Calvin Tsao, FAIA MArch ’79 and Zack McKown, FAIA MArch ’79 awarded AIA Medal of Honor
Calvin Tsao, FAIA MArch ’79 and Zack McKown, FAIA MArch ’79 have been honored with the AIA Medal of Honor for their firm, Tsao & McKown Architects. The Medal of Honor, conferred by AIA New York since 1914, is the Chapter’s highest form of recognition. It acknowledges an architect or firm of architects for distinguished work and high professional standing.
“Calvin and Zack have been treasured members of our New York City architecture community for many years. Countless people here in this room have worked with them, and their collaborative approach and joie de vivre has influenced many of us. Their commitment to our civic organizations, like the Architectural League, Center for Architecture, and others, has been steadfast. They are a valuable and much-loved part of what makes New York City such a special place to practice.” – AIANY President Andrea Lamberti
For more on the 2022 AIANY Honors and Awards Luncheon, please visit here.
posted May, 2022
Jeffrey Lee, FAIA, March ’79 Joins Quinn Evans as a Senior Architect
Jeffrey Lee, FAIA, March ’79 has joined the Washington, D.C., office of Quinn Evans as a senior architect. Lee brings nearly 40 years of design experience to the firm which is one of the top architectural, planning, and preservation practices in the nation.
Recognized as a leading advocate for design excellence both regionally and nationally, Lee is a sought-after design critic and awards juror for the American Institute of Architects (AIA). For nearly 25 years, he served as a professor in the School of Architecture at North Carolina State University, and also served as the first chairman of the school’s advisory committee. He has been a guest critic at the Boston Architectural Center, the Rhode Island School of Design, and Catholic University.
Lee was elected to the AIA’s College of Fellows in 2006. He is a recipient of the Kamphoefner Prize from the North Carolina chapter of the AIA and the North Carolina Architectural Foundation. He was also awarded the Order of the Longleaf Pine by the governor of North Carolina, in recognition of his contributions to the state. Lee is highly regarded for his work in higher education, institutional, corporate, and cultural facility design, with many of his projects earning major awards for design excellence.
“We are excited to have a designer of Jeffrey’s caliber join our staff here in Washington,” says Tom Jester, FAIA, FAPT, LEED AP, principal and director of Quinn Evans’ Washington, D.C., office. “He brings a creative and discerning eye to our design studio, along with a wealth of experience in our major practice areas.”
posted November, 2019
In Memoriam: Nathan Hoyt MArch ’79
On August 25 in New York, Nathan Charles Hoyt MArch ’79 , Nat to all who knew him, was robbed of his life by the wily cells of multiple myeloma.
Born in the Bronx on September 27, 1952, he was the adored only child of Beatrice Tilley Hoyt and Nathan Benedict Hoyt. Raised in the nurturing laps of his parents and his extended family of teachers, librarians, and doting mentors, he was a lover of books and knowledge. Described as a genius by a former college classmate, Dr. Margaret Hurley, his interests ranged from politics to photography, music, film, art, and architecture. He was a stellar student throughout his early and higher educations, attending both secular New York public schools and Mt. St. Michael in the Bronx, a private Catholic high school for boys.
He was affiliated with Davis, Brody, Bond, Architects and Planners, NY, NY from 1979-2011, where he ultimately became a principal of the firm and Director of Interiors. Selected highlights of his work in New York include leading the restoration of the main New York Public Library, a monumental project that took 22 years; the September 11 Memorial and Museum; the Harvard Club renovation and expansion; Mount Sinai Medical Center East Research Building; Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; The Juilliard School; Columbia University School of the Arts expansion in collaboration with Renzo Piano; and Jacob Burns Film Center, Pleasantville, a project that was very close to his heart.
Above all, he was a humanist and a bridge-builder, literally and figuratively, believing in the innate goodness of people. “I thought of his having this ability to look at life with a mix of rational intelligence, but also of a sense of humor in the way he dealt with the imperfections of humanity,” wrote a psychologist who knew him, Lisa Kirk. “I felt that there was a capacity in him that had to do with being able to, in the end, accept life, not with a cynical shoulder shrugging but with an understanding that making do and going along with it was not a bad solution, even though he would have preferred perfection. [He] was unflinchingly consistent … in his kindness at any cost.”
In September 2009, he met the love of his life, Julia della Croce, a cookbook author. They married eight months later. Merging their shared passion for Italy, food, architecture, and photography, they collaborated on culinary sailing tours to Venice, ultimately becoming a photojournalist team. Nat is survived by his two adored children from his second marriage, Katherine Tilley Hoyt and Charles Benedict Hoyt and by Julia and her two daughters, Gabriella della Croce and Celina della Croce.
