Jenny (Xin Yu) Ye Architecture · Building Performance · Policy
About

Architecture, extended into performance, policy, and strategy.

Biography

I'm Jenny (Xin Yu) Ye, a Master of Architecture candidate at Cornell University and a Certified Passive House Consultant. My work sits at the intersection of design, building science, and policy, with a focus on existing buildings and how they can be made to perform better, last longer, and meet a tightening regulatory landscape.

I help owners, developers, and design teams make better decisions about the buildings we already have: what to keep, what to improve, and how to prove performance. That means pairing technical analysis, including energy modeling, embodied-carbon accounting, and envelope study, with a working understanding of zoning, building codes, and development feasibility.

Education

Cornell University, Master of Architecture (Professional)College of Architecture, Art & Planning
2023–2026
University of British Columbia, B.DesArchitecture, Landscape Architecture & Urbanism · SALA
2018–2023

Graduate coursework: The Economics of Urban Real-Estate Markets & the Built Environment · Environmental Systems I & II · Circular Construction · Re:Housing Futures. Honors: Helen Fagan Tyler Graduate Fellowship (2023) · Earl R. Flansburgh Merit Award (2024) · UBC Dean's List (2021, 2022).

Certification

Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC)Passive House Institute (PHI)
2026

ARE Progress

Working toward architectural licensure through the Architect Registration Examination. Status by division:

Practice Management (PcM)
In progress
Project Management (PjM)
In progress
Programming & Analysis (PA)
In progress
Project Planning & Design (PPD)
In progress
Project Development & Documentation (PDD)
In progress
Construction & Evaluation (CE)
In progress

Update each division's status as you progress.

Research Interests

Existing-building retrofitBuilding performance & energy modelingEmbodied carbon & circular constructionHousing policy, zoning & ADUsRegulatory strategy (LL97 / LL154)Development feasibility

Technical Skills

Revit · AutoCAD · Rhino / Grasshopper · QGIS · Adobe Creative Suite · WUFI. Building-performance analysis & retrofit feasibility; embodied-carbon assessment & material lifecycle analysis; fabrication and multi-team technical coordination.

Professional Philosophy

The most important architectural decisions of the next few decades will be about buildings that already exist. I believe good design in that context is inseparable from evidence: performance you can measure, carbon you can account for, and regulation you can navigate.

My aim is to make technical rigor approachable, giving clients and collaborators clear, defensible direction rather than jargon, and treating sustainability, policy, and feasibility not as constraints on design but as the material of it.

Career Direction

I'm building a practice that bridges architecture, sustainability consulting, and building-science research, supporting retrofit and Passive House projects, contributing applied research on housing and regulation, and helping teams turn analysis into strategy.