About Us

State House Futures was co-taught by Elizabeth Debs, Heinrich Hermann and Wolfgang Rudorf, faculty from RISD’s Department of Interior Architecture. Architects by training, they each hold a special interest in heritage and the future of preservation and reuse.

Sen Chai

MA, Rhode Island School of Design
BArch, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology Huaqing College
MArch, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology
Schai@alumni.risd.edu

Sen Chai graduated from Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology and worked in Shanghai, China for many years. She plans to return to China and create a studio that focuses on authentic design for ordinary people in collaboration with other like-minded professionals.

Cultivating Body Mind Spirit in Rhode Island’s Youth

Becca Dolgas

MA, Rhode Island School of Design
BArch, Marywood University
rdolgas@alumni.risd.edu

Becca received her five-year professional degree in Architecture with a citation in honors, while also completing a minor in comprehensive social sciences. She has a particular interest in contextualized design’s ability to promote socially equitable solutions.

Activating Forces

Mandi Hu

MA, Rhode Island School of Design
BArch, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, China
MS, GSAPP Columbia University
mhu@alumni.risd.edu

Mandi received her five year professional degree from Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, and an advanced degree from GSAPP Columbia University. She has a life-long passion and curiosity for the possibilities and boundaries of architecture.

The Third Chamber

Akanksha Hubli

MA, Rhode Island School of Design
BArch, BMS School of Architecture, Bangalore
ahubli@alumni.risd.edu

Akanksha is an architect who has worked professionally for several years in India.  She is interested in blurring the lines between enclosed spaces and their immediate contexts. Breathing new life into older structures, while retaining the memory of the space and rejuvenating regional character, is a concept she wishes to explore.

The AgroWing

Xinping Jiang

MA, Rhode Island School of Design
BArch, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
xjiang08@alumni.risd.edu

Xinping received her four-year professional degree in Architecture Xi’an JiaoTong Liverpool University in China. She begins her design process from a human oriented sensitivity and artistic approach. She is interested in exploring how different media such as, photography or unconventional materials, can be used to express design ideas.

Green Neighborhood

Sofia Kiblisky

MA, Rhode Island School of Design
BArch, University of Miami
skiblisk@alumni.risd.edu

Sofia received her five-year professional degree from  the University of Miami with a citation in honors, while completing her minor in business management. Sofia was raised in Miami but is originally from Venezuela. She has been passionate about architecture since high school and has an affinity for visual arts and hands-on work.

Activating Forces

Baishu Liu

MA, Rhode Island School of Design
BArch, Beijing University of Technology
bliu21@alumni.risd.edu

Baishu received her five-year professional degree in Architecture from the Beijing University of Technology. Through educational and professional opportunities in China, Europe and the US, she cultivates adaptability to different cultures and uses her experience to shape her critical design perspectives.

Alternative Path-Way

Tanvi Maru

MA, Rhode Island School of Design
BArch, BMS School of Architecture, India
tmaru@alumni.risd.edu

Tanvi received her five-year professional degree in Architecture at BMS School of Architecture in Bengaluru, India. She has worked in firms focusing on architecture, interior, and renovation projects. She is particularly interested in incorporating modern design while preserving the vernacular soul of spaces.

Passage Through History

Sofia Massu Larach

MA, Rhode Island School of Design
BArch, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
The Architectural Association School of Architecture
smassula@alumni.risd.edu

Sofia received her six-year professional degree in Architecture and an associate’s degree in design at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. She also studied at The Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA) in London in 2014. Sofia was born and raised in Santiago, Chile, and continues to develop her artistic endeavors in art, dance, music, and design among others.

State House Cultural Center

Meghan Strevig

MA, Rhode Island School of Design
BArch, Marywood University
mstrevig@alumni.risd.edu

Meghan received her five-year professional degree in Architecture, while also completing a minor in Graphic Design. Her design practice is driven by the fundamentals of Adaptive Reuse: community-based design, sustainability, and a consideration for cultural heritage.

Activating Forces

Kelly Walsh

MA, Rhode Island School of Design
Bachelor Interior Design, University of Arkansas
kwalsh03@alumni.risd.edu

Kelly is a licensed interior designer from Austin, Texas. After several years working for retail and workplace clients in new construction, she was drawn back to academia to explore adaptive reuse design. For her, adaptive reuse encompasses the most essential facets of design: sustainability, forward-thinking solutions, and the opportunity to preserve the heritage and history of communities.

The Meeting Room

Jiayi Wang

Mdes, Rhode Island School of Design
BFA, Central Academy of Fine Art, China
jwang19@alumni.risd.edu

Jiayi, is from Suzhou, China, and holds a BFA in product design from the Central Academy of Fine Art. Centering on domestic space, her interests focus on exploring the concept of design through translating and transforming traditions, as well as, through everyday life, into contemporary design.

Germination
Decenter Humanity’s Place

Jocelyn Yokow

Mdes, Rhode Island School of Design
BA, Colgate University
jyokow@alumni.risd.edu

After graduating from Colgate University with a BA in Mathematics, Jocelyn worked for several years as a construction Project Manager in Boston. Her collaboration with architects and designers there led her to realize a passion for creating beautiful and functional spaces. She came to RISD excited to explore the intersection between architecture and environmental psychology, and she approaches design with the goal of facilitating healing experiences.

Back to the Future