Architecture Portfolio Laura V. Revelo V.
Selected Work 01
Pathway to the Sky of Nazca
02
Central Park Pavilion Competition
03
Connecting the city: Librar Bridge
04
Landscape Project in Rome Univestity of Roma Tre (Collaboration with A. Arregui & N. Gremion)
05
Housing Project in Lima
06
Spiritual Center in Arequipa
Laura Victoria Revelo Vicuña Professional Degree in Architecture from PUCP (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú). With studies in Rome - Italy and work experience in Mexico. My work abroad has taught me to lead teams, enjoying multicultural and multidisciplinary work. I am passionate about design and creating new innovative concepts. I consider myself a highly empathic person, always looking for new challenges and proactive in proposing ideas. Interested in innovating, creating, learning and motivating
Mello Franco 928 Jesús María Lima – Lima +51924954346 +5116509943 laurarevelo90@gmail.com
Final project selected in the Top 25 Archiprix Competition
Collaboration with Ander Arregui and Nubia Gremion
Urban proposal for Lima
Low - cost housing exploration
Landscape project in Peru
Pathway to the Sky of Nazca
01
The Lines of Nazca are giant geoglyphs drawn over the desert of Nazca - Peru on the year 500 A.C. aprox. It is said that the “Nazca Culture”, an ancient pre-Columbian civilization, drew them as a way to communicate with the gods of the sky. In spite of its importance, the site has been neglected by Peruvian authorities and, till the date, there is not a proper way to see them . The greatest investigator of the Nazca Lines was Maria Reiche, an archeologist who associated the Nazca Lines with the ancient worlds of the pre-Columbian cosmology: the underground or UKU PACHA, the ground or KAI PACHA, and the sky or HANAN PACHA. Finally, she concluded that: “The Nazca lines were made BY man but not FOR man, but for the view of the gods that inhabit the sky”. This was the premise that kicked off the personal search of this project. In order to see the Nazca lines is needed to go towards a world we do not normally inhabit: the SKY.
The project consists on a Site Museum that exhibits the legacy of the Nazca civilization and the studies about the Nazca Lines, but also that functions as an ascending path that culminates in the experience of inhabiting the sky and discovering the Nazca Lines. The strategy will be to conceive the building as a “ladder to heaven�, along of which will appear a succession of enclosures and voids that will contain the exhibition areas, to finally board a ZEPPELIN, the airship that will allow visitors to see the Nazca Lines .
How can men inhabit the sky? Current ways to see the Nazca Lines: Light planes unsafe contamitaning dizziness disconfort low capacity Ideal way to see the Nazca Lines:
Viewing Tower: insufficient height (17m) low capacity (10 people) limited vision (only 2 geoglyps) fragile structure Zeppelin: hibrid rigid airship complete view o the site ecological - minimum fuel great load capacity practical landing system
Museumorganization organization related to the - Columbian worlds:Nazca Lines were made BY man Museum related to the Pre Pre - Columbian worlds:“The but notNazca FOR man, but for the viewBY of man the GODS thatFOR inhabit thebut SKY.for ” the view of the GODS “The Lines were made but not man, The thatresulting inhabitbuilding the SKY.is” a STAIRWAY that stores and displays elements of the Nazca culture. (-Maria Reiche)
S1: Stairway as a strategy for stepping up. S1
S2: Succession of spaces along the way. S3: Space connection with the sky.
䠀䄀一一䄀一 倀䄀䌀䠀䄀
䠀䄀一一䄀一 倀䄀䌀䠀䄀
一䄀娀䌀䄀 䌀䤀嘀䤀䰀䤀娀䄀吀䤀伀一
䬀䄀䤀 倀䄀䌀䠀䄀
S2 吀䠀䔀 一䄀娀䌀䄀 䰀䤀一䔀匀
䄀匀䌀䔀一吀䤀伀一
䴀䄀刀䤀䄀 刀䔀䤀䌀䠀䔀ᤠ匀 圀伀刀䬀
䬀䄀䤀 倀䄀䌀䠀䄀
娀䔀倀倀䔀䰀䤀一 䈀伀䄀刀䐀䤀一䜀 䄀匀䌀䔀一吀 䄀刀䔀䄀 吀䠀䔀 䰀䤀一䔀匀 吀䠀䔀 䰀䤀一䔀匀 吀䠀䔀 䰀䤀一䔀匀 一䄀娀䄀 䰀䤀一䔀匀 吀伀圀䔀刀 ☀ 䔀䄀刀吀䠀 吀䠀䔀伀刀䤀䔀匀 匀䌀䄀䰀䔀 䴀伀䐀䔀䰀 一䄀娀䌀䄀 ☀ 圀䄀吀䔀刀 一䄀娀䌀䄀 䄀刀吀 䠀䄀䰀䰀 䠀䤀匀吀伀刀夀
唀䬀唀 倀䄀䌀䠀䄀
S3
唀䬀唀 倀䄀䌀䠀䄀
S4
S4: Boarding the zeppelin to view the Nazca Lines
Floor 1
Floor 1: Main hall Museum Research & Laboratories Floor 2: Model exhibition space Ascention tower Cafeteria Floor 3: Ascention tower Waiting room Boarding area
Floor 2
Floor 3
The public space is a stepped pathway to the boarding area and Zeppelins. The resulting building is a STAIRWAY that stores and displays elements of the Nazca culture. The museum is composed of patios, that represent the importance of natural elements for the The public space is a stepped pathway to the boarding area and Zeppelins. Nazca civilization, and closed spaces that evoke inward confined by concrete walls, that isolate visitors from the outside world to introduce them into the world of pre-Columbian culture, showing its art as ceramics and textiles.
