Architecture & urban design portfolio of Sofia Lichvarova (2022)

of selected academic works 2017-2022

MSc. Sustainable Urban Planning & Design with a Major in Architecture

I’m a 26-year old architect and urban designer from Bratislava, Slovakia. In this portfolio you will find:

Out In The Open

modern theater in Vienna’s historical Margareten district on page 1

Niran

small-scale expandable housing prototype in Bangkok on page 9

Healthy Habitats

reimagination of waste management system in Norsborg on page 17

[In]visible Interventions

proposal for increased resiliency of Järvafältet’s blue system on page 27

Blue Tide

reinterpretation of Örebro’s history of trade and commons on page 37

These are both architecture and urban design projects shifting in scale. Sustainability is a nonnegotiable and is explored further in various forms - adaptability of spaces to accommodate a wider variety of uses, reestablishing lost qualities and reinterpreting them to address issues of both today and tomorrow, implementation of proposals through systemic changes - and more. The role of nature emerges as essential as my projects progress.

Hope you enjoy flipping through!

Bachelor’s degree in Architecture

TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology) | Oct 2014 - Jul 2020

Acquired foundational theoretical knowledge and developed design and software skills. Focus: efficiency and added value of spaces. Sustainability-based bachelor thesis “Niran” presented at the TurnOn 21 festival in Vienna.

SKILLS: architectural design | CAD | BIM | Adobe Suite | sketching | modelling | independent work

Master’s degree in Sustainable Urban Planning & Design

KTH Royal Institute of Technology | Aug 2020 - Jun 2022

Deepened knowledge in sustainability and worked with cross-disciplinary topics. Focus: resilience thinking, ecosystem services, circularity. Explorative master thesis “Blue tide” nominated for the Arwidsson scholarship award in Applied Urban Design 2022.

SKILLS: urban design | GIS | Adobe Suite | research | academic writing | cross-disciplinary teamwork

Architecture intern

Architekti Šebo Lichý, Bratislava | Aug 2017 - Apr 2019

Worked in a dynamic cross-disciplinary team of 6-12 people on a complex long-term project “Čerešne” Provided support with other research, design and translation tasks.

SKILLS: architectural drafting and design | CAD | BIM | teamwork | time management

Graphic designer & social media coordinator

Nina Menkynova - Yoga s dušou, remote | Apr 2020 - Mar 2022

Developed a new visual identity and an online platform for a yoga teacher’s business, created and managed content for social media. Acted as a marketing support, conducted user analyses and questionnaires, launched and monitored campaigns.

SKILLS: graphic design | Adobe Suite | Figma | communication | marketing | problem solving | UI / UX

7.5/10 (2014)

iBT: 119/120 (2019)

a modern theater overlooking Vienna’s historical Margareten district

studio project at Technische Universität Wien, 2017 collaboration with Lisa Flemisch view full project here

The Margareten district in Vienna is known as an attractive housing area due to its calmness, yet still central location. The urban environment is diverse but one of the most prominent characteristics are the inner courtyards, which serve as secluded oases and simultaneously passages through the densely built area.

The new theater builds up on the existing qualities of the district, yet offers new unique assets and fulfills strict size specifics.

“You enter: the architectural spectacle at once offers itself to the eye. You follow an itinerary and the perspectives develop with great variety, developing a play of light on the walls or making pools of shadow...”

- Le Corbusier

Spatial concept: out in the open

In order to avoid loss of open spaces in the already densely builtup district of Margareten despite the construction of a new theatre, the required spaces are not condensed into another introverted volume, but are first stacked and then pushed apart in all directions.

Materiality:

Social concept: meet & sit

The circulation becomes a signature element of the theater and leads the visitor from an entrance through the open space in the center up to the main hall. Continuing through the entire building, its function doubles as a meeting and sitting space.

A metal coat stretches skin over the individual to emphasize geometry. This surface allows and outside while privacy. The concrete as a load-bearing and creates a woven surface mesh and the fragility

Materiality: 3 layers Program

studio stage

side stage, workshop

rehearsal stage / blackbox

foyer

stretches like a individual volumes their simple

This perforated allows views inside while maintaining concrete serves load-bearing structure contrast to the of the metal fragility of glass.

visitor circulation

staff circulation

Circulation

main stage technology

sound, directory

artist spaces

restaurant & bar administration

storage

Section A-A: new points of view 1:200

Stacking of the individual volumes results in new physical and visual relationships between them. The studio stage peeks onto the main stage, and the whole visitor circulation becomes one open gallery. Subsequently, new points of view on Margareten are created through the terraces which are high out in the open.

