Architecture Faculty

Position: Faculty

Education: Master of Architecture, Savannah College Art Design (Savannah, Georgia, Architecture)

Kai brings experience from award winning firms in Rotterdam and San Francisco, where he worked on high-end homes and commercial projects. He is skilled in all phases of design, and specializes in BIM coordination and building envelope/waterproofing systems. Kai teaches at the Academy of Art University and is currently working toward completing his architectural license. Born and raised in Damascus, Kai’s background of international practice, his attention to technical detailing, and his education, all reflect his multicultural and practical understanding of architecture.

Position: Faculty

Ashley is the co-founder of Nanka, an architectural practice that was founded in 2020 in Tokyo. Nanka has built projects in Japan and the United States that include sneaker stores, cabin renovations, and dance studios. Ashley is a Registered Architect in California, holds a Master of Architecture 1 from Harvard Graduate School of Design, and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from University of California, Berkeley. She has experience working in firms including The Los Angeles Design Group (LADG), AS_IS, and Atelier Bow-Wow in Japan. She has taught design studios at the University of California, Berkeley and the Academy of Art University, and she has taught courses at Harvard including Core Prep, Design Discovery, Digital Sketching, and Digital Media.

Industry Credits:

• Research Grant: Harvard Asia Center | Cambridge, MA

Position: Faculty

Jason Austin has taught architecture, landscape, and urban design studios at both undergraduate and graduate levels at universities on both coasts. His teaching experiences align with his strong understanding of urban design, systems and network-thinking and built structures as they relate to the constructed landscape and the physical, social and cultural forces that shape our built environment. His experience coordinating foundation design studios as well as advanced upper-level studios has equipped him with a set of teaching skills with great range and depth and an ability to teach a diverse student body. Jason’s years of teaching experience and curriculum development at Drexel University instructing foundation studios, vertical studios and advising thesis students have provided him with an ample resource and exploration of teaching and working within a range of site types – from rural border conditions to blighted urban neighborhoods.

Jason Austin received his professional degree in Architecture from Cornell University, where he was awarded a Charles Goodwin Sands Memorial Silver Medal for his undergraduate thesis. He also attended University of Pennsylvania and received his Master of Landscape Architecture. Professional design and construction experiences include the offices of SOM in New York, Atkin Olshin Schade Architects in Philadelphia and development company Letterman Inc in Carlisle, PA.

Jason was previously an assistant professor at Drexel University’s Department of Architecture, having also been an adjunct faculty member at the Landscape Architecture Department at University of Pennsylvania (Penn Design) and the Tyler School Department of Architecture at Temple University, and a guest design critic at Cornell and Lehigh Universities.

With Aleksandr Mergold, he co-founded A+M Austin + Mergold in 2008 to pursue residential, commercial, landscape, and urban design projects. Jason Austin is a LEED Accredited Professional.

Position: Part Time Faculty

Kate Bilyk is an architectural designer, entrepreneur, educator, and thinker. Her work is focused on the betterment of housing in the United States, on enhancing accessibility to quality architectural planning and redevelopment of existing structures in Europe, and on opening of the discipline of architecture to a wider public.

Kate Bilyk was born in Ukraine, received her Bachelor of Architecture at California Polytechnic University, Pomona and her Master of Architecture at Princeton University. She has worked in a number of practices over the years – Johnston Marklee (Los Angeles), Barkow Leibinger (Berlin), and Casper Mueller Kneer (Berlin), among others. She has also held a series of teaching appointments, most recently as Lecturer at the Technical University in Berlin and Assistant Instructor at Princeton University School of Architecture, as well as has done archival, exhibition and conference work with such institutions as College of Environmental Design at Cal Poly Pomona, Neutra VDL Studio and Residences, and Princeton University School of Architecture.

Kate Bilyk is currently developing her atelier as a place for thinking and engagement with the discipline of architecture, as well as setting up two other projects in the U.S. and Europe.

Position: Faculty

Education: Doctor of Philosophy, Columbia University (New York, New York, Art History and Archaeology)

After spending most of her childhood in Charlottesville, Virginia, where her parents were professors, Laura Brugger stayed to earn her B.A. at the University of Virginia, studying as an Echols Scholar and graduating Phi Beta Kappa. Her interest in political theory and 19th-century literature as an undergraduate evolved into fascination with the intersection between politics, society and the built environment in graduate school. After working for one year at an architectural firm in Washington, D.C., she moved to New York to attend Columbia University, where she completed Master of Architecture and Master of Historic Preservation degrees. Upon graduation, she worked for two years with an historic preservation consulting firm in Los Angeles, reviewing and assisting in the repair of buildings damaged by the Northridge earthquake, ranging from Frank Lloyd Wright designs to modest Craftsman bungalows. She then returned to the Art History Department at Columbia to earn a doctorate in Architectural History. She specialized in 19th-century English architecture for her oral exams and focused on 19th-century American buildings for her dissertation. Entitled “Constructing Taste: Athenaeums and Academies of Art in the United States, 1805-1865,” her dissertation proposes correlations between changing theories of public art perception and the evolution of architectural styles chosen for public art galleries in early 19th-century America. Laura’s broad teaching experience over the years includes courses on art history as well as architectural history, theory and urbanism at Columbia, Pratt Institute, the State University of New York at Purchase, NY and the California College of Arts. Besides teaching, she happily dedicates her time to her husband, three daughters, running and yoga.

Position: Faculty

Prior to founding Paul Burgin Architecture in 2016, Paul Burgin worked as a senior associate in the San Francisco architectural firm Jim Jennings Architecture for over 12 years. During this time he acted as Project Architect for a number of notable projects, including the Pebble Beach Residence, one of Architectural Record’s 2020 Record Houses; Yountville Hill Winery; the Carmel Residence, one of 2015’s Record Houses; Art Pool and Pavilion (a collaboration with the artist James Turrell), and Lanikai Residence.

Previously, Paul worked in San Francisco architecture firms Schwartz and Architecture and Zack/deVito Architecture. He has taught design studios at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and UC Berkeley. He has served as a design critic at UC Berkeley, California College of the Arts, Academy of Art University, and USC.

As an undergraduate and graduate student at UC Berkeley, he studied with noted architects Stanley Saitowitz, Mark Mack, Adele Naudé Santos, and Michael Bell. Upon graduation, Paul worked for David Raphael Singer Architects in La Jolla on residential and museum projects, including the renovation of the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park, and several projects with the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. He received his BA Architecture in 1992, Masters in Architecture in 1996, California license in 2000, and his LEED certification in 2009. Paul grew up in San Diego, the son of Swiss academics in the fields of computer science and marine biology. When he is not designing buildings, Paul is usually out surfing and exploring the cold waters of Northern California. He lives in Santa Cruz with his wife Claudia, son Dax, and cats George and Greta.

Position: Faculty

Education: Master of Architecture, Columbia University (New York, New York, Architecture)

Elizabeth Cohn-Martin is an architect, educator, and sustainability specialist with experience in research and development of alternative materials and sustainable systems for diverse projects. She has global work experience in New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, Mexico, Guatemala, and Saudi Arabia and is a registered Associate Architect with the AIA, a LEED BD&C credentialed professional with the USGBC, and holds a certificate in Healthy Materials and Sustainable Building offered by the New School Parsons Healthy Materials Lab.

Elizabeth completed a Master of Architecture (MArch) and Master of Science in Urban Planning (MSUP) focused on Sustainable Urbanization from Columbia University GSAPP. Her research and development work focuses on biomaterials, biophilic systems, sustainability and building performance. Always curious of the worlds of computational design and digital fabrication, she believes that there is great potential in the future of technology and innovation within the realm of the built environment to address some of our most pressing global issues. Elizabeth is currently faculty at the Academy of Art in San Francisco, a position that she held concurrently while previously working as the Research and Development Manager and Sustainability Lead at Roth Architecture in Tulum, Mexico.

