Iris Ma

Education

Master of Architecture, Cornell University
Bachelor of Arts, University of Toronto

Biography

Iris Xiaoxue Ma is an educator, ceramist, Certified Passive House Designer, and licensed architect in New York State. Ma holds a Master of Architecture from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Art in architectural studies and psychology from the University of Toronto. She was a visiting lecturer at Cornell's Department of Architecture and taught design studios at graduate, undergraduate, and precollege levels. Ma’s design and research investigate architecture’s role as a playful intermediary between human and nonhuman entities to explore topics of expanded ecology, untamed material, ephemeral spaces, and the tactics of bridging design aesthetics and buildability. Previously, Ma was the design director of CODA, an award-winning multiscalar design practice specializing in site-responsive, sustainable, and equitable design solutions that range from large-scale affordable housing projects to public space installations. Ma’s work has been exhibited in New York City, Ithaca, and Tallinn, Estonia, and published in PLATE and Wallpaper* Magazine. Ma joined University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning in Fall 2024 as a two-year Architecture Fellow.