Melissa DelVecchio

As partner and director of research at Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Melissa DelVecchio has a commitment to discovery that informs her work on academic and institutional pro-jects.

Melissa’s work synthesizes tradition and invention, building on her background in classical ar-chitecture and subsequent immersion into contemporary design. Her proven ability to interpret and apply time-honored principles helps the firm find new ways to reinforce the visual, cultural, and environmental influences that give places meaning. As director of the research department, she oversees the firm’s comprehensive analysis of historical precedents, contemporary mar-kets, and pedagogical outreach.

Her projects include the Pauli Murray and Benjamin Franklin Residential Colleges at Yale Uni-versity; the first LEED Gold-certified academic building in China, a college designed to educate the next generation of global leaders; and Wasserstein Hall at the Harvard Law School, devel-oped in collaboration with Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. Melissa is currently working on the restoration and adaptive reuse of the Schwarzman Center at Yale, a historic Carrère & Has-tings’ building that will be transformed into a social hub for the university’s students, and the Ra-clin Murphy Museum of Art, the anchor for the University of Notre Dame’s new arts district.

In addition to her work as an architect, Melissa also owns a farm and orchard in Roxbury, New York with her husband; where they grow 25 varieties of English, French and American Heirloom apples specially suited to making hard cider and apple brandy.

Melissa is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects. She is a member of the Richard H. Driehaus Prize jury, honoring excellence in traditional architecture with an emphasis on sustain-ability, and the Rafael Manzano Martos Prize jury, which awards outstanding new traditional de-sign on the Iberian Peninsula. She has served on design juries at schools, including Yale, the Rhode Island School of Design, and Notre Dame, where her contributions to the school were recognized with the 2018 Orlando T. Maione Award. Melissa has lectured extensively on the design of environments for living and learning.

Fellow, American Institute of Architects
Fellow Emeritus, Institute of Classical Architecture and Art
Fellow, INTBAU College of Traditional Practitioners
Member, Richard H. Driehaus Prize Jury
Member, Rafael Manzano Martos Prize JuryÂ
Member, RAMSA Travel Fellowship Jury
Member, Society for College and University Planning
LEED Accredited Professional