At Roth Architecture, Elizabeth led the curation of the R&D and FabLab departments. As the R&D manager, she spearheaded advanced material and fabrication initiatives geared towards exemplary innovative design strategies included within each project. She coordinated in-house and consultant development efforts, facilitating communication between the integrated team and enabling the provision of applied material & technical solutions. Analysis of raw material provision, processing, fabrication, and installation of developed material options for interior and exterior application all fell within her scope of deliverables. The intended goal of the R&D department at Roth Architecture was to enable high performing, sustainable, and creative use of material within the built environment. Elizabeth supported in all phases of project delivery, from early conceptual analysis of possibility to defined technical development, fabrication procurement, and construction administration.

Elizabeth’s prior work experience includes David Baker Architects in San Francisco, Terrapin Bright Green, Latent Productions, and RePlace Urban Studio in New York City. In addition to her current faculty position at the Academy of Art, past teaching experience has included positions held within Columbia University’s School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP), the School of Professional Studies, and the Earth Institute as well as The New School’s Continuing and Professional Education program. Current and past faculty and instructor positions have focused on sustainability in the built environment, building performance analysis, and technical advising for advanced studio courses.

Elizabeth is well versed in a suite of design tools, digital software, and evaluation frameworks, many of which are utilized to analyze climate, building performance, and sustainability factors. Specific performance related tools include Climate Consultant, ClimateStudio, Sefaira, COMFEN, and Ladybug Tools among others. Knowledge frameworks and performance standards within her wheelhouse include LCA analysis, operational and construction-related carbon impact of the built environment as it informs low-carbon design, and LEED, Sites, WELL, LBC, and EDGE certifications.

Position: Faculty

Education: Master of Architecture, Columbia University (New York, New York, Architecture)

Matthew Davis is a Canadian-Filipino designer, artist, and former professor at Columbia University GSAPP and Parsons School of Design. He is the director of DAD D.P.C. and also a Registered Architect in New York State in the USA.

Matthew moved from Toronto to New York after completing his Bachelor of Architectural Studies at the University of Waterloo. He was an Associate at Only If— (New York) and spent multiple years working with OMA (Rotterdam and New York).  He holds a Master of Architecture from Columbia University GSAPP and was the recipient of the Alpha Rho Chi Medal. Previously, he worked at NL Architects (Amsterdam), Coop Himmelb(l)au (Vienna), Arquitectonica (Paris), and KPF (New York).

Matthew is currently working on projects in New York, Canada, Mexico, and the Philippines. He has recently completed a multi-family residence in the mountains of the Philippines as well as a restaurant in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.  In October of 2019, he exhibited Project GUNK as part of Toronto’s Nuit Blanche event. In 2020, he founded Open For Business with Stephan van Eeden to design, build, and install protective shields during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, he was a resource speaker at the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) 46th National Convention.

Since 2012, Matthew has collaborated most frequently with Adrien Mans, Stephan van Eeden, and Igsung So (SWON Ltd).   Current & Past collaborators: Miles Gertler, Antariksh Tandon, Midori Hasuike, Fysal Amirzada, Arianna Deane, Ashely Kuo, Julie Perrone, Luke Willis (OCX), Adam Frampton, Ian Watchorn (WAU), Reza Nik (SHEEEP Studio), Minjae Kim, Mark Bennett, Thomas DeMonchaux, Lou Arencibia (OLA), Idrisse Hidara, Studio Min Hee Lee.

Position: Faculty

Education: Master’s Other, Pennsylvania State University (University Park, Pennsylvania, Landscape Architecture)

Shruti Dixit has two decades of professional experience in master planning and landscape architecture projects across the world. She has worked on a wide range of projects of various scales, which have included hospitality and resort design, public parks, townships, institutional campuses, and historic landscapes. Since 2015, she has immensely enjoyed teaching an introductory design studio to architecture and landscape architecture majors at the Academy of Art University.

Shruti is a licensed landscape architect in California, a LEED accredited professional, and has a special interest in cultural landscapes and in placemaking endeavors. She enjoys creating places that are meaningful to the people who use them and firmly believes that designers and planners can be active agents in making a positive impact on society through the quality of places they help create. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture in India and a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the Pennsylvania State University where her work was recognized by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

Position: Faculty

Education: Master of Architecture, Architectural Association School of Architecture (London, United Kingdom, ARH & Urbnism)

Arash Archer Firouzi is an Iranian-American architectural designer, artist, and educator with a multi-disciplinary design approach. Archer is the founder of ARCHIFFECTS as well as [ZESHT] Art and Design both based in San Francisco.

In his work at the architectural scale through Archiffects, he implements his belief that architecture goes beyond mere function – it shapes how we live, how we connect, and how we experience the world around us. Every project is an opportunity to create environments that transform the everyday into something meaningful and exceptional. By listening, collaborating, and crafting with intention, he designs spaces that not only serve their purpose but elevate the human experience and inspire those who inhabit them.

Prior to founding Archiffects, Archer worked on large scale projects such as the Newport Beach City Hall and the Sidney Poitier Film School while with Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. Past art projects include an installation at the SF City Hall and the SF Chinese New Year parade float.

Archer holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Academy of Art University and a Master of Architecture degree from the Architectural Association in London.

Position: Faculty

Education: Master of Architecture, University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley, California, Architecture)

Charles is the founder of Atelier Siletz Architecture and As Development, an interdisciplinary firm operating at the intersection of architecture, community and social equity. Charles is a registered Architect in California and Oregon and previously worked at Stanley Saitowitz | Natoma Architects in San Francisco. He received his Masters of Architecture from UC Berkeley, where he was the recipient of the Malcom Reynolds Memorial Fellowship.

At AAU, Charles has taught a 3rd year online design studio (ARH 350) in previous semesters. Currently he teaches a 4th year design studio (ARH 450). His interest in architecture, design and development stems from his passion for societal inclusion. Charles is a Native American tribal member from the Siletz Tribe in Oregon. Through his cultural upbringing, he realized the inequality that exists for many people throughout society.

With a passion to make a positive social impact through design, Charles founded Atelier Siletz to help underserved communities become stakeholders in their own neighborhood. By teaching people how to invest and develop their own architecture, they create value, income and affordability that benefits their families and communities for multiple generations. The Atelier Siletz team works alongside these community members throughout the entire process; including planning, financial sourcing, architecture, and construction.

Position: Faculty

Education: Master of Architecture, California College of the Arts (San Francisco, California, Architecture)

Andrei Hakhovich blends creative inquiry with material intelligence, computational design, and digital fabrication based on his dual background in architecture and structural engineering. This allows him to explore narratives, spaces, and forms in a new meaningful way. He received a BS in Structural Engineering from Belarusian National Technic University and an MArch in Architecture from California College of the Arts where he was recipient of Mel Ferris Dean’s Choice Award.

Position: Faculty

Education: Bachelor of Architecture, Pennsylvania State University (University Park, Pennsylvania, Architectural Engineering)

A professional engineer in the mechanical consulting and design industry who thrives on creativity and sustainability. Prior experience includes: mechanical design of commercial spaces such as laboratories, offices, warehouses, and universities; BIM coordination during design and construction phases; project management throughout entire project life cycle; training and organizational learning facilitation; and team supervision.
Known for efficiently and effectively applying existing, proven technologies as well as innovating new and creative ways to successfully execute the most unique projects. Passionate about continual learning, new challenges, and producing high quality work.

