Lesley Ziyue Su

Lesley, originally from Nanjing, China, was born and raised in the city before pursuing her education in Providence. She is an architectural designer with a focus on observing, documenting, and translating the physical context. She believes that architecture is a container for the signs of life, capturing relationships, belongings, and places-ness. Her work showcases her fascination with materials and techniques, which she consistently explores and incorporates into her designs.

Through tracing in an embodied and experiential manner, Lesley's primary objective is to create projects that acknowledge the presence and occupancy within the built environment. Drawing from her hands-on experience in the field, she approaches her projects with the craftsmanship of architecture. This realm serves as a foundation for her work, enriched with elements of material self-expression, spatial sensibility, and an embrace of imperfections.

Lesley's academic background includes a master's degree in architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her achievements have gained recognition through various awards and exhibitions, such as the Contemporary Art Terminal in Beijing (2018), the Hongkong-Shenzhen Bi-city Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture (2019), the Shanghai Urban Space Art Season (2019), the Envision Resilience: Designs for Living with Rising Seas Exhibition (2022), and the Department of Architecture Triennial at the Rhode Island School of Design (2022).