Society for Experiential Graphic Design
2023 Global Design Award

Beyond Wayfinding, co-designed with Sig Zane Kaiao / Sig Zane Designs, recognized with the Honor Award in the Wayfinding category at the 2023 SEGD Global Design Awards. This is the top recognition for wayfinding in the world. The Society for Experiential Graphic Design Awards “recognize the most influential and impactful contributions to experience design.”

Project→
August 25, 2023

Fast Company’s
Innovation by Design Awards 2023

The ‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi Campus project was honored in Fast Company's Innovation by Design Awards for 2023 in the Social Justice category. Fellow honorees in this category include Google, Kohler, Procter & Gamble, Mailchimp, and Delta Airlines.

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August 22, 2023

2023 AIA Honolulu Award of Excellence

The ‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi Campus project was honored with an Award of Excellence in the unbuilt category at AIA Honolulu’s 65th Annual Design Awards. “This highest honor recognizes projects which are deemed to exemplify excellence of architectural design on all levels of analysis, and exemplify the highest standards to which AIA members aspire.”

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July 28, 2023

2023 AIA Honolulu Distinctive Detail Award

Beyond Wayfinding, co-designed with Sig Zane Kaiao / Sig Zane Designs, was honored with the Distinctive Detail Award, celebrating craftsmanship, attention to detail, and spirit of innovation at AIA Honolulu’s 65th Annual Design Awards.

Project→
July 28, 2023

Graphic Design USA’s
2023 American Digital Design Award

Beyond Wayfinding, co-designed with Sig Zane Kaiao / Sig Zane Designs, was selected as a winner from more than 2,400 entries in the 2023 GDUSA Digital Design Awards. “The 23rd Annual Digital Design Awards amplify the power of design excellence to enhance online and interactive experiences.”

Project→
June 27, 2023

Fast Company’s
World Changing Ideas Awards 2023

Beyond Wayfinding recognized with top honor in Art & Design category. Designed with Kūha'o Zane, Nalani Kanaka‘ole and Sig Zane of Sig Zane Kaiao / Sig Zane Designs. “Fast Company’s annual World Changing Ideas Awards honor the businesses and organizations that are developing creative solutions to the most pressing issues of our time.”

Announcement → Project→
May 2, 2023

111th ACSA Annual Meeting: In Commons

Karla serves on the Reviews Committee and moderates the “Home, Housing & Equity of Place” panel at ACSA’s annual meeting inviting “scholars, practitioners, and thinkers to examine how architectural research, design, and pedagogy can expand the pluriversal nature of cooperativism and commoning.”

More on the Conference →
March 30, 2023

Chicago Design Summit

Karla and Brian participate in the “Chicago Design Summit: Future Real Conditional” as facilitators of the “Rehearsing Production” panel. “The Summit served as a catalyst for collaboration and partnership by offering a platform for participants to share and respond to ideas related to the upcoming CAB 5 titled, This is a Rehearsal. Led by the CAB 5 artistic team, Floating Museum.” - CAB

Event→
Chicago Architecture Biennial→
November 4-5, 2022

110th ACSA Annual Meeting: Empower

The “Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing, A Bottom-Up Exploratory Research Collaboration” was presented in the “Design: Critical Positions, Design In Situ”, session at the ACSA’s annual meeting alongside colleagues from Texas A&M, California College of the Arts, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, and Carleton University.

Project →
May 19, 2022

Ciudades Brillantes

Karla participates in the “Ciudades Brillantes” (brilliant cities)” panel by Fundación Espacio in Caracas. Ciudades Brillantes is a call for ideas for seven of the most populous cities in Venezuela in collaboration with Fulbright alumni and supported by the National Network of American Spaces, Universidad Simón Bolívar and Universidad Central de Venezuela on the occasion of Fulbright’s 75th anniversary in Venezuela and celebrating 68 years of cultural and academic exchange between Venezuela and the Unites States.

Watch the Panel → Learn More →
March 23, 2022

2022 ACSA Collaborative Practice Award

The “Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing” project is recognized with the Collaborative Practice Award at the 2022 ACSA Architectural Education Awards. “Established in 1997 by Thomas Dutton and Anthony Schuman to recognize ACSA’s commitment to community partnerships in which faculty, students and neighborhood citizens are valued equally and that aim to address issues of social injustice through design.”

