Ritchie Yao

Ritchie Yao is an assistant professor in RISD’s Architecture department and a co-founder and partner at Dash Marshall, a Brooklyn/Detroit-based architecture and strategic design studio founded in 2009. Dash Marshall (Dash) believes that architecture without a story is just shelter. The studio works across scales—from designing the perfect place to read a book to developing urban proposals that help cities ensure new technologies, such as autonomous vehicles—and generates positive outcomes for everyday people.

Dash was recognized as a Next Progressive by Architect Magazine in 2020 and listed among AN Interior’s top 50 firms for 2020 and 2021. The studio has been featured in numerous publications, including Elle Decor, Architectural Digest Pro, Dwell, Curbed, Dezeen and The Architect’s Newspaper.

Before co-founding Dash, Ritchie gained valuable experience working for OMA and David Adjaye. At Rem Koolhaas’ Office of Metropolitan Architecture, he worked on a 25-story housing tower in NYC and Cornell University’s Milstein Hall. At David Adjaye Associates, he was a core member of the team working on the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Previously, Ritchie was a design critic in architecture at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, where he taught core studios. He received an MArch I AP degree from Harvard Graduate School of Design and a BSE in Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo.