Dr. Hua Chai, successfully defended his Ph.D. in Architecture and joined Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in the Architecture Department in Fall 2025.
During his time at Penn, Hua conducted his doctoral research at the Polyhedral Structures Laboratory under the supervision of Prof. Masoud Akbarzadeh. His dissertation, "Computational Form-Finding of Tension Integrated Spanning Structures with Polyhedral Graphic Statics," presents a computational framework that unifies compression and tension elements through graphical-based form-finding and structural optimization, validated through multiple full-scale prototypes, including the industry-academic collaborative project Diamanti, a 3D-printed, post-tensioned concrete structure exhibited at the European Cultural Center in Venice. His work explores how geometric principles can inform the design of materially efficient structures, bridging conceptual design with fabrication-ready building systems. He also participated in NSF and U.S. Department of Energy ARPA-E funded research developing 3D-printed carbon-absorbing high-performance building structures.
At Cal Poly, Hua teaches across multiple formats: design studio, architectural systems integration lectures, and a seminar on structural design exploration and fabrication, translating his research directly into undergraduate pedagogy. Cal Poly's learn-by-doing philosophy provides an ideal environment for engaging students in hands-on explorations of computational geometry and digital fabrication.
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