Announcement → Project →
January 27, 2022

Wall Street Journal

Base Conditions project featured in an expansive Wall Street Journal article about the historic towers and its role in the major motion picture “Candyman”.

Article → Project →
November 5, 2021

Financial Times

Ruth Bloomfield’s Financial Times includes Ski On Home in article outlining trends in modern mountain living, alongside designs located in Lillehammer, Norway; Niseko, Japan; Golden, British Columbia; and Mont-Noble, Switzerland.

Article → Project →
October 14, 2021

Dezeen

Ski On Home, located in the Truckee, California, is included in Dezeen article presenting a curated selection of homes, alongside designs located in Suffolk, UK; New South Wales, Australia; and Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.

Article → Project →
September 5, 2021

Candyman by Universal Pictures

Base Conditions project serves as a film set for the major motion picture Candyman directed by Nia DaCosta and co-written and produced by the Oscar-winning Jordan Peele.

Story→ Project →
August 27, 2021

UIA World Congress of Architects

Lawn Loungers was featured at the 27th World Congress of Architects was organized by the Institute of Architects of Brazil (IAB), under the auspices of the International Union of Architects (UIA). The international congress explored the theme “All the worlds. Just one world. Architecture 21”.

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July 2021

2021 AIA Honolulu Architecture Month

Sierralta launches and moderates inaugural “Portfolio Pau Hana” for AIA Honolulu’s Architecture Month, an annual event focused on educating the public about architecture and the value of design in Hawai‘i. The “Portfolio Pau Hana” project intends to bring together architecture students, young talented professionals, and the general public to critically discuss and celebrate architectural representation and design.

April 23, 2021

National Endowment for the Arts Grant

The sixth iteration of Building Voices will focus on developing design toolkits for community resiliency in Hawai‘i. Building Voices 2022 will be supported by a 2021 “Our Town” National Endowment for the Arts grant. The “Building Voices: Toolkits for Climate Resiliency” project is in collaboration with Ariel Dunca, Cathi Ho Schar, and Phoebe White.

February 2021

Mayors’ Institute on City Design

As part of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design (MICD) inititative, Sierralta and Strawn were invited to participate in a design charrette that brought together five teams from the UH Community Design Center, the Detroit Collaborative Design Center, and the Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design in collaboration with the City and County of Honolulu and Kauai County to respond to specific urban challenges that emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic.

January 4-8, 2021

2021 ACSA Course Development Prize

“Just Play”, a project centered on developing equity-focused educational games, was awarded the 2021 Course Development Prize in Architecture, Climate Change, and Society presented by Columbia University’s Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). Just Play is a project in collaboration with University of Hawaii educators Priyam Das, Cathi Ho Schar, and Phoebe White.

January 2021

2020 AIA Honolulu Award

Lawn Loungers was awarded the 2020 AIA Honolulu Award - Honorable Mention, Institutional. These portable spaces for community engagement allow citizens to slow down and interact with one another while sharing their thoughts on the future of housing in Hawai‘i. This project was developed for the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority through the UHCDC.

Watch award presentation → Project →
November 2-6, 2020

2020 AIA Honolulu Distinctive Detail Award

A full-scale Phase One Clinical Trials 'Ohana Suite was designed and built as a research tool for a strategic planning and design project for the University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center through the UHCDC.

Watch award presentation → Project →
November 2-6, 2020

Varney Circle Design Tank

Sierralta and Strawn participate in a design charrette organized by the UHCDC for the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. “Campus Compass” proposes a system of gathering points centered on the pedestrian crossroads of the UHM campus act as orientation devices and welcome community activation, celebrating the uniqueness of Mānoa Valley and the Hawaiian Archipelago.

July 9-13, 2020

108th ACSA Annual Meeting: Open

The “Hawai‘I Housing Lab” paper, included in the “Domesticity Re-imagined” session, presents an overview of the first phase of the” Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing” research project conducted in partnership with the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority.

June 17, 2020

2020 Presidential Citation for Meritorious Teaching

Sierralta is honored with the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s Presidential Citation for Meritorious Teaching, recognizing faculty members who have made significant contributions to teaching and student learning.

