Phoenix, AZ, Aug. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AIA Arizona has announced the jury for this year’s Design Awards. The AIA Arizona Design Awards recognize excellence in architectural projects and practices under five categories: Design, Leadership, Practice, Performance, and Education. The intent is to honor exceptional work, both built and unbuilt, establish practices of excellence, and nurture new values and activities that contribute to design and design appreciation. This year’s Project Jury is led by Jury Chair Christian Robert AIA, Co-Founder and Managing Principal of R&A Architecture + Design, and includes Alice Kimm FAIA, Co-Founder of John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects (JFAK), Rebecca Rudolph AIA, Founder of Design, Bitches, Patrick Tighe FAIA, Principal of Patrick Tighe Architecture, and David Freeland AIA, Principal of FreelandBuck. Observers include Tina Litteral Hon. AIA, Executive Vice President of AIA Arizona, and Design Awards Chair 2018 Alison Rainey AIA, Director at Shepley Bulfinch. “The design work this year is just as strong as the community service,” said Jury Chair Christian Robert, who attended Arizona State University, Tempe. “One entry reminded me of an Arizona or Desert version of a Zumthor chapel. Very impressive.” The jury met at R&A’s studio in Culver City, California to determine the number of awards within the in three echelons of distinction: Honor, Merit, and Citation. Winners will be announced and presented with award certificates at the Design Awards Gala on November 9 at the Phoenix Art Museum. The winning entries will also be on display during the event. “There is a lot of great working coming out of your [Arizona] territory.” said Juror Alice Kimm. “There are some very special things going on here.” While Juror Patrick Tighe noted the impressiveness of the strong ideas behind this year’s entries. “They are trying new things.” About Christian RobertChristian Robert, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, is a Partner at R&A Architecture + Design, Inc. R&A is a young, energetic, fearless architecture and design firm based in Culver City, CA. The studio focuses on multiple typologies and is currently working on more than 40 boutique and large-scale residential, commercial office, hotel, and institutional projects. Robert received a German National Government scholarship to attend the Graduate Architecture Program at Arizona State University, Tempe in 1999. He then completed his Masters of Architecture degree at the University of Stuttgart, Germany in 2001. Prior to opening R&A, he was a Senior Designer with Gensler and has served as a guest critic at USC and SCI-ARC. Robert is a licensed Architect in California, Oregon, Utah, Germany, and the European Union. About Alice KimmAlice Kimm, FAIA, LEED AP B+C, was born in Chicago and spent her high school years in Seoul, South Korea. She holds a B.A. in Economics from Cornell University and an M.Arch. from Harvard University. A 1997 Fulbright Scholar, Kimm has taught at various schools including USC, where she directed the School of Architecture’s undergraduate programs from 2010-2014. Kimm co-founded John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects (JFAK) in 1996. Based in the vibrant Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles, JFAK’s diverse and award-winning practice encompasses educational, residential, commercial, and cultural projects for both private and public entities. Kimm and Friedman were named 2004 Emerging Voices by the Architectural League of New York, and Kimm was elected to Fellowship of the AIA in 2010. About Rebecca RudolphIn 2010, Rebecca Rudolph and Catherine Johnson founded Design, Bitches with a bold and irreverent vision to make architecture significant in daily life. Their multidisciplinary firm draws inspiration from the duos’ eclectic expertise in the areas of design, art, and pop culture. Based in Los Angeles, Rudolph and Johnson collaborate on an international range of projects that scale from brand identity and commercial spaces to ground-up residential and cultural buildings. They work closely with clients to develop creative solutions responsive to location and user experience. By experimenting with materials and graphics, they provide durable contemporary designs that wink at history. Each design transforms a collage of influences into architecture that is beautiful and layered with meaning, but also welcoming—spaces and landscapes where people want to hang out. Rudolph is a California native and licensed Architect registered with the American Institute of Architects.  She received her M.Arch. from SCI-Arc and a Master of Philosophy from the University of Paris VIII. About Patrick TighePatrick Tighe, FAIA, FAAR, is one of Los Angeles’ preeminent architects and interior designers. The highly acclaimed namesake firm, Patrick Tighe Architecture, is committed to creating an authentic, contemporary Architecture informed by technology, sustainability, and building innovation. Since its inception, the firm has produced a strong and diverse body of projects that includes city developed affordable housing, commercial, mixed-use projects, installations, and award-winning interiors. The firm’s work has received more than 50 design awards including eight National AIA Honor Awards. In 2011, Tighe was elevated into the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects, the highest honor bestowed by the AIA. Tighe was awarded the prestigious Mercedes T. Bass Rome Prize in Architecture. He is a professor at the University of Southern California and frequently lectures on his work. The firm has been exhibited internationally including the 2016 Venice Biennale and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. About David FreelandDavid Freeland, AIA, is a Principal at FreelandBuck, a design and architecture office with locations in Los Angeles and New York. FreelandBuck was named a finalist for the 2018 MoMA PS1 Young Architect's Program, a member of Architectural Record's 2017 Design Vanguard, and a winner of the 2017 AIA LA Next LA Award for its project, Second House. Other recent projects include Parallax Gap, an installation for the Smithsonian's American Art Museum and the Los Angeles headquarters of Hungry Man Productions, among other residential, commercial, and cultural commissions. Freeland is design faculty at SCI-Arc since 2012 and has taught at Woodbury University, UCLA, and USC.

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