Emily Ashby, AIA

  • Master of Architecture I Harvard Graduate School of Design, 2019

    Bachelor of Science in Architecture with High Honors, Minor in Architectural History I University of Virginia, 2014

    Awards & Recognitions: M. Arch with Distinction, Harvard GSD Henry Adams Medal for General Excellence recipient (top ranking graduate), UVA Bobby Newman Endowed Scholarship (2 years), UVA Sean-Steel-Nicholson Memorial Award, UVA Design Certificate

    At Machado Silvetti Since: 2019

    Member: AIA, LEED AP BD+C

    Registered Architect: MA

    Certificate Holder: NCARB

    Academic Engagement: Adjunct Professor of Architecture at Northeastern College of Arts, Media, and Design, have taught courses in studio and construction/material tectonics, and frequent juror at Northeastern, Wentworth, UVA, Middlebury, Harvard GSD, and others.

  • The Wolfsonian Expansion

    Uphams’ Corner Branch, Boston Public Library

    BPS DESE Renovations

    West Roxbury Educational Complex Feasibility Study

    Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

    Downtown Cary Park

    Menokin Museum

    New Bedford Art Museum

    Syracuse Allyn Center

    Denver Art Museum

Emily is an Associate at Machado Silvetti, where she manages and contributes to the design and documentation of cultural and educational projects. As a registered architect and LEED AP BD+C certified professional, she brings a strong foundation in sustainable design and technical expertise to each project.

Emily moved from Finland to Texas at the age of five. The stark contrasts she experienced—across climate, culture, and geography—sparked a curiosity that began to shape her contextual design sensibility. Emily explores each project’s cultural, technical, environmental, and programmatic dimensions to craft unexpected and elegant design solutions. Bringing clarity and refinement to complex design problems is her forte – a skill shaped by sustained engagement in research areas of architectural form, computation, and material tectonics.

Emily is currently project manager for several projects at different stages of development, including Boston’s new Upham’s Corner Branch Library, the Wolfsonian Museum expansion in Miami Beach in partnership with Florida International University, and several Boston Public School House Doctor renovations.

Her portfolio spans a broad range of project types, from civic and cultural institutions to public parks and educational facilities — including award-winning Machado Silvetti projects such as Cary Downtown Park, the Denver Art Museum, and the Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

In addition to her project work, Emily is active in outreach and mentorship at Machado Silvetti. She oversees recruitment for internships, Northeastern University’s Co-op program, and the UVA externship initiative. She is also an adjunct professor at Northeastern, where she remains engaged in academia through teaching design studio and architectural tectonics.

Emily holds a BS in Architecture from the University of Virginia and a Master of Architecture with Distinction from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where she received the AIA Henry Adams Medal, awarded annually to the top-ranking graduate in the program.