Tiffany Xu Recipient of Harry der Boghosian Fellowship for the 2025-26 Period
Breaking News: Architect Tiffany Xu Nabs 2025-26 Harry der Boghosian Fellowship
Syracuse University's School of Architecture has swung open the doors to an exciting new chapter as Tiffany Xu secures the coveted Harry der Boghosian Fellowship for 2025-26. Xu takes the reins from current fellow Erin Cuevas, becoming the tenth fellow to join the distinguished ranks.
Established in 2015, the Harry der Boghosian Fellowship honors the legacy of Harry der Boghosian '54 by his sister Paula der Boghosian '64. This unique program grants emerging independent creatives a chance to spend a year crafting a design research-based body of work while teaching at Syracuse University's School of Architecture.
The Fellowship carries immense weight, with fellows enhancing student instruction, faculty discussions, research, and the development of research-related curriculum integral to architectural education and the discipline.
Next Year at Syracuse...
During her tenure, Xu will teach an architecture studio and two professional electives, focusing on North American contemporary construction culture. Students can anticipate delving into the multifaceted nature of architecture as a cohesive combination of frame structure and finishes, materials, and product-like components.
"Today's construction warrants a divergence from conventional architecture's quest for permanence and mass, as well as modernists' fixation on transparency and authenticity," shares Xu. Instead, she sees the contemporary system as a resilient assemblage sustained by local objectives, vernacular references, and supply chain constraints.
For her fellowship year, Xu will primarily explore patterns and transitions in material and tectonic expression, underlining contemporary architecture's adaptable value system grounded in everyday practices.
Beyond Syracuse's walls...
As Xu collaborates with faculty, students, and industry professionals at the School of Architecture, she'll also seek out interdisciplinary partnerships within the university's various centers and colleges. Her research into Central New York's relationship with modernity and material will remain a priority alongside her exploration of architectural education and design thinking.
Prior to joining Syracuse Architecture, Xu made waves as the 2024-25 Peter Reyner Banham Fellow at the University of New York at Buffalo. Her work during this tenure revolved around conventions of light timber framing, culminating in the spring installation, "Lightly Speaking."
With a Master of Architecture from Rice University and a Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Berkeley under her belt, Xu is registered as an architect in the state of California.
A Promise of Progress...
In her own words, Xu hopes to polish her teaching skills, be it core curriculum or experimental seminars, while maintaining a close bond with building practice. Her mission: to contribute to a dynamic discourse that aims to bridge the divide between design thought and construction and question the polarity between everyday pragmatism and academic study.
The Harry der Boghosian Fellowship has proven to be an ace in the hole for the School of Architecture, consistently attracting talented up-and-comers in the field like Maya Alam (2016-17), Linda Zhang (2017-18), and many others.
To uncover more about the Harry der Boghosian Fellowship, head over to the School of Architecture's website.
[1] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339169649_Knowledge-Value-and-Vernacular-Techniques-Challenge_Hybridity[2] https://academic.oup.com/cjh/article/35/4/516/6048485[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/16/realestate/koreatown-los-angeles-capitol-market-buildings.html[4] https://www.archdaily.com/945439/building-a-better-north-australian-house[5] https://www.metropolismag.com/the-way-forward/
- Tiffany Xu's tenure as the Harry der Boghosian Fellow at Syracuse University's School of Architecture will involve enhancing architectural education and self-development, with a focus on online learning through her teaching of an architecture studio and professional electives.
- Beyond the School of Architecture, Tiffany Xu plans to leverage her research for interdisciplinary partnerships, exploring patterns and transitions in material and tectonic expression as part of her online education on contemporary architecture and design thinking.
