Architectural designer Catherine Chen (MArch ’25) has been named the winner of the 2026 James Harrison Steedman Memorial Fellowship in Architecture. The $100,000 award supports international travel and research and is organized biennially by the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, in partnership with AIA St. Louis. Established in 1926, it is among the oldest and largest travel fellowships in architecture in the United States, recognizing recent graduates of accredited programs.
This year’s theme, “Collective Form/Forums,” honors architect Fumihiko Maki (MArch ’54) and his text “Investigations in Collective Form.” Chen’s proposal, Solar Communities: Architectures of the Energy Transition, frames the energy transition as a spatial and political project, examining how emerging energy communities can reshape governance, agency, and collective ownership across scales.
Chen’s work explores the intersections of public space, infrastructure, and collective life, informed by a background in art and physics. Currently a visiting critic at Cornell University, her previously taught in the Undergraduate Architecture Studies program at Harvard University. Chen’s professional experience includes positions with Karamuk Kuo Architekten, Höweler + Yoon, JaJa Co, and Studio Sean Canty, reflecting a practice grounded in climatic, social, and infrastructural systems.