portfolio _ monica cristaldo by Monica Cristaldo

monica cristaldo

jazcristaldo99@gmail.com +4917663364456

Potsdam, DE

I have 2 years experience in architecture & urbanism:

aug 2023 - oct 2023

URBAN INNOVATION AGENCY Asuncion, Paraguay

Collaborated in a community housing project for ≈ 1500 families. Streets and public spaces design, 3D visualizations.

jan 2023 - mar 2023

OMCM ARCHITECTURE STUDIO Asuncion, Paraguay

Participated in 2 architectural competition proposals. Metric calculations, budgeting, graphic design, 3D visualizations.

sep 2022 - dec 2022

CIVIL ORGANIZATION ASU+B Asuncion, Paraguay

Contributed to the Caballero Park Revitalization Project. User-friendly map design, GIS and spatial data visualization.

ago 2022 - nov 2022

UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE ASUNCIÓN San Lorenzo, Paraguay

Teaching Assistant “Graphic Representations ll.”

jul 2020 - feb 2021

ETECCISA Asuncion, Paraguay

Designed housing projects. Surveying, plan digitization, interior design, 3D visualizations.

competing: 2023

“Proposal for the San Jose Events Hall”, 2nd Place. “Proposal for the Schoenstatt Sanctuary”, honorific mention.

working with:

Native Spanish

C1 English, IELTS 7.5

B1 German

B1 Italian

A2 Portuguese speak:

Adobe Suite qGIS

SketchUp 3D AutoCAD

Archicad

Lumion

Oil painting

Photography

Sketching

Collage

My strengths are captured in 3C’s: Creative, Curious, & Collaborative. Committed to fostering positive change, I strive to enhance spatial understanding and improve decision-making through innovative map design.

studied:

2018 - 2024

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF ASUNCION San Lorenzo, Paraguay

Architecture & Urbanism Bachelor. Avg: 4,67/5,00 (German grade: 1,3).

Research thesis: “ Designing Healthy Streets”, focusing on the influence of street design parameters on community well-being.

ITAIPU University Degree Scholarship.

2021 - 2022

SAPIENZA UNIVERSITÀ DI ROMA Rome, Italy

MArchi Urban Regeneration. Study abroad program.

BECAL International Exchange Scholarship.

researched:

LMU Munich, Germany

Methods in Digital Heritage Winter School.

LMU Full Scholarship.

2023 2025

SUPERWIEN URBANISM Asuncion, Paraguay

“Urban Design Laboratory for the historic center on Asuncion.”

2023

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF THE LITTORAL Santa Fe, Argentina

“Naturar Conectar Ecologizar,” construction workshop.

2019 - 2022

UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE ASUNCIÓN Asuncion, Paraguay

“Urban Park Management.”

“XI Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism.”

“Technique, Tectonics, and Technology for Contemporary Housing.”

2022

FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL Porto Alegre, Brasil

“XXV Congress of Public Architecture Universities of South America.”

piazza del verano

project

Regeneration of the public space Piazza del Verano.

course

Urban Planning Studio - Sapienza Università di Roma.

professor Marika Fior.

Piazza del Verano has a strategic location in San Lorenzo between universities, factories, the Basilica di San Lorenzo and the Verano Cemetery, being its vocation to serve as a link between these different entities.

The square was reorganized to become a centrality in the neighborhood. In order to do this, five islands emerge around the theme of sharing: growing, playing, sitting, exercising and shopping. Each island is designed with furniture inspired by Aldo Van Eyck, based on simple geometric shapes.

Seeking to enhance the historical heritage of San Lorenzo three actions are carried out: the creation of axial pathways to offer varied perspectives and approaches to the buildings, the replacement of asphalt with natural stone pavement that complements the character of the existing architecture, and the aligned planting of vegetation to serve as visual guides, with heritage sites as focal points.

Flow scheme

Green areas

Seat flow scheme

Play flow scheme

Workout flow scheme

flow scheme

Cultivate

project

masterplan san lorenzo

Masterplan for Quartiere San Lorenzo in Rome, Italy.

in collaboration w/ Bettina Bodin, Miriam Byberg, Tonje Thomassen.

course

Urban Planning Studio - Sapienza Università di Roma.

professor Marika Fior.

San Lorenzo is configured as an “urban island” surrounded by major urban facilities such as Città Universitaria, Policlínico Umberto I, Verano Cemetery, a railway depot, and Termini Station. This condition has led to the formation of informal settlements on the district's edges which take advantage of abandoned industrial sites. The Masterplan addresses this issue through two lines of analysis:

1. The permeability of San Lorenzo, measuring people’s perception of how easily they can move through and physically traverse the area.

2. A focus on the district’s margins, considering them as key spaces for interaction between Rome’s diverse communities, following Richard Sennett’s open city theory.

Walking access

Areas with high pedestrian accessibility (10min)

Urban mobility

San Lorenzo Railway

Tram

Bus

Night bus Ring road

Rail road Cemetery

Ring road

Rail road Cemetery Ring road

Aurelian Wall University

Parking lot

Pedestrian tunnel

Aurelian Wall University

Parking lot

Pedestrian tunnel

Social interact.

