OUR MISSION
Limaçon Design's core commitment is to the sustainable co-evolution of natural ecologies and human habitats, with passive design methods, low-carbon materials and circular ecologies of natural resources.
FOUNDING principal
LARA K. DAVIS
Lara Davis is an architect and mason with two decades of experience in masonry design and construction – a specialist in earthen building and thin-shell vaulting. Her work has often crossed over the cultures of architectural design, structural/materials research and building craftsmanship. She is the founding partner of Limaçon Design, and has most recently completed the construction of a Martin Puryear sculpture at Storm King Art Center. She previously served as co-director of the Auroville Earth Institute, India and 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 M.Arch 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 (Universität Stuttgart), the BLOCK Research Group (ETH 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 and the Kaza Eco-Community Center in Spiti Valley India. Her work has been exhibited at the Modern Museum of Art, MIT Museum, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and Venice Biennale.
DESIGN SERVICES
Limaçon Design was first established in 2001. After a decade of experience abroad, in Ethiopia, India and Algeria, our practice has re-established itself on the American continent. We specialize in the custom design and construction of vaulted masonry surfaces, with fired brick masonry, stone masonry or earthen construction.
Services include design of new projects, design consultancy for existing masonry projects, analysis of arches, training courses on arch, vault and dome construction, and construction supervision.