For her entire life, Lara has felt a connection to the world of architecture and design. Childhood memories of working on job sites with her dad, a general contractor in Bellevue, inspired her interest in pursuing an education and career path in the built environment. With utmost focus, Lara, began her journey from undergrad to five years at a design-build architecture firm, to graduate school, and then four month scholarship researching rural development in Scandinavia with Nordregio, a research institute. She interned at WT in the summer of 2021 and returned full-time in 2022 after many adventures in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Ireland.
Growing up in Bellevue meant Lara saw the region’s rapid development growth and subsequent plunge in affordability. She’s passionate about working on projects that help provide affordable housing to individuals and families being priced out of their communities. She also enjoys learning about and implementing tools that can help make architecture more environmentally sustainable, like life cycle assessments and energy modeling.
On the weekends, you might find her painting tiny landscapes, relaxing with a cup of tea as she plans her next adventure, or spending time with her husband and sweet pup. And when she’s looking for inspiration, she heads out into nature or visits an art museum, closely observing the contrast and diversity of our cultures and ecosystems.
Education
University of Washington, Master of Architecture
University of Washington, Certificate of Construction Management
Bellevue College, Bachelor of Applied Arts Interior Design