Sho-Ping Chin, a principal at Boston-based architectural design firm Payette, has been elevated to the College of the Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Elevation to fellowship is considered one of the highest honors an architect can achieve, according to a statement. Out of 134 honorees in the 2010 class, Chin was one of only six selected from the Boston chapter. According to the AIA, out of a total membership of nearly 86,000, fewer than 2,872 are distinguished with the honor of fellowship.

Chin is the founder of the Boston Society of Architecture’s (BSA) Women’s Principals Group, which she has led since its inception in 2006. Additionally, she organized the first national AIA gathering of women at the AIA National Convention in September 2009.

As a leader of Payette’s healthcare team, Chin provides designs for academic medical institutions, community hospitals and charitable services.

"Sho-Ping’s background and training have given her a particular insight into architecture that is generated by human needs, met with compassion, technology, and a reverence for nature and the built environment," said John Wilson, principal emeritus of Payette and 1996 recipient of the Whitney M. Young Jr. Citation. "To serve her clients, she marshals expertise from within our office, consultants, as well as the client’s in-house resources. I don’t know anyone better at bringing people together to create inspiring environments."