Position: Faculty

Adrian is an architectural designer based in San Francisco, CA. He holds a Master of Architecture degree with Distinction from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. Prior to that, he graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Architectural Design and a minor in Computer Science. He has worked at a range of architecture offices including SOM, Herzog & de Meuron, and Atelier Peter Zumthor in Switzerland.

Together with Hüma Sahin, he is engaged in design processes with RRO, a studio for architecture based in San Francisco, which places emphasis on change as an essential value of architecture. RRO embraces architecture as a process of becoming rather than static being, committed to the maxim that “building is a verb.”

Position: Faculty

Education: Master of Science, University of Surrey (Surrey, United Kingdom, Structural Engineering )

Owjan joined Resurget Engineering in 2021 and brings with him over 11 years of engineering experience. Prior to joining Resurget Engineering, Owjan was involved with projects related to forensic structural engineering and architecture. Owjan’s wide range of experience in both new design and forensic engineering has provided him the insight to design and develop details with durability, constructability, and lower long-term maintenance costs in mind.

Position: Faculty

Dan Hogman is an architect, illustrator, and educator, passionate about the visual exploration of architectural concepts, urban scenes, and historical spaces. His drawings enjoy applicability across a wide range of projects, from architectural high-rise design concepts and hospitality resorts to interior commercials and Hollywood movie sets.

Dan’s work has been exhibited with the SFMOMA, the AIA, and numerous private galleries. Dan is a Registered Architect (WA #10221), holds NCARB certification, and is a LEED Accredited Professional. An active member of the American Institute of Architects, Dan serves on the Board of Directors at the California Chapter. Apart from his design practice, he serves as faculty with the Academy of Art San Francisco, teaching drawing studios and drawing classes. Dan holds a Master of Architecture degree from the AAU, San Francisco, and a Master of Arts from Harvard University.

Dan creates dynamic sketches of urban life in cities worldwide. When he’s not working as an architect or teaching drawing at the Academy of Art University, he’s traveling to destinations like Hong Kong or Paris to capture the essence of historical architecture.

Dan has contributed drawings of the Crown Building, Lantern House, and Una Miami to LX Collection, played a significant role in shaping San Francisco’s skyline with his work on 181 Fremont. Designed by Heller Manus Architects, this luxury high-rise has garnered more accolades than many other buildings in the United States. Its commendations include Excellence for Best Tall Building (200-299 meters), the MEP Engineering Award, the Structural Engineering Award, the Fire and Risk Award, and the Geotechnical Engineering Award.

However, Dan Hogman is perhaps best known for his sketches, which he shares regularly in daily vlogs on Instagram and YouTube, where he made a name for himself and amassed quite a viral following. His work is published widely.

Position: Part Time Instructor

Architecture school is fun. The academic environment during my architectural education, within the design studios and group discussions, was markedly distinct from my prior experience. Profound ideas and provocative dialogue were encouraged. The relationship between instructor and student, and among the students, created both a collaborative and competitive studio culture where novel ideas and innovation flourished. Academics and learning is deeply personal for me, I am constantly in pursuit of bettering myself as an architect and as a person. When creativity and inspiration are curbed, people make safe choices and they hold back. I want to teach students to be brave, fearless, to make strong choices, and to prepare them to experience various perspectives that architecture offers.

My role as a teacher is to guide ideas and speculation through representational mediums. Students will be challenged and encouraged to explore their ideas and to be critical of their own work as well as the work of their peers. It’s important for students to explore their ideas and come to their own conclusions as they welcome new perspectives.

Industry Credits:

• Registered Architect in California – California Architects Board: 2019

Position: Faculty

Aurgho Jyoti is the Founder and Creative Director of AUR /Architecture Urbanism Research LLC, an international architecture practice operating out of New York and New Delhi. His work addresses the notion of time in architecture, creating interventions that provide ‘spatial specificity’ and ‘temporal continuity.’ He holds an M.Des in Architecture and Technology from Harvard Graduate School of Design, and an M.Arch-II in Architecture and Urbanism from Cornell University as a Tata scholar. He has conducted research on housing and materials at MIT Media Lab and Harvard University. He holds a B.Arch with distinction from SPA, New Delhi.

Aurgho previously worked as a Project Lead and Senior Architect for internationally acclaimed offices, which include SOM, OMA/Rem Koolhaas, Gehry Technologies, Studio Fuksas, and 3Gatti Architecture Studio. He is a licensed architect in the US and India and a member of the American Institute of Architects. With a cross cultural international experience, he has lived and worked in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Rome, Hong Kong, Shanghai, New Delhi and Calcutta, on architecture projects across the US, China, Italy, France, Georgia, Japan and India. His projects span high rises, airports, institutional and cultural buildings. Some of his significant projects include Sea-tac Airport – International Arrivals Facility, Transbay Block 9 Residential Tower and Research Center for UCSF in San Francisco, and Poly Tower in Chengdu.

As an educator he serves as an Instructor at the School of Architecture, Academy of Art and has been a Teaching Assistant at Harvard and Cornell, and a Visiting Lecturer at Delhi College of Arts. He has been an Invited Guest Critic at Harvard, Stanford, Cornell, UC Berkeley, California College of Arts, IE University Madrid, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Academy of Art, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and University of Hong Kong.

Aurgho’s works have been published and exhibited in the US, UK, Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Austria, Turkey, and India, at venues which include, amongst others, Seattle Architecture Foundation, Heritage Museum in Astoria, Autodesk Gallery in San Francisco, Harvard University, Alliance Francaise Delhi, and India Habitat Center Delhi. He has been featured in The Wire, Dezeen, The Times of India, Indian Express, India Today, and The Telegraph. Aurgho’s awards include ’20 Under 35′ by Alliance Francaise Delhi, SOM Prize in Architecture Finalist, Special Mention in Evolo International Competition, New York, and National Finalist for Bhopal War Memorial and Ujjain Planetarium.

Position: Faculty

Education: Doctor of Philosophy, University Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Architecture)

A community design leader, design researcher, and educator, Sara Khorshidifard brings over 15 years of co-creative design practice and pedagogical expertise, honed through rigorous academic training. Combined with her international practice, her portfolio career reflects a uniquely collaborative outlook and practical edge towards the design process. In spring 2024, Sara transitioned from her tenured associate professor and director position of a planning and design outreach center to a project management role with the City of Sausalito, where she oversees a diverse range of Capital Improvement Programs (CIPs).

As an extension of her academic role, Sara currently teaches architectural courses at the Academy of Art University. With a robust academic career spanning multiple institutions, Sara has taught a wide array of undergraduate and graduate courses in community design, architectural design, architectural programming, design theory, urbanism, global and cultural studies, thesis research, and computer-aided design. Her scholarly pursuits explore the synergistic intersections between intentionally designed and socially constructed spaces, employing qualitative, empirical, and interpretive methodologies with an emphasis on fieldwork. This academic journey has resulted in an extensive dossier of scholarly work, disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, popular press essays, invited talks, symposia, and workshops.

Sara holds a Doctorate in Architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a continuous Master’s including a B.S. in Architecture, and a Master’s in Landscape Architecture, along with two complementary Graduate Certificates in “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership (DEIL)” and “Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.” In addition to her volunteer role at the BIBI organization, Sara is currently volunteering as a Steering Committee member for the Organization of Women Architects + Design Professionals (OWA+DP).

What drives Sara is the integration of her perspectives and capabilities as a leader, designer, researcher, and educator in high-impact projects. She is dedicated to tackling the most challenging urban issues at the intersections of climate change and social divisions, striving to create sustainable and inclusive solutions.

Position: Instructor

Having lived, studied and worked in Beirut, Aleppo, Dubai, London, Toronto and New York, the urban condition figures centrally in my explorations; my point of departure has always been the impact of the object on the field. My interests in philosophy, social studies, Middle Eastern studies and film theory inform my work as architect and teacher, and they have formed a broad knowledge base that I hope serves as a guide to students, helping them find their own means of discovery.

