Tolya Stonorov

Tolya Stonorov, Associate Professor of Architecture and Associate Director of Norwich University’s School of Architecture + Art, received a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley. During her time there, she was awarded the Chester Miller traveling fellowship, the Howard Friedman Thesis prize, and multiple grants. Her academic achievements reflect her deep commitment to architectural exploration and innovation.

Since co-founding her firm, Stonorov Workshop, in 2006, Stonorov has practiced design-build, an approach that integrates design and construction. With 18 years of professional experience, she brings a balance of theory, poetry, and real-world technical grounding to her courses. Her work focuses on fabrication, examining the relationship between digital and traditional methods of making, with an emphasis on materiality, process, and craft. Stonorov teaches second-year and advanced-level studios, as well as courses on professional practice and construction documents, and her professional and student work has been featured in national publications.

Stonorov’s design-build studios emphasize experiential service learning, allowing students to engage with real societal challenges. She provides a comprehensive overview of the architecture profession, guiding students toward a deeper understanding of how design decisions impact communities. This work is especially fulfilling, as design-build projects directly support underserved populations, offering students firsthand experience of architecture as a tool for social justice. Through her firm, Stonorov Workshop, she upholds the belief that thoughtful design improves lives, using sustainable materials and an open, collaborative process to create enduring, meaningful spaces. Her ongoing professional practice ensures that her teaching remains relevant and that she continues to grow as both an educator and designer.
 

M.Arch University of California Berkeley
B.F.A. Oberlin College
 

AP 211 Architectural Design I
AP312 Architecture Design IV
AP412 Architectural Design VI

FABRIC[ated]|Fabric Innovation and Material Responsibility in Architecture, Routledge, Taylor and Francis, 2023, Editor and Primary Author.

The Design Build Studio | Crafting Meaningful Work in Architecture Education, Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, Global publisher; 2017, Editor and Primary Author.

International EEAE VIBRARCH Conference, Paper publication, Valencia Spain, 2020.

Design Build Foundations, Chapter in Fieldwork Design Build, (forthcoming book), Emilie Taylor, Tulane University, 2019.

Body as Context, Skin as Vessel, National Conference on the Beginning Design Student: University of Colorado, Denver, 2019.