Karla Sierralta León, AIA, is a Venezuelan-American architect and educator. A native of Maracaibo, she earned her professional architecture degree from La Universidad del Zulia and an M.Arch from the University of Illinois at Chicago as a Fulbright-LASPAU grantee. Her hyphenated identity and experiences as part of the Venezuelan diaspora inform her work on cross-cultural translation, belonging, and culturally grounded design.
At the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa School of Architecture, she is an Associate Professor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Sierralta teaches studios and seminars that explore the process and agency of architectural design. She coordinates the first-year Design Fundamentals I studio and has led the Design Exchange: Peace Memorial program with the Nagaoka Institute of Design in Japan since 2017.
Before joining the faculty at UHM, Sierralta was a Studio Associate Professor at the College of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, where she curated foundational graduate studios and taught across the curriculum. She has also served on the faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Universidad Rafael Urdaneta, and La Universidad del Zulia.
Sierralta is a registered architect in Hawai‘i and Illinois. She has served on the AIA Honolulu Board of Directors, is a member of the UH Community Design Center start-up team, and was co-president of the Chicago Architectural Club. Most recently, she co-founded the Hawai‘i Housing Lab and played a key role in envisioning the UH Campus Design Lab.
karla@strawnsierralta.com
Brian Strawn is a user researcher and designer. Raised on his family’s working farm in mid-central Illinois, established in the 1830s, his upbringing fostered an enduring interest in land, systems, and the environment. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology, followed by a Master of Architecture, and later a Master of Design in User Research and Design Strategy from IIT’s Institute of Design (founded as the New Bauhaus). He is a registered architect in Illinois and Hawaiʻi, a member of the American Institute of Architects, and a former co-president of the Chicago Architectural Club.
At the University of Hawaiʻi, Strawn serves as the inaugural Director of the Office of Planning & Spatial Experience (OPSE), leading efforts to envision the physical and digital campus of the future. He also founded and directs the UH Campus Design Lab (CDL), which bridges academia and administration to advance design excellence and inclusive, place-based innovation across the ten-campus UH System. In previous roles at UH, he led public interest design projects for state agencies and nonprofits serving the people of Hawaiʻi as an independent Principal Investigator. At the School of Architecture, he was instrumental in shaping the early conceptual and strategic direction of the UH Community Design Center and led Research-Focused Design Studios across graduate and undergraduate programs.
Before joining UH, Strawn served as a Design Director at IA Collaborative, an innovation and design consultancy in Chicago, where he led multidisciplinary teams of user researchers, product designers, business strategists, and UI/UX and graphic designers for clients including Abbott, Godrej, Hyatt’s Andaz hotels, and FedEx. Earlier in his career, he trained at Vinci Hamp Architects in Chicago under John Vinci, FAIA, contributing to projects such as the renovation of a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Oak Park, an exhibition on Josef Hoffmann at the Neue Galerie New York, and work at Crab Tree Farm, a historic lakefront dairy farm reimagined as a museum of Arts and Crafts furniture and decorative arts.
Strawn’s work spans research and design engagements with institutions and organizations including Santa Clara University, Johns Hopkins University, the Chicago Loop Alliance, Hyatt, China Guardian, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
brian@strawnsierralta.com
Landscape Architecture Magazine, “Finding a Way to Cultural Reclamation,” December 2025
The Architect’s Newspaper, “Best of Design, Products, Practice: Best of 2024,” December 2024
Hana Hou Magazine, “College Orientation,” by Martha Cheng, February–March 2024
Fast Company Magazine, “Innovation by Design Awards,” September 2023
Hawai‘i Business Magazine, “Shaping Community Through Design Excellence,” September 2023
Graphic Design USA Magazine, “American Digital Design Awards,” June 2023
