Luan Fontes

About Luan Fontes

I’m Luan Fontes, a first-gen architectural designer and urban strategist based in New York — navigating architecture, planning, climate, and business to shape smarter, more sustainable cities. At Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation and the Columbia Climate School, I explored how architecture and policy intersect in the face of climate crisis. As a Research Assistant at the Climate School, I investigated climate vulnerability in Rio\'s informal settlements, helping map out how adaptation can be more equitable and data-driven. This experience reshaped how I design — not just spaces, but systems of resilience and belonging. I’ve layered my architectural education with studies in energy systems at MIT, Computer Science and AI at Harvard, and now Corporate Finance at Columbia Business School. I hold specialization in Life Cycle Assessment and Environmental Product Declarations from One Click LCA, and I currently serve as Sustainability Subcommittee Lead at the United States Green Building Council, working to push forward industry-wide change. Over the past few years, I’ve participated in 47 design, planning, and entrepreneurship competitions across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. I’ve been honored with 22 awards, but it’s the losses that sharpened my practice — teaching me to design with clarity, absorb information quickly, adapt to circumstances, and always aim higher. I believe that the future of cities depends not just on policy or innovation — but on how we translate complex data, laws, and constraints into clear, actionable insight for real people. Over the next five years, I’m focused on leading transformative initiatives across the AECO industry, building the tools and frameworks that will help cities decarbonize, adapt, and thrive.

Experience

1. Architecture Intern

   Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)

   Jun 2025 — Present · NY, US

   Contribute to architecture projects across New York and the West Asia, focused on high-performance design and regional responsiveness- Integrate Building Information Modeling workflows to support interdisciplinary coordination, technical detailing, and sustainable design solutions- Assist in the design and development of detailed façade enclosure systems, material efficiency, and constructability- Support the production of architectural documentation and digital models, aligned with SOM’s design standards and project delivery requirements- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to refine design intent, address site-specific constraints, and adapt strategies to diverse urban contexts.

Education

• Columbia Climate School

  Cross-registration, Exchange Student, Climate Change and Sustainable Management

• Delft University of Technology

  Professional Certificate, DelftX Program, Sustainable Cities, Energy Systems and Resource Management

• Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation

  Exchange Student, Architecture and Urban Planning

• Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

  Professional Certification, HarvardX, Computer Science for Python Programming and Artificial Intelligence

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  Professional Certificate, MITx Program, Future Energy Systems

• Harvard Business School

  Crossroad Emerging Leaders Program, Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies

• Porto School of Architecture

  Bachelor's degree, Architecture