Taruna Gupta, NOMA, Assoc. AIA and Yash Mehta, NOMA, Assoc. AIA, Co-Founders of Defining Humanity!

🎙️ Listen to the IAC Podcast Episode #19: Taruna Gupta, NOMA, Assoc. AIA and Yash Mehta, NOMA, Assoc. AIA, Co-Founders of Defining Humanity!

Taruna is a Senior Associate at HGA Milwaukee, working as a programmer and planner. She values the importance of a holistic design process and champions equity and sustainability principles that enrich her projects. 

 As Co-Founder and President of Defining Humanity, a Wisconsin-based non-profit, Taruna has spearheaded global initiatives that bridge the gap between creative design and human need. Among her impactful projects are the 3D-printed school campus in Madagascar, prefabricated housing solutions for the homeless in California, and the National Resource Center for First Repair, a Chicago-based global reparations non-profit. Through her work and leadership with Defining Humanity, she has redefined how architecture can address the challenges of social equity and sustainability on a global scale.

Taruna is dedicated to advancing diversity and inclusion within the architectural field. She actively serves on the Women in Design Milwaukee board and is the current President of Wisco NOMA. In these roles, she has led initiatives empowering women and underrepresented architecture professionals, including organizing workshops, community outreach programs, and student mentorship opportunities. 

Yash is an award-winning designer driven by a passion for turning ideas into built environments that create real social impact. At Clayco and Lamar Johnson Collaborative (LJC), he bridges design and construction through AI and emerging technologies, helping reshape how projects come to life.

He also founded two non-profits in the U.S. and India focused on using design and technology for global good — building 3D-printed schools in Madagascar, supporting shelters in California and India, contributing to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, and more. With two Master’s degrees in Architecture and Urban Design, and honors like the AIA Chicago, Benn-Johnck Awards Top 50 youngest architects in India, Yash’s work spans from government complexes and corporate campuses to grassroots community projects, always rooted in innovation and impact.

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