Marissa Yu, AIA, IIDA, LEED AP

As Principal and Director of Interior Architecture at Page, Marissa Yu manages multi-disciplinary teams that design over a million square feet annually, both in the US and abroad. She joined Page in 24 and remains just as enthusiastic about the firm today because of its ‘entrepreneurial’ culture, which encourages innovation of ideas and processes. Marissa cites this as a factor in the success of the Interiors studio along with the collaborative support from the Page in-house architects, engineers, strategic consultants and administrative staff.

Throughout her career, Marissa has prioritized delivering design solutions through effective project management. In today’s market, clients face many challenges such as anticipating future needs, competition for talent and speed-to-market delivery of products or services. In collaboration with her clients and construction partners, Marissa’s teams design "future-proof" solutions and employ innovative delivery models that meet today's challenging requirements.
The success of this approach is evident in the quality of work her teams have delivered on projects ranging from ground up bed towers, historical renovations, academic buildings, hospitality and multi-family interiors, industrial facilities, mixed use developments and corporate headquarters. Marissa is also a workplace design expert and has served as a panelist on various design forums including Metropolis magazine, IFMA, and the American Institute of Architects.

Away from the office, Marissa works with the AIA Houston Interior Architecture Committee.  She is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston's Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design, focusing on the Practice of Interior Architecture. Marissa believes that, in addition to design and technical core competencies, an education in architecture should include essential tools for success such as leadership skills and effective communication. These activities provide her opportunities to mentor a new generation of architects and equip them with professional skills needed to succeed in the workplace.

When asked what interests her in encouraging future and young architects, she replies, "Architects often tell anyone contemplating this profession to ‘run away as far as you can’. I think this stems from an awareness that this business is not an easy one to be in. While this is true, we often forget that the reason we are in this profession is that we love what we do – we are creative, we are problem solvers and we like to be part of projects that build our communities."

A registered architect in the state of Texas, Marissa has a Master of Architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of the Philippines.