Ming Hu, associate dean for research, scholarship and creative work at the University of Notre Dame’s School of Architecture, is also affiliated with the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies as a faculty fellow.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) selected the project, From Studio to Systems: A Research-Based Model for Architectural Education, by Ming Hu, associate dean for research, scholarship and creative work in Notre Dame’s school of architecture, as the winner of the 2026 AIA/ACSA Practice and Leadership Award. This national award, which is jointly sponsored by the AIA and ACSA, honors exemplary models of teaching, scholarship, and outreach that demonstrate leadership and sustained impact on architectural education and professional practice.
The award emphasizes excellence in preparing students for real world practice and leadership.
“I’m sincerely grateful for this recognition and I see it very much as a reflection of the School’s broader commitment to research-informed pedagogy, experimentation and meaningful engagement with practice. The intellectual environment, encouragement and institutional support provided by the School have been essential in allowing this pedagogical work to take shape and ultimately be recognized at a national level” Hu said.
The project presents a reimagined model of architectural education that replaces traditional, form-driven studio pedagogy with interdisciplinary, research-based, and practice-engaged learning. Developed at the University of Notre Dame, this approach addresses critical gaps identified in the 2023 ACSA white paper, including the lack of standardized pedagogies and limited student exposure to real-world stakeholders and data-driven methods, according to the project description.
Guided by three central questions, the model introduces new course formats and collaborative frameworks. Architecture students are embedded within interdisciplinary teams alongside engineers, real estate professionals, and environmental scientists to solve sustainability challenges at both building and urban scales. Courses such as ARCH 43611: Carbon Neutral Development and SU25-34500: Real Estate and Sustainable Development emphasize real-world decision-making, while ARCH 81153: Adaptive Reuse Studio turns the graduate studio into a data-rich research lab.
“I can’t express enough how grateful I am. This recognition isn’t just mine—it reflects the work we’ve done together at University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame School of Architecture, Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative, Notre Dame Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate,” Hu said.
A peer-reviewed journal article on this research-based pedagogical approach is scheduled for publication in Discovery Sustainability early this year, further extending the School’s impact in architectural education.
“I feel very lucky to have co-taught with amazing faculty across the campus, Jennifer Tank, Diogo Bolster,Alex Hardy, Brett Peter, Eugenio Acosta; worked with brilliant students, and collaborated with passionate staff and friends from the Notre Dame Office of Digital Learning, KC Frye, Adam Heat, and Jacob Mathis,” she added.
Originally published by at architecture.nd.edu on January 28, 2026.