Chava Danielson

Chava Danielson is a Senior Lecturer at Otis College of Art and Design's Environmental Design department. A licensed architect (AIA) and Principal of DSH // architecture, her practice focuses on award-winning projects that combine beauty, urban responsibility, and community revitalization. She specializes in early education centers, therapeutic environments, and historic preservation, with notable work including the Larchmont Charter High School adaptive reuse and Schindler's Bubeshko Apartments rehabilitation.

• Current: Senior Lecturer, Otis College of Art and Design
• Previous: Adjunct Professor at Woodbury University, Cal Poly Pomona, USC Price School
• Leadership: AIA Los Angeles Political Outreach Committee Chair, Los Angeles Forum Director, Larchmont Charter School Board

Research Interests center on architecture's urban responsibility, particularly through

• child-centered design that challenges conventional educational spaces
• adaptive reuse of architecturally significant buildings
• historic preservation with contemporary functional adaptations
• non-profit driven community projects in underserved neighborhoods

Her work often explores the intersection of material sensitivity, light manipulation, and social impact.

Scientific Awards include:

• Fast Company Innovation by Design Award (2019)
• Architect's Newspaper Best of Design (2018)
• Docomomo US Residential Design Award (2018)
• AIA California Council Merit Award (2010)
• Governor's Historic Preservation Award (2010)

Grants include multiple Otis College Faculty Development Grants (2018, 2015). She contributes to architectural discourse through publications in Fast Company, Architect's Newspaper, and Architect magazines, while maintaining active roles in professional organizations like AIA Los Angeles.