Contact
stephaniecheung.arch@gmail.com | South West London
Profile
I am an architectural designer originally from Hong Kong, with over six years’ international experience across London, New York and Hong Kong. Experienced across housing, heritage, commercial and government projects, including a 60,000 sq ft Government HQ, with strengths in design delivery, technical coordination, early-stage strategy and stakeholder management.
My approach is shaped by craft, cultural awareness and a long-term view of how buildings are inhabited, maintained and adapted. This has been informed by early training as a luthier’s apprentice, research into vernacular housing in Yunnan, and hands-on experience delivering residential refurbishments and managing property assets in South West London.
Alongside practice, I contribute to mentoring, structured training, youth outreach and academic critique. I am currently pursuing ARB/NCARB licensure through the Mutual Recognition Agreement while continuing to develop my project delivery, coordination and client-facing leadership skills.
Selected Career Highlights
Awards & Recognition, Child Graddon Lewis (2024–2025) – Recipient of the Rookie Rockstar Award (2024) and Graddon Award for Best Drawing (2025), recognising leadership, major bids and projects (including a South London masterplan and 60,000 sq ft Government HQ), and excellence in architectural illustration.
Build The Way Line Manager & Mentor, Child Graddon Lewis (2025-2026) - Selected as line manager and mentor for a nine-month traineeship widening access into architecture. Led structured coaching, developed director-endorsed training resources, and coordinated development plans with senior leadership.
Residential Refurbishments & Property Management, South West London (2023–24) - Led two ~£100k residential refurbishments from sourcing through construction. Continue to manage both assets, overseeing utilities investigations, dispute resolution and ongoing maintenance.
Published Design & Cultural Projects, London (2024–2026) - Contributed to a five-storey Georgian townhouse restoration (featured in Architecture Today) and a members’ club in Islington (featured in Vogue, Wallpaper, Frame, OnOffice and The Spaces).
Editorial Profile (2021)-Featured in Madame Architect’s “Creative Complements” and “Day’s With” series (2020), profiling emerging designers and design perspectives.
Education
Royal College of Art, London – MA Interior Design • Head of Programme Prize recipient
Cornell University, New York – B.Arch (5-Year Program, RIBA Part I & II Equivalent)
The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, London – Part 3 (Lecture Series only)
Chinese International School, Hong Kong – International Baccalaureate (IB)
Professional Memberships & Affiliations
NCARB (National Council of Architectural Registration Boards) – Member since 2018 • Completed required AXP hours in 2020
New London Architecture – NextGen Member (2024–Present)
Trinity College London – Associate (ATCL Diploma, Cello Performance, 2012)
Technical skills
Advanced: Revit, Rhino, Adobe Creative Suite, Procreate, Enscape, VuCity
Intermediate: NBS, COBie, AutoCAD, SketchUp, V-Ray, Twinmotion, MicroStation, Gemini/Nanobanana Workflow
Beginner: 3ds Max, Grasshopper, Vectorworks
Leadership
Build The Way • Mentor & Manager • London • Oct 2025 - Present
Promoted from line manager to formal mentor within the firm’s nine-month traineeship and selected for management training in recognition of leadership potential and consistent performance.
Designed and implemented a structured development framework to strengthen professional standards, communication and industry readiness. Created scalable resources — including portfolio workshops, communication guides and reporting templates — later adopted beyond the programme and reused across wider practice and RIBA-related initiatives.
Lead structured weekly coaching with clear expectations around accountability and workflow, introducing progress tracking and feedback systems that elevated programme consistency and junior confidence.
Shifted the programme from one-to-one mentoring toward systems-based oversight, strengthening delegation, resilience and long-term continuity.
Child Graddon Lewis • Leadership in Firm-wide Initiatives • London • March 2024 - Present
Thought Leadership & Industry Visibility
Delivered Fish Disco, an analytical presentation on Hinkley Point C, later becoming the first staff-led feature shared across CGL’s social media platforms.
