# Grace La

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**Grace La** (United States, 1970; Korean: 나은영; Korean pronunciation: Na Eun Young) is a [first generation](/source/Immigrant_generations#First_generation), [Korean-American](/source/Korean_Americans) designer, Chair of the Department of Architecture and Professor of Architecture at the [Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD)](/source/Harvard_Graduate_School_of_Design), and Principal of LA DALLMAN.[2] Co-founded with James Dallman, LA DALLMAN is a [design](/source/Design) firm recognized for the multidisciplinary integration of architecture, infrastructure, and landscape, with offices in [Boston](/source/Boston), [MA](/source/Massachusetts) and [Milwaukee](/source/Milwaukee), [WI](/source/Wisconsin).[3] La previously served as the Chair of the [Harvard GSD](/source/Harvard_Graduate_School_of_Design)'s Practice Platform and served as GSD's Director of the [Master of Architecture](/source/Master_of_Architecture) Programs (2014–17).[4]

## Early life and education

La was raised in the [New England](/source/New_England) area and studied at [Phillips Academy](/source/Phillips_Academy) in [Andover](/source/Andover,_Massachusetts), [MA](/source/Massachusetts). As a boarding student, she studied [visual arts](/source/Visual_arts) in the Andover curriculum pioneered by Gordon "Diz" Bensley [note 1] and was awarded the *Pamela Wiedenman Memorial Prize in Art*.[5] At Andover, she also participated in the *Dakar Project* involving the renovation of an elementary school on [Goree Island](/source/Gor%C3%A9e) in [Senegal](/source/Senegal), [West Africa](/source/West_Africa), which was formative to her later pursuit of architecture. She joined the Andover Exeter Washington Intern Program, in which she interned for Congressman [Gerry Studds](/source/Gerry_Studds) of [Massachusetts](/source/Massachusetts).

La received her [professional degree](/source/Professional_degree) of [Master of Architecture](/source/Master_of_Architecture) from [Harvard University Graduate School of Design](/source/Harvard_University_Graduate_School_of_Design); her [thesis](/source/Thesis) was granted the honor of distinction and her project won the *Clifford Wong Housing Prize*.[6] In college, she was a recipient of the Elizabeth Cary Agassiz Award and the [John Harvard Scholarship](https://registrar.fas.harvard.edu/john-harvard-and-harvard-college-scholarships) (reserved for the top 5% of students based on GPA), graduating A.B. [magna cum laude](/source/Magna_cum_laude) from [Harvard College](/source/Harvard_College) in Visual and Environmental Studies.

## Family

La[note 2] is the granddaughter of Na Duk Whan,[note 3] a [South Korean](/source/South_Korea) leader recognized for his role in the resistance to the [Japanese occupation of Korea](/source/Korea_under_Japanese_rule), for which he was twice imprisoned in 1921 and 1940,[note 4] and for his charitable acts as memorialized in the book, *A Beautiful Heritage of Faith*.[note 5] La's design work for [non-profit](/source/Non-profit) and mission based entities is rooted in the deep appreciation for service and [civic engagement](/source/Civic_engagement), which were instilled in her from her grandfather.

As noted in La's 2014 [One Harvard](/source/Harvard_Graduate_Council) address, La is the middle of three siblings, all educated at [Harvard University](/source/Harvard_University).[7] La's parents, Dr. and Mrs. Jea Min La of Long Island, NY, were scholars who [immigrated](/source/Immigration) to the [United States](/source/United_States) in the 1950s. La is the younger sister of Elinor L. Hoover ([Harvard Business School](/source/Harvard_Business_School), ‘94), Global Co-Head of Consumer Products and [Vice Chairman](/source/Vice_Chairman) of Capital Markets Origination at [Citigroup](/source/Citigroup).[note 6] La is the older sister of Daniel La, an [organic chemist](/source/Organic_chemist) who is Vice President and Head of Medicinal Chemistry at TRIANA Biomedicines and a former [Postdoctoral Fellow](/source/Postdoctoral_Fellow) of the renowned [David Evans](/source/David_A._Evans) Lab at [Harvard University](/source/Harvard_University).