Fast Company Magazine, “World Changing Ideas: Honoring Native Heritage,” by Elissaveta M. Brandon, Spring 2023
The Wall Street Journal, “Chicago’s Marina City Towers Get Cast in the New Candyman,” by Alina Dizik, November 4, 2021
The Financial Times, “Beyond the Log Cabin: New Chalet Living,” by Ruth Bloomfield, October 14, 2021
Monkeypaw Productions / Universal Pictures, “Candyman [Film],” directed by Nia DaCosta, 2021
KITV4 Island News, “Building Voices: Housing for All and the Hawai‘i Housing Lab,” interview by Nicole Tam, October 1, 2019
Hawai‘i Business Magazine, “Higher Education: Architects Are Planning Hawai‘i’s First Vertical School,” by Brittany Lyte, September 2017
Oxford University Press, Commonplace Witnessing: Rhetorical Invention, Historical Remembrance and Public Culture, by Vivian Bradford, 2017
Dezeen, “Californian Ski Chalet by Strawn Sierralta Draws Inspiration from the Slopes,” by James Brillon, December 2017
Hawaii Public Radio (HPR), “Building Voices: Community Design Toolkit,” interview by Noe Tanigawa, April 18, 2017
KHON2 News, “Building Voices, Generating Ideas, Solutions for Hawai‘i’s Biggest Issues,” interview by Kristine Uyeno, April 18, 2017
Harvard University Press, Who Owns the Dead? The Science and Politics of Death at Ground Zero, by Jay Aronson, 2016
Little, Brown and Company, One World Trade Center: Biography of the Building, by Judith Dupré, 2016
Oxford University Press, Memorials to Shattered Myths: Vietnam to 9/11, by Harriet F. Senie, 2016
University of Massachusetts Press, The Stages of Memory: Reflections on Memorial Art, Loss, and the Spaces Between, by James E. Young, 2016
National Geographic Society, A Place of Remembrance, by Allison Blais and Lynn Rasic, 2015
ABC Nightline, “New American Dream – Rent or Own?,” ABC News, July 26, 2012
Chicago Magazine, “Where to Go – Now!,” by E. Glusac and Nina Kokotas, January 2012
Dwell Magazine, “Houses We Love,” by Sam Graw, April 2011
Tahoe Quarterly Magazine, “Go Big, Then Go Home,” by Vangela Wightman, Spring 2011
Architectural Record, “The Rebirth of the World Trade Center (and New York),” by Gregory Wessner, September 2011
The History Channel, “Engineering an Empire: The City of the Future,” January 22, 2007
Cornell University Press, Communities of Memory: On Witness, Identity, and Justice, by W. James Booth, 2006
Indiana University Press, Religion, Violence, Memory, and Place, by Oren Stier and J. Shawn Landres, 2006
University of Chicago Press, Celebrating Freedom: 12151791, by James Yood, 2006
NPR – WBEZ Chicago, “Lake Effect Proposal,” interview, November 24, 2006
Architect Magazine, “City of the Future,” by Edward Keegan, February 2007
Chicago Sun-Times, “Building the Future,” by Kevin Nance, December 31, 2006
Russell Sage Foundation, Contentious City: The Politics of Recovery in New York City, by John Mollenkopf, 2005
Random House Trade Paperbacks, Up from Zero: Politics, Architecture, and the Rebuilding of New York, by Paul Goldberger, 2005
Chicago Tribune, “Finalists Named for Sculpture at Tribune Tower Museum,” by Charles Storch, April 1, 2005
Architectural Record / Rizzoli, Imagining Ground Zero: The Official and Unofficial Proposals for the World Trade Center Site, 2004
Competitions Magazine, “A Green Sanctuary in the Industrial Heartland,” by Stanley Collyer, Fall 2004
Chicago Tribune, “Camping Shelter Made of Old Pipes Wins Competition,” by Blair Kamin, September 14, 2004
Architectural Record, “Chicago Comes Back,” by Blair Kamin, May 2004
Architectural Record, “Young Firms Bring a Breath of Fresh Air to the Windy City,” by John Czarnecki, May 2004
Architectural Record, “Chicago Moves On,” by Clifford Pearson, May 2004
Chicago Tribune, “Ones to Watch,” by Blair Kamin, March 28, 2004
Chicago Tribune, “Environmental Center Site Finalists Named,” by Blair Kamin, February 24, 2004
Chicago Magazine, “Eight Notes for January,” by Jennifer Tanaka, January 2004
Planeta FM (Caracas), interview by Jonathan Reveron, January 13, 2004
Circuito Unión Radio (Caracas), interview by Eli Bravo, January 12, 2004
Architectural Record, “World Trade Center Memorial Finalist Designs,” December 2003
Newsweek, “World Trade Center Memorial: How Should We Remember?,” by Cathleen McGuigan, December 2003
Architecture Magazine, “WTC Memorial Competition Finalists Selected,” by Abby Bussel, December 2003
NY1, “World Trade Center Memorial Site Finalists Announced,” November 20, 2003
Architectural Lighting, “Eight Finalists Selected,” November–December 2003
The New York Times, “Eight Designs Confront Mini Agendas at Ground Zero,” by Glen Collins, November 20, 2003