Pitched and co-led the winning London Festival of Architecture installation, I Am Not a Robot, strengthening the practice’s public profile.
Selected as an invited speaker for a panel at Temple Bar on early-career progression and structural shifts within the profession, positioning CGL within wider industry dialogue.
Inclusive Practice, Outreach & Studio Culture
Initiated and lead a 9-month Inclusive Design CPD series, managing a team of four to translate EDI discussions into a practice-wide learning programme that strengthens inclusive thinking, design capability and service offering. Act as CGL liaison for Westminster City Lions, coordinating the annual Insight Session for St Marylebone School and providing ongoing one-to-one mentorship to a sixth-form student, supporting portfolio development, architectural thinking and university preparation.
Training, Mentorship & Professional Development
Developed firm-wide training resources including a Portfolio Best Practice workshop and communication frameworks. Led cross-team technical reviews, mentored work-experience students and contributed to wellbeing and morale initiatives across the studio.
Recognition & Professional Growth
Recipient of the Graddon Award for Best Digital Drawing 2025 and the Rookie Rockstar Award 2024, recognising leadership, initiative and delivery across multiple live projects.
Royal College of Art • Institutional & Public Leadership • London • Sept 2021 - Sept 2023
Led Inside/Out, the RCA’s only student-run lecture series, heading a five-person team to deliver bi-weekly talks with internationally recognised designers. Managed programming, speaker invitations, logistics and marketing for events ranging from intimate discussions to webinars with 1,300+ attendees, culminating in a 2023 finale at the Serpentine Pavilion. Drove substantial audience growth through targeted outreach and digital strategy.
Concurrently elected as MA Interior Design Programme Representative for two consecutive years, advocating for studio improvements that secured upgraded furniture, expanded model-making space, additional storage and extended studio/shop hours. Led orientation workshops and portfolio sessions for 50+ incoming master’s students.
Gensler • Leadership in Firm-wide Initiatives • New York • Sept 2018 - Aug 2027
Founded a cross-firm networking initiative and presented research to Gensler’s Inclusivity Network, leading studio and firm-wide events that strengthened collaboration and practice culture at scale.
Previously selected as Project Leader for the Groundswell x Gensler Summer Studio, leading a team to deliver the 500th mural installation in New York. Designed a public label system celebrating 100+ murals; the project was selected as one of four for citywide display and featured in Architectural Digest.
Cornell AAP • Creative Grants & Community Leadership • Ithaca, NY • March 2014 - April 2017
Two-time grant recipient from the Cornell Council for the Arts, selected to collaborate with artist Caroline Woolard to design furniture for the 2016 CCA Biennale and awarded funding for the Spring 2017 exhibition Doors.
Served as Head of Marketing and Documentation for Dragon Day (2014), Cornell Architecture’s long-standing annual tradition celebrating camaraderie and studio culture through the design and public procession of a large-scale student-built dragon. Led communications and visual documentation to strengthen participation and visibility across the college community.
Publications & Exhibitions
Devonshire Square (with Chris Dyson Architects) – Featured in Architecture Today, (“Reinventing one of the City’s last grand townhouses”) (Jan 2026).
Loom Club, Islington (with Kasawoo) – Featured in Vogue, Wallpaper, FRAME, OnOffice, and FX Magazine (2024–25).
Royal College of Art – Exhibited at Graduate Show & Online Showcase, Truman Brewery (2023); Open Studios/WIP Shows (2022–23). Projects also featured on @Models_Architecture (113k followers, 2022) and in the RCA Newsletter.
Royal Academy – Translations | John Hejduk's Prison House exhibited at the Ronald and Rita McAulay Gallery (Mar–May 2022).
Xandr, New York (with Gensler) – Recognised by Crain’s New York Business (“Coolest Offices in NY – Retrofit”, Dec 2020) and finalist in NYCxDESIGN Awards (Corporate Office, May 2020).
Madame Architect – Featured in “Creative Complements” and “Day’s With” series on emerging designers (Aug 2020).
