About me

Lisa van den Elzen

Architect (B.Arch.) by the Universidad de Las Américas (EC)

Master’s Degree in Virtual Heritage by the University of Alicante (SP)

I am a digital designer specialized in 3D reconstruction and visualization of cultural heritage. With a background in architecture and a Master’s degree in Virtual Heritage from the Universidad de Alicante, I focus on creating historically grounded digital environments using tools such as Blender, Unreal Engine, and photogrammetry techniques and LiDAR-based workflows.

My work is a mix of architecture, history and digital technology. I am specially interested in reconstructing and conservating environments and buildings through research-driven modelling, combining historical sources, spatial analysis and digital workflows to produce accurate and meaningful representations of the past.

I have experience across architectural and urban design projects, including participation in international competitions, which has strengthened my ability to translate complex ideas into clear visual outputs, ranging from concept diagrams and technical drawings to detailed 3D models and real time environments.

Alongside my academic work, I have gained several years of professional experience in facade engineering, producing detailed technical drawings for curtain walls and windows systems. This experience has strengthened my understanding of real-world construction, materiality, and building detailing, which I bring into my digital reconstructions to ensure structural and architectural credibility.

In addition, my technical toolkit includes Blender, Unreal Engine, AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp and Adobe Creative Suite, allowing me to move fluidly between design, visualization and presentation.

I am reliable and detail-oriented professional who values clear communication and collaborative work. I aim to contribute to projects focused on cultural heritage, digital preservation, and immersive storytelling, where technical precision and historical context go hand in hand.

Experience

Junior Architect intern

Tierra Viva (Otavalo, EC)

| June 2018 to March 2019

Design and construction of a discotheque project in the city of Otavalo.
Work in begin process and afterward in detail interior.
Presentation of projects in renders realized in Sketchup and Lumion.

HI Designing Cia Ltda. (Quito, EC)

| July 2019 to Aug. 2019

The design process for housing urbanization.
Correction of plans for construction with details of water and electricity network.
Representation of facades in Lumion with material details.

Junior Designer

Scheldebouw B.V. (Middelburg, NL)

| Februari 2022 to Februari 2023

Derived design for an aluminum façade with unitized panels, part of the Olympia project located in London, UK.
Constructive details of unitized panels including: louvres, glass panels & insulated panels.
Work supervision of a VMU (visual mock up) containing a section of the building in scale 1:1, for visual presentation to the clients.

Designer & Planner

J.M. van Delft & zn (Drunen, NL)

|March 2023 – Current work

Technical design, detailing, and work preparation of aluminium window frames, doors, and curtain wall systems.
Production of detailed drawings and manufacturing documentation using AutoCAD, Revit, and SchüCal
Experience working on large-scale residential and commercial projects, including The Bridge (Amsterdam), Sea Tower (Zoetermeer), and Nuva Keukens (Someren).

Render recreation of project Las Tiendas in Otavalo, EC

Education

UNIVERSIDAD DE LAS AMÉRICAS (UDLA)

Quito, Ecuador

Bachelor in Architecture (B. Arch)

Attended from Sept. 2015 to Aug. 2020
Academic Excellence Scholarship – 5 consecutive years (80%)

UNIVERSITAT D’ALACANT

Online

Master in Virtual Heritage & 3D Reconstruction

Attended from Oct. 2024 to Sep. 2025
GPA: 9,47/10

Courses

Click here to see certificates

Universidad de Nebrija – Management of Artistic and Architectural Heritage

125-hour online course and 5 ECTS credits
Course given by INESEM
Theoretical and legal training on the management of historical heritage
Attended 2022

Koré – Introduction to Blender (2021 – Cities) 3D Recreation of Historic Cities with Blender

60-hour online course
Use of Blender 2.8/2.9
Modeling of historic cities from real models (with Lidar, MDT, etc) adding realistic texturing
Given by Pablo Aparicio (Heritage Virtualization)
Attended Jul to Sep. 2021

Koré – Online microcrouse: “Creation and organization of 3D objects collections with Blender

10-hour online course
Use of Blender 2.9
Detailed artifact modeling and textures done using Substance painter
Given by Pablo Aparicio (Heritage Virtualization)
Attended Dec. 2021 to Jan. 2022

UGreen – Green Building School

10-hour Green Building Training
Given by Filipe Boni & Sami Meira
Sustainable Architecture Week
Attended Jan. 2021

Egiptología (Egyptology)

Course given by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, professors: Josep Cervelló and José Lull.
54-hour online course
Attended Sept-Oct. 2021

Ilustre.co – Islamic Spain: from art and architecture

Course given by Luis Carlos Barragán
10-hour online course
Attended Jun. 2021

Ilustre.co – Six architectural gems

Course given by Agustina Lezcano
10-hour online course
Attended Jul. 2021

3D representation of Elephantine (II s. B.C.)

Contest

Niagara Falls Pavilion – reTHINKING ARCHITECTURE COMPETITIONS International

Participated May 2019
Presented the project: The Third Drop

Skills

Architecture programs

Autocad 2D + 3D
Photoshop
Illustrator
InDesign
Revit
Sketchup + Vray
3DsMax + Vray
Lumion 10
ArcGis
Excel
Word
Flow design
Ecotect
Formit
Blender
Substance painter
Q-Gis (Photogrammetric data processor)
ShueCal

Languages

Spanish (Native)
English advanced level, Toefl iBT score: 98/120 & Wall Street Institute certification
Dutch advanced level, parents native language.