## Career

Grace La is [Principal](/source/Principal_(architecture)) of LA DALLMAN, co-founded with James Dallman in 1999. Since 2013, she is the [Professor](/source/Professor) of [Architecture](/source/Architecture) at the [Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD)](/source/Harvard_University_Graduate_School_of_Design).[8] She also served as Director of the GSD's [Master of Architecture Programs](/source/Master_of_Architecture) in 2014–17.[4] La is the Chair of the GSD's Practice Platform (2014–present), an interdisciplinary committee focused on issues of contemporary and future design practice. Prior to these academic positions, she was a [tenured](/source/Tenured) faculty member at the [University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee](/source/University_of_Wisconsin-Milwaukee) [School of Architecture & Urban Planning](/source/University_of_Wisconsin%E2%80%93Milwaukee_academics), holding the positions of Professor (2013), Associate Professor (2005-13) and Assistant Professor (1999-2005). She held visiting appointments at the [Harvard University Graduate School of Design](/source/Harvard_University_Graduate_School_of_Design) (2010) and [Syracuse University](/source/Syracuse_University).

LA DALLMAN, her practice with partner James Dallman, is engaged in the transformation of site through spatial and material investigations ranging in type and scale.[9] Noted for their unusual ability in the design and execution of complex projects by [the Architectural Record](/source/The_Architectural_Record),[10] the firm has received numerous professional honors and exhibited and published widely.[11]

Grace La co-edited *Skycar City* [12] with [Winy Maas](/source/Winy_Maas), co-founded and edited [UWM](/source/University_of_Wisconsin-Milwaukee)'s *Calibrations*, and was a member of the design editorial board of the [Journal of Architectural Education](/source/Journal_of_Architectural_Education) for two terms. Her past research and teaching at UWM were funded by the international furniture manufacturer, KI, and resulted in numerous designed objects and [prototypes](/source/Prototypes), including a mass-customized public seating prototype exhibited at [Discovery World](/source/Discovery_World_(museum)).[13][14][15] This work was featured in the Design Innovations Panel of the [Metropolis](/source/Metropolis_(architecture_magazine)) Conference at [ICFF](/source/International_Contemporary_Furniture_Fair) in 2010.[16]

As Director of the [GSD](/source/Harvard_Graduate_School_of_Design)'s [M.Arch](/source/Master_of_Architecture) Programs, La was responsible for both the M.Arch I and M.Arch II [architecture](/source/Architecture) [degree programs](/source/Degree_programs), the largest [department](/source/Academic_department) constituency at the GSD. During this period, she re-tooled the [architecture](/source/Architecture) [department](/source/Academic_department)'s [admissions](/source/College_admissions) process, resulting in the highest admissions yield in the history of the school.[17] As Chair of the Practice Platform, La oversees [curriculum](/source/Curriculum) development and programs in the area of design practice and is the host of [Talking Practice](/source/Talking_Practice), [Harvard GSD](/source/Harvard_Graduate_School_of_Design)'s inaugural [podcast series](/source/Podcast_series) launched in October 2018.[18] Exploring matters and methods of practice, La has engaged podcast interviews with renowned designers such as Shohei Shigematsu, [Jeanne Gang](/source/Jeanne_Gang), [Reinier de Graaf](/source/Reinier_de_Graaf_(architect)), [Anna Heringer](/source/Anna_Heringer), Paul Nakazawa, Gary Hilderbrand, [Preston Scott Cohen](/source/Preston_Scott_Cohen), and others.

In September 2019- January 2020, La co-curated with Jeremy Ficca and Amy Kulper, an exhibition entitled, "Drawing Attention," at the Roca London Gallery. The exhibition, gathering more than seventy five exemplary contemporary architectural drawings, opened during the London Design Festival. The exhibit was reviewed by the Royal Institute of British Architects among others, and was noted as a top exhibit to see in November 2019 by London's Guardian. Together with Ficca and Kulper, La was also the Co-Chair of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture's 107th Annual Conference, entitled "[Black Box: Articulating Architecture's Core in the Post-Digital Era](https://www.acsa-arch.org/conference/107th-annual-meeting/)" in 2019, leading the national debate on questions of design pedagogy. According to the ACSA, the conference generated more than four hundred submissions, the largest quantity of responses in the last decade.

