In 2013, Dara created Design Haus Liberty, an international architecture and design practice based in London, UK with a satellite office in Hong Kong.  In the short time that DH Liberty has been in practice, Dara has won several awards and honours for her work including Property Week’s 40 under 40, BBC China’s 100 Women, three RIBA competition recognitions, Property Week’s Resi-trailBlazer, Prestige 40 under 40, and Hong Kong Most Valuable Services.  Her work has also been exhibited at Somerset House in London and the Venice Biennale of Architecture. 

She is regularly invited to participate as a public speaker, in design and global events including reSITE in Prague; MIPIM in Cannes; Art Basel in Hong Kong and the RIBA in London. She has spoken about entrepreneurship at several events including at Dezeen Day and Downtown Dubai Design Fair.  Dara has also been featured on BBC culture and is frequently interviewed by various top publications including: The Financial Times, The Times, SCMP, Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Wallpaper, Tatler Asia and Dezeen. 

Dara came from an entrepreneurial family, with a mother who owned her own business. Her father was a NASA scientist who emigrated from Taiwan to the United States, and she’s lived in places like Tokyo, Basel and New York City.  She currently has two residences in Hong Kong and London where DHLiberty have international offices. Her multicultural background and global influences are apparent in her work, underlined with a strong affection for innovation, impact and sustainability.

In 2017 she Co-Founded Viva House (www.vivahouse.com) with her partner Rajdeep Gahir, a rapidly scale-able, prefabricated housing platform and operations business, which turned housing into a flexible service.  Currently operating in Soho, London. She is also interested in democratizing design via an affordable and sustainable products ware company with entry-level pricing.

Dara graduated from Harvard University with an MA in Architecture where she was a recipient of various awards including The Clifford Wong Prize, The KPF Traveling Fellowship, The Young Architects Award and First Place in The AIAS National Design Review Competition.  She then worked at Herzog de Meuron in Switzerland, Weiss Manfredi and Asymptote in New York City, and Foster + Partners in London. During that time, she worked on major projects including the Tribeca Skyscraper, 56 Leonard Street in New York City and The Tate Modern II museum in London. She frequently goes back to Harvard and the Architectural Associations for design reviews.