I am an aspiring Interior Architecture student with a primary focus on Interior Architecture, complemented by a minor in Business Administration. Originating from South Africa, and had the unique opportunity to traverse the globe with my family, residing in various locations, including an extended period in New Zealand.
In 2018, immediately following the completion of high school, I embarked on my academic journey pursuing a degree in Business. The year 2020 proved to be transformative as I relocated to Houston, TX, United States. This significant move presented me with an opportunity to align my academic pursuits with my passion. Consequently, I redirected my academic focus towards Interior Architecture, a decision that has proven to be both rewarding and fulfilling.
I am actively engaged in the pursuit of my degree at Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design, where I am committed to honing my skills and contributing meaningfully to the field of Interior Architecture.
LENÉ FOURIE
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture
Minor in Business Administration
Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design
ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS
Studio IIII project chosen to exhibit at the college
Studio IIII project published https://habitable.city/2023/06/08/the-lemontwist/
SOFTWARE PROFICIENCY
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Revit
Rhino 3D
SketchUp (intermediate)
Grasshopper (intermediate)
Twinmotion (intermediate)
Microsoft Office
SKILLS
Craftsmanship
Leadership
Organiszed
Problem Solving
Adaptable
LANGUAGES
English Afrikaans
FIELD OF INTEREST
Model Making Leather Crafting Handcrafts
EXPERIENCES
Colaborating at HABITABLE https://habitable.studio/
Teachers Assistant (Interior Architecture Studio, Second Year)
Jan 2024 - May 2024
Research Assistantship: Topic: Undervalued Materials Research in Texas
TABLE OF 01 02 03 04 05 06
FURNITURE
Inside Outside Transformable Furniture | 2023
WORKSHOP
Garage transformed to workshop | 2023
ADAPTIVE REUSE
Church transformed to day care clinic | 2024
INDUSTRIAL REPAIR
Warehouse transformation | 2024
HABITABLE CURTAINS
Room divider | 2023-2024
FAN HOUSE
Microhome | 2024
01 FURNITURE
Inside Outside Transformable Furniture
Inside Outside Adaptable Furniture revolutionizes the concept of versatile spatial transformation, seamlessly transcending the boundaries between public and private spaces. This project provides individuals with the tools to create dynamic environments for relaxation, productivity, and creative expression indoors and outdoors.
The thoughtfully designed furniture collection includes standout pieces such as the Duodesk, Nest, Floform, Bookbench, Zest, Seesaw, and Readseat. Each item acts as a transformative playground for adults, encouraging engagement and interaction. These pieces can be configured together to promote collaboration among groups or separated to create tranquil retreats where one can dive into focused work or unwind in leisure.
The project draws inspiration from pioneering designs like Ken Isaac’s Fun House, which challenge traditional notions of living and working spaces. Inside Outside Adaptable Furniture not only redefines contemporary workspaces but also contributes to the creation of multifunctional, engaging environments that cater to diverse individual needs.
Team: Lene Fourie, Catalina Bardi, Alexis Ramos
These thoughtfully designed elements can be seamlessly arranged together, fostering a sense of collaboration and community among groups, or they can be arranged separately, offering serene retreats that promote individual reflection and relaxation.
02 WORKSHOP
Don’t dump it, Pulp it! The Pulp It Up workshop located in Hyde Park, Montrose offers a new purpose for your discarded paper. Our innovative process involves repurposing recycled paper into versatile pulp, which can be utilized for casting, sculpting, or crafting furniture. In addition to promote creativity, our workshop serves as a hub for community engagement, promoting awareness about the significance of recycling.
Sourcing unwanted paper from the local community to fabricate paper pulp panels for exterior facade. To enhance aesthetic appeal, we incorporate flowers from our garden, creating a visual blend that seamlessly merges the outdoors with indoor spaces. As these panels weather, a mesh intercepts the pulp, allowing for its reuse in the production of new panels.
The flexibility of our design is evident in the rotating and foldable panels that facilitate the infusion of natural light. Further, the adaptable furniture structures within the garden can be rotated to accommodate various uses. Wooden panels positioned at the base of the facade can be detached and affixed to these structures, providing additional seating options within the garden. This holistic approach not only prioritizes sustainability but also enhances the functionality and aesthetics of the community space
PULP IT UP WORKSHOP
Team: Lene Fourie, Alexis Ramos
SCALE
03 ADAPTIVE REUSE
DAY CARE CLINIC
This day care clinic offers users the experience to investigate this force through interaction. For those with early-stage memory loss, our interactive walls and furniture systems transforms the existing structure into a space of play that will stimulate and engage inhabitants allowing for the rehabilitation of the user’s mental and physical functions. Recreating the southwest edge of the existing structure, the two-way furniture/wall system transforms a simple pegboard into a structural wall that provides endless furniture configurations through pegs.
The outside peg will be able to showcase the current activities going on inside the building, therefore, allowing for communication in opposite directions. A family of smaller walls consisting of different pegboard variations, able to wander around the space, offers flexibility in configuring the space. This dynamic feature allows for seamless transitions between private and public areas, accommodating various activities tailored to the user’s needs.