## Honors and awards

La received four Faculty Design Awards from [Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture](/source/American_Institute_of_Architecture_Students), honoring her for her projects that have "advance[d] the reflective nature of practice and teaching".[19][20] La received a university-wide honor from [UWM](/source/University_of_Wisconsin%E2%80%93Milwaukee) for her exemplary teaching and research with the UWM Distinguished Teaching Award in 2005.[21]

La's award-winning practice, LA DALLMAN, is honored with a 2021 [Progressive Architecture Award](/source/Progressive_Architecture_Award), nine Design Awards from the [American Institute of Architects](/source/American_Institute_of_Architects) [Wisconsin](/source/Wisconsin), three [Boston Society of Architects](/source/Boston_Society_of_Architects) Unbuilt Design Awards, and multiple international design competition awards. LA DALLMAN was named a 2010 [Emerging Voice](/source/Architectural_League_Emerging_Voices) by the [Architectural League of New York](/source/Architectural_League_of_New_York) and received the [Bruner Award for Urban Excellence Silver Medal](/source/Rudy_Bruner_Award_for_Urban_Excellence).[22] The firm received the international Spotlight: The Rice Design Alliance Prize in 2011, honoring "exceptionally gifted architects in the early phase of their career."[23] Grace La and James Dallman are the first [North American](/source/North_American) practitioners to receive the prize, which was previously awarded to architects Antón García-Abril of [Spain](/source/Spain) and [Sou Fujimoto](/source/Sou_Fujimoto) of [Japan](/source/Japan).[24]

In March 2021, LA DALLMAN's transformation of the Teweles & Brandeis Granary in Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin was celebrated as the cover image of [Architect](/source/Architect_Magazine) Magazine, the Journal of the American Institute of Architects. LA DALLMAN's work is featured in publications by Spain's a+t, [Architect Magazine](/source/Architect_Magazine),[25] [Architectural Record](/source/Architectural_Record),[26] [Azure](/source/Azure_(design_magazine)), Praxis,[27] [Princeton Architectural Press](/source/Princeton_Architectural_Press),[28] [Routledge](/source/Routledge), and Topos. They had exhibitions at the 2025 [Chicago Architecture Biennial](/source/Chicago_Architecture_Biennial), the [Carnegie Museum of Art](/source/Carnegie_Museum_of_Art) Heinz Architectural Center and the [Danish Architecture Centre](/source/Danish_Architecture_Centre) in [Copenhagen](/source/Copenhagen), [Denmark](/source/Denmark). LA DALLMAN has given [lectures](/source/Lectures) in numerous [symposia](/source/Symposia) and esteemed institutions such as the [Museum of Fine Arts](/source/Museum_of_Fine_Arts,_Houston) in [Houston](/source/Houston), the [National Building Museum](/source/National_Building_Museum) in [Washington D.C.](/source/Washington_D.C.), and the [New Museum](/source/New_Museum) in [New York City](/source/New_York_City).

## Notable projects

LA DALLMAN is renowned for the [design](/source/Design) and execution of the Crossroads Project: Marsupial Bridge and Media Garden, and urban transformation project begun in 1999 and lasting more than a decade.[29] This four-phased [infrastructural](/source/Infrastructure) transformation for public use includes a pedestrian bridge of 700 feet length named Marsupial Bridge, a [bus shelter](/source/Bus_shelter), a media garden, and a [viewing deck](/source/Observation_deck).[30] The project has been [published](/source/Published) and [exhibited](/source/Exhibition) broadly, including a full-scale [mock-up](/source/Mock-up) of the media garden "lightslabs", in the Reprogramming the City exhibit at the [Danish Architecture Centre](/source/Danish_Architecture_Centre).[31][32]

Among others, La's completed projects co-authored with partner, James Dallman, include the [Miller Brewing Company](/source/Miller_Brewing_Company) Meeting Center (headquarters originally designed by mid-century architect, [Ulrich Franzen](/source/Ulrich_Franzen)), permanent science [exhibits](/source/Exhibition) for [Discovery World](/source/Discovery_World_(museum)), the Marsupial Bridge and Media Garden, the [Kilbourn Tower](/source/Kilbourn_Tower), the [UWM](/source/University_of_Wisconsin%E2%80%93Milwaukee) Hillel Student Center, and several prominent residences including the Levy House and the Pavilion House in [Wisconsin](/source/Wisconsin). At the time of its completion in 2005, [Kilbourn Tower](/source/Kilbourn_Tower) was the tallest residential building in [Wisconsin](/source/Wisconsin) and ranks as the 14th [tallest building designed by a woman](/source/List_of_tallest_buildings_designed_by_women).[33] Known for expertise of mid-century modern buildings, LA DALLMAN was [shortlisted](/source/Shortlisted) in 2018 for the [renovation](/source/Renovation) of the [American Repertory Theater](/source/American_Repertory_Theater), originally designed by Hugh Stubbins. LA DALLMAN completed the renovation of [Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall](/source/Marcus_Center) and a new river entrance at the [Marcus Center for the Performing Arts](/source/Marcus_Center_for_the_Performing_Arts), originally designed by [Harry Weese](/source/Harry_Weese).

