Last week, AIA National announced the 2014 class of Fellows. Among those were local members Paul Knell, Paul Ostergaard, and Roxanne Sherbeck. The Fellowship program was developed to elevate those architects who have made a significant contribution to architecture and society and who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession. Election to fellowship not only recognizes the achievements of architects as individuals, but also their significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level. The 2014 Jury of Fellows elevated 139 AIA members to its prestigious College of Fellows. Out of a total AIA membership of over 80,000 there are over 3,000 members distinguished with this honor.
Paul F. Knell, FAIA of WTW Architects has been the planner/design leader on over 100 student life centers. He has received 42 design awards for his innovative solutions based on several design principles that have set the new standard for student life facilities. Those principles include Inclusive Methodology (an interactive , engaging design process), Celebrating Campus Life, Building Community through design of dynamic public spaces, Sustainable Solutions, and promoting the spirit of a given university by connecting the architecture with the school’s cultural identity and educational heritage. Knell has inspired the institution of higher education to raise the design quality of student life centers through the example he has set throughout his career.
Paul B. Ostergaard, FAIA of Urban Design Associates has spent over 30 years dedicating his career to the revitalization of cities. Complex problem solving has helped enable citizens to rediscover hope and build a more prosperous future. Ostergaard has worked to create mixed-income inner city neighborhoods, reconnect downtowns to their waterfronts, provide cities with tools to create unique urban places, and guide the transformation and growth of both US and international cities. With a solid foundation in urban design principles but a wide diversity in place-based design responses, his work has helped elevate the role of urban design in the profession of architecture and the halls of government.
C. Roxanne Sherbeck, FAIA of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson embraces the belief that people appreciate architecture that relates to their mind, bodies, and souls. From this belief, she has mastered an integrative design process that results in built projects that are responsible to the future and provide for people’s tangible needs, at the same time achieving design excellence, as is evidenced by her significant list of award-winning projects. Sherbeck has focused her career on creating places that are unique, engaging, and entwined with their context. Her humanist perspective, originality, and love of craft has combined to allow her to design comfortable, dynamic, and character-rich places that contain lives and frame memories.
Congratulations on this huge recognition and thank you for your contributions to the profession! To view all of 2014’s Fellows, visit aia.org.