motivation.
Hi there!
I am Francesca and this is my portfolioTo Whom It May Concern,
I am Francesca Guarnieri and I am looking for a position as Junior Architect in a thriving architectural firm where I would be excited to contribute my three years of international professional practice and six years of European academic experience. This includes graduating Cum Laude from the Architecture Master’s at TU Delft and receiving nominations for the student section of the Dutch Daylight Award and for the UWE Future Awards. Today, I am eager to mature as an architect, further understanding the relation between innovation, craftmanship and buildability of a project, while pursuing qualification for the Architects Register (BEP) in an office that I would aim to build a long-term relationship with.
My experience spans various roles and project types across distinguished organizations of diverse sizes and locations, which I trust constitute an asset in new potential collaborations. From hands-on internships crafting physical models; building temporary shelters; and undertaking site studies. To architect assistant positions managing interns; developing concepts for tenders and variants for ongoing projects on Rhino and Enscape; finalizing construction drawing sets on Revit and AutoCAD within strict time frames; and visiting building sites with contractors. I have sharpened my skills across most project stages, becoming comfortable with tackling challenges independently while also fostering constructive multidisciplinary collaborations. Recently, I have ventured as freelance designer for small interior renovations, refining my client relations skills, and learning to integrate AI tools like Midjourney into my creative process.
My passion for making, rooted in my upbringing in the manufacturing traditions of Northern Italy, manifests today in a method where I seek balance between analogue and virtual approaches. Where handicrafts support holistic intuitive responses insightful in spatial and materials behaviors, while 3D and AI technologies streamline careful technical development. Additionally, I am enthusiastic about working on themes of low-energy and circularity in projects that involve unconventional natural materials and repurposed industrial objects. Where a solution-oriented approach to construction becomes pragmatic yet optimistic in contributing to the sustainability and resilience of our planet. Finally, I find it most fulfilling to create designs that support community needs through empathic dialogue with future users. This entails presentations with refined graphic clarity to enhance each project’s unique character and to help clients envision their future inhabitation of the proposed aesthetics.
Throughout nearly four years of living, studying, and working in the Netherlands, I have enriched my network and understanding of the local work culture. Currently studying Dutch to further integrate into the community, I am fluent in English, Italian, French and Spanish and proficient in navigating multicultural and multidisciplinary teams as a versatile communicator. Committed to continuous learning, I am eager to join a knowledgeable environment, where different perspectives drive collective solutions. Hence, I look forward to contributing my passion for architecture to an energetic team that values respect, collaboration, and work-life balance.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I would value the opportunity to discuss my portfolio and how I may contribute to your company at your convenience.
Sincerely,
Francesca Guarniericv.
contact
Delft, The Netherlands
06 42123314
francesca.guarnieri@hotmail.com
Website
ISSUU
skills
AutoCAD
Rhinoceros
Enscape
Revit
Photoshop
InDesign
Illustrator
PortfolioBuilder
Premier
Midjourney site, concept, technical hand modeling
languages
English Italian
French
Spanish
Dutch
interests
reading cooking connecting yoga jogging bouldering
Freelance Architect & Designer, Netherlands & Italy
Interior designer for the renovation of private apartments in Italy, using locally sourced, affordable materials yet with an elegant finish. Designer of FTC Homes as a reaction to the housing shortage and environmental uncertainties the Netherlands is facing. Operator of a small passive venture based on generative technologies.
Architect Assistant, Lot-ek, USA
Architectural and visual designer for the ephemeral Kid Amnesia exhibition building, including plans reorganization and presentation of the proposal to the client Radiohead. Drafter of executive drawings for the first modular C-Home. Visual designer for the Full Circle competition entry.
Architectural Designer, EMBT Miralles Tagliabue, Spain
Concept developer for the architectural extension and the urban plan of the Estación Barcelona Sants competition entry, also including survey analysis, management of new team members and presentation to collaborating firms. Urban designer for the new proposal of the Clichy Metro Station square, also including drafting of executive detail drawings. Product designer for the facade paneling of the Plateau Central apartment and market building, including product research and team management.
Architect Assistant, BornelloWorkshop, Italy
Interiors designer of space-effective solutions for the renovation of historical Venetian palaces also including production of quantity surveys & building permit requests. Landscape designer for the exteriors of a lakeside restaurant including renders and collages for materials selection with clients. Drafter of executive drawings for modern greenhouse and barn as extension of a venetian palace.
Architect Assistant, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris AHMM, UK
Urban plan designer for the preliminary stage of the Saxonvale mixed-use urban redevelopment, including site analysis and urban plan drafting. Composer of materiality boards and reports for the residential development schemes Westbury and Castle Cary to then present them to the client Backhouse.
