Résumé

Military service, United States Coast Guard (USCG), c. 1967.

Draftsman, Bull Field Volkmann and Stockwell, Architects, San Francisco, CA;

Draftsman, Whisler-Patri, Architects, San Francisco, CA, -1976.

Principal, Gordon H. Chong, Architect, San Francisco, CA, 1976- .

Partners, Gordon H. Chong and Partners, Architects, San Francisco, CA, -09/2007. Chong later opened branch offices in Sacramento, CA, and San Diego, CA. In 09/2007, Chong Partners Architecture was purchased by Stantec.

According to his biography posted on an American Institute of Architects (AIA) web site: "In 1976, Chong launched his architecture practice, Gordon Chong Architects, in San Francisco. From its inception, the firm specialized in urban infill, campus planning, and design. The practice quickly grew, and the 200-person firm Chong Partners Architecture specialized in healthcare, education, life science, and cultural institutions. With offices in San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, and London, the firm provided services in urban planning, architecture, interiors, environmental graphics, strategic consulting, and research." (See American Institute of Architects, "Gordon H. Q. Chong, FAIA,"accessed 06/12/2013.)

Professional Activities

Chong joined the American Institute of Architects (AIA), San Francisco Chapter, in 1973, and became active in the San Francisco chapter, serving on many committees and holding several chapter offices.

Commissioner, City of Berkeley, Redevelopment Agency, Berkeley, CA, 1976–1978.

Commissioner, City of Berkeley, Housing Advisory and Appeals, Berkeley, CA, 1978–1980.

Chair, City of Berkeley, Design Review Board, Berkeley, CA, 1982-1986.

Commissioner, Berkeley Planning Commission, Berkeley, CA, 1986–1989.

President, AIA, San Francisco Chapter, 1991.

Board Member, Council of Asian-American Business Associations, (CAABA), San Francisco, CA.

Chair, AIA California Council (AIACC) Committee that wrote Adapt: Alternative Project Delivery Handbook.

Member, Advisory Task Force on Long Range Planning Development Plan, University of California, San Francisco, (UCSF), Medical Center, 1992–1993.

Vice-Chair, Hospital Building Safety Board, State of California, Sacramento, CA, 1994–2002.

Member, Advisory Board, Center for Cooperative Construction Training and Exchange between USA and China, 1995.

President, AIA, California Council, (AIACC), 1996.

Member, Board of Trustees, Mills College, Oakland, CA, 1996–1999.

California Council Representative to the AIA Board of Directors for 1997–1999.

National Vice-President, AIA, 2000; National President of the AIA, 12/2001–12/2002; Chong was the first Asian-American to serve as AIA National President.

Leader, AIA delegation to the UIA World Congress and Assembly, Berlin, Germany, 2002.

Charter Member, World Association of Chinese Architects, Beijing, China, 2002.

President, Board of Visitors, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR; 2006.

Juror, Pan-Gyo Housing International Competition, Korea, 2006.

President, Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture, 2006.

Vice-Chair, State of California Advisory Board for the design of a Chinese cultural museum, 2007.

The AIA considered Chong an expert on the "Future Direction of the Architecture Profession," and made him a contact for the media to consult on this subject (c. 2008).

Professional Awards

Member, Lambda Alpha International, Honorary Land Economics Society, 1991.

Fellow, American Institute of Architects (FAIA), 1994.

Fellow, John Boles Fellowship, AIACC, 1999.

Fellow, American College of Health Care Architects, 2000.

Honorary Member, Japan Institute of Architects, (JIA), Tokyo, Japan, 2002.

Honorary Fellow, Korean Institute of Architects, (KIA), Seoul, Korea, 2002.

Honorary Member, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, (RIAC), Ottawa, Canada, 2002.

President’s Medal, La Federación de Colegios de Arquitectos de la República Méxicana (FCARM), Mexico City, Mexico, 2002.

Honorary Master of Architecture, The New School of Architecture, 2004.

The AIA College of Fellows bestowed the Latrobe Fellowship for Research to Chong Partners Architecture, Kaiser Permanente, and the University of California, Berkeley (UCB), for the production of a research study, “Multicultural Influences on the Design of a Healthcare Setting.”

High School/College

Graduate, Roosevelt High School, Honolulu, HI.

B.Arch., University of Oregon (U of O), Eugene, OR, 1966.

M.Arch., University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1968.

Relocation

He and his wife resided in Lafayette, CA.

Parents

According to the University of Oregon, Chong's father culitvated his interest in architecture: "Chong, BArch ’66, FAIA, a third-generation Hawaiian of Chinese heritage, was the first Asian-American to attain the presidency of the American Institute of Architects, a position he held in 2002. Born and raised in Hawai‘i, Chong’s love for architecture came from his father, who was an artist. 'Growing up, my father would bring me to various buildings and discuss their composition and structure,' Chong told AsianWeek reporter Angela Pang. 'He was the one who encouraged me to be an architect.'” (See University of Oregon, College of Design School of Architecture and Environments, "Gordon H. Chong, 1966," accessed 06/25/2018.)

Spouse

Chong wed Dorian Kingman in 1983.

Children

He and Dorian Kingman had two daughters: Kaitlin Kei Lin Chong, who attended the California Institute of the Arts, studying animation, and Phoenix Reed Feinbloom, the Associate Director of Development at Mills College, Oakland, CA.

Biographical Notes

Chong and his family enjoyed holidays in his native Hawaii.