Nat was graduated from Fordham University with a Bachelor of Science and from Harvard University Graduate School of Design, earning a Master of Architecture with Distinction. In 2008, he was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects, the highest possible distinction awarded any architect.
posted October, 2019
Eleven Alumni Elevated to AIA College of Fellows 2018
Eleven GSD alumni have been elevated by the 2018 Jury of Fellows from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to its prestigious College of Fellows. The honor recognizes architects who have “achieved a standard of excellence in the profession and made a significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level.” A ceremony honoring the new fellows will take place on June 22 at the AIA Conference on Architecture 2018 in New York City.
Congratulations to:
Jonathan Barnes MArch ’86
Eric Bunge MArch ’96
Chris Cooper MArch ’98
William B. Gallagher Jr. MAUD ’86
Leonard Kady MArch ’89
Rick Petersen MArch ’88
Naomi Pollock MArch ’85
Christopher Shears MArch ’80
James Susman MDes ’88
Louis Wasserman MArch ’74
Ellen Watts MArch ’79
Read the AIA press release.
Image courtesy of the AIA College of Fellows.
posted April, 2018
William Harris MArch ’79 Named Managing Director for Perkins+Will New York Office
William (“Bill”) Harris MArch ’79 has been named Managing Director for Perkins+Will’s New York Office, one of the firm’s most strategically significant and visible practices. A leader in interdisciplinary design ‘convergence,’ Harris previously served in Perkins+Will’s Boston studio, where he focused on designing for the scientific and technological sector.
“It’s an exciting time to plant my roots in New York City, where I’ve already been working with developers and other clients for more than a year thanks to the burgeoning life sciences and high-tech economy,” Harris said in a press release. “As our clients increasingly rely on design to support innovation and to attract and retain talent, we find that the best solutions integrate research facility and laboratory design with workplace, healthcare, and higher education—and those areas happen to be the strongest practices in our New York studio. The market here is brimming with opportunities for interdisciplinary design convergence, and I’m thrilled to lead the charge.”
Read the full press release.
posted March, 2018
Joan Blumenfeld MArch ’79 Receives 2018 Legend Award from Contract Magazine
Joan Blumenfeld MArch ’79 has been honored with the 2018 Legend Award from Contract magazine. She is the 16th recipient of the annual award, which recognizes individuals whose work and achievements have “contributed in a significant way to the practice of commercial interior design.” “Joan has had a demonstrable impact as a leader among women in architecture, as a mentor, as an advocate for sustainability and wellness—recognizing that the interiors we design have an impact on healthy living,” said John Czarnecki, Contract’s editor in chief.
Blumenfeld’s first job in architecture was with Sert, Jackson & Associates in 1977 while she was still a student at the GSD. “Sert was inspiring and encouraging,” Blumenfeld recalls. She went on to work at a few Boston-area firms before moving to New York in 1984. Since 2005, Blumenfeld has worked for the global design firm Perkins+Will, where she currently serves as a design principal. She was previously the firm’s first global design director for interiors.
Read Contract’s full profile.
Photograph by Brian Ferry.
posted February, 2018
Alumni Bring Solar Power to Puerto Rico; Featured in Architectural Record, Miami Herald
A team of GSD alumni are involved in Resilient Power Puerto Rico, a project launched after Hurricane Maria to bring solar generators to the most under-served areas of the island with the long-term goal of promoting solar electric energy for every household in Puerto Rico. Jonathan Marvel MArch ’86 (Project Co-founder and Director of Logistics and Installation), Walter Meyer MLAUD ’03 (Project Co-founder and Strategy Director), Jennifer Bolstad AB ’98, MLA ’02 (Project Co-founder and Director of Administration and Finances), and José Juan Terrasa-Soler MLA ’07 (Director at Marvel Architects San Juan, Puerto Rico) are members of the Resilient Power Puerto Rico team, which operates under the nonprofit Coastal Marine Resource Center. Their work has been featured in a number of news outlets, including Architectural Record, the Miami Herald, AIA blog (interview with Marvel), the Architect’s Newspaper, and the Huffington Post.
In October, Terrasa-Soler participated in the GSD event “Hurricane Maria and Puerto Rico: Lessons for Future Urban Disasters,” moderated by Jerold S. Kayden AB ’75, JD ’79, MCRP ’79, Frank Backus Williams Professor of Urban Planning and Design, and organized by the Department of Urban Planning & Design, the MDes – Risk & Resilience concentration, and the course “Land Use and Environmental Law.”