Section B-B: the city as a backdrop 1:200

The glass facades dissolve the barrier between the interior and exterior space. Especially when it comes to the main stage, transparent walls make it possible to use the urban space as a backdrop and theatrical performances can even be performed outdoors by extending the stage to the adjoining terrace.

a small-scale expandable housing prototype in Bangkok naturally utilizing the Thai climate

bachelor thesis at Technische Universität Wien, 2019 project presented at the TurnOn architecture festival, 2021 view full booklet here | view 5min videopresentation from TurnOn 21 here

Niran, of Thai origin, means ever-growing or everlasting. It represents not only the green aspect of the proposed building itself, but also the adaptability and sustainability of its design concept.

The design of this prototype is based on interviews with potential Thai and Austrian users. The aim of the design is to be adaptive and flexible enough to accommodate both basic and specific needs of these users from different contexts, and simultaneously foster their comfortable and beneficial co-living.

There are 3 parts to this project - the prototype, its adaptation to the site in Bangkok and to selected users, and its potential expansion once the population increases and the city needs to densify.

Chao Praya

site

Chuo Sue Hong

Rong Kuak

First impressions of Bangkok

Co-living of Thai and foreign users: a possibility?

cooking many types of food

running, growing plants

playing smart phone games

spending time with family

watching television

baking, gardening, walking her dog

eating out of the house working (in the house) in shared space sleeping

All potential users eat roughly at the same times, especially dinner. People working from home work in the kitchen. Between 20:00 and 21:00 everybody is present in the shared space. Each person has at least one hobby, but not all of them require an allocated space.

Key elements

pre-fab

tall rooms columns & beams (teak wood) vertical green space permeable walls (takien wood) utilized roof

simple leveled floor plan

building elements (takien wood)

Young foreign student

Middle-aged worker & family

Elderly rural baker & dog

Vietnamese noodle seller

Chinese shrine watchman

Rice vermicelli seller

SEMI-PRIVATE: 1 unit (bathroom)

Assembling the prototype

PRIVATE: 3 units (sleeping, personal time)

SEMI-PUBLIC: 2 units (cooking, eating)

PUBLIC: the street (communicating, playing games)

Future-proofing: prototype expansion

service / shop shared space

Once Bangkok densifies, the prototype has to adapt. Wooden skeleton, simple levelled floor plan and pre-fabricated elements of the prototype allow its simple construction, expansion or deconstruction. It can grow or shrink in line with the users’ needs - either by individual units (floor by floor), or by the whole clusters.

Inside-oriented flexibility: floor plan of the lower part 1:50

Living & dining room arrangements

vertical green space filters used air, provides humidity and protects from dust

Utilizing natural

space between columns is used for storage

cross ventilation through permeable walls

open floor plan offers flexible space arrangement

The skeleton, the shell and the life within

The materials used for the prototype are local to support the area’s economy, and recycled to utilise and reduce waste in the surrounding environment. Both takien and teak wood are suitable hardwoods known for their durability and pest-resistance. Steel is used sparsely for the ropes supporting the green walls.

Takien wood beams & pillars

main: 200x200mm

secondary: 120x200mm

natural forces

solar panels on the roof provide energy

Reclaimed teak wood floor & wall cladding panel thickness: 25mm

Reclaimed teak wood staircase stair thickness: 50mm platform thickness: 100mm arm thickness: 50mm

air flows in and out through the core

cross ventilation

tall rooms allow hot air to ascend, while cool air stays low

Floor plan of the adapted units at the specific site 1:100

Night space for basic needs (sleeping)

Day space for specific needs (according to each user)

+6,00 Living unit 03 (private, single + 1) Young foreign student

+5,00

Living unit 02 (private, single)

Elderly rural baker & her dog

+7,00

Living unit 04 (private, single) Vietnamese noodle seller

+4,00 Living unit 01 (private, single) Chinese shrine watchman

Selected users and their corresponding adapted units

storage space

Three ways of experiencing the site 1:100

The way the building is set in the site allows division between the space in front of it and behind it. The site’s location on the crossroads of walkways between two shrines makes it a convenient meeting point, and the building enables not only its users, but everyone from the local community to experience the site in different ways.

