Categories: Alumni Stories
Architecture Alumni
Architecture Alumni Erling Berg, M.Arch 2015 Founder, Erling Berg, Norway More Information Tara Abedinitafreshi, M.Arch 2017 Bjarke Ingels Group More Information Nojan Adami, M.Arch 2018 Bjarke Ingels Group More Information Jang Ock Kim, M.Arch 2020 Davey Studio Architects, Ireland More Information Vincent Tjiang, BA 2014 Noun Architects, Indonesia More Information Albert Yen, B.Arch 2015 UN…
Landscape Architecture Alumni
Landscape Architecture Alumni Yuening Chloe Pu, MFA 2016 SOM LinkedIn Eric Arneson, BFA 2016 Founder, Topophyla LinkedIn Nahal Sohbati, MFA 2017 Founder, Topophyla Typophyla Alex Nowak, BFA 2018 Strata Landscape Architecture LinkedIn Zichun Ritta Lei, MFA 2019 Shenzhen Urban Planning & Design Institute Interview Nela Rullan, MA 2019 Zander Westbrook Design LinkedIn Fernando Gonzalez, BFA…
Daniel Choi, B.Arch ’25, Wins AIA California Urban Design Award
Daniel Choi, B.Arch ’25, Wins AIA California Urban Design Award Congratulations to Daniel Choi who has won the AIA California Urban Design Student Award! Jury notes: The jury admires how the designers used very strategic interventions to improve the usability of small urban open spaces that are critical to communities. The design is eloquently intentional,…
Albert Yen, B.Arch 2015
Albert Yen, B.Arch 2015 Senior Architect, UN Studio, Shanghai B.Arch 2015 Albert Yen is a Taiwanese American born architect and designer. He graduated from the Academy of Art University in 2015, where he earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree, exploring the diversity of architecture. After his graduation, he moved to London, to study at…
Tara Abedinitafreshi, M.Arch 2017
Tara Abedinitafreshi, M.Arch 2017 Senior Designer, BIG M.Arch 2017 Tara is an Iranian-born architectural designer with over seven years of experience at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). She earned her Bachelor of Science in Architecture in her hometown Tehran in 2012 before moving to the United States to pursue her Master’s in Architecture at the…
Nojan Adami, M.Arch 2018
Nojan Adami, M.Arch 2018 Senior Designer, BIG M.Arch 2018 Nojan is an Iranian-born architect whose career has spanned multiple continents and design disciplines. He began his architectural studies in 2011 at the University of Liverpool in England, earning a Bachelor of Architecture, before moving to the U.S. to complete his Master of Architecture at…
Erling Berg, M.Arch 2015
Erling Berg, M.Arch 2015 Founder, Erling Berg, Norway M.Arch 2015 Erling Berg, a Norwegian-born architect and designer, is renowned for his dedication to creating distinctive spaces that thoughtfully explore the intricate relationship between scale, form, light, and the use of authentic materials. His designs reflect a meticulous consideration of context and functionality, characterized by…
Students Win AIASF Leadership Award 2025
Students Win AIASF Leadership Award 2025 School of Architecture students and faculty were prominently represented at the AIASF Design Awards Ceremony and Gala. Architecture students were the recipients of the AIASF 2025 Leadership Award, in the Student Category, for their collaborative work on the Stay Over Program family shelter. Congratulations to the students! Lowai Ghaly,…
AIA Medal for Academic Excellence
AIA Medal for Academic Excellence The AIA Medal for Academic Excellence recognizes top graduating architecture students in NAAB-accredited programs who have shown excellence throughout their academic career. For more than a century, AIA has provided a medal of excellence to the top graduating students in National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) or Canadian Architectural Certification Board…
Dania Babi
Dania Babi Junior Architect, Agilies Design Studio, Paris B.Arch 2024 Dania Babi moved to Paris, France, after completing her B.Arch degree online and winning a prestigious opportunity to intern with Sou Fujimoto Architects in their Paris office. Sou Fujimoto Architects is an internationally renowned firm with offices in Tokyo and Paris producing groundbreaking work.…
AIAS | NOMASAAU Alumni Panel
Join AIAS and NOMASAAU for an Architecture Alumni Panel this Thursday at 6 PM on Zoom. Hear from three alumni as they discuss their career paths after graduation. 4/13/2023 6 PM ZOOM: art.zoom.us/my/aiasaau For those onsite, don't miss the watch party at 1849 Washington on the 5th floor lounge, complete with free pizza. Come and…
B.Arch Alum Kenta Oye Wins AIASF Design Award
B.Arch Alum Kenta Oye Wins AIASF Design Award Architectural Associate, Flad Architects B.Arch 2019 B.Arch alumnus Kenta Oye's thesis project titled Infilling the Void was selected for the AIASF Design Award in the Unbuilt category for Merit Award and Urban Design Commendation. Jury Comments: Urban planning in San Francisco has confined ethnic neighborhoods into…
