Elva Tang is Associate Professor of Practice and Director of the Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) Programme at the School of Architecture, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). With Master’s degrees in Architecture and Landscape Architecture from The University of California, Berkeley, Elva has over 20 years of experience across architecture, landscape, and urbanism.
A leader and designer who thrives on collaboration, Elva co-founded Henning Larsen’s first Asia office in 2014. As Partner and Asia Regional Director (2014-2025), she was instrumental in leading its expansion and operations across Asia from bases in Hong Kong and Singapore. With extensive global experience, she is recognized for her ability to bridge cultures in both the studio environments she cultivates and the projects she delivers, successfully translating a Scandinavian ethos of sustainability and liveability into the Asian context.
With Henning Larsen, she led award-winning projects in the region that exemplify impactful sustainable design. The HKUST Shaw Auditorium showcases how Scandinavian architecture meets the subtropical climate, earning accolades such as the Quality Building Award and the AIA Honor Award for Architecture in Hong Kong. The Springs Plaza in Shanghai, a mixed-use development, aims to restore nature to the city and was recognized as the Best Green Development at MIPIM Asia 2022. The French International School in Hong Kong is designed as a vibrant green oasis within the densely populated TKO community, receiving both the AIA International Region Sustainable Future Award and the Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award.
Elva co-founded ACT – Architecture for Cities in Transition with her partner Claude Godefroy. Building on a shared design legacy of high-impact work, they continue to explore how an agenda-driven architecture can meaningfully shape the city and our future. Their current practice engages with the challenges of our time through design that connects people and place.
Her research and work operate across disciplines and scales, united by a central goal: to improve planetary and human well-being. By bridging professional practice with academia, her teaching aims to cultivate designers who can navigate the critical challenges of climate change and environmental stewardship with curiosity and sense of responsibility.