My professional work offers me the advantage of direct and daily contact with real world challenges in the built environment. Faced with these contextualizing challenges, architecture, for me, is bracketed between theory and practice. As an Associate at Studio VARA I have overseen projects to completion, mentored junior staff and led company-wide trainings on advanced presentation techniques. Prior to Studio VARA, I worked on residential and hospitality projects, notably a winery near Saint Helena of two main buildings, one of glass the other of concrete, mirroring the owners’ description of their white and red wine variations. In New York I collaborated with Columbia University’s C-Lab on developing research and presentation formats for Volume Magazine and the Festival of Ideas with the New Museum. In Dubai I oversaw the design and construction of award-winning houses at DXB.LAB, participated in the design of masterplans for two man-made resort islands off the coast of Dubai in addition to designing individual units and service structures on the islands.

My work in academia provides me, at one and the same time, the personal motivation for continued growth, as well as the structure around which all other creative expression is hinged. I had the honor of being awarded a full scholarship from the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto. I continued my academic pursuits at the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London where my interests in using modern means of representation (such as photomontage, film, and immersive media as design tools) led me to investigate film and video production as a means of architectural expression, paralleling the traditional means of representation. I have collaborated with Technische Universität Berlin on research projects and was selected to present at the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam. Recently, my photo-documentation of Dubai Metro and analysis of its potentials was exhibited at the Australian Institute of Architects’ Urban Screenings program.

Industry Credits:

• M’KT’B West, 2021-Present
• Studio VARA, 2013-2021
• MAI, 2012-2013
• dxb-lab, 2007-2009

Licenses/Registration:

• California C 38135

Selected Publications and Research

• “Hybridity as Core Studio.” Initiations: Practices of Teaching 1st Year Design, Cyprus Nicosia, 2021
• “Dubai Reconsidered.” Architecture Film Symposium, Texas A&M University, College of Architecture, 2019
• “Along the Line: Exploring the Metro Potential.” Videography public exhibition. Architecture Week, Australian Institute of Architects, Urban Screenings, 2017
• “Urban Islands: Mapping and Emerging Spatial Order.” 4th International Biennale Rotterdam, 2009

Professional Memberships:

• NOMA
• AIA
• SPUR
• TAL

Position: Faculty

Education: Master of Arts, University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley, California, Architecture)

Venezuela-born Antonio Lao is a licensed, established architect of the Bay area, with a Bachelor and Master Degrees in Architecture from University of California Berkeley. With over twenty years in practice, Antonio offers formidable design skills, extensive knowledge of the building practice, and a keen eye for detail. During his ten-year partnership with Timothy Rempel under Rempel-Lao Architects, Antonio successfully led the design and construction of many high-quality mixed-use and residential projects. His previous associations include Lars Lerup, Holt Hinshaw Pfau Jones, Koetter, Kim & Associates, Guillaume Julian Delafuente, and Skidmore, Owings & Merill (San Francisco). He has also continuously combined practice with teaching, serving as lecturer at UC Berkeley upon graduating for several years, and as assistant professor at Chinese University of Hong Kong from 1996-2000.

Position: Faculty

Education: Master of Architecture, University of Palermo (Palermo, Italy, Architecture )

Sergio Lima studied architecture in Italy, where he became fascinated by the fluid quality of the design of outdoor spaces and the endless possibilities offered by plants in shaping the landscape around us. After a brief work experience in Madrid (Spain) with the International Council on Monuments and Sites in 1998 and a year of studies in landscape architecture at UBC, in Vancouver, Canada, he moved to San Francisco in 2002 and joined SWA. Sergio has worked on many projects in the US, Canada, UAE, China and Japan. Since 2016, he has taught and authored several courses on planting design and the history of landscape architecture at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

The design of the landscape is a multifaceted process that involves a deep understanding of each site and a capacity to funnel and incorporate the contribution of other disciplines. Much of Sergio’s design attention has been directed at the use of planting material, and in working on projects in different parts of the world, he has developed substantial knowledge of plants from different climates and environments. There always must be an element of poetry in design, and to Sergio, planting design is its most inspiring part. A good planting design must deliver a true moment of joy for the spirit and the senses, and leave any visitor with a desire for more.

Position: Director Emeritus

Education: Doctor of Philosophy, Massachusetts Institute Technology
(Cambridge, Massachusetts, Theory and Criticism of Architecture)

Eric Lum, AIA, Ph.D., LEED BD+C, is a licensed architect in the state of California and NCARB certified. He has worked for Kallmann, McKinnell and Wood Architects in Boston, Arthur Erickson Architects in Los Angeles, and Gensler in San Francisco, among others. He is a founding principal of his firm Architecture 3 (A3) and studied architecture at the University of California Berkeley, the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he gained his doctorate in architectural history.

Education: Master of Architecture, Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts, Architecture)

Kotting Luo is a licensed architect in San Francisco in his third decade of professional practice. His portfolio consists of built work in a wide range of scale, type, and location from supportive housing to luxury hotels, personal gyms to convention centers, and projects with clients from small municipalities to multi-billion-dollar developers.

While with SOM, he was a Design Studio Head responsible for award-winning projects including Moscone Center Expansion and new SF City Offices at 49 South Van Ness as well as multiple projects in China at the urban planning scale.

Originally from the Bay Area, he practiced in NYC during which time he worked on the Delancey and Essex Municipal Garage gaining design recognition.

He received a Master of Architecture from Graduate School of Design at the Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from UC Berkeley.

Position: Faculty

Education: Doctor of Philosophy, University of California Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California, Urban History)

James’ strong abilities in architectural design, coordination, and management stem from both his professional experience in architecture and his teaching and research background. He specializes in complex civic, corporate, adaptive reuse, and significant historical buildings. He has deep familiarity with codes and programmatic requirements, and as Project Architect is an excellent coordinator of complex systems and teams. Also, James is a member of the American Institute of Architects and is a LEED BD&C Accredited Professional. Prior to studying architecture at Cal Poly Pomona and earning his M ARCH, James completed his Ph.D from UCLA in San Francisco urban history, and currently teaches architectural history at AAU.

Position: Faculty

Education: Bachelor of Architecture, Lusiada University (Lisboa, Portugal, Architecture & Arts )

Inês Martins de Brito is a Portuguese architect and a founding partner at Brito.Rodriguez based in Texas and in Portugal. She previously worked at Sagan Piechota Architecture in San Francisco, California and RCR Arquitectes (Pritzker Architecture Prize 2017) in Olot, Spain.

She co-hosted and taught at the Art.Architecture Workshop at Brito.Rodriguez design studio in Lisbon and at the XI International Workshop of Architecture and Landscape, RCR Arquitectes (Pritzker Architecture Prize 2017) in Olot, Spain.

She was a guest lecturer at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland, at Faculty of Architecture & Arts, Lusíada University, Lisbon, Portugal, at RCR Bunka Fundació, Olot, Spain, at Sapienza, Università di Roma, Italy and at the Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain.

Her co-authored work has been awarded in Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Spain and the USA and exhibited at the American Institute of Architects ‘Center for Emerging Professionals Annual Exhibition’ in Washington D.C., at the ‘20 Years of Portuguese Architecture’ in Lisbon and at Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2012 for upcoming young emerging architects, in London.

She was a design critic and guest reviewer at ISCTE in Lisbon, University of Évora, UC Berkeley and Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

Position: Faculty

Education: Master of Architecture, McGill University (Quebec, Canada, Architecture )

Simon is a Canadian designer, working at the international office Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill. He has spent two years designing a Buddhist Temple and is one of the lead organizers of SOM’s Year One Program, its Research Initiative, and the Material Innovations team.