Architectural Digest – Groundswell 500th mural project recognised in “These Designs Have Made the World a Better Place” (Dec 2017).
Association Vol. 8 & 12 – small.family drawings featured (2021) and Typhoon Submarine competition entry (2016).
Model Perspectives: Structure, Architecture & Culture – CRAB Studio’s Abedian School of Architecture model featured (2016).
Cornell Journal of Architecture | Issue 10: Spirits – Editor (youngest in journal’s history), 2014–15.
Voluntary Roles
City Lions, Westminster Council – Mentor (Nov 2025–Present) - Selected by CGL to mentor a 14/15-year-old student through City Lions, a creative youth programme providing early exposure to careers in design, culture and the built environment. Support includes 1-2x a month, portfolio development, architectural thinking and confidence-building.
Cornell University – B.Arch Interviewer (Oct 2020–Present) - Selected to interview and recommend candidates for Cornell’s Bachelor of Architecture program.
Royal College of Art – Guest Critic & Future Practices Panel (Jul 2024) - Reviewed student work, led mock interviews, and shared insights on transitioning to professional practice.
Industry Networking Initiative, New York (2018–19) - Founded and ran quarterly networking events for 100+ early-career professionals (under 30) across real estate, construction, architecture, interior design, and built-environment consultancy firms; resulted in invitations to Women in Architecture (AIA) meetings.
Open House New York – Volunteer (2016) - Led public tours of 26 Broadway, highlighting architectural history and urban context.
Related Experience
small.family • Freelance illustrator (Part Time) • London • June 2020 - August 2024 - Founded small.family, a hand-drawn architectural figure collection challenging the lack of diversity in renderings. Produced custom entourage illustrations for clients including David Baker Architects. Built skills in self-marketing, client management, and running a profitable side business.
Retail & Customer Experience Roles • London • Oct 2021 – Sept 2023 - Worked part-time in customer-facing roles at the Royal College of Art Shop and lululemon, advising customers, managing sales and inventory (Shopify), and delivering high-quality service in fast-paced environments. Recognised for strong sales performance and inclusive, community-focused customer engagement.
Chinese Exploration and Research Society • Cultural Preservation Intern • Yunnan, China (Tibetan Border)/Hong Kong • May 2015 - Dec 2015 - Camera Assistant for National Geographic explorers at three CERS expedition sites. Assisted in the documentation of Tibetan vernacular housing and villages.
Cornell AAP • Teaching & Media Roles (Part-Time) • Ithaca, New York • Jan 2014 – Aug 2017 - Digital fabrication teaching assistant (laser cutting, CNC, 3D printing) and student photographer for AAP events and study-abroad programmes (Rome, NYC). Led graduating class media and documentation, managing visual identity and photography workflows.
Luthier Hong Kong • Woodworking Apprentice (Part-Time) • Hong Kong • Aug 2011 - Aug 2012 - Apprenticed under luthier Kelvin Cheng, assisting in the restoration of clarinets and lutes and developing precision craftsmanship, woodworking skills and professional workshop discipline. Designed and fabricated a custom electric cello for women, later trialled by the Hong Kong Philharmonic. The project received the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme Personal Project Award (2010/2011).
Professional Development & Upskilling
Built Environment & Practice
Columbia University (via Coursera) — Construction Management Specialization (May - June 2020)
CIC/CSCS Health & Safety Exam – Construction Industry Council (Oct 2024–Oct 2029)
Fundamentals of Gerontology – American Society on Aging & USC Davis School of Gerontology
Disability Awareness and Support – University of Pittsburgh (Jun–Oct 2020)
An Introduction to Accessibility and Inclusive Design – University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Jun–Oct 2020)
Digital, Strategy & AI
Google Prompting Essentials Specialization (via Coursera) — Google Career Certificates (Dec 2025 - Jan 2026)
Introduction to Marketing – University of Pennsylvania (Jun–Jul 2020)