portfolio.
Iveta Nikolova
selected works 2021 - 2024
Iveta Nikolova
I am deeply passionate about designing architecture that centres on both people and the environment, while integrating thoughtful narratives into each project. My fascination with how people perceive and experience space, materiality, and form drives my human-centric design approach. I believe thorough research is fundamental to creating impactful architecture and I enjoy exploring concepts that challenge conventional thinking and expand creative boundaries. My Bachelor's at TU Eindhoven and my Master's at TU Delft, where I graduated cum laude, have provided me with a multidisciplinary foundation and through different technical courses, research assignments, and design studios, I have gained a deep understanding of both the construction and artistic aspects of architecture. My project experience spans a diverse range of project types and scales, from the intimate design of a small tea house to expansive residential developments, public buildings, and heritage preservation initiatives. This breadth of experience allows me to approach design thoughtfully at any scale. I am a perfectionist at heart, approaching each project with a strong sense of responsibility, meticulous attention to detail, and genuine passion.
Sep 2022 - Jul 2024
education
MSc Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences
Delft University of Technology
Graduated cum laude.
Sep 2017 - Jul 2021
BSc Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences
Eindhoven University of Technology
Developed a strong multi-disciplinary background.
Sep 2012 - Jun 2017
Secondary High School Diploma
73. German Language High School, Sofia, Bulgaria
Completed secondary education with a focus on German language and mathematics.
work experience
May 2022 - Sep 2022
Aug
AEMSEN, Rotterdam
Worked on diverse residential projects, with a focus on sustainability and modularity. Assisted in the conceptual and design phases and contributed to the production of drawings, visualisations and presentations.
Front Office Employee of the International Office
Education and Student Affairs, Eindhoven University of Technology
Served as a first point of contact for international students, managed email and phone inquiries, and reviewed hundreds of student applications.
Student Assistant of the International Office
Education and Student Affairs, Eindhoven University of Technology
Assisted international students and helped with reviewing student applications.
p. 22-35 p. 6-21
Saba Children's Centre
Kesklinn Community Centre
Philharmonic Hall Maastricht A Place Called Home
Collection of drawings
p. 58-63
p. 46-57
p. 36-45
Kesklinn Community Centre
Academic work, TU Delft
MSc 3/4 'A Matter of Scale'
Site: Tallinn, Estonia
September 2023 - July 2024
The Master’s graduation studio ‘A Matter of Scale’ focuses on the urban context of Tallinn. In the first quarter, students analyse the city in small groups and, after various levels of analysis and onsite research, select a project site and define a detailed design program.
My graduation project explores the relationship between memories, perception, and Soviet-era architecture. The chosen project site is the former "Turist" foreign currency shop in Tallinn, built for the 1980 Summer Olympics. As a Soviet-era building aimed at those with foreign currency, it symbolizes the inequalities of the communist regime. The government has failed to secure heritage protection for the building, and an architectural competition plans to replace it with a high-rise, risking significant architectural heritage loss. As an alternative to the demolition plan, my project proposes preserving and transforming the Turist shop into an inviting community centre, while honouring the past, present, and future of the site.
The exterior of the Turist shop was aimed to be preserved while an extension was designed to seamlessly wrap around it. A new layer wraps around the existing structure, opening up the monumental Soviet building and redefining the urban setting.
A very important consideration was that the extension would not exceed the height of the urban block. This is to ensure that the new addition fits well within its context and that it doesn’t overshadow the buildings around it or the courtyard.
0 5 10 20 m
Ground floor
The roof of the extension slopes towards the buildings around and the courtyard, establishing a visual connection. The slopes of the two roofs are purposely designed uneven, where the slope of the South-west side is steeper, emphasizing it as the building's main elevation.
An atrium is added between the two buildings. This space is the heart of the project, where the old meets the new. It is covered with a sloping glass roof, so sunlight can enter to the atrium and to the extension.
Axonometric view
0
The courtyard of the urban block is envisioned as a green heart with seating places and a playground, which are open to the public. The elevations on the courtyard side, are a very open, reflecting the surrounding residential developments and allowing for more daylight. The horizontal elements continue from the Southern facades and wrap around the building. A rhythm is established through precast panels creating depth in the façade.
View from the courtyard
For large events like lectures or performances, the flexible space can extend the auditorium, providing extra seating.
As the partition walls are hung on railings suspended from the ceiling, these can be moved in any direction within the rectangular grid, doubling as exhibition panels.
This space can also host various popup events, such as markets from local artists.