May 2020

COVID-19 Website for HPHA Residents Launches

The Pandemic Portal is an online COVID-19 resource that connects Hawai‘i’s public housing residents to essential healthcare information and social programs. HPHAishereforyou.org is a pilot for a digital community platform for HPHA that originates from the “Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing” project. This effort is part of a holistic design approach to housing in Hawai‘i. 

Project →
April 2020

EPIC 2019: Agency

A peer-reviewed, three-part toolkit was presented to and tested on attendees to the annual Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference, in Providence, Rhode Island at the Rhode Island School of Design. These community engagement tools are outputs from the Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing project for the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority.

November 9-12, 2019

2019 International Interior Design Association Award

Recipient of the IIDA Hawai‘i Ho‘ohuli “Maker” Award, the A-Frames are mobile display units with non-repeating patterns of linear openings that allow for the precise tuning, organization, curation, and editing of creative work. The A-Frames were commissioned to celebrate the unique identity of the only accredited school of architecture in the South Pacific Region.

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October 12, 2019

2019 Building Voices : Housing for All

Building Voices: Housing for All assembled talented individuals, work and discussions under the research focus of affordable housing. Karla Sierralta, Brian Strawn, and Cathi Ho Schar co-curated two days of conversations at the Hawai‘i Convention Center and the UHM School of Architecturefor the third iteration of Building Voices with thought leaders that culminated in a round table discussion gathering government agency representatives, designers, developers, and community partners to talk about the tools needed to advance the next generation of housing in Hawai‘i.

September 30-October 1, 2019

Honolulu Parking Day 2019

A digital/physical research platform and toolkit for community engagement designed for the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority as an output of the Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing project was deployed during Parking Day at SALT in Kaka‘ako.

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September 20, 2019

2019 AIA Honolulu Award

Plural Territories was awarded the 2019 AIA Honolulu Award - Honorable Mention, Unbuilt. A colorful array of quickly deployable constructs operate together as a public forum claiming public space without permission. Plural Territories reimagines the role of the architectural pavilion as a political agent.

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September 14, 2019

Hawai‘i Housing Lab’s Web App Launches with KPF UI

Plan Your Neighborhood was developed in collaboration with KPF Urban Interface and tailored for Hawai‘i’s unique environment for the Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing project. The web-based, urban design tool allows the public to explore thousands of metrics-based, design possibilities in real-time.

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August 2019

Allison Arieff Lecture: Density Done Right

Allison Arieff spotlights people, projects, ideas, and technologies that will help us get to density done right in Hawai‘i, as part of the 2019 Sakamaki Extraordinary Lecture Series. Strawn co-chairs the endowed lecture series and deploys a pop-up exhibit of her writing with the Outreach College at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.

Watch lecture here → Arieff NYT →
May 2, 2019

107th ACSA Annual Meeting: Black Box

Strawn Sierralta presents their peer-reviewed manifesto, “Architecture is Competition” at the 107th ACSA Annual Meeting in the “Competitions II” session, proposing architecture competitions as an equitable practice for public projects.

March 29, 2019

Carnegie Museum of Art

“Draw Story”, a pedagogical project featuring exemplary student work, is included in the “Drawing for the Design Imaginary” exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Art Music Hall Foyer and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh on the occasion of the 107th ACSA Annual Meeting: Black Box. Curated by Jeremy Ficca, Carnegie Mellon; Amy Kulper, RISD; Grace La, Harvard GSD.

March 23-30, 2019

35th National Conference on the Beginning Design Student

“Design Exchange: Space for Peace” paper included in the 35th NCBDS: Constructing Context, Situating Design in Denver, Colorado, presented a pedagogical project centered on exploring the potential of design to promote world peace.

March 15, 2019

Proof of Concept: Public - Public Partnerships at Work

Hawai‘i state senator, Donovan M. Dela Cruz leads panel discussion, “Proof of Concept: Public - Public Partnerships at Work”, at the Hawai‘i State Capitol. University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center Director, Dr. Randall Holcomb and Brian Strawn included in a panel discussion focused on collaborations between the university and state agencies on public interest design projects.

Project →
February 19, 2019

BVDC 2018 Winners announced by Honolulu Mayor

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, Karla Sierralta, and Brian Strawn present the “Building Voices 2018 Student Design Competition: Honolulu Connects” in conversation with winning entries at the Hawai‘i Convention Center during AIA Honolulu’s annual symposium.