- by age

INFRASTRUCTURE USE FLOWS

All users

Majority of users

Minority of users

Places of interaction

Children of SL

Students of SL

Elderly of SL

Workers of SL

SOFT TRANSFORMATIONS

areas to maintain

AREAS

Consolidated squares

Cultural squares

ACTIONS

High concentration of public services on ground zero (min. 60%)

Medium concentration of public services on ground zero (min. 30%)

Increase permiability of barriers

MEDIUM TRANSFORMATIONS

- areas to requalify

GREEN/PUBLIC SPACE: functional and environmental transformations

Via Tiburtina & adjacent squares

Piazzale del Verano & Scalo San Lorenzo

Educational quarter

Re-qualification of ecological connections

INDUSTRIAL AREAS: maintain industrial use, with added fuctions

North industrial area

South industrial area

Areas to become predominantly green/public space

Buildings to be demolished to create green/public space

Biuldings with possible GFA increase to compensate

COMPLETE TRANSFORMATIONS

areas to regenerate

MOBILITY TRANSFORMATIONS

create a community less dependent on automobiles through the promotion of sustainable mobility

TRANSPORT

Bus

Tram

Cycleway

Pedestrian street with restricted parking

Slow traffic street (30 km/h)

Ring road

Temporary parking

URBAN CENTRALITIES

public space for social interaction

EXISTING - enhance qualities

Piazzale Tiburtino

Parco Caduti 19 Luglio 1943 Villa Mercede

Piazza dei Sanniti

Piazzale del Verano

Scalo San Lorenzo

Piazza dell'Immacolata

PROPOSED

Public space connecting the University and San Lorenzo

Industrial park

Public space along the Aurelian Wall

Vía dello Scalo / Ring road

Railway yard

masterplan mburicao

project

Urban regeneration of the Mburicao stream lower basin.

in collaboration w/ Andrea Ramirez, Gabriela Orrego, Arami Paredes, Ximena Zavala.

course

Urban Design II - Faculty of Architecture, Design, and Art

professor

Sebastian Blanco

The project is located in the neighborhood Virgen de Fatima, which faces several urban challenges, including poor resource and waste management, high industrial pollution, frequent flooding, and low population density.

The proposal for a new urban model is centered around a main axis—habitat—supported by three complementary pillars: water, air, and food. The key strategies include developing road infrastructure to promote sustainable mobility, restoring the protection zones of the Mburicao and Ybyray streams, increasing residential density, repurposing industrial areas, expanding green spaces, and implementing sustainable urban drainage systems.

With "habitat" as the core principle, the project proposes a vertical housing model, increasing density to 350 inhabitants per hectare—an ideal value according to Salvador Rueda’s Urban Ecology.

Emission: 59.000 Co2/year

53% - industries

Absorption: < 1%

Proposal

Consumption: 280mill lts/year

Floodable area: 50%

Emission: 123.256 Co2/year

Absorption: 38,5%

2,5% - green areas

36% - organic waste

Consumption: 1.358bill lts/year

Retention area: 30%

urban gardens: 280.800.000 lts/year

Consumption: 552.456 kg/sem

Cultivation area: <15%

Consumption: 1.7mill kg/sem

Cultivation area: 50%

4% - facade

96% - horizontal

stage 1

PUBLIC MANAGEMENT AND CIVIC CENTER

Industries to be Relocated

Industries illegally occupying the stream protected zone. 70% of the industries will be demolished.

30% of the industries will be repurposed.

Civic Information Center

Hosting talks, urban labs, and small interventions in the area.

7.301 sqm of civic center space.

Road Infrastructure

Connection between the streets Lombardo and Florencio Villamayor, along with intervention on Dublin St.

stage 2 RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Water Tower and Retention Basins

Construction of water storage towers and storm water management pond.

Urban Gardens

Crop production in horizontal layouts, on the facades of former industries, and on water towers.

Housing Modules

Relocation of residents living in flood-prone areas, with mixeduse podiums designated for commerce and services.

Clean Points

Collection and waste sorting sites + composting.

stage 3 HABITAT + WETLANDS PARK

Housing Modules

Continuation of Housing Complex Construction.

Biological Wetlands Park

Continuation of water management ponds construction, including infrastructure for trails and public spaces.

Urban Gardens

Crop production Around Cerrito Lagoon and Wetlands.

HABITAT: housing + commerce + services density

350 inhab/ha

healthy streets

project

Application of Healthy Streets Indicators to Avenues in Asuncion.

in collaboration w/ Andrea Ramirez.

course

Bachelor's Thesis - Faculty of Architecture, Design, and Art

tutor

Annie Granada

The research thesis analyzes Boggiani Avenue in Asuncion, Paraguay, using the "Healthy Streets" indicators, a tool developed by urban planner Lucy Sanders to assess the health conditions of urban streets. The study begins with a preliminary analysis of the site’s characteristics, identifying the street’s strengths and weaknesses. Based on these findings, improvement strategies are proposed, including road safety measures, sustainable urban mobility, dynamic public spaces, and green infrastructure.

The project aims to transform Boggiani Avenue into a Healthy Street model and promote this concept in other parts of the city. Additionally, it proposes a replicable methodology for studying public spaces to enhance urban health and well-being.