Lucia H. Chang, AIA, LEED AP, Principal

In Memoriam

August 1963 – December  2023

Lucia Hsin-Ju Chang, a Principal of the firm of Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh, AIA (VTBS Architects), passed away on December 26, 2023 after a 20-month-long battle with cancer.  She was surrounded by loving family and she will always be remembered for her legendary work ethic, dignity, wisdom, grace and love of life and family.  Lucia faced this last grueling battle with her usual aplomb.  Her courage and optimism were a wonder to those who bore witness including family, friends, medical professionals and work colleagues with whom she continued to engage on projects up until the last week of her life.  Ms. Chang joined the firm in 1988 and was promoted to Partner in 1996 and Principal in 2005.  Her responsibility as Principal and Senior Designer in the firm included the development of creative solutions to planning programs and design concepts, interfacing with governmental agencies to procure project entitlement and approvals; and the further development and execution of project design through all phases of each project.  Her professional experience ranged from planned residential communities to commercial, institutional and major urban infill mixed-use developments.  She was the Design Principal on numerous projects that included the award-winning Granite Park Place Condominiums in Pasadena, the Huntington Beach Lofts and The Crescent, the first approved mixed-use development in the City of Beverly Hills in 25 years, just to name a very few.

The founding Principals of the firm relied heavily upon her extraordinary ‘design’ wisdom, advice and talent.

Lucia was born in Taiwan, The Republic of China.  The Chang Family are first generation immigrants to California, where they joined an extended family in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Lucia graduated from Homestead High School in Cupertino and began her architecture journey at the University of Southern California.  Following her Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1986, Lucia attended graduate school at Columbia University in New York and graduated with her Master of Architecture II in 1988.   Lucia began her life-long career with Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh, AIA after a ‘hire-on-the-spot’ interview while she was still a student at USC.  Her design work was exceptional and laid the ground-work for all who came after her and thrived under her tutelage.  She was known to be a big sister, a mentor, a confidante, a role model and a consummate professional.

On a personal level, Lucia is survived by her loving husband of 28 years, her father in San Jose, CA and five siblings, all who knew her affectionately as ‘Lulu’.  Lucia was ‘Tia Lulu’ to her much-adored three nieces and eight nephews.

She was not only loved by her family, she was loved and respected by pretty much anyone who had the pleasure of meeting and working with her.  She possessed one of those personalities that can light up a room.  She had a sixth sense about her and was always the first to deduce a problem before it happened.

Lucia is missed dearly.

Education
Master of Architecture, Columbia University
New York, New York

Bachelor of Architecture, University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

Registration
Licensed Architect – State of California

Memberships
American Institute of Architects
University of Southern California Architectural Guild
U.S. Green Building Council