November 14, 2018

Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum

Plural Territories featured in the “PLAY (things)” exhibit at the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum and UWM SARUP in Milwaukee, WI on the occasion of the ACSA Fall Conference: Play with the Rules.

Project →
October 18, 2018, through January 27, 2019

2018 ACSA Fall Conference: Play with the Rules

“Draw Story” paper included in the “Clue (-d in or out)” session, presents a framework for drawing as a method for research and critical thinking.

October 13, 2018

EPIC 2018: Evidence

The “P1CT Infusion Suite Mock-Up” project for he University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center was exhibited at the annual Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference held in Honolulu.

Project →
October 10-12, 2018

2018 Building Voices Student Design Competition

A student design competition, co-chaired by Karla Sierralta and Brian Strawn, aims to define new models of community connectivity from mauka to makai and marks the second iteration of Building Voices. This open call for the design of a new culture and performing arts corridor surrounding the city's oldest park is presented in partnership with AIAS Hawai‘i and the City and County of Honolulu.

September 13, 2018

AIA Honolulu Film Night

Following six short films by legendary designers Charles and Ray Eames, Strawn Sierralta discusses the Eames practice, legacy, and significance in a contemporary context, moderated by UHM SoA Dean Daniel Friedman.

August 15, 2018

Nanotourism Honolulu

A one-day symposium and two-week workshop explores the potential of design as an alternative to mass tourism in Hawai‘i from both local and global perspectives held at the Cooke Street Pop-up Studio in Kaka‘ako. The public symposium kicks off the two-week 2018 Architectural Association Nanotourism Visiting School co-curated by Karla Sierralta, Brian Strawn, Aljoša Dekleva, and Jakob Travnik.

July 6-20, 2018

ACSA “Play with the Rules” Design Competition Finalist

Plural Territories is one of nine finalists in the ACSA Play with the Rules: Large Pavilion Design Call. A scale model will be exhibited in Milwaukee during the annual ACSA Fall Conference.

Project →
June 2018

World Design Summit

The Design Framework for Hawaii’s Built Environment was presented under the “Design for Participation” theme at the  International Council of Design’s World Design Summit Congress at the Palais de Congres in Montreal, Canada. 

Story →
October 18, 2017

2017 ACSA Fall Conference: Crossing Between the Proximate and the Remote

“Global Vernacular” featuring Design Islands was presented during the “Boundary Crossing: Politics, Barriers + Landscapes” session at the 2017 ACSA Fall Conference: Crossings between the Proximate and the Remote in Marfa, Texas.

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October 14, 2017

2017 AIA Honolulu Design Award

Design Islands was awarded the 2017 AIA Honolulu Award - Honorable Mention, Institutional. Design Islands were commissioned for the inaugural Building Voices Festival organized by the University of Hawai‘i Community Design Center and the UHM SoA. The project was supported in part by the UHM School of Architecture Advancement Fund and Haigo and Irene Shen Architecture Gallery.

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September 16, 2017

Hawai‘i Business Magazine Cover Story

The “Vertical School” research project was featured in Hawaii Business Magazine’s September 2017 Issue in the article “Architects are planning Hawaii’s first vertical school, which might be as tall as 10 stories, in the middle of Kaka‘ako” by Brittany Lyte.

Article →
September 2017

Planning for Higher Education Journal

“Crafting and Innovation Landscape” co-authored by Brian Strawn and Shirley Dugdale, is published in the Planning for Higher Education Journal Volume 45 Number 2, January-March 2017, a publication of the Society for College and University Planning, an association of professionals devoted to planning at academic institutions.  

Article →
March 2017

Architects Advocate: Action on Climate Change

Strawn Sierralta join the “Architects Advocate” coalition to “pledge as architects dedicated to healthy and livable communities and guided by scientific consensus and reason, we advocate for action on Climate Change”.

Story →
August 2016

50 Designers, 50 Ideas, 50 Wards

Inside/Outside, a mobile skills-training platform and traveling stage for the Goodman Theater in collaboration with Susan Conger Austin, was featured in the “50 Designers, 50 Ideas, 50 Wards” exhibit by UrbanLab. The exhibit was on display at the Chicago Architecture Center in the atrium of the historic Santa Fe Building from May 2016 - January 2017.

