Eight Architects Selected to Receive AIA's 2009 Young Architects Award

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced the eight recipients of the 2009 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. The Young Architects Award will be presented to the recipients at the AIA 2009 National Convention and Design Exposition in San Francisco.

Matthew Bremer, AIA
Nominated by the AIA New York Chapter and a recipient of that chapter’s New Practices Award, Matthew Bremer is recognized for “Also active in the AIA, Bremer founded and co-chairs the New York Chapter New Practices Committee and sits on the chapter’s Oculus Committee. “Matthew Bremer is a young architect who combines recognized and celebrated talent with a willingness to support the profession and provide mentorship for others,” writes FXFOWLE Senior Partner Mark E. Strauss, FAIA. Bremer’s attention to detail and design talent are also the focus of letters of support from consultants and other architects with whom he collaborated.

Angela Brooks, AIA
A principal with Pugh + Scarpa and cofounder of the nonprofit Livable Places, Angela Brooks is devoted to creating “long-lasting, enduring, and beautiful spaces for both our residents and the neighborhoods in which we work,” writes Community Corporation of Santa Monica Executive Director Joan Ling. Brooks has been involved with projects that have received 7 national AIA awards and more than 25 other AIA design awards. Those projects include the Colorado Court affordable apartments and the Solar Umbrella home. “I believe Angela has the ability to lead the profession in the direction of a new paradigm: combining design, sustainability, and social concern,” writes David Baker, FAIA.

Matthew Kreilich, AIA
From his studio days at the University of Minnesota, Matthew Kreilich has been recognized as an outstanding, holistic designer. He is also noted for his pro bono work for the Tony Award-winning Theatre de la Jeune Lune, renovating its lobby beautifully on a shoestring budget. “To work with an artist both terrifically talented and fiscally responsible: a truly great experience for the client,” writes Director Steve Richardson. “His design voice has been demonstrated, his knowledge of construction and how architecture operates in the world and how his contributions will inspire the next generation of architect,” writes Julie Snow, FAIA, principal of Julie Snow Architects, the firm in which Kreilich currently works. Kreilich also received the Ralph Rapson Traveling Fellowship in 2003.

Haril Pandya, AIA
A superior project manager/designer at CBT, Haril Pandya is also very active in the AIA being a driving force behind the creation of Boston Society of Architects (BSA) first Young Professionals Advisory Council (YPAC). In community outreach, Pandya has worked with Habitat for Humanity in Boston designing an affordable, sustainable prototype and managing their construction as well as other pro bono work that extends overseas. Working with the Blackstone Group, a large developer, Pandya has overseen more than $100 million in design and construction. “He masterfully brings people together, both young and experienced, to form a team to tackle each of our assignments,” writes Richard Bertman, FAIA, and Charles Tseckares, FAIA, lauding also his talents in music and filmmaking, which he has used to market for CBT and its clients.

Jinhee Park, AIA
Jinhee Park and the firm she co-founded are widely published, including being awarded the first Metropolis Next Generation Prize. “Their project, recycling the remnants of Boston’s Big Dig into beautiful housing, so impressed the judges that the proposal, happily, came to represent the high standards we have since then put on our awards program,” writes Metropolis Editor-in-Chief Susan S. Szenasy. “Park is among those few uncommon young architects whose contributions and skills will shape our profession for decades to come,” writes Diane Georgopulos, FAIA, on behalf of the Boston Society of Architects nomination. “It is our belief that the criteria for the AIA Young Architects Award might well have been conceived with Park in mind.”

Camilo Parra, AIA
Recognized widely in Houston as a designer and builder of upscale and affordable townhome developments, Camilo Parra also conducts a school of design studio and volunteers in his community. “One of the unique things about Camilo is that he not only has his own practice, but develops his own projects; last year alone Parra Design Group developed 70 housing units,” points out AIA Houston President Brian M. Malarkey, AIA, in the chapter’s letter of nomination. “As a member of the Houston Minority Business Council and the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Camilo serves as an outstanding role model for the students at our historically black university,” adds Prairie View A&M University School of Architecture Dean Ikhlas Sabouni, PhD.

Tania Salgado, AIA
A design principal with RNL, Tania Salgado has a refined acumen for process and research as precedents to high-quality design. “She has truly excelled in every aspect of professional practice,” writes RNL President Richard L. von Luhrte, FAIA, “From design through client development, practice management, and community service.” In addition to volunteer work with numerous Denver nonprofits, Salgado is an active leader in the AIA at the local and state levels. Currently, she serves as AIA Denver president-elect. “While Tania has attained a highly impressive list of credentials and accolades in her career, I believe her most influential contributions lie in the future,” writes 2009 AIA Colorado President-elect Mary Morissette, AIA.

Michael W. Schellin, AIA
Michael Schellin “is a very talented young practitioner who is positioning himself for leadership both as a firm principal and member of AIA,” writes James W. O’Brien, FAIA, in his nomination. “Mike’s commitment to the profession, as well as his involvement in AIA at the local and national levels make him a person to watch in the future,” writes Greenway Group Chair James P. Cramer, Hon. AIA. In addition to his committee work with AIA Minnesota, Schellin is his region’s liaison with the national Young Architects Forum.