The name “YUZO” comes from Chinese word: “峪作.” “峪” means valley, and “作” means to make, work. “峪作” describes the idea of a studio in the valley. The word was selected for our studio for two reasons: First, the sense of "valley" in the name is related to the Finger Lakes region where YUZO Design was originally founded, a region in upstate New York with spectacular waterfalls and valleys. Second, the image of a studio staying away from the hustle and bustle of cities matches our impression of the spirit of craftsmanship, which is our understanding of architecture as a profession. We value the quality of our work the most, and always step back and think about how to make our work better.
Jinting is a registered architect in New York state, and a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). She holds a Master of Architecture degree from Cornell University, a Bachelor of Architecture from Zhejiang University with an Honorary Degree from Chu Kochen Honors College. She worked as an adjunct lecturer from 2019-2021 in the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis (DEA) at Cornell University, teaching courses including DEA2201 Magnifying small spaces studio, DEA3050 Construction Documentations: CAD and BIM, DEA2030 Design portfolio and communication. Before founding YUZO Design, Jinting worked at Chiang & O’Brien Architects and has rich experience in projects including higher education, office building, and commercial retails covering various design phases.
Yaoyi Zhou, Ph.D., serves as an Assistant Professor in the School of Architecture + Design at Virginia Tech. He received his Ph.D. in Human Behavior and Design, and a Master of Architecture from Cornell University. Dr. Zhou also holds M.Arch and B.Arch from Zhejiang University in China. Before joining Virginia Tech, he worked as a graduate student researcher at International Workplace Study Program (IWSP) at Cornell. He now serves as a board member of the Transdisciplinary Workplace Research (TWR) network. His research interests focus on the emerging design concepts and the impacts on the building occupant’s social interaction and other behavioral outcomes. His research can be found in publications such as the Journal of Facilities Management, Journal of Corporate Real Estate, Facilities, and Cornell Real Estate Review.
Jingyang is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Computational Design at Carnegie Mellon University. He received two Master’s degrees related to architecture design and science from Cornell University and a bachelor of architecture from Hunan University. Jingyang’s research focuses on creating everyday interfaces between humans and computationally augmented environments. His research projects have been presented at international conferences such as ACM SimAUD and ACADIA and published in journals such as IJAC and Construction Robotics. Some of his works have been collected or exhibited at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, the Pompidou Center in Paris, the Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York, Walter E. Washington Convention Center in D.C. and the Cornell Hartell Gallery.
Jingyan Ma holds a Master of Science-Advance Architectural Design degree from Cornell University, a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Illinois Institute of Technology. She is experienced at developing workplace and large scale commercial complex. She previously won the bid of TURN Center. Chicago, IL in 2018. Her work is exhibited at IIT Open House.
Graduated from Illinois Institute of Technology and obtained a bachelor’s degree in architecture, Yunhao participated in numerous architectural competitions including uni.xyz, eVolo during his academic career. He previously worked at Beijing Institute of Architectural Design and involved in schematic design of several commercial building complex projects.
Yunyun Ma studies International Economics and Trade. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Zhijiang College of Zhejiang University of Technology. She has worked in foreign trade companies with extensive business experience. Presently she is in charge of the external and internal relations, as well as other affairs of the studio.
Yuting Lu holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Xiamen University Tan Kah Kee College. She has rich experience in the design of commercial interior projects, residential and office renovation. She was responsible for the interior design of China Resources MixC and has experience in following up and improving the project landing.
Ruiyuan Ma holds a degree of Master of Design in Interior Design from The Glasgow School of Art, a Bachelor of Environmental Design from Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics. Her works are empathetic and perceptive, seeking the relationship between human and space, a sensitive thinker. She is strong on story telling, trying to design narrative space to inspire people and create more possibilities for interior design.
Binglei Shao holds a Master of Interior Architecture and Product Design degree from Kansas State University. He has extensive experience in hospitality, education, health care and retail projects. Before joining YUZO, he worked at HWCD Shanghai and ZSAD at Hangzhou, China.
Luqing Yue holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design from Wuhan Jianghan University. She specializes in interior design and has participated in many design competitions with awards such as NCDA and College Cup. She was in charge of visual design at Guangzhou Baitian Information Technology Co.
Zhe Lv holds a B.A. and M.A. in Environmental Art and Design from Zhejiang University of Technology and Industry. His design focuses on exploring the correlation between behavioral perception and spatial boundaries, and he has independently completed several small-scale cultural and commercial space design projects.
Wenwen Chen has a Bachelor of Architecture from Zhejiang A&F University. She is mainly focusing on residential in terms of program design, and also has rich experience in project operation. She has worked in GOA as a commercial operator, responsible for the contract payment and other matters.
Many thanks to colleagues who worked at YUZO Design: Yilu Zhang, Xueqi Hu, Junfei Pei. Great appreciations to intern students who has worked with us: Peng Zhang, Zixi Li, Tae-Hoon Song, Haodong Zhang, Kelly Galway, Yuting Wang.
We are always seeking new designers and interns to join our team. If you would like to be considered for current or future positions, please email a cover letter, your resume and work samples (max.5MB) to us at [email protected]
