Heidi Flores hopes to inspire Hispanic students to explore architecture
Published October 10, 2019 This content is archived.
by Maryanne Schultz
Inclusion is a core principle that motivates our students. Master of Architecture student Heidi Flores notes that architecture cannot create inclusive environments without creating a more inclusive profession.
Heidi Flores is an accomplished and active student in the Master of Architecture program at UB. She hopes to inspirie Hispanic students to explore the field of architecture.
“When I came in as a freshman six years ago, I was one of six Hispanic students in my class alone. Throughout the years, I have seen an increase in Hispanics being interested in the field of architecture.”
Flores adds that “it is crucial to highlight [Hispanics'] accomplishments in the profession as Hispanics and Latinos are misrepresented in the media.
With interests in digital media and visual representation, Flores is a member of the Situated Technologies Graduate Research Group in the Department of Architecture. She is currently working with advanced computational simulation in the study of the structures of nature, and abstracting that into architectural systems. She and fellow MArch student Rania Moussa are also developing an exhibition that will explore simulating natural elements using computational design tools.
In her first semester of the MArch program, Flores was part of a studio that designed PLUVIOUS, a responsive environment that integrated technology, light, sound, and motion to create a multisensory space.
Flores received her bachelor's degree in architecture at UB in 2018. As an undergraduate, Flores was a research assistant in UB's Sustainable Manufacturing & Advanced Robotic Technologies Community of Excellence, a research community co-led by faculty from the School of Architecture and Planning. Here she worked on the implementation of assistive technologies in the development of the On Site Construction Robot, OSCR-5, a leg-based humanoid that helps workers in the masonry construction field.
Flores is active in life of the school and serves as a teaching assistant in the undergraduate architectural media course. In 2018, Flores was a recipient of the school's Faculty Scholarship for incoming master's degree students.
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