The New York Times, “Designs Are Shimmering Elegies in Light, Water and Glass,” by David Dunlap, November 20, 2003
The New York Times, “A Voice of Simplicity Cries to Be Heard,” by Herbert Muschamp, November 20, 2003
The New York Times, “From Around the World, Artists and Architects Who Rose to a Challenge,” by Ben Sisario, November 20, 2003
Chicago Tribune, “9/11 Memorial Finalists,” by Kirsten Scharnberg, November 20, 2003
USA Today, “Eight World Trade Center Designs Make Final Cut,” by Martha Moore, November 20, 2003
Chicago Sun-Times, “Eight Design Finalists Chosen for Memorial at WTC Site,” by Amy Westfeld, November 20, 2003
The Wall Street Journal, “Watch This Space: 8 Proposals for Memorial for WTC Site Unveiled,” by Alex Frangos, November 19, 2003
2024 The European Centre, Athens, Greece. “Good Design Show” installation. March 15 - May 12, 2024.
2024 Center for Architecture, Honolulu, HI, “Faces of Architecture,” curated by the AIA Honolulu EDI Committee, October 7 – November 29, 2024.
2024 John W. Olver Design Building Gallery, University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA, “Make Space for Mentoring,” curated by Carey Clouse and Caryn Brause, February 26 – March 8, 2024.
2019 SALT in Kaka’ako, Honolulu, HI. “Parking Day” installation. September 20, 2019.
2019 Carnegie Museum of Art Music Hall Foyer and Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA. “Drawing for the Design Imaginary” exhibit. March 23-30, 2019.
2018 Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum and UWM SARUP, Milwaukee, WI. “PLAY (things)” exhibit. October, 18, 2018 - Jan 27, 2019.
2017 Hawaiʻi Convention Center, Honolulu, HI. ”Polynesian Voyaging Society Hōkūleʻa Welcome Gala” installation. June 20, 2017.
2017 Hawaiʻi State Capitol, Honolulu, HI. “Building Voices Design Festival” installation. April 22, 2017.
2016 Chicago Architecture Center, Chicago, IL. “50 Designers, 50 Ideas, 50 Wards” exhibit. May 24, 2016 - January 2017. Inside / Out (with Susan Conger-Austin)
2015 Chicago Architecture Biennial at Chicago Architecture Center, Chicago, IL. “Currencies of Architecture” exhibit, September 30 - December 04, 2015. Come to the Table (with Carlo Parente)
2013 Chicago Architecture Center, Chicago, IL. “The 2013 Burnham Prize Competition” exhibit, June 6 - 28, 2013.
2012 Chicago Architecture Center, Chicago, IL. “Reconsidering an Icon” exhibit, November 6, 20 - March 28, 2013.
2012 IIT Institute of Design, Chicago, IL. “75th Anniversary Celebration” installation, May 11-23, 2012. Concept Loop (with Martin Thaler)
2011 Centro de Bellas Artes, Maracaibo, Venezuela. “SUB40, Arquitectura Emergente en Venezuela” exhibit, February 24-25, 2011. Ski-On Home
2007 Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL. “City of the Future” exhibit, June 7 - October 10, 2007. Lake Effect
2007 Acme Art Works Gallery, Chicago, IL. “Envisioning the Bloomingdale Line” exhibit, May 18 - June 3, 2007. ArtLine Chicago
2006 The History Channel at Chicago Architecture Center, Chicago, IL. “City of the Future Competition” Installation, November 17, 2006. Lake Effect
2006 Chicago Cultural Center and Chicago Center for Green Technology, Chicago, IL. “Water Tanks: The Chicago Prize Competition” exhibit, November - January 29, 2006.
2005 Chicago Architecture Center, Chicago, IL. “Public Process for Public Architecture” exhibit, January 2005 - May 2006. Dual Memory and Freedom by Numbers
2005 Chicago Tribune Tower, Chicago, IL. “McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum Sculpture Competition Finalists” exhibit, June 2005. Freedom by Numbers
2005 Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke, VA. “C2C Cradle to Cradle Homes Competition'' exhibit, January - March 2005.
2005 Pavillon de L’Arsenal, Paris, France. “454 projects for Paris 2012” exhibit, December 7 - February 13, 2005.
2004 HDTS High Desert Test Sites 4, Joshua Tree, CA. “Ecoshack Green Tents” exhibit, October 23-24, 2004.
2004 gardenLAb experiment at Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA. “Ecoshack Green Tents” exhibit, September 7 - October 16, 2004.
2004 Chicago Architecture Center, Chicago, IL. “Big & Green Chicago” exhibit, June 1 - September 12, 2004.
2004 Graham Foundation, Chicago, IL. “WTC Memorial Competition Chicago Entries” pop-up exhibit of Dual Memory accompanied by other Chicago entries, February 24, 2004.
2003 World Financial Center, New York, NY. “WTC Site Memorial Competition Finalists” exhibit, November 20 - December 6, 2003.