ASCENDING TO THE SKY The “Puquios� of Nazca were helical paths that connected the underground with the world above. In this way, the museum culminates with a space that frames the sky and its route enables the visitor to feel he can ascent into it. This is the first connection with HANAN PACHA, the world of the gods, before inhabiting it .
Top: Exhibition room 1 (ceramics and textiles). Bottom: Exhibition room 2 (Plans and photographs)
Section Model: Ascending tower
Museum roof. 2016
Ancient textile. 300aC
THE ROOF: NAZCA TEXTILES & LIGHT The main exhibition room contains a scale model of the archeological area that can be seen from above through an elevated path. The roof of this, and other exhibition areas, solves the illumination and ventilation through a series of diagonal skylights which filter natural light into the chamber. The disposition of this skylights generate a geometrical composition similar to the patterns of the ancient Nazca textiles, in which the duality appears as a game of shadows and volumes creating a new faรงade of the building that is offered to the sky.
INHABITING THE SKY: ZEPPELINS OVER NAZCA
Airships floor plan
Front view
Interior: cabin with translucent floor
In 1970 Jim Woodman postulated the theory that the Nazca were able to build hot air balloons with their textiles to fly over the sky. Inspired by this, the proposal culminates into boarding a ZEPPELIN, using today’s technology to provide the visitor with the experience of turning into a god of Nazca who flies over the sky and contemplates down towards the Nazca Lines.
Central Park Pavilion Competition
02
In collaboration with: Nubia Gremion (Brasil), Ander Arregui (Spain). What means Central Park to the people who visit it? Tranquility, beauty, nature and silence in the middle of the chaotic New York City. For this reason, the proposal consists on reconnecting men with nature through a pavilion which becomes a journey that aims to change people who go across it, inviting them to perceive nature, to reflect and to feel the silence. Due to this fact, the project is located between the Great Lawn and the Turtle Pond, contemplating the Belvedere Castle, a zone in Central Park designated for quiet activities.
The Pavilion, composed of a wooden structure that reaches a 1.500m² area on which people can perambulate through a four stages path, which represents the cycles of nature, the seasonal change of the year. Each of them have a different atmosphere and composition regarding to the activities that will be develop inside and are connected by a translucent wall made of wooden stripes which define the spaces. There are four pavilions in total: Summer, autumn, winter and spring. They represent a journey and are designed to evoke the emotions of each season of the year and connect people with the surrounding landscape.
Connecting the city: City: Librar LibraryBridge Bridge
03
The city Lines of of Lima Nazca is a are complex giant city geoglyphs with many drawn problems over thetodesert be addressed. of NazcaOne - Peru of these on the is year the fragmen500 A.C. aprox. of tation It the is said citythat by athe high-speed “Nazca Culture”, road called an Via ancient Express. pre-Columbian It divides two civilization, neighborhoods drew of them the as city,a way to also which communicate lack public with spaces the gods and of quality the sky. equipment. In spite of From its importance, this problem the site emerges has been the neglected intention by Peruvian to re-integrate authorities both neighborhoods and, till the date, through thereaispublic not a proper architectural way to project see them with . a program that The greatest benefits the inhabitants investigatorof of both the Nazca neighborhoods: Lines was Maria the media Reiche, library. an archeologist Thus, the project who associated proposes the Nazca Lines strategy of “sewing” with theboth ancient sidesworlds of the sunken of the pre-Columbian road through the cosmology: architectural the underground archetype of the or UKU BRIPACHA, DGE, andthe thus ground unite two or KAI parts PACHA, of the city andthat the were sky orpreviously HANAN PACHA. totally disconnected. Finally, she concluded The innovation that: “The is that, Nazca unlike lines conventional were madepedestrian BY man butbridges, not FORthis man, willbut be for a HABITABLE the view of the BRIDGE, gods that which inhabit will link the sky”.neighborhood one This was the premise with another, that kicked through offathe route personal in which search houses of this a public project. program In order thattocomplesee the Nazca lines ments the lack is needed of equipment to go towards in the zone. a world we do not normally inhabit: the SKY.
The project becomes a bridge that is a place of being and not just of transit; With greater complexity, joining more than one point on each side of the Express Way (a busy fast lane in Lima) to form a continuous route on the first level, which serves as a public space for the city, which is activated by Complementary program such as restaurants and cafes. This route leads to a cultural rooftop, where art exhibitions can be held as an open gallery and where access is available to the main program of the project: the Media Library.