Over the last decade, Simon gained experience at the offices of OMA, Coop Himmelb(l)au, and the Research and Development Laboratory of 3XN. He lived and worked in India for four months and has over three years of architectural experience working at various Canadian offices. In addition to his work experience, he has an expertise in the fields of sustainability, neuroscience, and phenomenology.

Simon began teaching at the AAU in January 2019, while maintaining his full-time position at SOM. His teaching philosophy is a reflection of his varied experiences, placing an emphasis on a diverse set of knowledge and skills – supported by a high level of design rigor.

He received a Bachelor of Architectural Studies from the University of Waterloo and was the top graduate from McGill University, where he received a Master of Architecture and the recipient of the AIA Henry Adams Medal.

Position: Portfolio Specialist

Kris is a Co-Founder of Human Being Design, a transdisciplinary practice at the intersection between individual and environ.  Their current projects include a multi-generational rammed-earth house in Santa Fe, a wood cabin in rural Vermont, a parametric system for postgenomic stelae, and a series of multi-human urns for private clients.

As a member of the Academy’s School of Architecture faculty, Kris has taught first-year design studios (both first and second semester) and 2D and 3D design communication courses in the BArch program, as well as a Pre-College summer program.

Kris received a post-professional Master of Science in Architecture Studies (SMArchS) degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Department of Architecture under a Graduate Fellowship, with a concentration in Architectural Design.  His graduate thesis, entitled Post-Mordial: Esoteric Embodiment, embraced the emergent technological paradigm of personal genetic sequencing and leveraged parametric design and digital fabrication techniques, to produce unique proto-architectural design artifacts that blur the boundary between human and environ.  While at MIT, Kris also received the Kaufman Teaching Certificate from the Teaching and Learning Laboratory.  Kris previously attended Syracuse University under the School of Architecture Scholarship, and attained a professional Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) degree with dual majors in Architecture and the History of Architecture, and a focus on mid-century visionary, utopian, and paper architecture.  Upon graduation, he was a recipient of the James Britton Memorial Award for Outstanding Thesis, for Isotopia: Architectural Visions from a Posthuman Future.  This project was shown in the 2013 AIANY Architecture School Exhibition at the Center for Architecture.

Building on this academic work, Kris’s research is focused on novel means of anthropomorphic form-making, fabrication, and materiality, using fundamentally human tools, methods, and sources to explore, subvert, or dissolve the Enlightenment-era bifurcation between human and environment.

Beginning in 2004, Kris has had professional experience in the fields of urbanism, design, architecture, and construction, including with the nonprofit urban think tank Terreform ONE, the full-scope boutique architectural, interior, and landscape design firm Woolley Morris Architects, and the concrete contractor Pacific Structures.  He’s been involved in a diverse range of projects, across a wide range design disciplines and scales, from less than one square inch to more than one million square feet, and participated in all phases of the architectural design process — from pre-concept through construction administration and closeout — on tens of millions of dollars of projects.

Industry Credits:

• Co-Founder and Creative Director, Human Being Design, 2017 to present: a transdisciplinary practice at the intersection between individual and environ, engaging in both self-initiated and commissioned projects, including: housing, installations, everyday items, and memorial artifacts
• Graduate Fellowship, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Department of Architecture, 2015-2017
• AIANY Architecture School Exhibition at the Center for Architecture Gallery, 2013
• James Britton Memorial Award for Outstanding Thesis and Citation for Excellence in Thesis Design, Syracuse University School of Architecture, 2013
• School of Architecture Scholarship, Syracuse University, 2006-2012

Position: Faculty

As Director of PNEU STARS, Adam Miller works on both architecture and ephemeral large installation projects. Since 2014, he has acted as the lead stage designer for the Mosswood Meltdown and Burger Boogaloo music festivals in Oakland, CA hosted by John Waters, where he has completed more than ten scene designs. As Director of PNEU STARS he manages a team of rotating collaborators, proposes budgets, and conceptualizes, fabricates and installs designs. Adam also works independently on both architecture and installation design as Director PNEU STARS, and has recently received a building permit for his design of an ADU in the East Bay. In November 2023, Adam Miller and Soo Ok Han won an RFP competition to design and complete a stage set for Omidyar Network, a non-profit institute by Peirre Omidyar who also founded eBay. In April 2024, he completed an interactive installation at Woodbury School of Architecture titled “Under Pressure” and gave a public lecture on his design practice.

As an architectural project designer working at envelope A+D and Sidell Pakravan Architects, he designed and managed many projects to completion. Including: a ground up office addition and facelift to a 10,000 sf commercial space; a complete home remodel; a backyard cottage for an artist; and others. He has worked as designer on a diversity of projects both private and public, including a public park on a EPA superfund site in Hunters Point, SF; as well as a privately owned public open space in SF; additionally he has designed tenant improvements for several restaurants; a tech retail space including a design for an interactive pneumatic scanning furniture; and a mixed-use housing project in Arizona, amongst others.

Adam holds an M.Arch from UC Berkeley, and undergraduate degrees from Cornell University. He has taught architectural design studios at UC Berkeley, University of Michigan, University of Texas at Austin, and the Academy of Art University. Currently he teaches core undergraduate design and ARH 650 at AAU. As a teaching and research fellow at the Taubman College AUP, University of Michigan, Adam taught both undergrad and graduate level architecture design studios and theory seminars. As part of his research on queerness in architecture, Adam received a grant as well as sponsorship from Joann Fabrics and Mimaki Engineering Co to support a solo exhibition of his work, a warehouse scaled interactive robotic installation titled “I Want to be a Person.”

Adam was the two-time recipient of the Race & Gender in the Built Environment Fellow at University of Texas at Austin, School of Architecture. As a teaching fellow, Adam researched the politics of aesthetics in architecture, taste culture and identification via pedagogy and writing. Adam taught graduate and undergraduates through original theory seminars, and original architecture studios.

As a Co-Editor in Chief for Room One Thousand, a Journal of Architecture, Adam conceptualized and edited the 345 page collected publication “Timeless” for UC Berkeley’s Architecture Journal alongside Alex Spatzier. He wrote and conducted interviews for this volume, fund-raised, and also held a public lecture and design competition which culminated as a public interactive event and celebration.

Adam’s work has received various awards and grants and has been exhibited widely, and his writing has been presented at conferences and published in various architecture and design journals.

Industry Credits:

• Muschenheim Fellow, Taubman College AUP, University of Michigan, 2021-2023
• Race & Gender in the Built Environment Fellow, UT Austin School of Architecture, 2019-2021
• Invited Guest Lecture and Exhibition at Woodbury University, April 2024
• Fellowship Exhibition, Ann Arbor, MI, 2023
• Designed and Installed Faculty Exhibition at the University of Michigan, 2022
• Created public installations at music festivals, working with musicians such as Iggy Pop, DEVO, and filmmaker John Waters

Position: Faculty

Chip Minnick is a California-licensed architect working in the Bay Area. As partner at his own Oakland-based firm since 2008, F36 Design, he has generated an extensive portfolio of thoughtfully executed work including both theoretical and built projects that separate themselves through good design and outstanding execution. Even in smaller projects, the work evokes a much larger societal subtext. Unbuilt projects clearly show the possibility to scale up the themes and explorations that the built work has introduced. Among the firm’s notable projects are a four-story Haight-Ashbury Victorian remodel in San Francisco, a three-story residential remodel on Wildwood Avenue in Piedmont, the mixed-use Goldberry Building renovation and addition in Presidio Heights, San Francisco, and Market Square speculative offices in Oakland. Periodic design consulting includes services for shipping container housing projects in Guam and Haiti (w Studio Bondy), and visiting artist Housing for the Berkeley Repertory Theater (w Motzkin Architecture). Prior to starting F36 Design, Chip was an Associate at Schwartz and Architecture, a Deign Consultant at IDEO, a project designer for Sagan Piechota Architecture, and a Designer for Frank O. Gehry and Associates.