Dennis Levy
Dennis Levy Principal Architect, Levy Architects, Indonesia Dennis Levy, B.Arch 2017 Noun Architects is an architecture and interior design firm based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Partners Vincent Tjiang, Felicia Ciputra, and Dennis Levy—who first met at Academy of Art University, San Francisco— aim to integrate a deep philosophical approach on building experience that explores light,…
Vincent Tjiang
Vincent Tjiang Principal Designer, Noun Architects, Indonesia Vincent Tjiang, BA 2014 Noun Architects is an architecture and interior design firm based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Partners Vincent Tjiang, Felicia Ciputra, and Dennis Levy—who first met at Academy of Art University, San Francisco— aim to integrate a deep philosophical approach on building experience that explores light,…
AIA-SF 2021 Award for M.Arch Student
M.Arch Alumna Yi-Hsien (Rachel) Wang is the only student among an illustrious field of outstanding professionals who won and AIA SF 2o21 Design Award. Rachel scored in the People Choice Category with her Thesis "Outer Mission Ramp Library" tutored by Graduate Director Mark Mueckenheim. Her project is also featured on our Blog and in the…
Alumnus Erling Berg’s House in Norway
Congratulations to our alumnus Erlin Berg! His wonderful design for a house atop Kvitfjell in Norway recently received recognition by being published at Designmilk and Architizer !
Advice from Alumni
Alumni Panel Each year the School of Architecture hosts the Alumni Panel as part of the Professional Preparedness Workshops. Recent alumni (graduated in the past 2 years) prepare a short presentation introducing their firm, their day-to-day, and their transition from academia to the profession. From their stories, students get a sense of what it…
AIA SF Awards for our Students
AIA SF Awards for our Students Three of our Architecture students were awarded for their projects in the Unbuilt Design Category at the AIASF American Institute of Architects – San Francisco Design Awards. These awards are a credit to the hard work of the students who integrated their values and life experience and invested a…
B Arch Alum Raising Funds to Fight Homelessness
B Arch Alum Fundraising to Battle Homelessness B Arch alumnus Daniel Forthuber spent his thesis year on the topic of homelessness. View his thesis project featured at the 2020 Spring Show here. He is carrying his mission forward and is currently raising funds to battle homelessness in Los Angeles where he lives with his…
Congratulations Justin Ackerman!
Architecture Alum to Start New Position at Rivian October 29, 2019 Justin Ackerman, who graduated from the architecture department at the Academy of Art University in 2010, has started a new job as Concept Design Team Lead at Rivian, an electrical vehicle manufacturer. Justin is joined by IAD alums Denise Cherry, Courtney DeWalt and Sarah…
ARH Alum Wins HBO Visionary Award
M.Arch Student Shows His Directing Skills September, 6, 2019 Nirav Bhakta (M.Arch 2017) is one of three winners of the 2019 HBO Asian Pacific American Visionaries Competition as producer and co-director of Halwa, a film about an Indian woman who reconnects with her childhood sweetheart through Facebook. Nirav is a part-time actor and director in…
Mike Donahue
Mike Donahue Founder of Panihole B.Arch 2016 Mike Donahue, a B.Arch alumni, had his project feature as the lead story in Dwell magazine. Mike had the following story to share with his Alma Mater: "Since leaving San Francisco in 2017, I spent some time working in New York City and last year, decided to…
Ahmad Jabassini
Ahmad Jabassini Gensler B.Arch 2018 Gensler Architectural Designer Ahmad Jabassini Talks about His Time at Academy of Art University. Keep up with Ahmad's latest achievements via LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmad-jabassini-96397371/ LinkedInWebsite
Samantha Buckley, AIA
Samantha Buckley, AIA Principal at Studio BBA B.Arch 2015 Samantha is a seasoned, highly-creative, California licensed architect at Studio BBA, a multidisciplinary practice where she can apply her technical and design skills. She collaborates on projects customized for the end user, including custom homes + renovations, food + beverage, and retail spaces with colleagues…
Ricardo Moreno
Ricardo Moreno “Architecture school has not only given me a career, it has changed the way I approach every single situation in my life.” ~Ricardo Moreno, Architectural Designer - Mark Cavagnero Associates Architects Master of Architecture Alumnus Ricardo Moreno is an Architectural Designer at Mark Cavagnero Associates Architects. As a child, Ricardo Moreno spent a…