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The American Institute of Architects named two Syracuse University alumni to its College of Fellows for their contributions to architecture and society. The two selected fellows said their time at SU’s School of Architecture fostered their growth as architects and provided them with important connections through its alumni network.

Katherine Hogan and Ali Höcek are among the only 3% of AIA members to receive the fellowship. While the fellowship doesn’t include specific responsibilities, the honor acts as a platform for fellows to expand on their work and give back to their communities.

“I hope that it will allow me to gain the confidence and trust of people, simply by the title, in many ways,” Höcek said. “We’re a creative profession, so you have to have trust.”

AIA’s College of Fellows, founded in 1952, aims to advance the profession of architecture while mentoring young architects. The competitive fellowship application process includes a portfolio, multiple recommendations and requires nominees to be AIA members for at least 10 years.

Hogan, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree from SU’s School of Architecture in 2005, said her education and time spent in the university’s study abroad program in Florence, Italy, had a significant impact on her career and architectural work.

“My education at Syracuse, both in Syracuse School of Architecture (and) studying in Florence, had a really big impact and the professors that I learned from there,” Hogan said. “The network of alumni that you can look to and be inspired by is really great.”

Höcek, a Turkish American architect, also spent time in SU’s Florence program while earning his master’s to expand on his knowledge of classical architecture, which he said he felt was missing in his education. In the program, he discovered his love for modern architecture

The principal designer of AC Höcek Architecture LLC, Höcek received his undergraduate degree from the Rhode Island School of Design before receiving a Master’s of Architecture from SU. He teaches graduate and undergraduate design studios at the City College of New York’s School of Architecture.

Höcek said his father, also an architect, introduced him to the career and ignited his passion for it. He recalled his father teaching him about Frank Lloyd Wright and cubism from an early age. He said early exposure to art and theory sparked his love for architecture.

“My father had a studio in our house in New York, so I could see him working on projects on the weekend and stuff,” Höcek said. “Then he’d go to the office to work, which he exposed me to in that studio, which was so beautiful, and then later I worked in his office in Vienna. That was a great experience.”

Hogan’s inspiration, she said, came during her time in Florence. She recalled weekends spent drawing and visiting different cities that influenced her love of architecture. Her semester-long study gave her more time to absorb Florence’s culture and knowledge.

Reflecting on how much she enjoyed being a student in SU’s architecture program, she said she loved its Visiting Critic series, which exposes students to different ideas and voices in the field. Now, as an Advisory Board member of the School of Architecture and a speaker for the series, she said giving back to the program that influenced her career is a “full circle moment.”

“Being on the advisory board and staying connected to the school has been really significant, really special to me,” Hogan said. “I really do like to be connected to the school and see the different things that are happening.”

Sara Lopergolo, an AIA fellow and chair of the School of Architecture’s Advisory Board, said she was pleased to see Höcek and Hogan chosen for the fellowship.

A fellow SU graduate, Lopergolo said alums being recognized at the national level is representative of the quality of SU’s Architecture program, which she said sets up students for future growth and success.

“I think it speaks to our very amazing education that we’ve gotten at Syracuse,” Lopergolo said. “I felt that it was the best education anyone could get.”

Hogan’s goal was to promote the aesthetic, scientific and practical efficiency of the profession, while Höcek focused on ways to serve various interests in academic, professional and not-for-profit sectors.

A principal at Katherine Hogan Architects, Hogan said her firm is intentionally small and focuses on making local connections by working on county projects. She said quality architectural designs can be achieved on any scale or budget, as her firm uses ordinary materials in unique ways to make use of space and light. She said being named as a fellow is further motivation to continue her craft.

“(It) marks a period of time and a commitment to the profession,” Hogan said. “It really is a significant honor in our profession. You’re being elevated by a distinguished group of peers that have been elevated before.”

Lopergolo, who earned the fellowship for her work with her firm Lopergolo + Bartling Architects and 29 years of architectural work as a partner with Selldorf Architects, said she was glad Hogan was selected because of the low percentage of women who earn the fellowship.

“She has a deep well of experience, but also is able, in terms of academia, to always think about the bigger idea and the bigger picture,” Lopergolo said. “She’s just an excellent architect.”

In 2024, Hogan’s firm won The Architects Newspaper 2024 Best of Practice Awards. It was also recognized by the Architectural League of New York in 2023. She said one of her most rewarding projects was with the Wake County School System, where her firm is now working on a $33 million renovation project with the school after starting with just a lobby renovation.

Throughout the renovations, Hogan and her firm thought about specific elements like light and seating for students that were critical for the space. Operating on a “very small” budget, the firm went on to receive a National AIA award.

“We really believe that design excellence is possible at any scale. And so that’s been really important,” Hogan said.

Höcek’s firm has worked on projects with the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of the Moving Image, the Whitney Museum and the Brownsville Community Culinary Center. The BCCC, built in Brownsville, New York, aimed to address an impoverished and socially struggling neighborhood with a lack of accessible food services.

The space was recognized for its impact and service to society. In 2022, the Society of American Registered Architects awarded the BCCC with the Excellence Award, its highest national design award. Höcek’s firm helped design the BCCC with Claus Meyer, co-founder of the Danish restaurant Noma.

Lopergolo said an education from SU’s School of Architecture is of “the highest caliber,” with mentors and peers creating a place where students could thrive. She said the program trains its students well and prepares them for the rigorous field of architecture.

Hogan and Höcek, along with the rest of the fellows, will be honored this summer at the AIA College of Fellows Investiture ceremony in Boston.

“We’re creating something together that doesn’t currently exist,” Höcek said. “And that’s the beauty of what we’re doing, is making things that don’t exist.”

Published on March 31, 2025 at 12:28 am
Contact Sydney: sadepiet@syr.edu