Abby Yu

Abby joined Utile as an architecture project designer in 2024. She holds a Master of Architecture degree from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and a BA in Architecture Studies from the University of Toronto, where she majored in Architecture Design and Architecture History, Theory, and Criticism, with a minor in Art History, concentrating in contemporary art post-1990s.

Born and raised in Shanghai’s historic French Concession, Abby’s passion for architecture and urban planning began with an exploration of the area’s rich layers of history and urban transformation. She then furthered this curiosity with the significance of architectural legacy through her undergraduate thesis, “The Post-modern Crisis of the White Cubes”, and graduate thesis project, “History and the Obsolete”.

Abby has worked across a diverse range of building typologies, including multi-family, hospitality, high-rise office, and laboratory, from feasibility studies through to construction documentation. Most recently, she contributed to the design and planning of the expansion of the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore during her time at Safdie Architects.

Outside of architecture, Abby is an amateur digital illustrator and a tennis enthusiast. In her free time, she most enjoys spending time with her baby dog, Pace, and exploring Boston’s bars and restaurants.