The walls of the South façades have a fluted surface, emphasizing verticality within the extension while also echoing the curves of the former Turist shop. In response to its architecture, the façades of the extension exhibit a play between openness and closeness. To allow for sunlight, windows are integrated, which are perceived differently from different perspectives. On the ground floor the rhythm of the windows is reversed, in order to have windows on the longer sides of the walls and to be more inviting to the passing pedestrians.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
South-west Elevation
Ground floor
Section
metal coping
precast concrete element
water drip
corrugated steel sheet - 0.5 mm
battens - 48x48 mm
counter battens, ventilated cavity - 48x24 mm
waterproofing - 3 mm
thermal insulation - 150 mm
thermal insulation - 150 mm
Schöck Isokorb
B.
stop bead, galvanized - 3 mm
grout with backing rod
gypsum boards with plaster finish - 12.5 + 10 mm
vapour proof thermal insulation - 180 mm
precast fair face concrete panels - 150 mm sand
C.
D.
sidewalk pavement bitumen paint geotextile mat, fleece coarse gravel fine gravel porous boards
terrazzo tiles with brick aggregates - 15 mm
mortar bed
screed with underfloor heating - 80 mm
impact sound insulation - 40 mm
Schöck Isokorb cast in situ concrete
E.
gypsum boards with plaster finish - 12.5 + 10 mm
vapour proof thermal insulation - 180 mm
threaded rod with nut precast fair face concrete panels - 150 mm
grout with baking rod
embedded plate and field slotted angle cast in situ concrete column
gypsum boards with plaster finish - 12.5 + 10 mm
vapour proof thermal insulation - 180 mm
threaded rod with nut precast fair face concrete panels - 150 mm
grout with baking rod
embedded plate and field slotted angle cast in situ concrete column
The former Turist shop is transformed into a modern library. The original steel railings are reinterpreted and continuous wooden surfaces are added to them, where people can sit to study or read. The floor is finished with terrazzo tiles, where remnants of the Turist shop endure in the form of crushed brick pieces, reflecting the memory of the place throughout the entire building.
View from the first floor of
2
Saba Children's Centre
Academic work, TU Delft
MSc 2 'EXTREME Architecture'
Site: The Bottom, Saba
September 2022 - January 2023
The assignment of this course was a day care center on the island of Saba, a challenging site with difficult access, rugged topography, and frequent earthquakes and hurricanes. The project has been approved by the Saban government, with a client in direct collaboration with TU Delft and the course students. The design needed to meet an extensive set of requirements, accommodating children of various age groups and incorporating several shared facilities.
My design draws inspiration from Saba's building traditions, with a focus on preserving the island’s vernacular architecture. Recognizing the limitations of traditional methods in a modern context, my goal was to reinterpret these elements thoughtfully, blending tradition with contemporary needs. The proposal presents an urban setting which creates a safe and enjoyable environment for the children, where they are stimulated to play, learn and develop.
The program is split into smaller volumes, inspired by the traditional Saban cottages, and arranged in a village-like setting. Two internal courtyards are created, which serve as playgrounds.
The complex is accessible from multiple points, allowing each age group quick access to their designated building. The buildings are intentionally separated where they meet in a corner, to ensure hurricane and earthquake stability.
The facades facing the streets are inspired by the vernacular Saban architecture, featuring small windows and green shutters. In contrast, the facades facing the courtyards open up, offering greater transparency and flexibility.
The facades of the shared facilitieskitchen and laundry, administration and swimming pool, differ from the other buildings, to reflect the difference in function.
Each building is composed out of three main spaces - a big open and flexible space, where the teaching and play activities take place; an in-between semi-open space, which would be used as an internal access gallery; and a veranda, as the transition space from inside to outside. Each boundary sets a different level of transparency and therefore a different level of privacy, going from more to less private towards the inner courtyards.
View from the gallery of the Day Care
The two daycare buildings are strategically located at the lower end of the plot, where the terrain is less steep, making it safer and more suitable for the children. The common facilities are centrally positioned for easy access from all buildings.
Floor
foundation
timber beam
roof panels
battens
waterproofing layer 5. corrugated steel roof
Interior wall 6. timber frame studs
sound insulation
plywood panels
and
timber flooring
timber beams
waterproofing layer
concrete ground slab
drainage channel
drainage pipe
F. Section of a facade fragment
E. Exterior elevation
D. Interior elevation
A. Roof ridge 1:10
B. Wall to roof connection 1:10
C. Wall to roof connection
G. Wall to roof connection
Philharmonic Hall Maastricht
Academic work, TU Eindhoven
Bachelor End Project
Site: Maastricht, Netherlands
February - June 2021
The final Bachelor project centered on designing a philharmonic hall that meets a complex set of requirements, including two auditoriums, rehearsal rooms, artist spaces, a hotel, and a conservatory with direct access to the philharmonic facilities. The design of the philharmonic hall required detailed development, while the other functions had only to be defined by their volume and form. On a larger urban scale, the project also needed to anticipate future developments such as an arts school, an architecture school, and a theatre school.