Academic Research Assistant, Università degli Studi di Padova UNIPD, Italy
Researcher in Integrated Energy Systems (Smart Grid) at neighborhood scale in developing countries.
Degree In MSc Architecture, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands
Graduation thesis: Lebanon Dance Theater. History dissertation: Guidelines for Architectural Shifting Priorities. Distinction: final year graduation project awarded Cum Laude & nominated for the Dutch Daylight Award, student section. First year project selected to be presented to the UNHCR, Jordan department and to the architecture studio Foster + Partners. Extracurricular: Secretary & Event Coordinator of the Architecture Master Student Society ARGUS; Student Mentor of first year Master students.
Degree in (Ba)Hons Architecture & Planning, University of the West of England, UK
Graduation thesis: Upcycling Center. Dissertation: Biomimicry in zero-energy construction. Distinction: UWE Future Awards Third year abroad: Erasmus at ENSA Paris-La-Villette, France. Extracurricular: Peer tutor of first year students; Student Representative of the Architecture & Planning Degree students; event coordinator of the Exchange Student Society.
High School Diploma In Languages, State High School Duca degli Abruzzi, Italy
Graduation thesis: “Art as an expression of respect for oneself and nature”.
Mooc Design for Disassembly, TU DelftX, EDX Online
Workshop On Sustainable Urban Riverfronts, AMS Institute, the Netherlands
Hackathon Competiton, Lombardia Design Hub, Italy (Second Prize)
Construction Volunteering For Household Health, BVDA, UK + PSD, Nepal
Architectural Festival “La Ville Des Terres”, Bellastock, France
contents.
cv motivation
Lebanon Dance Theater
Regenerating public spaces freely accessible by citizens in Beirut.
Academic p. 10
Care Community Centre
Providing a safe heaven for the refugees community in Azraq.
Academic p. 26
Lot-ek
C-home
Repurposing containers to create a beautiful modular building in New York.
Professional p. 34
Clichy Metro Station
Revitalising a sensitive neighborhood in the outskirts of Paris.
Professional p. 42
lebanon dance theater
Location: Beirut, Lebanon.
Period: January - November 2022.
Typology: Architecture of leisure and culture, future-proof site vision.
GFA: Building 31,600+park 9,800 m²
Individual academic project: Master Thesis in the Complex Projects Graduation Studio at TU Delft, the Netherlands.
Tutors: D. Baciu, E. Blom, E. Brembilla, K. Kaan, H. Smidihen, H. Van der Meel.
Distinction: Awarded Cum Laude & nominated for the student section of the Dutch Daylight Award.
Practical skills: Concept, massing, site and architecture modeling.
Software: See more:
Concept: The ambition to create an official institution for Lebanese dance and its diverse dancers and audiences manifests in this Theater which acts as a catalyst in activating the derelict Ramlet-al-Baida beach and park, on which it sits. This results in a prototype of non-commercial theatre inclusive of affordable studio spaces for resident companies and for the amateur public.
Design: The nearby landmark of the Raouché cliffs inspires the massing of the Theater’s volume, composed of two lowrise limestone monoliths emerging horizontally from the ground. Which invite free appropriation of their surroundings, while counteracting the alienating verticality of the adjacent apartment towers. A slim textile canopy connects the two volumes, providing shelter over the void in between. Locals can gently stroll down to the beach while enjoying the framed view of the Mediterranean Sea, which acts as natural backdrop for all performances taking place.
Construction: Reinterpreting pre-Civil War ‘underground community theaters’ that used to populate Beirut’s streets, part of the building is excavated into the marine limestone grounds, which is sourced to the nearby stone manufactures, who, in return, provide the translucent limestone panels that render the building facade and can be light-up at night. Design for Disassebly conventions inspire technical detailing avoidant of adhesive products and the extensive environmental strategy is incorporated allaround to not disrupt the purity of the of the two monolithic limestone blocks.
Key
1. Lebanon Dance Theater (leisure)
2. Ramlet Al-Baida Ferry Terminal (mobility)
3. National Winery (culture)
4. Janack Public School (education)
5. Mar Elias Crop Market (production)
6. Beirut’s Living Room (housing)
7. Salam Emergency Station (civic)
site vision by the graduation group
‘The Beirut Mosaic’
accessible roof
accessible roof
production offices
professional studios
black-box audiblack-box foyer
therapy offices
institute entrance research center amateur studios cafe
diagram flexible seats/stage configurations in the black-box auditorium end-stage
Structural principle a., ‘cantilever’: a 22.5m long cantilever extends from 60m long load-bearing steel frame supported by continuous cross-bracing, offering shelter and undisturbed picture-frame large windows.
