Leonora Bustamante Sauma is a designer based in Los Angeles, California, and a licensed architect in Costa Rica.
Originally from Costa Rica, Leonora holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and a professional Licentiate in Architecture from Universidad Latina in Costa Rica. She later earned her Master of Architecture II from SCI-Arc, Southern California Institute of Architecture, graduating with distinction.
Her graduate thesis, Captive Objects, received a Merit Award and was exhibited at SCI-Arc’s Selected Thesis Exhibition in 2015. Her work has been published and exhibited in Costa Rica, the United States, and Europe.
Her professional experience includes mixed-use projects and retail centers, with a focus on concept design. More recently, she has been developing personal residential landscape projects, exploring her interest in outdoor spaces, planting, materials, and the relationship between buildings and their surroundings. She also continues to explore new digital tools and emerging technologies as part of her ongoing creative practice.
R E S U M E
E D U C A T I O N
09.2013 - 09.2015 | Master of Architecture - Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), Los Angeles
01.2011 - 05.2013 | Licentiate in Architecture - Universidad Latina, San Pedro, Costa Rica
01.2008 - 12.2010 | Bachelor in Architecture - Universidad Latina, San Pedro, Costa Rica
P R O F E S S I O N A L E X P E R I E N C E
12.2015 - 04.2019 | Gensler, Los Angeles - Architectural Designer, Lifestyle 7, Mixed Use and Retail Centers
01.2016 - 04.2016 | Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), Los Angeles - Assistant Teacher, John Enright and Francisco Pardo Vertical Studio
11.2015 | Brooks + Scarpa, Los Angeles - Architectural Designer
10.2015 | DLR Group, Los Angeles - Architectural Designer
09.2014 - 05.2015 | Southern California Institute of Architecture, Los Angeles - Teaching Assistant
Applied Studies Seminar “Advanced Building Systems” - Instructors: Ilaria Mazzoleni, Jeffrey Landreth
and Visual Studies Seminar “Modeling, Tooling, and Computation” - Instructor: Elena Manferdini
05.2014 - 09.2014 | Atelier Manferdini, Los Angeles - Intern, Architecture and Design
Projects: "Building the Picture" Installation - Chicago, "From Still Life to Living Picture" Design Biennale - Istanbul, Zev Yaroslavsky San Fernando Valley Family Support Center - Los Angeles
09.2010 - 08.2013 | HABITAR Magazine, San José, Costa Rica - Member of the Editorial Council and Director of the Academic Section
H O N O R S A N D A W A R D S
09.2015 | SCI-Arc Merit Graduate Thesis for the project “Captive Objects” - SCI-Arc Los Angeles
09.2015 | SCI-Arc Graduation with Distinction - SCI-Arc, Los Angeles
09.2015 | Awarded the Alpha Ro Chi Medal - SCI-Arc, Los Angeles
2013-2015 | Admissions & Continuing Merit Scholarships - SCI-Arc, Los Angeles
05.2013 | Thesis Project Honorable Mention “Holistic Hospital” - U.Latina, San Pedro, Costa Rica
01. 2013 | Graduated with Honors, Bachelor in Architecture - U.Latina, San Pedro, Costa Rica
2008-2012 | Admissions & Continuing Merit Scholarships - U.Latina, San Pedro, Costa Rica
2009-2011 | Founder and first President of the Student Association for the Architecture School Universidad Latina, San Pedro, Costa Rica
S K I L L S
Group leadership in academic and non-academic projects
Adobe Creative Suite: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, After Effects, Audition, Acrobat Pro
Documentation & 2D-3D Design: Autocad, Revit, Rhino, Maya, ZBrush, 3D Coat, Sketchup, 123D Catch, Ecotect, Processing, Pixel Drifter
Rendering: Enscape, Mental Ray, VRay, Keyshot
Microsoft Office, Windows 7, OSX
Languages: Spanish (native) and English (fluent)
P U B L I C A T I O N S A N D E X H I B I T I O N S
02.2016 |“Designers to Watch” Interiors + Sources Magazine
02.2016 | Graduate Thesis “Captive Objects” Published on SCI-Arc website and SCI-Arc Channel -
2015-2016 | Graduate Thesis “Captive Objects” Published on Abitare, Italy -
10.2015 | SCI-Arc Selected Thesis Exhibition
05.2015 | SCI-Arc Spring Show, 3 projects exhibited
04.2015 | Selected speaker at the SCI-Arc Thesis Symposium
01.2012 | Project “Plex Eco City” published in HABITAR Magazine #75