MiaHsu_Portfolio2025

Mia Hsu

Master of Architecture

Master of Urban and Environmental Planning

University of Virginia, 2025

EDUCATION

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Expected Graduation May 2025

Degrees: Master of Architecture, Master of Urban and Environmental Planning| Honors: Department of Architecture Merit Scholarship, Department of Urban and Environmental Planning Merit Scholarship

Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO

Graduated May 2020

Degree: Bachelor of Arts | Major: Organismal Biology and Ecology | Minor: Art Studio | Honors: Colorado College Trustee Scholarship, Dean’s list Spring 2020

Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS), Copenhagen, Denmark August – December 2018

A full semester of an architecture studio course taught by a Danish interior architect; took a sustainable design course learning about Scandinavian sustainability practices and how to apply them to design; projects included designing a garden pavilion and a community center.

Columbia University, New York City, New York June – August 2018

Introduction to Architecture Program, 3-credit architecture studio course in Columbia’s Graduate School for Architecture, Planning, and Preservation; worked with New York architects on designing a pavilion for NYC’s Morningside Park.

EXPERIENCE

MGA Partners, Philadelphia, PA

Extern January 2025

Prepared materials for a client interview which included using CAD and photoshop to make a site plan and creating a 3D printed physical model to be presented at the interview; Assessed construction drawings to gather cost estimates from material vendors.

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Student Instructors Assistant – Jaime Sanz Haro

July 2024 – August 2024

Taught collaboratively, a summer intensive course for third year undergraduate transfer students; Organized course activities, contributed to daily desk crits, and taught workshops in Photoshop, InDesign, Rhino, and rendering.

Skidmore Owings and Merrill, Washington D.C.

Shadow/Extern

January 2024

Accepted to a weeklong global mentorship program at SOM; Sponsored by SOM’s Arquitectos, Asian Alliance, NOMA, Pride, and Women’s Initiative groups; Attended lectures, shadowed current SOM architects and designers, and worked on editing a 3D Rhino model.

The Equity Center (University of Virginia), Charlottesville, VA

Graduate Research Assistant May 2023 - Present

Part of a team working on a large National Science Foundation grant addressing climate inequities on the Eastern Shore of VA; Tasked with creating visuals depicting the intersection of demographic and climatic data and facilitating youth educational programming.

Perkins Eastman, Washington D.C.

Extern

Shadowed and assisted a principal architect and his team with photoshop tasks; Learned about a variety of firm processes and projects.

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Student Research Assistant - Dr. Ehsan Baharlou

January 2023

November 2022 – May 2023

Grew and maintained mycelium to be used in a “living wall” system; Tested different 3D printing strategies with clay to explore computational tectonics and bio-based additive manufacturing with distributed robotic systems.

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Fabrication Lab Assistant

August 2022 – Present

Mastered and mentored students’ usage of UVA’s woodshop which includes tools and machines such a table saw, bandsaws, a jointer, 3D printers, CNC router, laser cutters; Maintain the fabrication space and its tools

After Architecture, Charlottesville, VA

Student Research Assistant – Katie MacDonald, AIA NCARB

February 2022 – December 2022

Part of the “Hemp CoLab,” a joint research grant project between the School of Architecture and School of Engineering at UVA; Created an alternative to Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) using a hemp/casein composite material in conjunction with mycelium.

RELEVANT SKILLS AND INFORMATION

Rhino, AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Suite, GIS, Microsoft Office, Fabrication, CNC Routing, Lab Work, 3D Printing, Interdisciplinary Communication, Technical Research, Data Analysis, Organized, Adaptable, Dual citizenship (Germany, U.S.)

1. Art Commons

Boyle Heights is a neighborhood rich in a history and culture that is essential to celebrate and preserve. My design proposal aims to provide a community arts center that allows for ample space for creativity while also providing a foundation to give back to the community in two main ways - a public thoroughway meant to be used as a market place and area of gathering, and the purposeful design of “pocket parks” interspersed through the arts progam.The site is located in a historically and culturally significant area of Boyle Heights, at the intersection of Cesar Chavez Ave and Soto St. It is a prime location for these design interventions as it is a bustling area for the neighborhood, commercially and residentially. My goal for this design is not to “improve” the neighborhood but to provide amenities and a creative space that the neighborhood can claim as their own and adapt as they see fit.