Section in context 1:100

space for resting, reading, contemplating

space for interacting, playing board games, spending time with others

space for living, cooking, sleeping

space for meeting, eating together

a reimagination of the waste management system in Hallunda-Norsborg

studio project at KTH Stockholm, 2021 collaboration with Gloria Annunziata view full project booklet here

Food waste is growing dramatically worldwide. The project Healthy Habitats situated in the Botkyrka municipality in Stockholm generates a shift in mindset from considering waste as a useless end product of a linear system to a raw material refined by a circular one - and in that way, a promising resource for our everyday life.

The project proposes structural changes in the municipal waste management system, exposes and utilises decomposition processes and the new recycling facility transforms waste into products ranging from textiles and dyes to building materials.

In addition, the project provides a wide variety of primary and secondary benefits, ranging from increased awareness and education through provision of jobs to the embellishment of the surroundings and purification of soil and water.

Individual level: starting from the consumer

This level focuses on 3 examples of consumers in the area of Million Housing Program in Hallunda-Norsborg. The created waste circulates in the new system and comes back to the residents in the form of new products.

Odens väg 4 145 71 Norsborg

All waste from the produce brought home from a supermarket is sorted into non-organic and organic. Organic waste can either be used for composting, or sent away for further processing and manufacturing of new products.

Tomtbergavägen 370 145 71 Norsborg

Schools are also part of the system, and through education, awareness of one’s own waste is raised from an early age. Having composters in class is only one of the many implemented measures.

Amelia & Eva residents of

Marcus, Maja & Mohamed teacher and pupils at Kärsby International School

Plan with exemplary consumers 1:2000

Emilio restaurant owner of Forno Emilio

Mimers väg 2 145 70 Norsborg

Awareness is essential in the spaces of consumption. All business owners are obliged to be a part of the waste sorting system, which in turn offers them benefits.

Community level: composting in the courtyards

Utilizing the mellow topography of the courtyards

Making use of the underutilized low-rise buildings

Plan of courtyards 1:500

Each courtyard consists of two residential buildings, one community building (either a laundry room or a local business) and the outdoor space. In the proposal, these community buildings are utilized and extended into a greenhouse. New community gardens for growing smaller amounts of produce are established, and the low hills serve as covers for composters.

Contaminated soil influences the growth of grass in the courtyards. Soil is contaminated with heavy metals, chlorine and pesticides from local businesses. Contaminants seep from the soil all the way into the groundwater.

Remediation stage

Lavender and alyssum absorb the contaminants through their roots and purify the soil.

Expected result

The same plants neutralize the odors created through composting. Soil becomes a healthy habitat for worms, ants and other species.

Groundwater is clean, soil is healthy and both can be used in the composting process.

Willow tree absorbs the contaminants and neutralizes heavy metals present in soil.

Microbes injected deep into the soil neutralize the contaminants and purify both soil and groundwater.

greenhouse

compost hill & walkway

community garden

Center design: following the topography

The roof topography follows the natural one of the adjacent hill and enables visitors to enter from several directions. The cutouts accessible via stairs and circular skylights allow people to observe the processing of organic waste more closely. The building is strategically located in the center of Hallunda-Norsborg.

Center design: a look inside the process

The building consists of load-bearing construction made from concrete reincforced with natural fibres, facade from bioplastic, recycled glass. Potato and cellulose fibres are used for insulation, interior walls are made from wheat straws.

1. vehicle access / unloading

2. separation

3. shredding & decortication

4. soaking & boiling

5. draining & pressing

6. moulding

7. yarn spinning, fabric milling

8. restructuring

9. garment manufacturing / workshop

10. output boxes

11. office / space for personnel

12. commercial space

13. ugly foods bistro

14. reservoir for collecting water

15. vehicle exit / shipping

Axonometry of the ground floor

Looping back to the consumer

Benefits program

some produce is in the allotment gardens

Integrated system: comparison of the three levels

LEVEL: individuals

MAIN OUTPUT: compost, sorted organic and non-organic waste

LENGTH OF THE LOOP: up to 180 days

WASTE VOLUME PROCESSED: up to 6kg / 30 days / person

LABOR & RESOURCES NEEDED: 300-1600 SEK for an interior composter

LEVEL: community

MAIN OUTPUT: compost

LENGTH OF THE LOOP: 18 days

WASTE VOLUME PROCESSED: 740-1115 kg / 18 days / courtyard

LABOR & RESOURCES NEEDED: 30-50 SEK / person for the outdoor composters + 1 hour of labor / every 7-8 weeks / household

LEVEL: municipality

MAIN OUTPUT: textiles, paper goods, plant-based dye, building materials

LENGTH OF THE LOOP: 7 days

WASTE VOLUME PROCESSED: 7.7 tonnes / week

LABOR & RESOURCES NEEDED: monetary resources to build the center, energy, human labor