Chip Minnick has a 20-year teaching record and served as a Senior Adjunct Professor at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Over the years, he has taught numerous courses within the Upper-Level Interdisciplinary Studios (UDIST) and the Architecture Division in the Department of Interior Design. Since 2012, Chip has served as a part-time faculty member at the Academy of Art University.

Chip completed his Master of Architecture at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in 1998. His thesis, titled “Nike Shelter,” was supervised by advisor Neil Denari and reader Kazys Varnelis. This work was published in the SCI-Arc Journal Offramp 7 Detours in Spring 2000 and cited in the MIT Journal Thresholds 15, Consumer Culture by Kazys Varnelis in Winter 1998, as well as in “Architecture, Ethics and Globalization, Discussion 6,” edited by Graham Owen in 2009. During his time at SCI-Arc, he was awarded the Michael Winter Scholarship in 1997 and the AIA Henry Adams Certificate for General Excellence. Additionally, his LL1 Chair in Modernesque was exhibited at Westweek in the Los Angeles Convention Center. He completed his undergraduate studies at the Boston Architectural College (BAC) in 1993. Chip began his academic journey at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program, majoring in sculpture, from 1982 to 1984.

Industry Credits:

• California Architectural Licensure
• AIA Henry Adams Certificate of Merit, SCI_Arc
• Michael Winter Scholarship, SCI_Arc

Position: Instructor

Alex holds both a Master of Architecture and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. She also has strong background in Critical Theory and History of Art from the University of Michigan. Alex was born and raised in Chișinău, Moldova, a former Soviet Republic.

Alex has a bit over 25 years of professional experience in the field of architecture: ranging from housing projects to libraries and schools to small scale residential remodeling and renovation. She has worked in multiple architectural offices and has taught architecture at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Alex is currently teaching architecture at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Her practice, agglab, a collaborative interdisciplinary design and research practice focused on competition architecture and design work, design installations, architectural publications, lectures and workshops. Agglab pursues experimental methodologies that are initially influenced by concepts derived from systems thinking and specific observations extracted from basic biological behaviors such as genetic variation.

Alex’s experimental research is invested in the development and production of an array of affective architectural environments through generative architectural tectonic language, both formal and methodological, that is fluctuating between growth and regeneration through digital and analogue algorithmic techniques of design and fabrication. The processes developed diverge from specific typological classification established in singular design fields, yet are always endowed with material architectural tendencies. Logics are cultivated through systematic processes, and examined based on the production of evolutionary traits. Formal invention is evaluated through the assembly of design outcomes.

Position: Faculty

Education: Master Advanced Studies, California College of the Arts (San Francisco, California, Architecture)

Fabiana Possamai Wills is an architect and urban designer. Her interdisciplinary work combines research, design, and collaborates with local cultural organizations to explore on the renewal of inactive landscapes, sprawling urban areas, and the intersection between infrastructure and architectural design to generate strategies that promote sustainable environments and the activation of urban spaces.

She has taught several graduate design studios and seminars at Mills-Northeastern University, Academy of Art University, Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University in the Department of Architecture and Urbanism as well as an invited professor at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas.
Fabiana is the founder of Lugar Común Arquitectura and has finished several projects in Venezuela since 2010. She has also worked in several residential and commercial projects in Florida and California.

She was invited to the XI National Biennial of Architecture 2014 in Caracas, Venezuela, and the X Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism 2016 in Sao Paolo, Brazil to show the project “La Casa de la Abuela”. In 2012 she was invited to participate in the Glen Murcutt International Master Class.

Fabiana has a degree in Architecture from the Central University of Venezuela and a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design and Urban works from the California College of the Arts.

Position: Faculty

Benjamin Rice is a principal of MTTR MGMT. Before joining MM, Benjamin helped deliver high profile architectural projects and competitions ranging in scope from residential to commercial to transportation for some of the world’s leading architectural firms.

Benjamin’s work, both personal and professional, has been published and exhibited widely. Exhibitions include the A+D Museum in Los Angeles, the Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York, the Architekturmuseum at TU Berlin, and the Denver Art Museum. Publications include On Ramp, Pidgin Magazine, TARP, eVolo Magazine, and the Actar book Critical Prison Design: Mas d’Enric Penitentiary by AiB arquitectes + Estudi PSP Arquitectura.

Position: Faculty

Education: Master of Architecture, Wentworth Institute of Technology (Boston, Massachusetts, Architecture)

Kevin is passionate about architecture that contributes to the social, environmental, and aesthetic vitality of dense and walkable communities. With a focus on multifamily housing as an Architect at Pyatok Architects + Urban Design, he contributes to the sustainability of cities and to give back to the community at large. Kevin holds M.Arch and B.Arch degrees from Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. He is a licensed Architect in the State of California and a LEED Accredited Professional (BD+C). Kevin’s civic engagement extends beyond his work to his volunteering commitments with AIA San Francisco and his local neighborhood association.

Position: Faculty

Education: Bachelor of Architecture, University of Texas at Austin (Austin, Texas, Architecture)

Gilberto Rodriguez, born in Texas is a registered architect in Portugal and a founding partner at Brito.Rodriguez based in Texas and in Portugal. He previously worked at Jim Jennings Architecture in San Francisco, California and RCR Arquitectes (Pritzker Architecture Prize 2017) in Olot, Spain. He co-hosted and taught at the Art.Architecture Workshop at Brito.Rodriguez design studio in Lisbon and at the XI International Workshop of Architecture and Landscape, RCR Arquitectes in Olot, Spain. He was a guest lecturer at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland, at Faculty of Architecture & Arts, Lusíada University, Lisbon, Portugal, at RCR Bunka Fundació, Olot, Spain, at Sapienza, Università di Roma, Italy and at the Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain.

His co-authored work has been awarded in Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Spain and the USA, exhibited at the American Institute of Architects ‘Center for Emerging Professionals Annual Exhibition’ in Washington D.C., at the ‘20 Years of Portuguese Architecture in Lisbon and at Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2012 for upcoming young emerging architects, in London.

He was a design critic and guest reviewer at the University of Texas at San Antonio, ISCTE in Lisbon, University of Évora and Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

Position: Faculty

Education: Masters Landscape Architecture, University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley, California, Landscape Architecture)

Diego Romero-Evans is an Architect, Landscape Architect, Editor, and Curator with extensive professional experience as a design practitioner and educator. Romero-Evans was adjunct faculty in the School of Architecture at Woodbury University – San Diego (2021), a post-graduate researcher at the University of California – Berkeley (2020), and co-creator of the Resilient and Human Santiago initiative (2016-2017), a public design competition housed in the Regional Government of Santiago – Chile, sponsored/pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation through the 100 Resilient Cities program, as well as associate professor in the School of Architecture at Universidad de las Americas – Santiago (2016-2018), and assistant professor at multiple Chilean Universities (2010-2018). Romero-Evans obtained his Master of Landscape Architecture/Environmental Planning from the University of California – Berkeley. He was associate director at GLSLandscape | Architecture – San Francisco (2021-2023), associate architect at GRAA (2008-2013), Associate Designer at A+R (2003-2008), and a co-founder and principal of Romero Silva Arquitectos (2013-2018), whose projects have been awarded, selected, exhibited, and disseminated in national and international design-specialized media. Currently, he is visiting faculty, lecturing on Architecture, Landscape, and Environmental/Urban Design in the College of Environmental Design at the University of California – Berkeley and in the Human Ecology Department at the University of California – Davis. Romero-Evans is the founding principal of DREStudio and co-founder of Dialectical Practices, a transdisciplinary collective space towards critically understanding and expanding the performative possibilities of architecture and their environmental relationships within socio-ecological dynamics. He is the co-recipient of the Italian Architectural Rothoblass Award (2011), the Chilean National Commission for Science and Technological Research Grant (2017), the Communications ASLA Honor Award (2019), and has been selected two consecutive times as beneficiary on the exclusive group of International Professionals within the USCIS-Extraordinary Abilities Program (2021-2027).

