Calvin Tsao, FAIA, is a recognized and leading voice in contemporary architecture whose work draws from a lively engagement with a variety of art forms. He serves as Board Chair of The American Academy in Rome and is an active board member and President Emeritus of The Architectural League of New York. He is also former Vice President for Design Excellence of the AIA New York chapter and served several years as member of the Visiting Committee to Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. In 2012 Tsao received a Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) Legacy Award and in 2009 the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Award for Interior Design, along with his partner Zack McKown. In 2022 they received NY AIA’s highest distinction, the Medal of Honor. A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, he has taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, the Cooper Union, Syracuse University, and at Parsons The New School for Design, and has served as guest critic and lectured internationally. Along with McKown, he has been honored by retrospective exhibits at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, Syracuse University, and Parsons The New school of Design.

Through the Tsao Family Foundation, Calvin endowed the formation of the Real Estate Practicum at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, as well as a Fellowship in intercultural philosophy and a residency for Asian artists and scholars at the American Academy in Rome.

Education:

• Harvard University / Master of Architecture
• University of California, Berkeley / Bachelor of Architecture

Location: New York, NY