Lauren Baumbach, MSARCH, RA, NCIDQ, IIDA, IDEC

Lauren Baumbach is an educator, licensed architect, and certified interior designer with over 25 years of experience in design education and professional practice. Her teaching focuses on design research as a driver of design problem solving as well holistic design that considers the users, the physical, psychological, environmental, historical, and cultural context. In her teaching she also embraces tectonics, both the science and art of construction. Lauren holds BFA and BARCH degrees from Rhode Island School of Design and a MSARCH from Thomas Jefferson University. Her professional practice experience spans from large to small scale projects including corporate, research and development, institutional, and residential design. She worked for prominent national firms such as The Kling Partnership (now Jacobs) and Agoos Lovera Architects before opening her own practice in the 1990s. Her work has received numerous awards from professional organizations. She is an active member of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC). 

Lauren’s research is focused on the philosophy of phenomenology, critical regionalism, and new urbanism. Her research delves into genius loci, the experience and spirit of place and how its essence can be enhanced through design. Design that integrates phenomena of the natural environment and cultural history heightening connection to place. Her work further explores strengthening experience of place through the lens of critical regionalism. At the community and socio-cultural level, she explores and tests strategies of new urbanism which enhance community connection and civic engagement by creating walkable towns, designing to human scale, preserving cultural historical artifacts, integrating green space, and designing for proximity to services and support institutions. 

In her teaching, Lauren’s expertise is wide ranging. While she has taught foundation level design and visualization laying the groundwork for more advanced learning, she concentrates primarily on teaching mid- to upper-level design studios and construction technology. Her philosophy is that distinctive design comes out of a synthesis of good research, analysis, and holistic design thinking. She emphasizes excellence in form making and space planning and focuses on the experiential sensory aspects of design through the haptic qualities of materials, the play of light, and connection to the outdoors.  Her philosophy emphasizes the belief that designers should be makers and understand construction and the physical world if they aspire to be master designers. Her expertise, passion, and innovations as a designer and educator have inspired generations of students.

Lauren is also an educational leader and mentor to faculty. She is Chair of the Department of Interior Design and Interior Architecture, Director of the B.S. in Interior Design, and Director of the M.S. in Interior Architecture. She founded and developed the M.S. in Interior Architecture program, developed the B.S. in Interior Design, and multiple study abroad partnerships for both programs. She has led both programs through numerous successful Council for Interior Design (CIDA) accreditations, led national workshops on accreditation, and received the CIDA Innovation in Interior Design Education Award.