The RAMSA Fellowship jury is pleased to announce Zamen Lin as the recipient of the 2025 travel prize. Zamen, a Master of Architecture student at Harvard University, will receive $15,000 to study traditional Austronesian stilt buildings in Malaysia and Thailand. His research focuses on material sourcing and construction techniques that support ecological practices—such as reuse and regeneration—to improve carbon efficiency. In addition, Zamen will receive a stipend for a two-week residency at RAMSA’s New York City office to refine his research with the support of our staff and resources. 

In his proposal, Circularity in Mainland Southeast Asia’s Stilt Vernacular, Zamen outlined plans to visit fifteen sites to explore how these centuries-old structures continue to influence modern building methods. He will examine their design for disassembly and relocation, highlighting their potential to promote a circular material culture in response to climate challenges. He also intends to interview contemporary architects whose work draws on local traditions to advance sustainable design. 

The fellowship jurors—RAMSA Partners Bina Bhattacharyya, Johnny Cruz, and Preston Gumberich—commended Zamen’s proposal for its clear focus on craftsmanship and climate issues. 

The jury also recognized the quality and breadth of this year’s 50 submissions from 19 schools, naming Yixing (Cindy) Liu, a Master of Architecture student at Yale University, as finalist. Her proposal, The Sentiment of Loess: Revitalizing Yaodong Dwellings, examines the design innovation of Yaodong earthen dwellings, a defining residential typology on the Loess Plateau in Shaanxi Province, China since the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD). Cindy has been awarded $1,500 to pursue her research interests. 

About the RAMSA Fellowship  

The RAMSA Fellowship is a $15,000 prize awarded by Robert A.M. Stern Architects to support travel and research. The fellowship promotes investigations into how tradition can inform invention—a theme central to our firm’s work. It is given to individuals who demonstrate insight into the profession and its future, as well as the ability to conduct in-depth research. Recent recipients have traveled to China, Egypt, Italy, and Morocco, studying topics ranging from the construction of mudbrick houses in Aswan to the rehabilitation of tuna fisheries in Sicily. 

Fellows travel during the summer and present their research to RAMSA staff the following spring. The fellowship also offers an optional residency program, providing an additional stipend for participants to spend two weeks in New York City—before or after their fellowship travel—working from RAMSA’s office to refine their research with the support of our staff and resources. 

Students in the penultimate year of a graduate-level degree program in architecture or a related discipline at a NAAB-accredited school are eligible to apply. For more information about the fellowship, read our recently published article “A Discussion About Travel, Research, and the RAMSA Fellowship” on RAMSA Storyboard. To view the proposals of previous recipients, visit www.ramsa.com/fellowship. The fellowship is administered by RAMSA Research, email fellowship@ramsa.com with any questions.