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Five Architects Selected to Receive The American Insitute of Architects' 2005 Young Architects Award
Mentoring and Teaching, Sustainability, Chapter Leadership, and Design Excellence Top List of Recipient's Contributions
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For Immediate Release |
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Washington, D.C., January 21,
2005 — The American Institute of Architects (AIA) today announced
the five recipients of the 2005 AIA Young Architects Award. Young
Architects are defined as professionals who have been licensed 10
years or fewer regardless of their age. This award honors
individuals who have shown exceptional leadership and made
significant contributions to the profession early in their careers.
This year’s recipients are impressive in their broad range of
contributions—mentoring and teaching, sustainability, chapter
leadership, and design excellence. The Young Architects Award will
be presented to the recipients at the AIA 2005 National Convention
and Design Exposition in Las Vegas in May.
F. Michael Ayles, AIA
Stratford, Conn.
The extraordinary commitment F. Michael Ayles, AIA,
displays toward the profession—emerging architects in
particular—is a hallmark of his character. An active member in
the local and national chapters and passionate advocate for intern
and associate architect issues, Ayles’ career is defined by
his dedication to “leadership, fellowship, and
mentorship,” the mantra of the Young Architects Forum Advisory
Committee, of which Ayles was the chair in 2004.
Ayles has served the interests of emerging professionals through
the Intern Task Force, ArchVoices retreats, the 2002 Internship
Summit, the AIA Connecticut Associates Commission, and initiation
of the Antinozzi Continuing Education (ACE) program. In its fourth
year, the program now is led and organized by interns in the office
and includes seminars, attendance at AIA conventions, and project
field trips. According to Paul Antinozzi, AIA, president, Antinozzi
Associates, “It has also directly influenced several of our
interns to become mentors to area high school students through a
national program called the ACE Mentor Program.”
In his letter of support, Edward C. Kemper Award Recipient C. James
Lawler, FAIA, wrote, “Michael puts his heart and soul into
everything he does, and the members of AIA Connecticut, The New
England Regional Council, AIA National, and the Council of
Architectural Component Executives (CACE) have all benefited from
his participation and leadership. Michael has packed an enormous
amount of energy into the last nine years. He has proven himself a
consummate professional and an incredible attribute to the AIA at
all levels.”
Jeffrey DeGregorio, AIA
Boston
An architect of “exceptional initiative, intelligence, and
commitment to the profession,” Jeff DeGregorio is both leader
and mentor to his peers. “My own image of the [design]
professional is grounded in the dual obligation to learn and to
educate, while simultaneously practicing architecture at the
highest possible level,” says DeGregorio.
While completing the Intern Development Program (IDP) with
Boston’s Payette Associates, DeGregorio co-founded the
firm’s Young Designers Core to provide interns with in-house
seminars, site visits, manufacturing facility tours, and IDP and
Architecture Registration Exam support. In 2002, Payette won the
AIA IDP Outstanding Firm Award in recognition of its commitment to
intern development.
DeGregorio next initiated the complementary Payette Mentoring
Program (PMP) to focus on the individual interns rather than the
collective. The PMP fosters communication, advances short- and
long-term goals, and strives to provide each intern the best
opportunity for success within the firm. DeGregorio also developed
a new mentoring program for the Boston Society of Architects,
assembling a team of young and veteran architects to shape a
critical program for the component and membership that continues to
grow in effectiveness and stature.
“Jeff is a true student of the profession,” wrote
Associate Principal George A. Takoudes, AIA, Payette Associates, in
his letter of support. “His aptitude is matched only by his
sincere commitment to playing the many roles of an architect:
student, teacher, designer, and leader ... Moreover, he is aware of
the potential of architecture and is poised to develop his talents
in a manner that is rarely seen in young architects.”
Miguel Rivera, AIA
Austin, Tex.
A principal at Miró Rivera Architects in Austin,
Tex., “Miguel Rivera is one of the most talented and dedicated
young architects I have known in my 25 years as a teacher and
architect,” writes Frederic Schwartz, AIA, in his supporting
letter. “Miguel is actively involved in the professional
community, participating on and chairing AIA juries and design
committees while also making time to attend student reviews at
institutions across the country. He is also a fine person,
concerned with both the artistic and humanistic dimensions of
architecture.”