This Media Library is in a high volume of massive appearance due to its materiality in exposed concrete, from which is born the public space mentioned above crossing both sides of the sunken highway and rejoins the city.
Landscape Project in Rome
04
The project is located in the district of Testaccio, near the center of the city, between the ExMattatoio complex (current Rome Tre architecture faculty) and Monte dei Cocci. It is an area in front of the faculty, with a high traffic of students and surrounding businesses that currently works only as a parking lot. Then, the project intends to recover the potential of this area as a public space that serves both the students of the university and the inhabitants of the city. There are two components that govern the area: the natural and the building. The first one refers to the organic and informal geometry of the natural elements of the place (like the pile of pots) that are opposed to a much more rational and formal language, that of built buildings. This rigid geometry configures a city that has forgotten its natural component.
The project intends to bring the movement and informality of the natural elements surrounding the urban environment. For this, it is configured through an organic geometry that forms a route between points in the district that were previously not connected: the area of the Aldo Manuzio and Galvani tracks with the area of the Campo Boario track Floor plan of Garden Area
Development of Urban Woods Area
Development of Open Library Area
Housing Project in Lima
05
The lack of low-cost housing and quality is also another of the biggest problems in the city of Lima. Particularly, the “Surquillo� district was studied, which, being a district of low socioeconomic level, reflects the recurring problems of the city: houses in poor condition, dangerousness, low quality of life and lack of public space. So the project seeks to reorganize one of the blocks in order to revitalize it. It will begin by recognizing the gaps in the block and generate a large public space that connects visually with the avenues and will generate a change of scale, through the buildings, which make up the plaza created and take the user from one district to another Neighborhood The housing buildings will take into account 3 features outstanding in the current housing in the area: economic, light and changing. It proposes a mixed economic structure of concrete slabs and a light steel structure that allows to create minimal but functional housing units with spatial quality.
Typologies
The structural mesh of the building allows each housing unit to expand horizontally as required by its inhabitants, generating various types of housing prototypes. In its first level, the building responds to other uses of housing, such as commerce; And to the different urban scales, such as streets and squares. A typology is then created adaptable to each user, who uses it according to their needs. In this way, the building is determined by its inhabitants.
First Floor Plan
Sections:
CT - 3
CL - 3
CT - 4
CL - 4
Housing Detail:
Centro Espiritual Spiritual Retreat Center de Retiro in Arequipa
05 06
There The Lines are hidden of Nazca landscapes are giant that geoglyphs evoke drawn deep emotions, over the this desert is the of Nazca case of- the Peru Colca on the Canyon year 500 in Peru. A.C. aprox. A natural It islandscape said thatlocated the “Nazca at 5000 Culture”, m.s.m.,anwhose ancient potential pre-Columbian the project civilization, seeks to take drew advantage them asofa wayproposing by to communicate a Spiritual with Retreat the gods Center. of the sky. In spite of its importance, the site has been neglected by Peruvian The project seeks authorities to create and,spaces till thethat date,invite therereflection, is not a proper taking way advantage to see them of the . condition of the The greatest landscape toinvestigator connect with of the oneself Nazca and Lines the was environment. Maria Reiche, In addition an archeologist it generates who associated a new typethe of Nazca Lines tourism in the with Colca: the Spiritual ancient worlds Tourism, of putting the pre-Columbian in value the spiritual cosmology: character the underground of the place,orwhich UKU PACHA, had not been the ground used until or KAI now.PACHA, and the sky or HANAN PACHA. Finally, she concluded that: “Thebuilding The Nazca lines is located were made in the BY man landscape, but notposing FOR man, according but for the to the viewtopography of the gods as thatrocks inhabit in the sky”. This was mountain. It was the conceived premise that through kickedthree off the main personal project search ideas: of Continuity, this project.Light In order and to darkness, see the Nazca lines is needed to go towards a world we do not normally inhabit: the SKY. Environment.
1. Continuity: Generate a module with the property of meshing one after another and generating an element that turns out to be the building. 2. Light and darkness: The journey of the project goes from darkness to light, starting with isolation from the landscape introspective, then open to it and discover it again. It creates a game of light that provokes different emotions in the user and allows activities such as meditation and contemplation. 3. Environment: Control the way in which space relates to the landscape, either opening or closing to it Shape Process: Monolithic shape in the landscape with opennings to favor light.
1st Floor Plan
Section A
Section E
South facade
Section B
Section C
Section D
West facade
East facade
References Gaeta - Springall Architects Arc. Julio Gaeta (+52) 5661.546 / (+52) 5663.0046 YUPANA Architecs Arc. Martín Montañez (+51)989882614 Arc. Eduardo Acuña (+51)987979660 Centro Tierra Arc. Sofía Larraín srodriguezlarrain@gmail.com Benavides & Watmough Architects Arc. Alfredo Benavides +51 (01) 241-07-6