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Marvel via AIA.
posted November, 2017
Alumni Work Recognized with 2017 ASLA Professional Awards
The work of Harvard University Graduate School of Design alumni is well represented in this year’s American Society of Landscape Architects Professional Awards, which recognize the best of landscape architecture from the United States and around the world. Winners received their awards at the ASLA Annual Meeting and EXPO in Los Angeles last October. Those honored include:
GENERAL DESIGN CATEGORY
Honor Awards
Andrea Cochran MLA ’79, Megumi Aihara MLA ’07 (Windhover Contemplative Center)
Mikyoung Kim MLA ’92 (Chicago Botanic Garden: The Regenstein Learning Campus)
RESIDENTIAL DESIGN CATEGORY
Award of Excellence
Andrea Cochran MLA ’79, Lin Peng MLA ’12 (Birmingham Residence)
Honor Award
Andrea Cochran MLA ’79 (Telegraph Hill Residence)
Stephen Stimson MLA ’87 (Northeast Harbor, a Restoration on Mount Desert Island)
Reed Hilderbrand LLC Landscape Architecture, led by by Principals Gary Hilderbrand MLA ’85 and Douglas Reed MLA ’81 (Proving Grounds – A 20-Year Education in American Horticulture; Agrarian Modern – The Recovery and Renewal of Manatuck Farm)
Bruce Jett MLA ’92 (Northpoint Apartments)
ANALYSIS AND PLANNING CATEGORY
Honor Award
Charlotte Barrows MLA ’06 (The Olana Strategic Landscape Design Plan: Restoring an American Masterpiece)
Leo Alvarez MLA ’81, Ralph Johnson MArch ’73 (Waterfront Botanical Gardens)
Reed Hilderbrand LLC Landscape Architecture, led by by Principals Gary Hilderbrand MLA ’85 and Douglas Reed MLA ’81 (Conservation at the Edge – Prototyping low-intervention conservation in the Patagonian wilderness)
Gordon Gill MArch ’93 (Positioning Pullman)
Katharyn Leah Hurd MLAUD ’12 (Texas Capitol Complex Master Plan)
COMMUNICATIONS CATEGORY
Charles Birnbaum LF ’98 (The Landscape Architecture of Lawrence Halprin)
More information, including the full list of 2017 winners.
Photo: Windhover Contemplative Center at Stanford University, Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture.
posted November, 2017
Lolly Tai MLA ’79 Book Featured in Harvard Magazine’s Off the Shelf
The Magic of Children’s Gardens: Inspiring through Creative Design, a book by Lolly Tai MLA ’79, is featured in the July-August issue of Harvard Magazine. It appears in the Off the Shelf series, which highlights recent books with Harvard connections. Tai is professor of landscape architecture at Temple.
See images from the book and learn more.
Image courtesy of Amazon.
posted July, 2017
Julia Smyth-Pinney MArch ’79 Retires from University of Kentucky
Professor Julia Smyth-Pinney MArch ’79 retired in December 2013 after 32 years of teaching at the University of Kentucky’s School of Architecture. She will be moving to Rome this summer to complete a book project on the Palazzo della Sapienza and Borromini’s church of S. Ivo.
April 2014
posted December, 2016
Andrea Cochran FASLA, MLA ’79 Firm Receives Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award
Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture, the firm led by Andie Cochran FASLA, MLA ’79, was awarded the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award. The National Design Awards program celebrates design as a vital humanistic tool in shaping the world, and seeks to increase national awareness of design by educating the public and promoting excellence, innovation and lasting achievement.
May 2014
posted December, 2016
Andrea Cochran FASLA MLA ’79 Honored by ASLA with Design Medal
Andrea Cochran FASLA MLA ’79 has been honored with the 2014 Design Medal, presented by the American Society of Landscape Architects.
June 2014
posted December, 2016
Frank Christopher Lee MAUD ’79 Transformation of the Strand Hotel
Frank Christopher Lee, FAIA MAUD ’79 recently transformed the famed Strand Hotel in Chicago into a 63-unit apartment complex. Link to read more in Crain’s Chicago Business.
February 2016
posted December, 2016
Mia Lehrer FASLA, MLA ’79 to Speak at the Architectural League of New York
On Tuesday, February 16, 2016 with a lecture titled Recalibrating the City: Advocacy by Design, as part of the Architectural League’s Current Work series features the work of significant international figures who powerfully influence contemporary architectural practice and shape the future of the built environment.
February 2016
posted December, 2016
