2004 AIA Minnesota Special Award Recipients
AIA Minnesota’s Awards Committee is pleased to announce six Special Award recipients for 2004. These individuals go beyond what others in their respective professions are doing to successfully collaborate with architects and make significant contributions to the built environment. Because architecture is a collaborative effort, it relies on the talents and commitment of many individuals working together to achieve a common goal. Alan Arthur, Robert Close, Herb Frey, Mary Guzowski, Jon Iverson and Amy Ryan are this year’s well-deserving winners.
Alan Arthur
Alan has been the chief executive officer at Central Community Housing Trust (CCHT) since 1988, and has been a leader in developing affordable housing in Minneapolis. Currently, he is working with LHB on
Ripley Gardens (west of downtown Minneapolis), a mixed-use, mixed-income development containing rental and home ownership opportunities for very low- to moderate-income households. With 33 years of experience in housing, real estate development, construction, project development, lending, code enforcement, and city planning, Alan is passionate about housing. He has been successful in bringing some of the most challenging projects to fruition through his diligent efforts to work with diverse groups of stakeholders and communities. His belief that housing does not have to compromise good design and aesthetics to be affordable is evident in projects he has developed which have finely executed details creating a customized feel for each resident.
Robert Close, ASLA
Bob Close, principal, Close Landscape Architects, has made significant contributions to the built environment and the architectural community through the design of public spaces and streetscapes in our communities. He has consistently provided exceptional landscape design, and raised the standards of traditional landscape design, planning and redevelopment efforts. Bob has been sought-after for projects ranging from small intricate streetscapes and gardens to municipal park design to large-scale community planning. In collaboration with Elness Swenson Graham Architects, his firm won a 2003 AIA Minnesota Honor Award for Ramsey Town Center, a city planning project. Bob is an exceptionally gifted leader and has brought diverse groups together toward the best design solutions possible on many complicated sites and projects. This leadership has benefited not only the landscape, but also the buildings within those contexts.
Herb Frey
Herb Frey, executive director of Alliance Housing, began developing large, sober-supportive housing projects for homeless persons and families in 1996 including Alliance Apartments, Portland Village, and Central Avenue Apartments. Herb’s recent housing development efforts, Hiawatha Commons and
Broadway Workforce Apartments, focus on meeting the need for housing for low-wage workers through creative land use and product design. Under his leadership, teams of motivated professionals, dedicated to building and maintaining safe affordable housing, have successfully come together. He has worked with communities to build strong bonds between the established community and the new residents who will occupy housing that he works to develop. In doing so, he has been able to improve the infrastructure of the neighborhood, introduce more housing options for old and new residents, and add to the livability of the community at large.
Mary Guzowski
Mary Guzowski, associate professor, College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (CALA) at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, teaches and conducts research related to daylighting, environmental technology, and ecological design. Through her influential textbook on daylighting, research in the area of low-income sustainable housing, and tireless groundwork promoting sustainable building practices, CALA has become a national leader in sustainable design. Her current research and teaching focuses on the integration of ecological design and affordable housing. She recently coordinated Phase One of the Ten House Pilot Demonstration Project—a design-research collaboration between the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation and the University of Minnesota. Over the last twelve years, Mary has taken an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to education, research and practice among a broad community of design educators and practitioners, including the Society of Building Science Educators, the American Solar Energy Society, and the Associate Collegiate Schools of Architecture.
Jon Iverson
Jon has taught AIA Minnesota’s annual ARE (Architectural Registration Exam) Review Seminar for Structures and Lateral Forces since 1996, with exceptional ratings from attendees. Architectural students are required to pass several exams for licensure and this is particular subject that can be very
challenging. Students appreciate his explanation and focus on theory rather than numbers, and real-world situations rather than abstract principles. Though not an architect, as a structural engineer Jon is highly qualified to teach the course and has proven himself an approachable, knowledgeable and attentive instructor. He volunteers significant time instructing two evenings a week, preparing mock exams, and providing structural formulas and tables. The AIA MN Intern Development Committee (IDP) considers Jon their first choice for an instructor, and the student reviews from the past eight years rate Jon high on their list as well.
Amy Ryan
Amy Ryan, director of community partnerships and development, Minneapolis Public Library, has played an integral role in the success of the design and implementation of libraries in our community. She possesses an unwavering dedication to the architectural vision and the community design process.Her approach to the process is unique, requiring neighborhoods, businesses, other consultants and artists to be highly involved throughout project development. Amy has whole-heartedly supported the local architectural talent base;several projects with her involvement have won awards including a Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Award for the Hosmer Library (Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle), a CUE Award Finalist for Linden Hills Library (TLPA), and the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota Award for the Pierre Bottineau Library (RSP Architects). She is clearly passionate about architecture, the urban environment and local communities, and continues to effect positive change.
The Special Award categories are Contractor, Educator, Consulting Architect, Client, Interior Design, Consulting Engineer, Landscape Architect, Product Representative and Open including: community leadership, community organizations, individuals, projects by out-of-state architects, historic
preservation efforts, architectural photography, and craftsmanship. The above recipients will be presented with their awards on Saturday, November 20th at the AIA Minnesota Awards Celebration at International Market Square in Minneapolis.
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