Robert Ching-heui Kuo, AIA came to Honolulu in 2003 to pursue his interest in southeast China's Hakka mud houses. He researched the conservation and tourist development of these buildings, earning an Arch.D. from the University of Hawaii in 2005. He joined Mason Architects in that year and currently works on a variety of projects in new construction and the renovation of existing buildings. Robert has practiced architecture in Taiwan and the United States for over 30 years. After receiving a B. Arch from Feng-chia University in Taichung, Taiwan in 1975, he worked in Taipei for four years, eventually taking charge of the design of a 40-story complex of hotel, shopping center, and office tower. In 1982 he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he received an M.Arch from Washington University (1984). He worked for architectural firms there for eight years before opening his own practice, in which he worked on projects in both countries before moving here.