Cherry Yang

Auckland, NZ
B.ARCH, B.FA, Rhode Island School of Design, AIA, CPHC®

Cherry Yang joins MIT motivated to create economically sustainable means of developing resilient, environmentally sustainable, and affordable spaces. Through their academic pursuit, Cherry is intent on interrogating the underlying social, political, economic and cultural systems that influence the built environment to implement sustainable development on a systemic scale.

  
Born in China and raised in New Zealand, Cherry graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture from Rhode Island School of Design in 2020. After relocating to Boston, they worked on multi-family affordable housing and institutional projects for government agencies and non-profit organizations to further inclusive and accessible spaces. During this time, she gained her architecture license in the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

As part of their commitment to advocating for sustainability in the built environment, Cherry gained qualifications as a Certified Passive House Consultant. She has built digital twins in energy model feasibility studies for projects now certified by the Passive House Institute of the US, which has stringent goals for energy performance, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality, exceeding LEED requirements.

  
Prior to joining MIT, Cherry has been developing her own small practice in her home city of Auckland. In collaboration with private developers and builders, she is designing and project managing housing development for subdivision plans.

  
In addition to their professional practice, Cherry has shared their expertise through teaching roles at Boston University and Unitec in New Zealand. Most recently, she has redesigned a building technology curriculum for Unitec, updating content to reflect contemporary standards and incorporating sustainable design principles into course materials.

  
In their spare time, Cherry enjoys climbing, sailing, exploring new recipes and sharing meals with friends.