About

ARB/RIBA DiplArch Svetla Popova is a Germany-based freelance experimental and innovation design researcher at the initiative Urban Virtuality, as well as a RIBA Professional Diploma in Architecture candidate at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. She is an architect, art and architectural historian, artist and designer, and a contemporary design scholar with published work at the Glasgow School of Art and ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ She has contributed in scientifically-centered experimental, robotics and ecological design in architecture firms in London and Sofia, Bulgaria, amongst which Iain Duncan's FabLab in Essex, Ordinary London, Imperial College London's Material Lab and 10AM Sofia. Other contributions include Vassar College's Art History Department's Image Library, Frances Lehman Loeb Arts Center and the Russian Studies Department Image Database. Her architecture and design work looks at urban developments, innovative technologies, science fiction, virtual reality and artificial intelligence as ways to inform user-centered design such as a floating colony on Venus, published in Cloud Ten by Springer, a nano-engineered bagasse ash facade, a running water facade, sound as a design tool. Svetla received a BA in liberal arts at Vassar College, followed by RIBA Parts 1 and 2 qualifications from the Mackintosh School of Architecture. She is currently wokring on an independent publication on Balkan Modernism design and doing research in virtual reality and bionic design in preparation of a PhD degree at the University of Tokyo.

Experience

  • Architect & Interior Designer Space Octopus · Freelance Jan 2023 – Present 1 yrs 2 mos Berlin, BE, Germany experimental design, biophilic design, architecture, interior, CGI, AI-driven research and design, design for the metaverse
  • 3D Designer & Concept Architect Vyonyx · Part-time Jan 2020 – Present 4 yrs 2 mos London, England, United Kingdom pre-production and production of CGI for architectural and interior viz
  • founder, experimental designer urban space octopus · Freelance Jan 2015 – Present 9 yrs 2 mos Sofia, Bulgaria artstation.com/ultrareality
    behance.net/svetlapopova
    vimeo.com/spaceoctopus
  • CGI Artist REDVERTEX · Full-time Oct 2021 – Feb 2023 1 yrs 4 mos Sofia, Sofia City Province, Bulgaria CGI Artist and Architect
  • Concept Artist & Visual Development ArtForge Games · Contact Aug 2020 – Feb 2021 6 mos Sofia, Sofia City Province, Bulgaria concept inception for environments, props and related game assets for UE4 game Realms of Eternity

Education

  • Architectural Association, London non-degree, RIBA Part 3 candidate, Architecture , 3.34 2015 – 2016 Activities and Societies: media courses, RIBA professional seminars, DPL workshop & various software workshops
  • Mackintosh School of Architecture MArch Architecture (RIBA/PART II), pass 2010 – 2012 Activities and Societies: Mural Society coordinator
  • Vassar College BA Liberal Arts, Art History, 3.34 2000 – 2004 Activities and Societies: please see svetlap.wixsite.com/mycv for full CV
Stats

Age: 42

Joined: October 23, 2019

Last seen: November 22, 2023

Languages

English Native or bilingual proficiency

Bulgarian Native or bilingual proficiency

German Limited working proficiency

Location

Berlin, Berlin, Germany