I am Lola Cinco, an architectural designer and recent graduate of California Polytechnic State, where I completed a five-year, NAAB-accredited Bachelor of Architecture with summa cum laude honors. My thesis, "Between Birth and Choice: Designing Spaces for Reproductive Autonomy", reimagined reproductive healthcare environments and was exhibited in Spatializing Reproductive Justice and recognized with design awards. I am now in Aotearoa undertaking field research with Lori Brown (Syracuse University), supported by the Cooper Hewitt Foundation, studying Māori and New Zealand birthing practices. Alongside this work, I am seeking opportunities within architectural practice to continue learning and growing as a designer.
Looking For a Mentor
I am looking for a mentor who values design as both a craft and a social responsibility. As I transition from academic research into practice, I hope to learn from someone who has navigated the profession with clarity, resilience, and integrity. I seek guidance on balancing creativity with pragmatism, advocating for inclusive and equitable design, and developing confidence as a young designer in a new country. A mentor who can share their experiences, offer honest critique, and encourage growth would be invaluable as I continue building my voice and purpose within architecture.
Showcase
The Afternoon Place - A Women's Reproductive Health Clinic, Education Center, and Birthing Sanctuary
Between Birth and Choice: Designing Spaces for Reproductive Autonomy proposes a new architectural typology for women’s healthcare that integrates both birth and abortion services, centering dignity, safety, and autonomy. The project explores how design can dismantle stigma while fostering compassionate, patient-centered care.
Year of Completition
2025
Type
Undergraduate Thesis (Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA)
Role
Author and Designer
SLO BLOCKS - University Housing and Satellite Campus
SLO Blocks is a mixed-use student housing concept developed as an independent study project under the mentorship of Bryan Shields. It integrates residential, retail, recreational, and educational spaces, with modular and prefabricated construction for flexibility and affordability. This adaptable model addresses the critical housing shortage and high costs in the area, providing essential services and a vibrant community environment for students.
Year of Completition
2024
Type
Studio Project (San Luis Obispo, California, USA)
Role
Designer
The Chapel
Situated on the Santi family’s expansive Italian countryside property, this small chapel serves as a private and intimate space for the family to seek solace, engage in prayer, and embrace their faith. Conceived during my summer study abroad program in Europe, the design takes inspiration from the places and buildings we visited during our travels. Our gracious clients, the Santi Family, were a kind and generous family originally from Argentina making a living beekeeping on a beautiful property in Northern Italy.
Year of Completition
2023
Type
Studio Project (Savona, Liguria, Italy)
Role
Designer
Boys and Girls Club, Highway Crossing, and Public Park
This endeavor combines a boys and girls club, an urban bridge fostering community connection, and a vibrant park to revive an abandoned city. Rooted in the embrace of wilderness and nature, the design features fluid, organic curves seamlessly connecting various components. These curves weave through the site, creating a harmonious flow from side to side, up and down, and even up, over, and through the building, aiming to infuse lush nature and a striking architectural presence into the deteriorating industrial city of Detroit, Michigan.
Year of Completition
2022
Type
Studio Project (Hamtramck, Detroit, Michigan)
Role
Designer
Oakland School of Art and Architecture
Located on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, California, this building aims to foster a creative and innovative environment for the study of architecture and the visual arts. The site connects to the Henry J. Kaiser Memorial Park on it’s west side and sits adjacent to the Fox Theater and the Oakland School for the Arts on its south side. With a gallery, sculpture garden, central courtyard, cafe, and roof deck open to the public, the school connects intimately with the community of Oakland. The two programs of the school are purposefully more intertwined than separated in an effort to bring the students of both disciplines together.
Year of Completition
2021
Type
Studio Project (Oakland, California, USA)
Role
Designer
In Association With
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