Drawn to the arts from an early age, Rivera won first prize in
painting at the Puerto Rico School of Fine Arts. After high school,
Rivera enrolled in a summer program at Cornell University, where he
confirmed his passion for architecture. He then continued on to
earn his bachelor of science in environmental design at the
University of Puerto Rico and master of architecture degree at
Columbia University. In 1991 he joined Mitchell/Giurgola Architects
and became an associate at the age of 33—one of the youngest
in the firm’s history. Steven Goldberg, FAIA, partner,
Mitchell/Giurgola, notes that Rivera worked on some of the
firm’s most complex and important projects during his
tenure—many of which garnered national awards.
Of his skill as an architect, Charles Gwathmey, FAIA, principal,
Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects, writes, “...
though not large in scale, [his work] is poetic, thoughtful,
rigorous, and varied. It is not about size but content and it
exploits the idea that constraints afford design opportunities and
invention.”
Rick Harlan Schneider, AIA
Washington, D.C.
A graduate of Virginia Tech and the Washington Area
Architectural Consortium, Schneider weaves social responsibility,
community development, and smart design throughout the tapestry of
his professional development and practice. Under the mentorship of
Kent Cooper, FAIA, Schneider learned about community engagement and
the practical application of conceptual design in the design
process. While working with Cooper, Schneider became involved with
CityVision, a National Building Museum education program for
at-risk youth.
After completing graduate school, he worked for RTKL as a project
architect and began teaching at the Catholic University of America.
With the design of the Girard Street Playground in the neglected
Washington, D.C., Columbia Heights neighborhood, Schneider launched
his own firm committed to social and environmental responsibility
in design. In 2003, he joined his practice with colleague Greg
Kearley, AIA, to form Inscape Studio. Schneider promotes
sustainability in practice and community through workshops,
lectures, charrettes, and exhibits, and as chair of the D.C.
Chapter of the AIA Committee on the Environment and a member of the
board of advisors for GreenHOME.
“Whenever possible, [Rick] stresses the important role that
true social responsibility should play in the lives and practices
of architects—particularly amongst younger practitioners and
students,” writes Gregory K. Hunt, FAIA, vice chairman and
director of design, Leo A. Daly. “His is a life and
professional practice that is based on values that go far beyond
the idea of architecture as an art and focus on architecture as a
fundamentally social act ... he is dedicated to repositioning the
profession so that it assumes a more meaningful responsibility for
society as a whole.”
Eric Strain, AIA
Las Vegas
After receiving his master of architecture degree at the University
of Utah, Eric Strain founded Las Vegas-based assemblageStudio,
Inc., an award-winning firm that has received recognition for more
than 70 percent of its work—remarkable for any firm, but
particularly impressive for a single practitioner. “As one of
Southern Nevada’s most talented and provocative designers,
he’s turned the heads of residents and given the public and
private sectors out-of-the-box options,” says Phil Hagen,
editor, Architecture Las Vegas.
At the Las Vegas Chapter, Strain has served as chapter president
and chair of the design and communications & publications
committees. Through his efforts, the chapter established
Architecture Las Vegas, its yearly publication showcasing the best
of the city’s architecture. In addition, Strain was
instrumental in developing programs that provide art education,
recognize design excellence, and honor contributions to the
profession. For his unswerving commitment to the profession, Strain
received the AIA Nevada Young Architect Citation in 1996 and the
AIA Nevada Service Award in 1999. In 2004, he was selected to
receive the AIA Western Mountain Region Young Architect
Award.
“Eric is generous in sharing his time, knowledge, and
experience with students, interns, and young architects ...,”
says Randy Lavigne, executive director, AIA Nevada/AIA Las Vegas in
her nomination letter. “He is the first to recognize and
applaud design excellence in work by his peers and he actively
supports programs that honor and showcase quality design ... Eric
is tireless in his dedication and totally committed to bettering
his community through the AIA.”
About The American Institute of Architects
Since 1857, the AIA has represented the professional interests of
America's architects. As AIA members, over 74,000 licensed
architects, emerging professionals, and allied partners express
their commitment to excellence in design and livability in our
nation's buildings and communities. Members adhere to a code of
ethics and professional conduct that assures the client, the
public, and colleagues of an AIA-member architect's dedication to
the highest standards in professional practice.
Note to editors: For additional background
information, to schedule an interview or to request high-resolution
images contact Cara Battaglini in the AIA’s media relations
office, (202) 626-7462, email: carab@aia.org
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