Roberto Viola Ochoa
Founding Principal [CV]
Roberto Viola Ochoa is a founding principal of iVY Design Associates and an Associate Professor of Architecture at Roger Williams University, where he serves as the coordinator of the Comprehensive Design Studio for the graduate program.
Prior to iVY, Roberto had 17 years of practice at Sasaki, where he worked on a wide range of projects, including institutional and mixed-use residential projects, nationally and internationally. In parallel to his work at Sasaki, he has undertaken a number of independent commissions for smaller-scale residential interventions and has actively participated in architectural competitions. "A Whisper in the Forest," a Latvia quest house/spa competition proposal, has been awarded a third prize in the Urban Design & Architecture Design 2018 by APR Magazine. In addition, a built project, Sevigny-Lisdero Residence in Lexington, has won a third prize in the Architecture Podium 2018 International Architecture Awards.
Before taking a position at Roger Williams University, he taught architecture studios at Northeastern University. In the summer, he has been teaching a graduate module focusing on integrating systems in the design process at the Universidad del Istmo (UNIS) in Guatemala. Roberto played a key role in developing the UNIS campus master plan and the first implementation phase of its campus while he was at Sasaki. This association with the university in practice led to academic collaboration with them, resulting in him being an active contributor to the Cátedra Jorge Montes (an annual event hosting international workshops and lectures in the department of Architecture) for over ten years.
Roberto began his architectural studies at the San Pablo C.E.U. in Madrid, Spain. He obtained his Bachelor's degree in Architecture at the University of Miami (1995) and a Master of Architecture in Urban Design (MAUD) from Harvard University Graduate School of Design (1997). At GSD, he assisted a studio taught by Nader Tehrani and Monica Ponce de Leon.
Junko Yamamoto, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C
Founding Principal [CV-en]
Junko Yamamoto, a founding principal of iVY based in Pawtucket, RI, is a licensed architect in Japan and the US (registered in MA, RI and NY). She has been practicing since 2005, playing a key role in the design and construction of numerous projects, including those for MIT and Harvard University campuses and commercial buildings in New England, while undertaking independent commissions from custom furniture and exhibition design to residential projects in the US and Japan.
In parallel with her professional design practice, Junko works as an artist. Her artwork has been exhibited internationally in various juried exhibitions, including the recent Nakanojo Biennale International Contemporary Art Exhibition Japan, and featured in publications, including ArchDaily, CICA Museum Yellow Book, architecturephoto.net, BAC Journal and BAC Practice Magazine. She executed a public art installation, an International Land Art Competition-winning proposal, in a remote village in Ghana with EDCO Faculty Grant in 2018.
Expanding her practice in art and architecture internationally, she served as a chair of the Global Practice Network at the Boston Society for Architecture. She teaches Architecture Thesis and Advanced Architecture Design Studios at Harvard Graduate School of Design, Rhode Island School of Design, and Roger Williams University. She has also taught at Boston Architectural College.
Growing up in Japan, Junko began her architectural education at the Kyoto Architectural College (KAC) in Kyoto, Japan. After obtaining her Architectural Diploma with honorary standing from the KAC and her course certificate from the Kyoto Renewable Energy School, she moved to the US to continue her education with several scholarships. She received her Bachelor of Architecture degree with distinction from Boston Architectural College (BAC), where she was awarded Henry Adams Medal and AIA Certificate, Architecture Degree Project Studio Commendations, and Greene Architecture Degree Project Studio Award. She obtained a Master of Architecture II degree from Harvard University Graduate School of Design.
[ Leading Team Members ]
Sarah Thompson
Camille Andersen
[ Collaborators ]
Thomas Barker
Ryan Danby
John Barker
Christopher Hardy
Emily Goldenberg
Shaelena Morley
Ponnapa Prakkamakul
Christopher Winkler
Joanna Grocott
Andrew Larsen
Pawel Honc
Katherine Ford
[Collaborators in Landscape]
Nicole Gaenzler
Nicole is a dynamic designer with more than 15 years of national and international experience. Educated as an architect and a landscape architect, Nicole brings an integrated perspective to her professional work which encompasses a diverse range of projects in the United States, South America and Germany. Nicole has worked with distinguished design firms in the Boston area including Reed|Hilderbrand, Martha Schwartz Partners, and Sasaki Associates, as well as Peter Zumthor’s architecture studio in Switzerland. As senior designer and project landscape architect at Sasaki Associates for 11 years, Nicole successfully managed and led projects ranging from mixed use developments and sports venues to corporate and campus environments from concept design through implementation.
Nicole believes in collaborative design and brings passion, experience and curiosity to her work to develop innovative and sustainable solutions. Nicole is a registered landscape architect who holds a professional degree in architecture (“Diplom Ingenieur für Architektur”) from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany, as well as a Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture from Harvard University's Graduate School of Design.
Nicole was guest critic at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) as well as Harvard’s Career Discovery program. As faculty in the School of Landscape Architecture at the Boston Architectural College, Nicole teaches design foundation and advanced interdisciplinary studios at the graduate level, and pursues her research interests in the cultural history of water and in sustainable infrastructure.
