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 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 and materials research, building craftsmanship and integrated land management. She is the founding partner of Limaçon Design, a member of CRAterre (the International Center for Earthen Architecture in Grenoble, France) and on the board of directors at Opus 40. She previously served for ten years as co-director of the Auroville Earth Institute, Tamil Nadu, 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 at the ETH Zürich, led hands-on training programs on several continents, and is currently a lecturer in the Department of Landscape Architecture at RISD. Notable professional projects include the Martin Puryear sculpture ‘Lookout’ at Storm King Art Center, the Sharanam Center for Rural Development in Pondicherry, India, and the Kaza Eco-Community Center in Spiti Valley, India. Her work has been exhibited at the Modern Museum of Art, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Venice Biennale and MIT Museum.
DESIGN SERVICES
Limaçon Design was first established in 2001. After more than a decade of experience practicing 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 earthen construction, fired brick masonry and stone masonry, as well as the use of non-traditional mortars including raw and stabilized earth, rapid-setting gypsum, fat and hydraulic lime mortars, naturally hydraulic cements and bio-polymers (eg. fermented straw, tree nuts, cactus, etc.).
Services include design of new projects, technical design consultancy for existing masonry projects, analysis of arches, vaults and domes, training courses on arch, vault and dome construction, and supervision and execution of masonry projects.
Services include design of new projects, technical design consultancy for existing masonry projects, analysis of arches, vaults and domes, training courses on arch, vault and dome construction, and supervision and execution of masonry projects.