## Further reading

*Fabricated Landscapes: LA DALLMAN* (UWM School of Architecture, 2009). Essays by Raymund Ryan, Filip Tejchman, Grace La, and James Dallman. Foreword by Robert Greenstreet.

## Notes

1. ["Gordon Bensley, 84; advanced the teaching of visual arts"](https://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2009/07/24/gordon_bensley_84_advanced_the_teaching_of_visual_arts/). The Boston Globe. 24 July 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. The surname of “Na” was transliterated to “La” upon [immigration](/source/Immigration) to the [U.S.](/source/U.S.) in the 1950s; all members of the Na family residing in the [U.S.](/source/U.S.) use the surname “La.” However, the surname of Na is actively in use in [South Korea](/source/South_Korea) by all members of the family residing there.

1. Na Duk Whan was a distinguished [theologian](/source/Theologian), [intellectual](/source/Intellectual), and South Korean [Presbyterian minister](/source/Presbyterian_minister), who served as the [Moderator of the General Assembly](/source/Moderator_of_the_General_Assembly) of the [Korean Presbyterian Church](/source/Presbyterian_Church_of_Korea) in 1961. Na Duk Whan was exhumed from his original interment site and re-buried in the [Daejeon National Cemetery](/source/Daejeon_National_Cemetery) of Korea as a national honoree in 1991.

1. As a proponent of religious and cultural freedom and for his resistance to the Japanese occupation of South Korea, Na Duk Whan was imprisoned twice, for 6 months in 1921 and for four years from 1940-1944.

1. *A Beautiful Heritage of Faith*(2012) by Na Key Yound outlines his founding of the First Presbyterian Church in Suncheon and his notable charitable acts, including his personal sacrifices for the independence of Korea.

1. In 2014, 2015, and 2016, Hoover was named multiple times in the list of the *25 Most Powerful Women in Finance* ([American Banker](/source/American_Banker)). Hoover is Chairman of the [Board of Directors](/source/Board_of_Directors) of the [Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center](/source/Chamber_Music_Society_of_Lincoln_Center).

## References

1. ["ACSA Faculty Design Award"](http://www.acsa-arch.org/programs-events/awards/archives/FD). ACSA. 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. Ryan, Sean (18 Feb 2013). ["Grace La of LA DALLMAN to become professor at Harvard University"](https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/blog/real_estate/2013/02/architect-grace-la-of-la-dallman-to.html). *Milwaukee Business Journal*. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. La, Grace & Dallman, James (2009). *Fabricated Landscapes*. Milwaukee: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. pp. 29–31.

1. ["Grace La"](https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/person/grace-la/). [Harvard Graduate School of Design](/source/Harvard_Graduate_School_of_Design). Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. [*Phillips Academy Order of Exercises at Exhibition*](http://www.noblenet.org/paarchives/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Commencement1988.pdf). Andover,MA: Phillips Academy. 5 June 1988.

1. ["Past Winners of the Clifford Wong Prize in Housing Design"](https://l87r32c95dp1hz05tig4px11-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Past-Winners-of-the-Clifford-Wong-Prize-in-Housing-Design-1.pdf). Harvard GSD. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. Grace La (April 2014). [*One Harvard 2014 Faculty Alumni Panel: Grace La*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmoJFLHmPz4) (video). Harvard University.

1. Millard, Pete (6 Mar 2005). ["Architectural Couple Agree on Dividing Duties, Pursuing Public Projects"](https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2005/03/07/focus4.html). *Milwaukee Business Journal*. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. Galef, Julia (3 Mar 2010). ["La Dallman"](https://archpaper.com/2010/03/la-dallman/). *[The Architect's Newspaper](/source/The_Architect's_Newspaper)*. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. Czarnecki, J. (December 2002). ["Taking a Leap of Faith"](https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/12619-la-dallman). *[Architectural Record](/source/Architectural_Record)*. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. ["Grace La appointed Full Professor at Harvard GSD, Department of Architecture"](https://archinect.com/news/article/68801844/grace-la-appointed-full-professor-at-harvard-gsd-department-of-architecture). *Archinect.com*. 4 Mar 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. Maas, Winny & La, Grace (September 2007). *Skycar City*. Milwaukee: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

1. Schumacher, Mary-Louise (4 Mar 2013). ["Design Ideas: The Drift Bench"](https://archive.jsonline.com/blogs/entertainment/160892285.html). *Milwaukee Journal Sentinel*. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. ["UWM students take their seat (to Discovery World)"](https://uwm.edu/news/uwm-students-take-their-seat-to-discovery-world/). *UWM report*. 10 Oct 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. Rob Zdanowski (17 December 2011). [*Drift Public Seating*](https://vimeo.com/33838778) (video)

1. ["The Metropolis Conference @ ICFF: Design Entrepreneurs: What’s Next"](https://www.metropolismag.com/uncategorized/the-metropolis-conference-icff-design-entrepreneurs-whats-next/). *Metropolis*. 17 May 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. ["GSD Factbook"](https://web.archive.org/web/20181106234320/https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/GSD-Factbook.pdf). Harvard GSD. Mar 2017. Archived from [the original](https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/GSD-Factbook.pdf) on 6 November 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. ["Graduate School of Design launches ‘Talking Practice’ podcast"](https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/newsplus/graduate-school-of-design-launches-new-podcast-talking-practice/). Harvard Gazette. 5 Oct 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. ["ACSA Faculty Design Award"](http://www.acsa-arch.org/programs-events/awards/FD). ACSA. 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. ["ACSA Faculty Design Award Recipients"](http://www.acsa-arch.org/programs-events/awards/archives/FD). ACSA. 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. ["UWM 2004-05 Annual Report Awards and Recognition Committee"](https://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/faculty/2486.pdf). UWM. 14 Sep 2005. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. The Architectural League of New York (2015). *30 Years of Emerging Voices, Idea, Form, Resonance*. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. p. 254.

1. ["Spotlight Award Winners: LA DALLMAN"](https://www.swiss-architects.com/de/veranstaltungen/spotlight-award-winners-la-dallman). Swiss-Architects. 7 Sep 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. ["2017 Rice Design Alliance Spotlight Prize goes to OOPEAA"](https://bustler.net/news/tags/rice-design-alliance/3838/5696/2017-rice-design-alliance-spotlight-prize-goes-to-oopeaa). Bustler. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. Capps, Kriston (June 2012). ["Studio Visit with La Dallman"](https://www.architectmagazine.com/design/firm-profile/studio-visit-with-la-dallman_o). *[Architect: The Magazine of the American Institute of Architects](/source/Architect:_The_Magazine_of_the_American_Institute_of_Architects)*. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. Czarnecki, J. (December 2002). ["Taking a Leap of Faith"](https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/12619-la-dallman?v=preview). *[Architectural Record](/source/Architectural_Record)*. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. Tejchman, Filip (October 2008). ["Out of Bonds"](https://www.praxisjournal.net/issues/10.htm). *PRAXIS Journal of Writing and Building*. '***(10: Urban Matters). Retrieved 22 May 2019.***

1. Killory, C. & Davids, R. (May 2008). [*Detail in Process, AsBuilt Series II*](http://www.papress.com/html/product.details.dna?isbn=9781568987187). New York: [Princeton Architectural Press](/source/Princeton_Architectural_Press). ISBN 9781568987187.

1. ["Crossroads Project and Marsupial Bridge"](https://www.rudybruneraward.org/winners/crossroads-project-and-marsupial-bridge/). [Rudy Bruner Award](/source/Rudy_Bruner_Award). Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. Gould, W (26 Apr 2004). ["Pockets of Orphaned Land are Opportunities for Lively Design"](http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/apr04/225012.asp). *[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel](/source/Milwaukee_Journal_Sentinel)*. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. ["Reprogramming the City"](https://dac.dk/en/exhibitions/reprogramming-the-city/). [Danish Architecture Centre](/source/Danish_Architecture_Centre). Retrieved 22 May 2019.

1. Hauck, Thomas & Keller, Regine (2011). *Infrastructural Urbanism: Addressing the In-between*. Berlin: DOM Publishers. pp. 181–185. ISBN 3869221313.

1. Bamberger, Tom (29 Feb 2008). ["Accidental Beauty"](https://www.milwaukeemag.com/AccidentalBeauty/). *[Milwaukee Magazine](/source/Milwaukee_Magazine)*. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Grace La](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_La) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_La?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.