This is the first in a series of profiles of AUD's outstanding graduates from the Class of 2024.

From a distance, a building and its surroundings form a framed composition. Then, as you approach, you start seeing new details, and the building can become more of a character, more immersive–more of an experience than a snapshot.

That transition captivates Xinyi Li (MArch/MSAUD '24).

“When I design, I always think about what people will see and feel as they move through the space,” Li says. “This approach ensures that I'm crafting a story that resonates with each person, making the architecture not just a backdrop but an active participant in their experience.”

Li has pursued dynamic hybrids throughout her education, culminating in the dual MArch/MSAUD degree she earned at AUD in June.

Li was born in China and graduated from Dalian University of Technology’s Senior High School. One of her teachers suggested to her parents that Xinyi consider studies abroad, given her expansive interests. Simultaneously curious, nervous, and determined, Li applied to colleges and universities around the world and ultimately enrolled at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Inspired in part by a love of movies and cinema, Li undertook communications studies, focusing on television and film; she finds creative impulse from directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Christopher Nolan, David Lynch, and Wong Kar-wai, especially for their manipulation of architecture and space on screen.

Captivated by how color, texture, and shape can form environments and experiences, Li added an interior architecture degree to her studies. She credits that work with deepening her understanding of spatial dynamics and composition, which she now considers “invaluable” in her development as a designer.

As Li continued to render and braid these interests, she was drawn to AUD for its integration of diverse design fields and innovative approaches. Li also appreciated that AUD offers resources and facilities that, she says, “allow students like me to explore and articulate architectural ideas through different media forms.”

Li enrolled in AUD’s MArch program in Fall 2021. During her third and final year of AUD study, she elected into AUD’s MSAUD program’s Entertainment Studio. Li's customized AUD journey follows suit from her previous studies and interests–which, while diverse, have convened around communication, whether the medium is space, image, or word.

In turn, Li’s training in interior design has enabled her to flip the script as an architect. Early in her AUD studies, Li grew interested in first shaping a building’s interior–the spaces in which human experience unfolds. She found herself focusing on partitioning interior space, prioritizing user comfort, functionality, and experience.

Suddenly immersed in the rigors of architecture, Li found inspiration in her first-year core professor, Yara Feghali, whom Li thanks for carefully deconstructing the elements of architecture and providing a confident foundation for advanced study.

"Xinyi's thinking process is not just outside-the-box, she kicks the box upside down and approaches problems from unexpected angles," Feghali says. "She brings great ingenuity and determination to creatively overcome complex challenges, and her insatiable curiosity makes her a joy to work with."

Moving into the MArch program’s second-year Comprehensive Design Studio–“my first complete architectural endeavor in every sense,” Li says–she more carefully scrutinized the structural aspects of building design, and grew interested in designing at larger scales.

For her final year of MArch study, Li enrolled in Greg Lynn’s year-long Research Studio, “Design with an Explicit Statement of Mission and Vision.” Lynn’s studio encourages deep consideration to goal-setting and defining personal criteria; for the first two quarters, there is no modeling, drawing, model building, or creation of forms, shapes, patterns, or diagrams. This encouraged Li to take careful stock of her many interests and refine a forward vision.

Like at Madison, Li found a double-sided opportunity. Continued meditation on her goals and their ongoing expansion–her mission and vision–drew her toward the MSAUD program’s Entertainment Studio.

Li credits mentorship from Lynn, and from the MSAUD program’s Natasha Sandmeier, for giving her the confidence to change her trajectory.

“My entire journey through the MSAUD program helped me rediscover myself and reaffirm my goals and beliefs each day,” Li says.

“I am especially grateful that the MSAUD Entertainment Studio, under Natasha Sandmeier's guidance, encouraged me to break free from conventional design limitations and consider broader possibilities,” Li says. “It has deepened my understanding of how storytelling and architecture can influence each other, leading to more compelling and innovative designs.”

“Xinyi brought this incredible creative energy to the studio that was just infectious,” Sandmeier says. “You could feel her enthusiasm in every conversation, whether we were talking about her current projects or her big dreams for the future. She was always keen to push boundaries, embracing new challenges with a creative flair that made teaching and working with her incredibly rewarding.”

"Xinyi flourished in the Mission and Vision studio, where she took great advantage of the year-long studio structure," Lynn observes. "This is a challenging program for graduate students, and Xinyi showed great self-awareness, intelligence, and maturity and had great success throughout the entire year. It was a pleasure to have her in the group where we all learned so much."

Li graduated from AUD with distinction, and she earned the MSAUD program’s Best Project Award (with Yu Shi, MSAUD ‘24) for "LINEWOMEN." The film brings viewers to an imaginary future context in which the Earth’s magnetic field has been disrupted by human exploitation. Prompted to design a fictional world, Li relished the opportunity to design imaginatively and without constraint; she found the experience liberating, provocative, and deeply influential on her understanding of and approach to architecture.

Just before her third and final year at AUD, Li completed an architectural internship at Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill. Now, she is schooling herself in AI film, and just completed a teaching assistantship with the MSAUD’s summer session. She remains as excited as ever about expanding and deepening her hybrid of interests. Check out Li's full website and online portfolio.

“I believe that the work I create on screen can influence real-life architectural trends, inspiring new ideas and approaches in the field,” Li says. “By doing so, I hope to bridge the gap between fictional and real-world architecture, creating a lasting impact on both.”