Plan with waste flows & points 1:2000

sorted organic waste collection point + points collect point

sorted non-reusable non-organic waste collection point + points collect point

composting point + points collect point

points exchange point

grown gardens

compost is dealt with in the courtyards

some foods (i.e. berries) can be picked in the forest

incoming flow of foods

outgoing flow of non-organic waste

outgoing flow of organic waste

looping flow of compost

sorted organic waste is taken by a bike courier to the new processing center

sorted non-reusable non-organic waste is collected and taken to the Fittjarecycling facility

produce is bought at the supermarket

various institutions and services also participate on waste collection

a proposal for increasing the resiliency of Järvafältet’s blue system

studio project at KTH Stockholm, 2021 collaboration with Gloria Annunziata & Sophie Spanlang view full project booklet here

[In]visible Interventions is a research and design project focusing on Igelbäckens Kulturreservat in Järvafältet, an area in one of Stockholm’s green wedges, Järvakilen. The project aims to create visible changes both for non-human und human actors through invisible subtle measures affecting Järvafältet’s blue system.

Considering the changes in the use of Järvakilen throughout the area’s history, the main research interest is whether ‘untouched’ patches of land exist in Järvafältet at all, or if human intervention has permeated every part of the landscape.

Fluidly transitioning into design, the project aims to question how [in]visible such interventions could be today, and how they could aid with the current problems in Igelbäckens Kulturreservat.

The culprit: a section through Granholmstoppen

Granholmstoppen is one of the many waste dumping hills in Stockholm containing waste from the construction of T-banna stations and lines. The leachate from the waste seeps into the soil below the hill, then a canal transports it into the main stream. Plants and small animals may absorb the contaminants and may further be eaten by other animals. Additionally, airborne asbestos from Granholmstoppen also gets flushed into the blue system via stormwater.

From disease to treatment

Resilience thinking: Multiple treatments for one disease. One treatment for multiple diseases.

These [in]visible interventions increase the responsiveness of the reserve to additional pressure and enhance the resilience of all of Järvakilen. Our resilience-based approach remediates the system on-site with natural elements, lowering the risk of pollutants escaping into the surrounding environment. These measures release the pressure within the system via local interventions, which have a regional impact.

[In]visible treatment inventory

BEAVER HABITAT

deep, from the main stream separated water bodies, enabling the beavers to build lodges and dams without blocking the flow of the stream

ADJUSTED STREAM

diverse habitat for crayfish offering hiding spots, and increasing watervelocity for stone loaches and other aquatic species

PURIFICATION WETLAND

area with water-saturated soil and vegetation for remediation purposes, mainly from waste dumped and leachate formed underneath Granholmstoppen

FILTRATION POND

small-scale constructed bodies of water serving as habitat for amphibians, birds and fish, and as filter of pollutants originating from the adjacent acres and precipitation

COLLECTION DIKE

narrow waterways channeling stormwater collected in the built area, providing stormwater for ponds and Igelbäcken to keep the water level steady

RIPARIAN BUFFER

fertilizer-free zone along main waterbodies with rows of trees, preventing pollution stemming from the acres from reaching the stream

ACRE INTERCROPPING

transformation of acres into smaller patches of productive land allowing for more different crops to be cultivated due to improved soil quality

ALLEY CROPPING

rows of trees connecting biotopes planted mainly along acres, offering refuge, habitat and protected corridors for animals to cross and foster movement

1. Moment of Starting from a perfect round shape, the organic nature of the space

Their design is inspired by their environment the playgrounds and reserve they are less structured. They built environment and direct it into

in the built

of collection shape, the collection ponds reflect space they are transitioning towards. surroundings: while in the built and fountains are circular, in the They chanel the stormwater from the into the next step where it is purified.

2. Moment of purification

Pollutants contained under the surface of Granholmstoppen are treated from the outside with intentionally planted flowers and trees. A two-step purification process consists of separating the pollutant particles in the first filtration pond, and neutralizing the remaining smaller particles in the second pond. The waste in Granholmstoppen remains contained.

3. Moment of release

The meandered and levelled stream offers hiding spots for crayfish and increased water velocity for the stone loach and other aquatic species. Intercropping alleys and patches allow species to move in corridors or via continuous network of “stepping stones“ created by the varying crops. A riparian buffer of smaller plants along the stream prevents the fertilizers from acres from reaching it, while trees provide shade, limit water evaporation and plant overgrowth.

