Back to COAA Connect Fall 2022 Speakers/Presenters
Renee Cheng
Dean, College of Built Environments
University of Washington - Academia
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Speaker Bio
Renée Cheng joined the College of Built Environments (CBE) as dean on January 1, 2019. Before coming to CBE, Cheng, an innovative educator and leader at the forefront of equity in the built environment, served as head of the School of Architecture and associate dean of research at the University of Minnesota.
Cheng is a leader in the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and advocates for equity in the field of architecture and in the practices related to the built environment. Recently, Cheng led the research effort for the AIA Guides for Equitable Practice in the workplace, which is widely used in the building industry. Cheng has pioneered research surrounding the intersection of design and emerging technologies, including work on industry adoption of Integrated Project Delivery, Building Information Modeling and Lean.
Known for her pedagogical skill designing classes and programs that empower students and integrate practice with academia, Cheng has twice won the AIA Practice Leadership Award. She has been named as one of the top 25 most admired design educators in the United States by DesignIntelligence (twice) and an Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Distinguished Professor. In 2017, she received the Lean Construction Institute Faculty Award and was elected to the American Institute of Architecture’s College of Fellows.
Cheng is a member of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, College of Distinguished Professors of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, American Institute of Architects, College of Fellows in the American Institute of Architects, National Organization of Minority Architects, and the Lean Construction Institute Faculty Research Fellows.
As a bold thought leader, Cheng is frequently called upon for keynotes and lectures on the future of the built environment and equitable practices in the built environment, including topics at the intersection of innovation, collaboration, equity, social/environmental justice, and intercultural fluency.
A licensed architect, her professional experience includes work for Pei, Cobb, Freed and Partners and Richard Meier and Partners before founding Cheng-Olson Design.
Cheng is a leader in the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and advocates for equity in the field of architecture and in the practices related to the built environment. Recently, Cheng led the research effort for the AIA Guides for Equitable Practice in the workplace, which is widely used in the building industry. Cheng has pioneered research surrounding the intersection of design and emerging technologies, including work on industry adoption of Integrated Project Delivery, Building Information Modeling and Lean.
Known for her pedagogical skill designing classes and programs that empower students and integrate practice with academia, Cheng has twice won the AIA Practice Leadership Award. She has been named as one of the top 25 most admired design educators in the United States by DesignIntelligence (twice) and an Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Distinguished Professor. In 2017, she received the Lean Construction Institute Faculty Award and was elected to the American Institute of Architecture’s College of Fellows.
Cheng is a member of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, College of Distinguished Professors of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, American Institute of Architects, College of Fellows in the American Institute of Architects, National Organization of Minority Architects, and the Lean Construction Institute Faculty Research Fellows.
As a bold thought leader, Cheng is frequently called upon for keynotes and lectures on the future of the built environment and equitable practices in the built environment, including topics at the intersection of innovation, collaboration, equity, social/environmental justice, and intercultural fluency.
A licensed architect, her professional experience includes work for Pei, Cobb, Freed and Partners and Richard Meier and Partners before founding Cheng-Olson Design.