Biography

Vasilena (Lena) Vassilev is the Head of Design and Communication Studies at Northeastern University London, where she also serves as College Ambassador to Northeastern University’s College of Arts, Media, and Design (CAMD) and as an Assistant Professor in Architecture.

Lena earned her Master of Architecture (MArch) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). During her graduate studies, her work with MIT’s Media Lab, focusing on strategic design and urban systems research, deeply shaped her professional interests and design approach. Lena’s career encompasses a diverse range of design experiences, having worked in architectural practices across the United States and Germany. She is a Registered Architect in Bulgaria and founding partner of P+ Studio in London where she collaborates on projects that span large-scale urban planning, architectural design, and installations.

Before joining Northeastern University London, Lena taught at several esteemed institutions in the UK and the US. Her students have received prestigious accolades, including the Architect’s Journal Postgraduate Student Prize and the RIBA President’s Medal Commendation, and their work has been showcased at international events such as the 2020 Dubai World Expo. Lena Vassilev has also exhibited and presented her work at conferences and symposia on the global stage.

Qualifications

MArch. Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

BA, Architecture and Urbanism, Minor in Archaeology, Smith College, Northampton, MA

Professional Affiliations

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Chamber of Architects in Bulgaria (Registered Architect)

Selected Exhibitions

UN COP26 – Climate Change Conference, UK
Exhibition of Turbine-House, UK Active Building Centre (Gloucestershire) and virtual pavilion, Glasgow, UK

Dubai World Expo
Future Urban Projects: De Montfort University Studio Work Exhibition, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

International Green Building Expo
P+ Demonstration Building, Wujin, China
“Green Building Industry Development and Demonstration Zone” Exhibition Centre, Wujin, Changzhou, China

Beyond Ground – NLA Gallery
Exhibition of SYR students’ work and design studio research, New London Architecture, London, UK

Field Explorations – NLA Gallery
Exhibition of SYR students’ work and design studio research, New London Architecture, London, UK

VIA EXPO at the National Palace of Culture
Exhibition of award-winning Fangchenggang Residential Development proposal, Sofia, Bulgaria

EcoExpo Exhibition
“FluxFarm 2050 Design: An Integrated Train Station and Energy Farm,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Selected Awards

Chairs’ Award for Sustainable Development and Innovation
RISE (Research Innovation Sustainability) Awards, The Leeds Sustainability Institute, Technological University Dublin, University of Suffolk, UWE Bristol

Royal Academy of Engineering Frontiers of Engineering for Development Seed Funding Grant
For “Interplay Between Design, Density, and Wellbeing” with Cardiff University; Loughborough University; University of Amman, Jordan; University of Cape Town, South Africa; and Utopia, Kathmandu

Royal Academy of Engineering Frontiers of Engineering for Development Seed Funding Grant
For “Strategic Planning of Urban Water Reuse Interventions for Community Resilience” with University of West London; University of Cape Town, South Africa; Cardiff University; Loughborough University; Covenant University, Nigeria; Monash University, Malaysia; and Tekmann S.A., Mexico

EXPO Demonstration Project Award
P+ Demonstration Building Concept selected and funded for the first Chinese Government-approved and accredited Green Building Technology EXPO Park, Wujin, China

Faculty Teaching Grant
For the Design/Build of a Botanical Air Filtration System, Syracuse University School of Architecture, Syracuse, NY, USA

Second Place and Mayor’s Commendation
Fangchenggang City Peach Blossom Bay Development Competition, Fangchenggang, China

Department Merit Scholarship
MIT Department of Architecture, Cambridge, MA

Research

Books

Editor for the English Language: Mückenheim, Mark, and Demel, Juliane. Inspiration: Contemporary Design Methods in Architecture. Amsterdam: BIS, 2012.

Articles

Geetha Maniam, Nur Ain Zakaria, Choe Peng Leo, Vasilena Vassilev, Karen Banahene Blay, Kourosh Behzadian, Phaik Eong Poh. “An Assessment of Technological Development and Applications of Decentralized Water Reuse: A Critical Review and Conceptual Framework.” Wires Water, April 2022.

Alireza Moghayedi, Kourosh Behzadian, Abid Mehmood, Karen Blay, Leo Choe Peng, Poh Phaik Eong, Isaac Akinwumi, Vasilena Vassilev, Joaquín Diazsolano. “Community Engagement for Developing Strategic Planning of Residential Water Reuse Schemes.” AQUA≈360: Water for All – Emerging Issues and Innovations, University of Exeter, UK, 2021.

Alireza Moghayedi, Kourosh Behzadian, Abid Mehmood, Karen Blay, Leo Choe Peng, Poh Phaik Eong, Isaac Akinwumi, Vasilena Vassilev, Joaquín Diazsolano. “Causality Between Challenges and Extent of Use of Recycling Water in Residential Properties.” SEEDS Conference Proceedings: International Conference for Sustainable Ecological Engineering Design for Society, Leeds Beckett University, 2021.

Abid Mehmood, Vasilena Vassilev, Rania Aburamadan, Karen Blay, Alireza Moghayedi, Dori Nguyen. “Perpetual Impermanence of Urban Informal Settlements: Improving Population Wellbeing Through Innovative Changes in the Global South.” SEEDS Conference Proceedings: International Conference for Sustainable Ecological Engineering Design for Society, Leeds Beckett University, 2021.

Timoleon Kipouros, Vasilena Vassilev, Paul Michael Pelken. “Architectural Design for Optimized Performance Supported by Aerospace Value Assessment Methods.” Proceedings of the Sustainable Built Environment Conference SBE19, Politecnico di Milano, Italy, 2019.

Paul Michael Pelken, Vasilena Vassilev. “Innovation Strategies for the Built Environment in Research, Practice, and Teaching.” Proceedings of the Bi-annual Finnish Conference on Building Physics, Tampere University of Technology, Finland, 2017.

Paul Michael Pelken, Vasilena Vassilev. “Turbine-House – Patented Energy Plus Innovation.” Proceedings of the Central European Conference on Building Physics (BAUSIM), TU Dresden, Germany, 2016.

Vasilena Vassilev. “Methodologies for Urban Ecosystems Planning.” Proceedings of The 8th International Forum and Workshop on Combined Heat, Air, Moisture and Pollutant Simulations, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 2011.