The American Institute of Architects Jury of Fellows has elevated SOM’s Xuan Fu, Neil Katz, and Joseph Ruocco to its College of Fellows—a prestigious honor awarded to members who have made significant contributions to the profession.
Xuan Fu is a leader of SOM’s practice in China, leveraging her profound knowledge of local culture, industry, and diverse contexts to realize some of the firm’s most complex and ambitious work in the region. As a Managing Partner based in SOM’s Chicago office, Xuan mentors and advances young designers, leads interdisciplinary projects, fosters cross-cultural collaboration, and advances design excellence in innovation, wellness, and sustainability. Her accomplishments include a long list of globally renowned skyscrapers like the Jin Mao Tower and the Tianjin CTF Finance Center, as well as major urban planning projects such as the Guangzhou Historic Town Framework Plan and the Beijing CBD East Expansion Master Plan.
Neil Katz is an expert in computational design. Since joining SOM in 1985, he has pioneered its adoption in contemporary practice and has served as an ambassador for its application through architectural projects, interdisciplinary collaborations, and teaching. As the leader of the computational design group in New York, Neil has applied digital technology in unconventional ways across diverse projects, including the geometries of One World Trade Center, massing studies for Manhattan West Development, and the massing and diagrid design of the Lotte Super Tower.
Joseph Ruocco advances institutional architecture globally with pioneering technology, industry-changing management processes, and expertise in alternative delivery models. Based in SOM’s Washington, D.C. office, he leads the firm’s civic and government practice. He cultivates emerging architects and empowers small businesses to bring new perspectives to solving complex problems. Joseph’s practice systems and methods advance significant works of architecture nationally—including highly secure, mission-critical federal facilities like the Fort Lauderdale Federal Courthouse and U.S. Department of Transportation, Volpe Headquarters—and internationally, for complex programs of massive scale such as the KAFD Conference Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.