Flowing through Järvafältet Entering Järvafältet

The existing and new pathways cross the wedge, stitching together the adjacent built environment - Hjulsta, Tensta, Rinkeby, Akalla, Husby and Kista. Visitors are encouraged to enter the wedge, cross Igelbäcken and explore previously, due to social tension, unfamiliar zones. The restored Gårds act as gateways and interest points in the wedge, giving them a purpose. The heritage of the Gårds prevails and can be restored also north and south of Järvafältet.

The new system of dikes, canals and filtration ponds improves the chemical and biological status of the water, but also enhances its level, continuity, speed and the inhabitability of Igelbäcken’s adjacent biotopes. Stormwater is collected in the built environment and serves as a guiding element into the wedge, sometimes alternating, sometimes corresponding with the fringes, softening the border between the built and the natural even more.

hjulsta centrum

tensta centrum

rinkeby centrum

rinkeby hage koloniträdgårdsförening

ärvinge fritids trädgårdsförening

Extending Järvafältet

The fringes of the wedge reach out into the surrounding built environment, creating a soft border announcing its presence, inviting people to enter and connecting it with parks and other green areas. This approach can be replicated both upwards and downwards in the wedge, softening the edges of the Järvakilen in their full length and fully blurring the boundary between the built and the natural, while also enhancing the quality of the existing green spaces within the built.

Landscape inventory: existing & implemented

a reinterpretation of Örebro’s history of trade and commons through water as a meeting space

master thesis at KTH Stockholm, 2022 nominated for the Arwidsson scholarship in Applied Urban Design, 2022 collaboration with Sophie Spanlang view full project here

In 1888, the lake Hjälmaren underwent a process of lowering with the aim of gaining new arable land. This process has had a wide array of ecological implications, and in connection with other historical events has also resulted in spatial and social cracks dividing the city of Örebro, which lays on Hjälmaren’s west shore. The changing physical aspects of the city have led us to question the relationship of humans and species to the lake, but also to the stream Svartån connecting the lake and the city. With Blue Tide, we propose solutions to activate Hjälmaren and Svartån and to bring people and waterscapes closer together again.

tide (n.): from Old English tīd - point or portion of time, due time, period, season.

Depending on Hjälmaren (before 1854)

Losing touch with Hjälmaren (1854 - 1910)

several voices: conflicting

The way we look at nature has an impact on the way we act within the landscape. Our view on nature gives rise to ideas about what a landscape should look like, what we could do to achieve this goal, or whether a landscape should be left alone or intervened in. This also involves the aspect of power: whose interests dominate and for what reasons?

Neglecting Hjälmaren (1910 - 1950)

Reconnecting to Hjälmaren, disconnecting from core

conflicting views on the lake lowering

Thus, ways of looking at a landscape and its use have varied over time. Hjälmaren has been the subject of many discussions, and its unproductive and inhospitable wetland has become productive agricultural land when the water level was lowered, and then became a wetland again, but with a completely new meaning, offering recreational and educational possibilities.

Problem definition and chosen strategies

Main problem: a disconnected core

Cracks in the city

include the highway, the railway and the stream, and the closer to the city centre they are, the more prominent they become

Connected green belt Future sprawl

aims to connect the existing reserves and green spaces through development of new green zones and corridors

the newly developing residential and business districts are emerging along expansion axes (aligned with traffic corridors)

Primary strategy: utilizing the obstructive

Secondary strategy: replicating the beneficial

Primary strategy: a closer look

Invasive species emerging after the lake lowering

Additional local resources

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

New built structures made from invasive species

solar panels

thatched roof

waterproof membrane

wooden skeleton

room partition elements

& inner columns

wall cladding

wooden skeleton

shading elements

bio-concrete tiling

pillars and platforms

collective buildings

solitary cabins

open structures

connecting elements

Activating Hjälmaren: a diversified shoreline 1:2000

Main actors

Leisure zones

Education zone

VÄSTHAGA WATER LAB collective building

Production zone

Activating Svartan: a cohesive

VÄSTHAGA waterpark

allowing damage-less rise in water level and showcasing techniques of stormwater management

Education zone

maintained by: in collaboration with: for the use of:

VÄSTHAGA green/blue extension

connecting Svartån’s river-side to the outskirts and stitching together one of the city’s cracks - the highway

measuring water quality and researching new methods of stormwater management ÖRNSRO filtration wetland cleaning the water in Svartån prior to it entering the productive and recreational part of the city

ÖRNSRO maintenance building for wetland maintenance & water quality measuring

Leisure