r an d ex p re ssio n . I n t h e fo llow in g p ag e s I wo u ld like to p re se nt my mo st re ce nt wo r k s in d ig it al illu st rat io n s mad e w it h P ro c re ate ; p o lyme r c lay b o ld an d abst rac t e ar r in g s; p r int s mad e w it h a lino c u t te c h n iq u e an d p re sse d o n p ap e r, an d an alo g u e p h oto g rap h s mad e w it h O lymp u s O M -1 c ame ra.
“Cat chronicles”. Digital illustrations (Procreate).
Jewellery designs (Instagram: @HEX_atelier). Polymer clay earrings.
“Dombyra“. Linocprint on craft paper
“Oyu“. Linoprint on paper.
Analogue photographs. Fujifilm (ISO 200)
Analogue photographs. Fujifilm (ISO 200)
Analogue photographs. Fomapan B/W (ISO 200)
THANK YOU! C ont act : di an akxb@gmai l.com