May 2016

University of Chicago’s Place Lab & Chicago Architecture Biennial

Sierralta was invited to moderate the "Forms of Imagination: Intentions & Provocations in Design" discussion at Place Lab, part of the University of Chicago’s Arts + Public Life initiative directed by artist Theaster Gates, and partner program of the Inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial. 

Story →
October 3, 2015

National Geographic

National Geographic publishes "A Place of Remembrance: Official Book of the 9/11 Memorial” with an introduction by Michael R. Bloomberg and including Strawn Sierralta's award-winning design, Dual Memory.

Book → Project →
August 25, 2015

The Shining Maze Finalist

Strawn Sierralta’s Shining Maze was selected as 1 of 7 finalists from 329 entries to design a hedge maze for Colorado’s historic Stanley Hotel, inspired by Stanley Kubrick's movie, "The Shining".

Project →
February 2, 2015

Fast Company

Ski On Home on the cover of Fast Company's article about the "12 Of The Coolest Modern Houses You Can Rent On Airbnb”.

Article → Project →
May 5, 2014

Thrillist

Strawn Sierralta was invited to share their favorite Chicago spaces and places for the Thrillist article, “How architectural superstars Strawn and Sierralta see Chicago”.

Article →
September 12, 2013

Clog: Brutalism

Strawn Sierralta was invited to write about Future Prentice and Reconsidering an Icon for CLOG's "Brutalism" issue. CLOG is “is an international publication that critically explores one topic at a time from as many perspectives as possible.”

Article→ Project →
January 1, 2013

Chalets: Trendsetting Mountain Treasures

Swiss publisher Braun includes Strawn Sierralta’s Ski On Home in their compendium of modern and historic mountain residences.

Book → Project →
January 1, 2013

Chicago Architectural Club Co-Presidents: 2012 - 2014

Sierralta and Strawnserve as Co-presidents for the Chicago Architectural Club. Founded in 1885 as an architectural sketch club, the CAC operates as “an infrastructural framework and support platform for architects, artists and writers to discuss, challenge and enrich a dialogue among practitioners and scholars.”

Story →

ABC'S Nightline

Ski On Home featured in the "New American Dream: Rent, Not Own?", a story by Cynthia McFadden about the emerging "Sharing Economy" on ABC’s Nightline, including an interview with Airbnb CEO, Brian Chesky.

Article → Project →
July 26, 2012

Dwell

Ski On Home featured in the print edition of Dwell’s “Houses We Love”.

Article → Project →
April 2011

Utopia Forever: Visions of Architecture and Urbanism

Strawn Sierralta's Lake Effect, part of the History Channel's "City of the Future" project, is included in Gestalten's book focused on future-forward urban designs.

Book → Project →
March 16, 2011

Modern Mountain Home Award

Strawn Sierralta's Ski On Home wins Lake Tahoe's modern residence of the year.

Article → Project →
2011

IBM Engineering Innovation Award

Strawn Sierralta’s Lake Effect honored in a multi-city, invited, design competition, named the "City of the Future, hosted by the History Channel.

Story → Project →
November 17, 2006

University of Chicago Press

The University of Chicago Press publishes "Celebrating Freedom: 12151791" featuring Strawn Sierralta's award-winning sculpture, Freedom in Numbers.

Book → Project →
August 1, 2006

Architectural Record

Clifford A. Pearson, deputy editor of Architectural Record, spotlights Strawn Sierralta in "Chicago Moves On". Architectural Record dedicates an entire issue to the resurgence of the architectural scene in Chicago, with Pearson's opening article including Strawn Sierralta among the city's promising next generation.

Article →
May 2004

Architectural Record

Blair Kamin, contributing editor of Architectural Record, includes Strawn Sierralta in "Chicago Comes Back", highlighting the city's return as "America's architectural capital".

Article →
May 2004

Architectural Record

John Czarnecki, deputy editor of Architectural Record, profiles Strawn Sierralta in a collection of "Young Firms".

Article →
May 2004

Chicago Tribune

Blair Kamin, the Chicago Tribune's Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic, selects Strawn Sierralta for "Ones to Watch", a list of emerging young architects.

Article →
March 28, 2004

9/11 Memorial Competition Finalist

Strawn Sierralta’s Dual Memory selected as one of eight finalists in the largest architecture and design competition ever held.

Story → Project →
September, 2003