Position: Faculty

Hüma is an architectural designer and urban planner based in San Francisco, CA. She received her Master of Architecture degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, where she was awarded the Department of Architecture Faculty Design Award. Before that, she received a dual degree Bachelor of Architecture and of Urban and Regional Planning at Istanbul Technical University. For both degrees, she received the Faculty Prize for two separate theses. She has practiced in architecture and design offices in San Francisco, Boston, New York and Istanbul.

Together with Adrian Harrison, she is engaged in design processes with RRO, a studio for architecture based in San Francisco, which places emphasis on change as an essential value of architecture. RRO embraces architecture as a process of becoming rather than static being, committed to the maxim that “building is a verb.”

Position: Faculty

Education: Master of Architecture, Syracuse University (Syracuse, New York, Articulated Environments)

David Schragger has been with the architecture firm, Studio Hillier in Princeton, NJ since 2011. His expertise includes residential and commercial building types. In addition, he also works as a freelance designer creating branding collateral. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, with minors in Studio Art and Classics from Connecticut College, as well as two graduate degrees from Syracuse University – Master of Architecture and Master of Architectural Research. Prior to transitioning to architecture, he was an Art Director with VCG2 in Princeton, NJ, an international advertising, marketing, and design firm.

Position: Part-Time Faculty

Shahzia is a trained designer with expertise in 3D Visualizations, Architecture, Urban design and Master-Planning. She completed her Bachelor in Architecture (B.Arch.) from BRAC University in Dhaka, Bangladesh and received her Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) with a concentration in Urban Design & Infrastructure from the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.

She currently teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses in architecture, urban design and digital visualizations at the Academy of Art University and University at Albany, SUNY. She has also taught a course in digital visualization for urban spatial representation in the Department of Urban & Regional Planning at San Jose State University. She has worked as a Designer at Behan Planning & Design in Saratoga Springs, New York and also gained expertise on various computer applications as a 3D Visualization Specialist at Newlands & Company, Inc. in Portland, Oregon. Formerly she has worked as a Visualization Architect at Brahe & Bestec – a Danish JV in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Shahzia is an experienced photographer specializing in landscapes, portraits, and events, and is well versed in post-production techniques using Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and other software. In her leisure time, she plays with colors through her paintings and 3D digital art.

She draws her teaching motivation from years of visualization experience from Asian, European and North American markets. Shahzia aims to leverage these skills and experiences to also provide stunning imagery and creative design work. She loves to travel and capture dynamic colors of everyday life and candid interactions of people around her. She currently resides in Portland, Oregon with her husband, daughter and son.

Industry Credits:

• Guest speaker presenting 2D and 3D Visualization in Urban Design and Planning at the Upstate New York APA Chapter Board visit to the University at Albany, SUNY, 2018.
• Won the Arizona Builder’s Alliance (ABA) Portfolio Competition Award 2009: University of Arizona, Tucson Arizona
• Graduate Tuition Scholarship, 2008 & 2009: University of Arizona
• Graduate Fellowship Award 2008 & 2009: University of Arizona
• University Merit Scholarship, 2002 & 2003: BRAC University, Department of Architecture

Publications:

• Shahzia S. Shazi, Mark.P Frederickson, R.Larry Medlin, “Minimizing Urban Sprawl through Open Space Design Strategies: The Case of Tucson, Arizona”, The International Journal of Architectonic, Spatial & Environmental Design Volume 6, 2013.
• Kamrun Nahar, Sanwar A. Sunny, Shahzia S. Shazi, “Land Use Requirement and Urban Growth Implications for the Production of Biofuel in Bangladesh”, Canadian Journal on Scientific and Industrial Research Volume 2, No. 6, June 2011.

Position: Faculty

Education: Master of Architecture, University of Oregon (Eugene, Oregon, Architecture)

Kellen brings to the firm a dedication to affordable and inclusive housing and excellence in design. He strives to integrate contemporary aesthetics and sustainability with vernacular building traditions within the Bay Area’s urban fabric. Kellen has spent much of his tenure at PYATOK seeking creative solutions to California’s housing crisis through project work, in-office events, and participating in community organizing and service. Travel, urban exploration, sketching, and 35mm photography are foundational aspects of Kellen’s design approach and he has exhibited photographic work in California and Oregon.

Before pursuing architecture, Kellen received a B.A. in Art History from UCLA and worked for art galleries and museums in Los Angeles and San Francisco. He enjoys playing music and getting outdoors in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. He was born and raised in Santa Barbara, CA.

Position: Faculty

Education: Master of Architecture, Ball State Univeristy (Muncie, Indiana, Architecture)

Peter Strzebniok is originally from Germany and has been living in the United States since 1994. He has architectural degrees from Germany and the US and is a licensed architect in California as well as in Germany and the European Union.

Peter has 14 years of professional experience with a broad project range from large-scale civic buildings, universities and museums to restaurants, residential and small-scale commercial projects.

Peter has collaborated on several significant design projects in Europe and in the United States. In addition to OMA’s Student Center at the Illinois Institute of Technology and the Jewish Museum in San Francisco by Daniel Libeskind, he has been working on the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco by Renzo Piano Building Workshop and Chong Partners.

Peter is the founding principal of the award winning architectural firm nottoscale, is currently teaching at the California Academy of Arts and has taught at Woodbury University in Burbank California. In addition to that he is a frequent critic at the University of Berkeley as well as the California College of Arts.

Peter is a member of the prestigious “Studienstifung” in Germany and graduated from the Technical University in Berlin, Germany with a Diploma in Architecture and received a full scholarship to attend Ball State University, Indiana where he completed his Masters of Architecture degree in 1996.

Peter’s work has been published in numerous national and international media among which are The New York Times, Forbes, Wallpapaer, Globe+Mail, The National Post, Ottagono, Corriere della Sera, Shanghai Bund Pictoral, Architectural record as well as in numerous books.

He has won one of the main prices in the Home House Project competition of the Southeastern Center of Contemporary Art and has received an honorable mention in the international design competition Icono Urbano by COARQ for a highrise in Guadalajara, Mexico.

In addition to that Peter is a founding member of SAATarchitecrture and is currently working on a project in Ghana – West Africa where he is researching local building materials and methods in order to design a modular system for the construction of a school in Accra, Ghana.

Position: Faculty

Education: Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate Theological Union (Berkeley, California, Art and Religion)

Susan Sutton brings a multidisciplinary approach to her classes in ARH, IAD and LA, teaching a combination of studio classes, history, and theory. She received her BA in architecture and her M. Arch from Yale University and went on to work on health care design, restaurants, hospitality spaces, and residential projects. She then shifted gears somewhat and completed a PhD in Art and Religion from the Graduate Theological Union,. Her dissertation explored the ways that classic suburbia subconsciously encodes our ideas of “the good life” by playing upon utopian religious and secular imagery.

She is originally from Austin, TX but has been proud to call San Francisco home since 1991. She began working at the Academy in 2007 and teaches both onsite and online, using her knowledge of the Bay Area to connect students with their interests.

