Portrait of 2025 Diversity Advancement Scholarship winner Christopher Chung

Hoffmann Awards 2025 Diversity Advancement Scholarship

Date June 2025

Category Press Releases

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Scholarship offered in partnership with the Connecticut Architecture Foundation

Hoffmann Architects + Engineers, a design firm specializing in the rehabilitation of building exteriors, has selected Christopher Chung of Yale University as the 2025 recipient the Hoffmann Diversity Advancement Scholarship. Now in its third year, the Hoffmann Scholarship was established in collaboration with the Connecticut Architecture Foundation (CAF) to support students seeking degrees in architecture or engineering.

2025 Hoffmann Diversity Advancement Scholarship Competition

Hoffmann’s scholarship committee named Christopher Chung, a rising second-year student in the Master of Architecture program at the Yale University School of Architecture, as this year’s recipient of the Hoffmann Diversity Advancement Scholarship. Selected from a competitive applicant pool of talented, ambitious architecture and engineering students, Chung stood out for his passion for rehabilitation and reuse of existing buildings, as well as his arresting, meticulously detailed drawings that illustrate the attention he devotes to historic architecture.

“Selecting just one of the many standout candidates to be this year’s scholarship recipient was no easy task,” reports Alison Hoffmann, Communications Manager and Chair of the Hoffmann Diversity and Inclusion Committee. “We received many inspiring applications from students drawn to architecture or engineering, some after experiencing the possibilities of design, such as inclusive classrooms for children or repurposed buildings for aging populations, or through overcoming adversity, including coping with eviction from a childhood home or discovering that a cousin’s family lives crammed into a single room. Many are the first in their families to attend college, and the majority are immigrants to the U.S. or are the children of immigrants. Our committee was impressed by the ways these motivated young people are driven to impact the lives of those around them by enhancing the built environment.”

Portrait of 2025 Diversity Advancement Scholarship winner Christopher Chung

A Passion for Architecture Beginning in Childhood

Born in Boston, Mass., Christopher Chung spent most of his childhood in South Korea, where, without formal guidance, he began sketching the floorplans of apartments and counting the floors of skyscrapers. In high school, he worked to transform the storage garage at his local church into a community kitchen, researching materials, construction techniques, and building codes, then collaborating with a church member who is an engineer to realize their vision for “a true community hub.”

As an undergraduate at Tufts University, Chung advanced his interest in historic preservation and the reuse of existing structures, earning a B.A. in Architectural Studies. To refine his understanding of classical design principles and develop his skills in hand drafting and rendering, he went on to earn a Certificate in Classical Architecture from the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art in New York City. In a series of summer internships, he gained hands-on experience in the complexities of adhering to historic preservation standards while introducing modern techniques for restoration and energy efficiency.

Architectural drawing of an elevation and plan for an entry gate

Illustration by Christopher Chung

“Preserving and repurposing older structures is not just about maintaining a connection to the past – it’s about ensuring these buildings can continue to serve people for generations to come.”
– Christopher Chung

About the Hoffmann Scholarship

Established through more than $35,000 in contributions from Hoffmann Architects + Engineers, along with several thousand dollars more in personal gifts from John J. Hoffmann, FAIA, and his wife, Susan Hoffmann, the Hoffmann Diversity Advancement Scholarship is also sustained through individual donations from Hoffmann employees and CAF supporters.

The scholarship is open to applicants who are students entering or enrolled full-time in an NAAB-accredited architecture program or ABET-accredited civil or structural engineering program, and residents or full-time college/university students located in southern New England (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island) or the eastern Mid-Atlantic (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland), regions that form the core of Hoffmann’s practice. Eligible applicants identify as part of an underrepresented minority group, as defined by the State of New York.

Applicants were solicited through a joint outreach effort with CAF to college and university architecture and engineering departments, campus affinity groups, social media, and professional organizations, such as the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). Applications were evaluated by the CAF Board and the Hoffmann Diversity and Inclusion Committee, a voluntary group of employees from varied locations, job positions, experience levels, backgrounds, identities, religious beliefs, and racial/ethnic heritage.

Architectural hand rendering of a college campus

Illustration by Christopher Chung

Learn More and Support the Hoffmann Fund

Contributions to the Hoffmann Diversity Advancement Scholarship Fund may be made through the Connecticut Architecture Foundation: https://cafct.org/hoffmann-diversity-advancement-scholarship/

Application forms and details on eligibility and submission requirements are available through CAF: https://cafct.org/hoffmann-diversity-advancement-scholarship-2/

Details on the 2026 scholarship program will be available at the start of the 2025-2026 academic year, with the application deadline in January 2026.

About Hoffmann Architects + Engineers

Founded in 1977, Hoffmann Architects + Engineers specializes in the rehabilitation of building enclosures. The firm’s work focuses on the exteriors of existing structures, diagnosing and resolving deterioration within facades, roofing systems, windows, waterproofing materials, plazas/terraces, parking garages, and historic and landmark structures. We provide consulting services for new construction, as well as litigation and claim support. Our technical professionals investigate and correct damage resulting from time and weather, substandard or improper construction, design defects, material failures, poor workmanship, structural movement, and stress. To learn more, visit www.hoffarch.com.

About the Connecticut Architecture Foundation

The Connecticut Architecture Foundation Inc. was established by the Connecticut Chapter of The American Institute of Architects in 1978. The organization’s mission is to raise the public awareness of, and expectations for, architecture and the built environment. CAF accomplishes these goals through the funding of programs in education, scholarship, mentorship and research. Administration of the Foundation’s Scholarship Program is an important part of that work. For more information, visit www.cafct.org.