.jpg)
Rossana Hu
Rossana Hu is an architect, educator, activist, and civic leader whose work has redefined contemporary architecture through design, research, and cultural advocacy. She is the founding partner of Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, the Shanghai-based interdisciplinary practice she co-founded with Lyndon Neri in 2006, and currently serves as Chair and Miller Professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design — the first racial minority to hold the position in the department’s history.
Her interdisciplinary practice spans architecture, urban design, interiors, product design, and cultural programming across four continents. Rooted in critical engagement with cultural memory and urban context, Hu’s work emphasizes adaptive reuse, social relevance, and collaboration with local artisans and craftspeople. Through this approach, her projects support local economies while preserving cultural identity in rapidly changing cities. Under her leadership, Neri&Hu has received major international honors, including Architizer’s Firm of the Year, Dezeen’s Architecture Studio of the Year, and the Frame Lifetime Achievement Award.
As an educator, Hu has held distinguished appointments at Harvard GSD, Yale, UC Berkeley, and Tongji University, where she became the school’s first female Chair of Architecture. At Penn, she launched the “Culture of Care” initiative, advocating for healthier and more inclusive architectural education. Beyond academia and practice, Hu co-founded Manifesto design publication, co-created the Festival of Design, and serves on several international advisory boards, continuing to shape how architecture is practiced, taught, and understood worldwide.
Her interdisciplinary practice spans architecture, urban design, interiors, product design, and cultural programming across four continents. Rooted in critical engagement with cultural memory and urban context, Hu’s work emphasizes adaptive reuse, social relevance, and collaboration with local artisans and craftspeople. Through this approach, her projects support local economies while preserving cultural identity in rapidly changing cities. Under her leadership, Neri&Hu has received major international honors, including Architizer’s Firm of the Year, Dezeen’s Architecture Studio of the Year, and the Frame Lifetime Achievement Award.
As an educator, Hu has held distinguished appointments at Harvard GSD, Yale, UC Berkeley, and Tongji University, where she became the school’s first female Chair of Architecture. At Penn, she launched the “Culture of Care” initiative, advocating for healthier and more inclusive architectural education. Beyond academia and practice, Hu co-founded Manifesto design publication, co-created the Festival of Design, and serves on several international advisory boards, continuing to shape how architecture is practiced, taught, and understood worldwide.