Lara Davis is an architect and mason with two decades of experience in masonry design and construction and a specialist in earthen building and thin-shell vaulting. She is the founding partner of Limaçon Design and previously served as co-director of the Auroville Earth Institute (India) and as a representative for the UNESCO Chair of Earthen Architecture. She holds a BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics, School of Art & Design at Alfred University and an MArch from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Lara has been recognized for her research at the MIT Masonry Research Group, the Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design (Stuttgart), the BLOCK Research Group (Zürich) and the Future Cities Laboratory (Singapore). She has taught structural theory of masonry and led hands-on training programs on several continents. Notable professional projects include the Sharanam Center for Rural Development in Pondicherry, India; the Kaza Eco-Community Center in Spiti Valley, India; and the Martin Puryear sculpture Lookout at Storm King Art Center. Her work has been exhibited at the Modern Museum of Art, MIT Museum, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and Venice Biennale.
Courses
Spring 2024 Courses
INTAR 503G-01 / LDAR 503G-01 - SUSTAINABILITY LAB: MATERIAL TECTONICS
Times: TH | 9:00 AM - 12:00 PMInstructor(s): Lara DavisLocation(s): Weybosset St Studios, Room 200Enrolled / Capacity: 14Status: Open
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This 3-credit elective centers around the Sustainability Lab, an initiative between LDAR and INTAR departments to explore creative material approaches to sustainability. Looking specifically at materials common to New England, this skill-building seminar will explore one selected material each year and expose students to different techniques and methods of researching and working with the region's intrinsic materials. Students enrolled in this course are required to register for the co-requisite studio INTAR / LDAR 502G - Sustainability Lab: Thesis Studio.
In tandem with the co-requisite studio, students will collaborate with expert designers, fabricators, and engineers to refine the assemblies of their material inquiries. The course will cover advanced fabrication methods for scaled and 1:1 fabrication and interdisciplinary collaboration during the construction phases of design. Students will develop their Sustainability Lab Thesis Studio material inquiry through a concise technical and visual design package and a full-scale material assembly.
Students are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Landscape Architecture and Interior Architecture Graduate Students.
Elective
INTAR 503G-01 / LDAR 503G-01 - SUSTAINABILITY LAB: MATERIAL TECTONICS
Times: TH | 9:00 AM - 12:00 PMInstructor(s): Lara DavisLocation(s): Weybosset St Studios, Room 200Enrolled / Capacity: 14Status: Open
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This 3-credit elective centers around the Sustainability Lab, an initiative between LDAR and INTAR departments to explore creative material approaches to sustainability. Looking specifically at materials common to New England, this skill-building seminar will explore one selected material each year and expose students to different techniques and methods of researching and working with the region's intrinsic materials. Students enrolled in this course are required to register for the co-requisite studio INTAR / LDAR 502G - Sustainability Lab: Thesis Studio.
In tandem with the co-requisite studio, students will collaborate with expert designers, fabricators, and engineers to refine the assemblies of their material inquiries. The course will cover advanced fabrication methods for scaled and 1:1 fabrication and interdisciplinary collaboration during the construction phases of design. Students will develop their Sustainability Lab Thesis Studio material inquiry through a concise technical and visual design package and a full-scale material assembly.
Students are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Landscape Architecture and Interior Architecture Graduate Students.
