Matthew Zhou

Matthew is the 2026 recipient of the Hoffmann Scholarship. Established in partnership with the Connecticut Architecture Foundation, the Hoffmann Scholarship is the first CAF award program to offer a paid summer internship, in addition to a tuition scholarship. As part of his scholarship award, Matthew joins Hoffmann’s New York City office as an intern, where he will gain practical experience in building enclosure consultation and rehabilitation.

A Macaulay Honors College student at the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York, Matthew just completed his third year in the B.Arch. program with multiple awards for academic and design achievement. He’s actively involved in campus organizations, including the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS), and the Canvas Collective, a club focused on student exhibitions and community. Matthew spent last summer as an intern with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), documenting historic districts and landmarks, updating intergovernmental database records, and coordinating community outreach events and educational sessions. In Hoffmann’s work with designated landmarks, our project teams frequently interface with the LPC, affording Matthew insight into both sides of the permitting process.

As an intern at Hoffmann’s busy Manhattan office, Matthew will gain hands-on experience in all aspects of building enclosure consultation, from code compliance inspections for facades, parapets, and garages to historic landmark preservation and construction administration for high-performance exteriors. Given Matthew’s impeccable academic record, design skillset, and experience with historic buildings, he, in turn, brings capable support to Hoffmann’s project teams, both in the office and in the field. His interests in architectural restoration and adaptive reuse, particularly for larger community-focused projects, align with Hoffmann’s focus on the rehabilitation and preservation of existing buildings.

Matthew is as committed to his hobbies as he is to his studies. After graduating from New York’s High School of Art and Design, he has maintained his visual arts skills through hand drawing, three-dimensional model making, and digital art. He applies his craft to the medium of baking, too, creating cookies and cakes as gifts. A high school athlete, he continues to enjoy volleyball, table tennis, swimming, and ice skating (pro tip: indoor ice skating in summer is best if you want an empty rink), and he exercises his competitive spirit through board games, card games, and video games with friends. Like many architecture buffs, he loves to travel, and he has visited China, South Korea, and Japan; he hopes to visit Europe next.