Rosaura Hernandez Romero
Brussels
Summary
I am a Queer Salvadorian-American academic based in Brussels, specializing in critical spatial practices and situated learning. I focus on expanding my expertise in community building and urban intervention facilitation. My dedication to social and ecological justice drives me to challenge systemic oppression in our built environments, while my passion for permaculture design and ecological construction encourages me to incorporate these interests into my research. By blending academic theory with experimental methods, I aim to cultivate inclusive spaces and inspire a socio-ecologically minded society.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
Work History
Educator
Queers In Space Collective
05.2023 - Current
- Queers in Space is an urban collective that aims to inform, involve and support queer and under-represented voices for a more inclusive development of the city of Brussels. I joined QIS as a Non-formal educator to help shape the 2023 summer artist residency, curate the final exhibition event, and help enhance community engagement throughout the project.
Research Collaborator in A-PLACE
KU Leuven
09.2019 - 06.2023
- The A-Place project, co-financed by the Creative Europe programme, aimed to strengthen community connections within urban environments across six European cities—Barcelona, Bologna, Brussels, Lisbon, Ljubljana, and Nicosia—over a span of four years. In this initiative, I led the placemaking activities in Brussels as KU Leuven's representative. My responsibilities included leading local initiatives, representing our institution at collaborative network events, and participating in interdisciplinary conferences throughout the duration of the project.
Educator
KU Leuven
01.2020 - 01.2023
- Architecture Design Justice: an International Master Urban Studies Design course following a service-learning educational method and participatory action-research trajectory. My role as a critical spatial practitioner and educator was to facilitate their involvement into local social projects through service-learning methods and participatory action-research trajectories.
Student Assistant at Solidary Mobile Housing
KU Leuven
04.2019 - 07.2019
The Solidary Mobile Housing project was a consortium of researchers, social associations, architects and social builders, who worked on developing, testing a resilient model for the co-creation of solidary living in mobile modular homes on urban waiting spaces in the Brussels-Capital Region.
Co-founder of Urban Collective
OURB
01.2016 - 01.2019
- The OURB collective, founded during my master's studies with a group of peers, served as our initial experimental platform for urban intervention. We embarked on creating public installations designed to create community and enhance eco-minded practices in unexpected spaces. Our projects focused in experimenting with recycled materials, engagement techniques, and local collaborations in different neighborhoods around Brussels.
Design Associate
Mayfield Architects
09.2014 - 09.2015
A locally renowned architecture firm nestled in the mountains of Santa Cruz, California, specializes in designing summer camp facilities for children. Following my role as a surf instructor and camp counselor at one of their client's camps, I secured my first design internship at this firm.
Education
Master of Science - Master in Architecture in Urban Studies
KU Leuven
Brussels, Belgium06.2017
Bachelor of Arts - Architecture
Judson University
Chicago, IL05.2013
Bachelor of Science - Architecture
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Newark, NJSkills
- Presenting and Moderating
- Participatory workshop facilitator
- Writing academic papers
- Quantitative Research Methods
- Visual Mapping, Graphic Software
- Podcast interviews and editing
- Permaculture Design
- Woodworking
Languages
English
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
Spanish
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
French
Intermediate (B1)
Dutch
Elementary (A2)
Italian
Intermediate (B1)
Presentations
- Spaces of Possibility Confex, RECOMS Resourceful and resilient communities, 8th of June 2021, Brussels, Belgium. Session 6 - Who’s our client? Just design in urban and rural contexts: Architectural Design Justice: the civic engagement of an all men's homeless shelter in co-creation of their home.
- Urban inequalities: from Right to the City to taking control. International Forum 17-19 June 2022, Sofia, Bulgaria. Designing Just Cities, Architecture Design Justice: Conceptualizing the Process for Fair Practices in Architecture and Architectural Education.
- Practices of Urban Inclusion: Mapping HEI-CSO partnerships linking migration, inclusion & design. DESINC LIVE – Designing and Learning in the Context of Migration. 25 June 2022 Brussels, Belgium. Session on Shelter and Asylum facilities: Architecture Design Justice Studio - The case of Bodegem shelter.
- (Re)acting (En)acting Workshop Week, Design OAT Academy 2022, September 16th, 2022 at Oslo School of Architecture and Design, Oslo, Norway. Mission Neighbourhood Brussels: Architecture Design Justice Studio.
Publications
- Critical Spatial Agencies for Enabling Architectural Design Justice: a Study of a Bottom-up Housing Case in Brussels Architecture, Technology and Innovation (ATI) 2021, Izmir, Yasar University, 09/23/2021
- Understanding Design Justice in a Bottom-up Housing through Digital Actor-Network Mapping eCAADe 2021 Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe, Novi Sad, Serbia, 09/08/2021
- Architectural Design Justice Recognition, Representation and Redistribution through three Critical Spatial Practices in Brussels Cities in a changing world: question of culture, climate and design, New York City College of Technology
Timeline
Educator
Queers In Space Collective
05.2023 - Current
Educator
KU Leuven
01.2020 - 01.2023
Research Collaborator in A-PLACE
KU Leuven
09.2019 - 06.2023
Student Assistant at Solidary Mobile Housing
KU Leuven
04.2019 - 07.2019
Co-founder of Urban Collective
OURB
01.2016 - 01.2019
Design Associate
Mayfield Architects
09.2014 - 09.2015
Master of Science - Master in Architecture in Urban Studies
KU Leuven
Bachelor of Arts - Architecture
Judson University
Bachelor of Science - Architecture
New Jersey Institute of Technology
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