Ann Tanaka (MArch ’26) is a designer and researcher whose work explores climate adaptation and collective approaches to resilience at the wildland-urban interface. She has focused her thesis—“Bōsai Architecture for Fire-Prone Los Angeles”—on reframing wildfire resilience as a shared civic challenge, drawing inspiration from Japanese models of disaster preparedness. Building on research she began at the School, Ann is currently applying these ideas to a project in her hometown of Los Angeles.
Before coming to Harvard, Ann earned a BS in architectural design from Stanford University, with minors in art history and East Asian studies, and worked at design practices in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Tokyo. Her time at the GSD has spanned studios, structures courses, research, and teaching, including work connected to the “Japan Story” seminar. “I came into the GSD wanting to become a better designer,” she says. “I’m also leaving as a stronger researcher with the ability to connect design and research in my own work.”
The Harvard Graduate School of Design Class of 2026 represents the range of departments and disciplines that shape the school’s distinctive approach to design education. In this series, students share perspectives on their work, research, and experiences, reflecting a commitment to advancing a more resilient, just, and beautiful world. Together, these videos offer a cross-section of the GSD’s intellectual and creative community.
