About
Ana Lasala and Isabel Lasala are Directors of Lasala & Lasala Design Studio, an award-winning practice with more than fifteen years of experience in residential, commercial, institutional and urban projects.
Ana holds a Bachelor of Architecture and a Magister Scientiarum of Architecture from Universidad Central de Venezuela. Her practice-based research establishes historical and theoretical correlations that exist between 'the street' and architecture, as a means to design better urban and public spaces for the contemporary city. Her research has been published widely, including her book On the Street: Contributions to Urban Space through Architectural Strategies (forthcoming 2018). Ana has taught for more than ten years at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of Universidad Central de Venezuela, where she was also a member of the Coordination Committee for Architectural Studies.
Isabel holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Universidad Central de Venezuela, a Master of Architecture from ETSAB/Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, and a Master of Philosophy in Landscape Architecture from University of New South Wales. Her practice-based research investigates the intersection of architecture and landscape architecture in the context of the contemporary city, drawing from disciplinary fields as diverse as contemporary art, geography, topography, and aesthetics. Her research has been published widely, including her book Creating Places: Exalting and Overcoming the Architectural Object in the Work of Pablo Lasala (Ediciones FAU/UCV, 2014). In Australia Isabel has taught at Monash University, RMIT University, University of New South Wales, and University of Technology Sydney; and in Venezuela she was Senior Lecturer and Master of Architecture Program Coordinator at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of Universidad Central de Venezuela.
History
The firm Lasala and Lasala Architecture began when Pablo Lasala started entering and winning architecture contests, many of which he won in collaboration with his wife, Silvia Hernández de Lasala. The prestige of these awards afforded them access to major State and private contracts.
The firm placed first in high-prestige architectural competitions such as: Administrative Headquarters for the National Congress and Chancellery; National Competition for a Flexible System to Build Railroad Depots throughout Venezuela; Headquarters for the Association of Executives of Carabobo State, and Expansion of the Valle Arriba Club in Caracas. In addition, Lasala & Lasala won other major recognition in sought-after competitions including the headquarters for: National Institute of Sanitary Works (INOS)—2nd place; Venezuela’s Symphonic Orchestra (Honorable Mention); San Cristóbal Civic Center (Mention for Urban Architecture), and many others.
In addition to their active professional practice, Pablo and Silvia were always engaged in teaching. Pablo taught architectural design and descriptive geometry for more than 40 years and Silvia taught history of architecture for over 25 years. Their research and important publications about the history of Venezuelan architecture led their firm to expand its field of action into the restoration of monuments, including the noteworthy recovery and enhancement of the Olympic Stadium in Caracas’ Ciudad Universitaria.
Research by Pablo and Silvia in the areas of architectural design, teaching of architecture, and history of architecture has constantly fed into their teaching careers. Pablo was Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning at the Universidad Central de Venezuela and Silvia received the prestigious University Career Investigator Award.
In the 1990s architects Isabel and Ana Lasala, daughters of the founders, began working for the firm. Beginning in late 2000, with the death of their father, Ana and Isabel took charge of the company as executive directors and principal designers. Architect Silvia Hernández de Lasala currently plays an important role coordinating, advising, and participating in special projects.