A multi-disciplined creative practice.
Laraachitecture is an award-winning Bay Area architectural firm
committed to community and purpose-driven design.
The parallel pursuits of architecture, placemaking and art inform each other, allow core values to be tested across disciplines and expand the firm’s social understanding and impact on the built environment.
Inspired by the creative direction of Lara Dutto, we strive to design spaces that reflect an authentic sense of place. Collaboration is at our core. Listening to clients, stakeholders, and communities is the foundation of our decision-making process.
The result is beautiful, functional and sustainable spaces that improve the lives of our clients and neighbors.
Lara Dutto, AIA is an architect, artist, educator, and community advocate. She is a life long resident of the East Bay and is dedicated to its stewardship. Lara is a certified LEED Green Associate and a participant in the AIA 2030 Actionable Climate Commitment.
A graduate of UC Berkeley and University of Washington, Lara is passionate about inspiring the next generation of architects and teaching climate action with urgency and optimism. She now serves as an adjunct professor in the Architecture Department at Diablo Valley College.
Architecture
A full-service award-winning architectural firm, Laraarchitecture specializes in residential and intimate commercial and hospitality projects. We strive to create functional and sustainable beauty. We are small and nimble, offering principal-level attention to every client. We harness the expertise from a robust network of artisans, craftspeople, and collaborating design professionals. We facilitate detailed and thorough communications, from construction documents to coordinating the work across disciplines right down to the smallest detail.
Placemaking
Laraarchitecture often engages in projects outside a typical architect’s scope of work. This work can be on-going in nature, and may involve workshop facilitation, capacity building, strategy and branding, fund-raising, grant writing support, and community outreach. Our studio creates novel partnerships with community stakeholders including non-profit organizations, developers, property and business owners, and government agencies.
Art
Investigating ideas through the act of “making” is central to our work and can result in interactive art, installations, sculpture, painting, drawings and media yet to be discovered.
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1. Inspire action in ourselves, our clients and our project teams to prioritize a sustainable future above all other project parameters.
2. Design buildings that are beautiful and meet core functions so as to stand the test of time. Adapt and renew rather than demolish where possible.
3. Apply comprehensive passive site design principles guided by the vernacular and a site-specific response to climate and context.
4. Implement and report on data-driven parameters through energy modeling and embodied carbon assessments.
5. Lead an Integrated Project Delivery where community engagement and complex innovations require early and multi-disciplinary commitment and communication amongst all stakeholders.
6. Specify products with environmental and health product declaration and transparency certifications.
7. Stay informed about emerging resources and technologies and stay engaged with industry organizations leading the climate fight.