3217 Hutchins St Housotn, TX, 77004
Team: Lene Fourie, Alexis Ramos
The project beautifully expands its innovative systems beyond the confines of the building, seamlessly extending into the garden. This immersive approach invites users to explore and grasp the game’s intricate rules through engaging investigation and hands-on interaction. As they step into the garden, they are greeted by movable garden beds that add a dynamic element to the landscape. This exciting integration transforms the garden into an integral part of the furniture system, creating a harmonious interplay between nature and design that enhances the overall experience.
elevations
Seamlessly integrating indoor and outdoor spaces, the walls create a sense of comfort, playfulness, and community. Whether engaging in games, puzzles, reading, or simply lounging, the environment evokes a sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of cherished childhood memories. By transforming the abandoned church into a day care center, the goal is to preserve the church’s memory, especially its stained-glass windows by reimagining these elements as small circular stained-glass windows.
04 INDUSTRIAL REPAIR
Team: Lene Fourie, Alexis Ramos
Warehouse repurpose
This project puts emphasis on the potential of Industrial infrastructure reuse. Looking into how environments and human rights can be assembled through the promotion of the knowledge of local handcraft. The project will be based on reusing part of a textile industrial building inspired by local traditional handicrafts. The design proposal illustrates how design can be a transition tool that reveals the Queretaro territory’s material and cultural resources—building a robust and united economic and social network by supporting a market of local crafts by using local materials and traditional craft techniques.
Art and Craft traditions are integral to Mexico’s rich history and diverse culture. They showcase a wide range of materials and traditional techniques that have been handed down through generations, each telling a unique story and representing the people and heritage of Mexico.
The concept of Neocraft involves the innovative combination of techniques and materials from different crafts to develop entirely new creations with different scales and unique purposes. Playing with the scale of these crafts will allow for new experiences and spatial conditions.
The design strategy was to create a series of interconnected spaces that would serve different functions— marketplaces, performance areas, and spaces for gathering. At the heart of the project is a “maze” garden that visitors can explore and interact with. As they move through the maze, they encounter different furniture pieces that define the various spatial zones. The open roof above the garden provides natural light and takes advantage of the incredible weather conditions in Queretaro, Mexico.
Ultimately, combining traditional crafts with modern design elements allows the space to honor local craftsmanship while providing a flexible, engaging environment for the community. The corn husk elements function as partitions and furniture and tell a story of cultural heritage and sustainability, transforming an old warehouse into a vibrant living space.
The goal was to blend the traditional with the contemporary, honoring the craft while serving practical needs in the local environment. These furniture pieces were designed with a focus on flexibility, allowing them to transform and adapt to the needs of different activities within the space.
The second craft, Talavera pottery, known for its vibrant colors and intricate patterns, influenced the design of the furniture pieces. Scaling up traditional pottery shapes, like vases, to create functional items like stools, seating arrangements, and kiosks.
Corn husks are used throughout the design, a natural, sustainable resource embodying cultural significance and aesthetic beauty. The first craft explored is Corn Husk Dolls, traditionally made using natural dyes to color the corn husk and shape it into figures, often in the form of dolls or flowers.
This led to the creation of a corn husk curtain system. It was inspired by these dolls’ delicate texture and organic nature, translating them into spatial elements.
In addition, using natural dyes derived from local plants—such as avocado for pink, beets for deeper shades, and tea bags for light brown— infuses the project with a sense of place and history. The arrangement of these curtains can alter the atmosphere of space by filtering light through the skylights and creating intimacy.
05 HABITABLE CURTAINS
(Work in progress / Experimental phase)
HABITABLE CURTAINS
By: Marta Rodriquez + Lené Fourie
2023 - 2024
Soft and adaptable wall prototypes that shape versatile, multifunctional environments.
How can we design spaces to flexibly evolve with human life? Habitable Curtains revolutionize the way we envision space, offering adaptability to both divide and connect.
Prototype 01 - Room Divider: A fluid wall providing intimacy for extra-small spaces and extra-large environments.
Habitable Curtains redefine spaces—dividing, connecting, and creating.
Soft walls redefine space using innovative curtains that appear and disappear, increasing the flexibility and adaptability of the space. These transformative curtains enable quick and easy reconfiguration of interiors to suit changing needs and activities.
06 Fan House
MICROHOME
The Fan House unfolds like a butterfly, with a fixed central panel anchored by the shower point—the lowest point of the deck that collects water. The two side panels move: one contains the sleeping and working area, creating space for a shower that can be used inside and outside with a curtain system resembling a dress. The third panel houses a mobile incineration toilet, configuring the cooking and living area when open.
The Fan House, a pop-up home or furniture home concept, reimagines the traditional “baul” (a trunk used to transport homes across oceans). Designed with modularity in mind, it facilitates easy assembly and disassembly. Hand fan-like curtains enhance this adaptability, allowing the space to display, fold, and unfold as needed.
By: Marta Rodriquez + Lené Fourie
community of micro-fan-homes
Living in the Fan House means experiencing both indoor and outdoor spaces simultaneously. It adapts to uneven terrain and compacts into a wardrobe when not in use. Playful folding screens, akin to hand fans, enclose the walls and deck. Solar panels are integrated into the façade.
Inside a system of mirrors and angles creates an experience of infinite and playful space, like a kaleidoscope or a surrealist/cubist painting. The floor platform also adapts and unfolds with the house. The primary materials are treated OSB panels and waterproof fabrics, similar to rice paper.
playful folding screens
This house is not just a microhome but a lifestyle. It adapts to the inhabitant’s wishes, generating space as needed. Its compactness, resembling a travel wardrobe, makes it suitable for vacation or emergency use.