The materiality, form, and spatial organization of my proposal were shaped by the dynamic relationship between public and private areas within the building. The project explored the research question: “How can varying levels of privacy in a public building be expressed through architectural techniques to create a distinctive experience for users as they move through different spaces?”
Overhangs are created by elevating the upper floors to allow unobstructed ground-level movement.
Public functions on the ground floor, with its organic shape, contrast the cubic volumes above, highlighting the publicprivate space relationship.
The public-private theme is also expressed through the height, as the more private spaces are positioned on the higher levels.
Main auditorium
Artists’ lounge
Fitting rooms
Green rooms
Utility room
Small auditorium
Storage
Fitting rooms
First
The public-private relationship is expressed through the materialization of the facade. The ground floor, where the most public functions in the building are placed, is completely transparent and this is achieved through a curtain wall. The higher levels have a translucent polycarbonate facade. The private spaces inside are enclosed by concrete walls but the translucent exterior hints to these volumes.
The positioning of the windows aims at being abstract and at the same time at framing different views to the outside. The only exception to the unordinary positioning of the windows is the East facade, where the circulation of the private areas is. Here the windows are much smaller and their arrangement is rather formal, compared to the rest of the facades.
A Place Called Home
Academic work, TU Delft
MSc 2 'Freedom'
Site: Antwerp, Belgium
Date: May - June 2023
The 'Freedom' studio assignment involved designing a work-dwelling complex for 50 to 150 residents in in an inner-city plot in Antwerp. The final design was presented as a graphic novel, illustrating a day in the lives of three occupants and how the design reflects their understanding of freedom, balancing individual liberties with the common good.
A key aspect of my approach was to select protagonists from diverse backgrounds and household types. I engaged in discussions with each character to understand their vision of an ideal living environment. My design proposal integrates their aspirations while promoting community relationships within the complex. To achieve this, I included various communal facilities that cater to different scales - the scale of the urban block, of a floor level and of the living units.
The following pages feature an excerpt from the graphic novel, with the complete version available on Issuu.
the new residential block in antwerp got finished just recently. the new residents were quite happy living there, enjoying different communal areas, lots of outdoor space and most importantly the freedom of their own homes. but you might be wondering how they all got to here...
...a couple of weeks before they were still arranging some final things in their new
Lian is hanging up some art from her previous home. she lives in a social housing unit but she has the same freedom as all other residents.
Jonathan has just finished assembling their last piece of furniture. Christelle is very happy that in their new apartment they can finally furnish it however they like.
Niels and manouk also live in a social housing unit. They have just hung up new bookshelves but it seems that their cats - fyodor and tommy are also enjoying them quite a lot.
all appreciated the agency of being able to personalize their units to their taste.
Almost time to leave to university. I will finish my coffee and bring Joshua to the day care on my way.
I will go out with you and do a laundry before I start work. I will be working from here and I will check on Joshua in the afternoon.
Say bye to dad, sweetheart!
Great! I am so glad that the day care is just downstairs and we can visit him anytime.
Goodbye, buddy!
Hey, Niels, someone went out for a walk again!
Ahh, there he is! They always try to sneak out and go on the gallery.
HaHa! I suppose they also enjoy the gallery as much as we do!
Fyodor! Were you outside again?! Perhaps we should close the sliding door.
Yes, I let’s do that! Tommy will probably also join.
Finally we have a balcony which is also safe for the cats. Yes, indeed!... Oh, there he comes!
What time is it? Perhaps we should head to work soon.
Let me check.. Oh yes, it’s time to go!
Heyy, Lian! Good morning. Where are you headed so early, Isn’t today your day off?
Alright, enjoy your day then! And hopefully the season this year is good, so we can all try some delicious home grown vegetables.
I hope so too! Have a nice day at work. Bye-bye!
I think I will go to work by bike today. The weather is quite nice.
Yes, I was planning on that too!
Good morning! That’s right but you know that I like waking up early. I am going to the garden, going to plant some new vegetables.
0Collection of drawings
House in Budel-Dorplein | drawing by reference | digital drawing
villa by ISSHOArchitects | drawing by reference | digital drawing
SHINMINKA
Building expressed through circular movement | drawing by reference | fineliners on paper
Texture study of bamboo | drawing by observation | pencil on paper
The abandoned Ovcha Kupel Thermal Baths 1 | drawing by reference | pencil on paper
Venice | drawing by reference | charcoal on paper
The abandoned Ovcha Kupel Thermal Baths 2 | drawing by reference | pencil on paper
Building in Sofia 1 | drawing by reference | fineliners on paper
Iveta Nikolova