YEAR INSTRUCTOR

LOCATION

PROGRAM

2nd Year MArch Spring 2024

Luis Pancorbo-Crespo

Boyle Heights, CA

Community Art Center

Education

Exhibition

Public Space

The Canyon

Inspired by elements of streetscape, structural expression, and hydrology explored through the initial research of the studio site in Chicago, The Canyon aims to create a fluid connection between Fulton Market’s main promenade and the Discovery Partners Institute’s (DPI) new HQ. The unique spatial conditions and organic geometries, informed by amorphous and canyon-like elements, found throughout the design are meant to promote ideas of innovation and creativity that the DPI aims to foster. Most of the structural and interior components are wood, a material that emphasizes a feeling of airiness and serves as a reminder of the comfort and resilience of nature.

The public is encouraged to interact with the programming on the first three floors, which contain a cafe, leasable storefront space, classrooms for public programs, an auditorium, and a public exhibition space. The rest of the building, above the first three levels, serve as the office spaces and labs for the work of DPI employees. The more private office programming is enclosed by semi-transparent walls and offset away from the perimeter of the building while the more public office programming is laid out in an open office floor plan to facilitate collaboration. Overall, The Canyon is meant to act as both a physical and figurative gateway from the bustle of Fulton Market into the creative and innovative offices of DPI. YEAR INSTRUCTOR

1st Year MArch Spring 2022

Evan Shieh

Chicago, IL

Office/Labs Public Plaza Storefront

The Ramble

For this design, inspiration was taken from the harmonious relationship many Japanese bath houses achieve between nature and architecture and exterior to interior spaces. The use of nature and subtle transitions between open and closed spaces found within many Japanese baths strongly informed the facades and transitory spaces within The Ramble, especially in the central structure that contains the changing rooms and relaxation spaces. The programs of the three structures are orthogonal to maintain an understandable circulation and avoid confusion, a feeling I wanted to eradicate within the design.

The playful side comes in the form of the pathway between each building, which informs the title of the building, referring to the practice of enjoying “wandering” in and among nature. The pathways are meant to be spaces where one could be wholly open to nature, while still providing a guided experience from building to building. The first path explores the relationship to vegetation and the views of the site, while the second path contains a flowline and small pools of water that act as connecting pieces to the natural waterways on the site. These elements, paired with the continuous theme of offset geometry, is meant to string the three structures together through a cohesive journey. The Ramble’s purpose is to be a place where one can take their mind off the daily stresses of life and achieve a feeling of serenity and contentedness while maintaining a playfulness consistent with the original bath culture at Warm Springs.

YEAR INSTRUCTOR LOCATION PROGRAM

1st Year MArch

Fall 2021

Darcy Engle

Warm Springs, VA Cafe Bath House Sauna

The Dash

This proposal for housing in the Brooklyn Navy Yard is about optimizing the site and creating a node within the context of further development in the neighborhood. The proposal considers the realities of storm water draining and flooding that faces the area, and uses water-related infrastructure with a community-centered approach to reach its goals of maximizing public space and bringing new gestures of human scale design to the neighborhood, all while considering how to effectively densify this area through housing. This project tackles the tension that exists between a prime space for development, the need for more shared public space in the city, and the realities of its geographic location as a flood zone in the city.

This project understands itself as a part of a larger conversation with the Navy Yard and the city of New York as a whole. It presents a new method of existing among infrastructure, and considers how buildings can aid in improving the cities methods of collecting and storing water, while prioritizing the wellbeing and experience of individuals and communities.

YEAR INSTRUCTOR

LOCATION

PROGRAM

2nd Year MArch Fall 2023

Matthew Jull

Brooklyn Navy Yard, NY

Housing Hybrid Water Treatment

PARTNER

Margaret Saunders, MArch ‘25 University of Virginia

Most Recent

Art Studio

As an art studio minor at Colorado College, I was able to take a variety of foundational art course including “Introduction to Drawing”and “Technical Drawing”. These courses gave me a stron foundation in composition, spatial planes, and depth, while fostering my love for creativity. The following drawings are samples from my art studio minor from Colorado College and were presented in my graduate school application portfolio.

YEARS

INSTRUCTORS

LOCATION

MEDIUMS

2016-2020

Kate Leonard, Jean Gumper

Colorado College

Colorado Springs, CO

Graphite

Micron Pen

Watercolor

Charcoal

Vicenza

In the Summer of 2024, I had the opportunity to take a course in hand sketching based in Vicenza, Italy. The course consisted of 6 weeks of travel throughout Italy where we were given daily sketching prompts. The focus was on learning technical and perspectival drawing skills through the inspiration of the Palladian architecture found throughout the Veneto region of Italy. These skills have been czarried forward in the way I approach my design process and thinking. The sketches in this section are a sample of drawings completed over the course of the Vicenza program.

YEARS

INSTRUCTORS

LOCATION

MEDIUMS

Summer 2024

University

Thank You

Mia Hsu

Email: mhsu16@gmail.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mia-hsu-4a4a43196