Profile

Phu Hoang, AIA, FAAR

Phu Hoang is a Founding Director of the interdisciplinary architecture and design practice MODU. He has directed numerous projects, notably the Exhale art park and the Promenade mixed use center. Along with Rachely Rotem, he was awarded the Founders Rome Prize in Architecture (2017), since 1897 a prize for” the highest standards of excellence in the arts and humanities.” He has also been awarded the Emerging Voices award from the Architectural League of New York (2019) and the US-Japan Creative Artists fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts (2018). Phu holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University. He is the Head of Architecture of the Knowlton School at the Ohio State University. Phu is a fellow of the American Academy in Rome, President of its Society of Fellows, and a licensed architect in New York and Texas.



Rachely Rotem, LEED AP, FAAR

Founding Director and studio futurist, Rachely Rotem has led MODU since 2012. Rachely has directed numerous projects, notably the Habits and Habitats nature observatory and the Cloud Seeding pavilion. Along with Phu Hoang, she was awarded the 2017 Founders Rome Prize in Architecture, since 1897 a prize for “the highest standards of excellence in the arts and humanities.” She has also been awarded the Emerging Voices award from the Architectural League of New York (2019) and the US-Japan Creative Artists fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts (2018). Rachely holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree (Cum Laude) from Technion in Haifa and a Master’s in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University. She is an Associate Professor of Practice at Ohio State University and also teaches on the faculty at Columbia University. Rachely is a fellow of the American Academy in Rome, LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction, and a licensed architect in Israel.