Structural principle b., ‘suspension canopy’: upper stressed level system of the central canopy inspired by the constructive principle of suspension bridges, thus supporting top structure.
1.500
care community centre
Location: Azraq, Jordan.
Period: March - June 2021.
Typology: Recreational, educational and community architecture, self-build, site planning.
GFA: 3,162 m²
Individual academic project in the Architectural Engineering Master Studio at TU Delft, the Netherlands.
Tutors: E. Hehenkamp, J. Schroen, K. B. Mulder, T. Asselbergs.
Distinction: Presented to the UNHCR, Jordan department and to the firm Foster + Partners.
Practical skills: 1.1 bricks prototyping, massing and concept modeling.
Software: See more:
Concept: This community space is designed for the Syrian population inhabiting the socially and climatically extreme environment of the Azraq Refugee Camp in East Jordan desertic grounds. Resulting in a modular healthy coherent building with an integral design system that makes the most of the scarce local resources. Particular attention is on providing a viable and reliable flow of water and gas, particularly useful in the community kitchen, toilets and courtyards. Thus, focal is the wastewater decentralised vertical flow system with annex biogas production.
Construction: With the goal of making more intentional technical choices, the design process is inverse from the typical, beginning with the delineation of the key ‘design tool’: the Interlocking Compressed Earth Block (I.C.E.B.). Produced with earth excavated from the Camp grounds, and inspired by Syrian tradition. Combined with waste materials of the standard T-shelters found on-site, the I.C.E.B. enables construction with minimum dependence on the low flows of goods coming from the outside of the camp. Besides, the possible involvement of local labor offers the community a sense of participation, economic revenue and transferable skills possibly valuable in their future.
render of the community centre
lot-ek c-home
Location: New York State.
Period: January - July 2020.
Typology: Private dwelling, container architecture, industrial products repurposing.
GFA: 252 m²
Professional group project at Lot-ek Architecture Firm, New York, United States.
Team: G. Lignano, V. Stolz, A. Tolla, R. Zia at Lot-ek.
Contribution: Finalising plans layout and technical systems , drafting executive drawings for construction phase.
Software: See more: Id
photograph @ Aundre LarrowConcept: C-Home is born from a desire to create a beautiful modular building system that brings together distinctive, design-forward architecture with conscious sustainable building practices. This first C-Home is intended as a prototype for an architectural venture that aims to provide prefabricated floor plans and footprints ranging from 33.445 m² up to 204.3867 m² to fit different needs.
Design: Four 12m upcycled shipping containers, three at ground level and three at second level. The two-bedroom home has an open layout at the main level, with open kitchen and living space and powder room/laundry, and two large windows on opposite sides to access the two outdoor decks. Two opposite stairs lead to the second level occupied by two separate bedroom suites, each with its own full bathroom, walk-in closet and large windows.
Construction: It is built entirely from reclaimed shipping containers, providing strength, durability and a modern industrial aesthetic, in as little as half the time of normal construction methods. Built in the factory while the site is prepared by the local contractor. As soon as the site is ready, the c-Home is craned in, with all interior elements installed. With only finishing touches and local inspection left before move-in.
axonometric diagram of the building
clichy metro station
Location: Paris, France.
Period: March - December 2019.
Typology: Square and metro station infrastructure, urban revitalisation.
GFA: 18,800 m²
Professional group project at EMBT, Enrique Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue Architecture Firm, Barcelona, Spain.
Team: I. P. Fernández, V. Larocca, E. Nedelcu.
Contribution: Designing and drafting executive detail drawings for the square and panels.
Practical skills: Prototyping and researching products for the interior panels.
Software: See more:
Ai Ps Id
Square: This Metro Station situated in the outskirts of Paris is a new important pole of connection and aims to enhance the area’s commercial vocation and the green connection with the nearing park Integration of the ground installations in the Square invites people coming out of the Station to participate in the life of the Square which will also host a weekly market and is partially sheltered by an attractive pergola-roof.
Metro Station: Once entering the Station, the circulation of the passengers towards and from the platforms is organized in a single unique space receiving natural skylight from the top. Colorful panels that cover the organic shape of the void characterise this unique space and were thus focus of intensive creative effort and innovative product research.
Concept: The motives of the pavement, and the shapes and the colors of the panels are inspired by the diverse origins of the local inhabitants and specifically by African decorative motives, in seeking a new identity that makes the Square a joyful, optimistic and attractive place for the community to gather with a feeling of belonging and safety.