Dara Huang (born 1982/1983) is an American architect. In 2013, she founded the architecture and design firm Design Haus Liberty. She is the co-founder of Vivahouse, which converts disused commercial properties into co-living spaces.

Early life

Huang was born in Florida to Taiwanese immigrants. Her father is a retired

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

rocket scientist. She attended the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, from which she graduated in 2004 with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in design. She was a member of

Alpha Delta Pi Alpha Delta Pi (), commonly known as ADPi (pronounced "ay-dee-pye"), is an International Panhellenic sorority founded on May 15, 1851, at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. It is the oldest secret society for women. Alpha Delta Pi is a mem ...

sorority. She earned a master's degree in architecture from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Career

After graduating, Huang worked at architectural firms

Herzog & de Meuron Herzog & de Meuron Basel Ltd.,
" Herzog & de Meuron. Retrieved on 11 October 2012. "Herzog & de Meuron Basel Ltd. R ...

in Switzerland and

Foster and Partners Foster + Partners is a British architectural, engineering, and integrated design practice founded in 1967 as Foster Associates by Norman Foster. It is the largest architectural firm in the UK with over 1,500 employees in 13 studios worldwide. ...

in London. At these firms she worked on several large projects, including the skyscraper 56 Leonard Street in New York City,

Tate Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery located in London. It houses the United Kingdom's national collection of international modern and contemporary art, and forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is ...

in London, and

Manolo Blahnik Manuel "Manolo" Blahnik Rodríguez (; born 27 November 1942) is a Spanish fashion designer and founder of the eponymous high-end shoe brand. Biography Blahnik was born in Santa Cruz de la Palma, in the Canary Islands (Spain), to a Czech father ...

stores around the world. Huang has received several awards, including The Clifford Wong Prize, The KPF Travelling Fellowship, The Young Architects Award, and first place in the AIAS National Design Review.

Design Haus Liberty

In 2013, Huang opened her own architecture practice, Design Haus Liberty, in

Clerkenwell Clerkenwell () is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an ancient parish from the mediaeval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The well after which it was named was redisco ...

, London. Its work has been exhibited at

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

in London and the

Venice Biennale of Architecture Venice Biennale of Architecture (in Italian Mostra di Architettura di Venezia) is an international exhibition of architecture from nations around the world, held in Venice, Italy, every other year. It was held on even years until 2018, but 202 ...

Personal life

Huang was engaged to

Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi Edoardo Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi (born 19 November 1983) is an English property developer. He is the founder and chief executive of Banda Property, a property development and interior design company. He is married to Princess Beatrice, a niece of ...

, with whom she has a son. The engagement was broken off in 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huang, Dara 1980s births 21st-century American architects 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesswomen 21st-century British architects 21st-century British businesspeople 21st-century British businesswomen American people of Taiwanese descent American construction businesspeople American emigrants to England American expatriates in Hong Kong American expatriates in Japan American expatriates in Switzerland American women architects Architects from Florida British construction businesspeople British people of Taiwanese descent British women architects Businesspeople from Florida Harvard Graduate School of Design alumni Living people People with acquired British citizenship University of Florida alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Survivors of the 2008 Mumbai attacks