Position: Faculty

Education: Master of Architecture, Cornell University (Ithaca, New York, Design)

Naima Sweeting is a licensed Landscape Architect, with almost 20 years of combined experience in the architecture and landscape architecture professions. A native of New York City, Naima received her Bachelors and Masters degrees in architecture from Cornell University. After practicing in various architecture offices in New York City, including Skidmore Owings and Merrill, The Rockwell Group, Meyer Davis Design and Studio Sofield, she returned to school and received dual Masters degrees in Landscape Architecture and Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania.

Specializing in the conservation of archaeological sites within the historic preservation department, she was formally trained as an architectural conservator and studied hydrology sites and how ancient technologies might be used to address current issues such as water scarcity.

Following this, she worked at various landscape architecture offices in the Bay Area, including Strata Landscape Architecture and David Thorne Landscape Architect. Keen to find ways to integrate architecture and landscape in her projects, Naima has also taught design studios and introductory courses in architecture at Cornell University, New York Institute of Technology and City College of New York, always emphasizing the importance of designing structures for a specific landscape and climate.

Position: Faculty

Education: Master of Architecture, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg, Virginia, Architecture)

Michael Temple, AIA, NCARB, is a San Francisco-based architect who recently joined Parco Studio as a Senior Architect. Before joining Parco Studio, he was an architect at the global firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). During his time at SOM, Michael co-taught an Advanced Architectural Design studio at North Carolina State University where he spoke to students about the design of tall buildings. He holds certifications and licenses from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).

Position: Faculty

Education: Master of Science, Technical University Eindhoven (Eindhoven, Netherlands, Architecture)

Antoine van Erp is a Dutch architect, designer, and maker with over 15 years of professional experience in ambitious projects worldwide. After developing his expertise at renowned studios including Heatherwick Studio (London), UNStudio (Amsterdam), and Powerhouse Company (Rotterdam), he founded Matter Makers to pursue his distinctive design vision.

His years working across diverse cultural landscapes have shaped Antoine into a thoughtful collaborator with a unique perspective at the intersection of architecture and craft. With a meticulous eye for detail, he translates bold conceptual ideas into carefully crafted realities. Antoine’s strength lies in creating spaces that foster meaningful connections between people and place, while thoughtfully exploring the boundaries of form, technology, and local culture.

Antoine approaches architecture as both a social and sensory practice, with a keen intuition for materiality and human experience. He combines hands-on craftsmanship with theoretical understanding, sharing this creative approach with clients, collaborators, and students alike. A dedicated educator, Antoine teaches advanced architectural design at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, continuing to explore how architecture can transform how we live, learn, and connect.

Antoine holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Architecture and Urban Cultures from the Technical University of Eindhoven and is a registered architect in the Netherlands (license 1.210913.003).

Position: Faculty

Education: Master of Architecture, Academy of Art University (San Francisco, California, Architecture)

Ying Wang is an alumna of the Academy of Art University, Graduate School of Architecture. She brings an architectural expertise in the public sector gained at San Francisco Public Works. She has worked on projects of different typologies and scales such as the Laguna Honda Hospital, Chinatown Public Health Center, and Navigations Centers for the unhoused. Ying is committed to working in the interest of the public to make San Francisco a better place to live and work. She is also a green architecture practitioner having earned her LEED AP BD+C credential.

Prior to Architecture, Ying was a software engineer leading a design team at Pfizer to develop and manage a complex medical record system. Ying holds degrees in Bachelor of Education, Master of Engineering Degree in Computer Application Technology, and Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering. With over 7 years of professional experience and a background in education, Ying is passionate about architectural education.

Outside of her professional endeavors, Ying volunteers at CuriOdyssey, a non-profit science museum and zoo in San Mateo, CA, to engage visitors, especially children, to help them observe and learn about the birds and turtles in the walk-through Aviary.

Position: Part-time Structural Engineering Instructor

Carl Wilford, PE, SE was a Vice President at Thornton Tomasetti. He joined 1993 and brings 25 years of structural engineering experience, with an emphasis on education and healthcare projects. Carl has extensive experience providing structural engineering for new buildings and seismic rehabilitation of existing buildings. He spent three years in West Africa, designing and managing the construction of education facilities and drinking water systems. His areas of expertise include commercial, education, healthcare, and construction administration. He has served as project manager for numerous large, multi-building campus projects. Carl is a licensed civil and structural engineer in California, and he serves as a registered Safety Assessment Program Evaluator for the California Emergency management Agency. He has also completed the Structural Plan Review course for the Division of the State Architect (DSA) and has served as a third-party plan reviewer for the DSA and OSHPD since 2006 Carl had been an active member of a number of professional organizations including the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAOC,) the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) for many years.

Industry Credits:

• Licensed Structural and Civil Engineer
• Vice President Thornton Tomasetti Structural Engineering group (retired)
• Structural Engineer-of-Record for over 50 healthcare and education projects
• Provided a safe water source for multiple villages in Mali, West Africa by designing and leading local volunteer construction teams to dig deep, reinforced concrete wells

Position: Faculty

Archibald Woo is the Principal X Team Architecture + Design, he has 31 years of experience as an architectural design professional, 26 of which have been focused mainly on complex and technical projects in the San Francisco Bay Area, for biotech and educational research organizations, for major healthcare providers and also for various Bay Area school districts. Prior to moving to San Francisco, Archibald had worked as a designer in Hong Kong focusing on large-scale projects in different parts of South East Asia.

Archibald has led numerous projects through all phases of the project delivery process, from feasibility studies and programming, through planning, design and documentation to construction project close out. He has demonstrated successes in providing creative solutions to complex projects with demanding schedules and tight budgets and has represented clients in difficult approval processes, while always delivering exceptional architecture that combined innovative design with strong technical know-how, providing excellent services and client satisfaction throughout his career.

Archibald has a strong interest in the teaching and mentoring of architectural students and emerging professionals, Archibald has taught undergraduate and graduate level classes in architecture and interior design at University of California Berkeley Extension, City College of San Francisco, and the Academy of Arts University in San Francisco. Since 2003 Archibald has also been teaching a quarterly two-day seminar for the San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of Architect, helping candidates pursuing licensure through the California Supplemental Exam process. At AIASF, Archibald has also co-chaired their architect licensing and mentorship committees. While with the mentorship committee he implemented a pilot group mentorship program that has been a model for AIA chapters in other parts of the country, for his work with AIASF, he has been awarded the chapter’s Presidential Commendation in 2006 and again in 2011.

Industry Credits:

• AIASF, Community Alliance Award for Education, 2016
• AIASF, Presidential Commendation for work on California Supplemental Exam Seminars, 2006
• Taught California Supplemental Exam Seminars at AIASF from 2003 to 2020, helping thousands of candidates obtain their architect license in California.
• AIASF, Presidential Commendation for work on AIASF Mentorship Program, 2011
• Co-Chaired the AIASF Mentorship Committee and established a pilot group mentorship program that seeks to build a network for established and emerging professionals beyond the office environment. The program had been a model for a lot of AIA chapters around the country

Position: Faculty

Education: Master of Science, Stanford University (Stanford, California, Civil & Environmental Engineering)

After earning a M.S. degree from Stanford University in 2002, Chiawang’s career started in the Bay Area. In his fifteen-year structural engineering career, he has been involved in numerous projects in the U.S.A, Taiwan, China and South-East Asia.

Specializing in high-rise building design, he has completed several high-profile projects in San Francisco ranging from 20 to 40 stories including 555 Mission, One Hawthorne, 45 Lansing and 350 Bush Street. In addition, Chiawang worked as an on-site structural engineer for the New Doha International Airport in Doha, Qatar open in 2014. Chiawang was promoted to an associate with Louie International in 2014 and then went on to found Chiawang Structural Engineering in late 2016.