Valerie Tse is a versatile architectural designer, fabricator, and researcher who earned her Master of Architecture and Integrated Product Design from the University of Pennsylvania in 2024. Her design process is influenced by many fields, and she has honed her skills at several prominent firms, including Gensler, Aedas, Futureforms, and PennPraxis. Valerie has made significant contributions to a diverse array of projects, ranging from expansive mixed-use districts in China to parametric public art installations in California.
Valerie's recent achievements include winning first place at the Wharton Baker Retailing Center’s 2022 Ideathon, as well as receiving the Warren Powers Laird Award and the Albert F. Schenck-Henry Gillette Woodman Scholarship Prize from the Weitzman School of Design. Her work has been exhibited and published by Pressing Matters, Weitzman Architecture, UC Berkeley, and HKU Faculty of Architecture, among others. These accolades highlight her commitment to leveraging interdisciplinary design, digital technologies, and spatial exploration to drive positive social change and bring innovative solutions to the built environment.
PennPraxis - University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, US, Design Fellow
+ Served as the lead designer for an outdoor timber frame maker space,
presented proposals to University of Pennsylvania stakeholders.
+ Collaborated with designers and industry experts to optimize prefabrication
for The Fresh Air Fund’s Design to Thrive program.
Gensler, San Francisco, CA, US, Summer Architectural Design Intern
+ Researched generative AI’s impact on building retrofitting to enhance
resilience in San Francisco. Demonstrated AI-driven crack detection and
BIM integration, fostering office-wide discussions on urban resilience.
+ Developed and coordinated interior design solutions through construction
documentation and administration phases for a hotel renovation in Berkeley.
FutureForms, San Francisco, CA, US, Project Manager & Designer and Fabricator
+ Managed a team of 3 as the arts master planners, for a $3B mixed-use
development in Anaheim, CA, ensuring on-time milestones.
+ Secured a winning public arts proposal for Potrero Gateway Park in 2
weeks, encompassing 3D modeling, renders, and cost estimations.
+ Prototyped 1:1 mock-ups of stainless steel parametric structure, reducing
construction time by 12%, 40 hours.
Aedas, Hong Kong, HK, Architectural Designer
+ Collaborated with the executive director to craft presentation decks for a
260,000 m² technology park dedicated to Alibaba in Hangzhou, China. This
expansive project comprises the headquarters building, retail facilities,
additional office towers, and a visitor center. (link)
+ Designed parametric façade concepts and interior floor plans for central
shared spaces through the use of renderings and 3D models.
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, US, MArch, Architecture
Certificate in Integrated Product Design
Professional Student Individual Grants, 1st Place
Graduate and Professional Student Assembly | University of Pennsylvania's Professional Student Individual Grants aim to defray the cost of qualified travel expenses for professional students attending and/or presenting at academic conferences.
Robert and Susan Heidenberg Endowed Fellowship, 1st Place
Provides financial support to a graduate student at PennDesign.
Albert F. Schenck-Henry Gillette Woodman Prize, 1st Place
Annual Schenck Woodman competition first-year MArch students were charged with creating a new gateway for the Callowhill neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Wharton Baker Center Ideathon 2022, 1st Place
24-hour hackathon-style event sponsored by luxury brand MCM Worldwide, judges presented retail challenges for which teams would have to come up with polished presentations by morning.
Warren Powers Laird Award, 1st Place
Named for Warren Powers Laird (1861–1948), the first dean of the School of Fine Arts (now Weitzman School). Awarded to students with the highest standing in all courses in the first year of the professional degree program in architecture.