Strawn Sierralta

Karla Sierralta and Brian Strawn operate as Strawn Sierralta at the intersection of architecture and user research.

Situated in Hawaiʻi since 2017, their work treats architecture as a proposition to be tested across formats and scales—through the design of both spaces and the systems that enable them. Their projects are realized through complementary roles in academia, leadership, and practice. In addition to discrete projects, the work is advanced through academically and institutionally embedded labs—including the Campus Design Lab and the Hawaiʻi Housing Lab—that operate as focused platforms for generating, testing, and implementing ideas.

Since their earliest collaborations in 2003, the work has explored memory, belonging, public space, and the hidden histories and futures of place. Projects investigate spatial typologies, civic narratives, and environmental conditions through a holistic lens—from buildings to artifacts, and from frameworks to platforms—across both tangible and intangible realms. Outputs extend beyond traditional structures to include prototypes, mock-ups, exhibitions, and toolkits that function as instruments for experimentation.

Currently, Strawn directs the Campus Design Lab, an initiative of the UH Office of Planning & Spatial Experience, while Sierralta leads Strawn Sierralta’s private commissions and the Hawaiʻi Housing Lab. This site documents their ongoing investigations, body of work, and evolving lineage of ideas.

Strawn Sierralta’s work has been recognized locally, nationally, and internationally for innovation, social impact, and design excellence, with honors from the AIA, ACSA, Fast Company, Good Design, SEGD, The Architect’s Newspaper, and others.

Karla was born and raised in Maracaibo, on the Caribbean coast of Venezuela. She earned an architecture degree with honors from La Universidad del Zulia and completed her MArch from the University of Illinois at Chicago as a Fulbright-Laspau grantee. Her hyphenated identity and experiences as a first-generation immigrant and member of the Venezuelan diaspora, fuel her explorations on cross-cultural translations, redefining fundamentals, and democracy in design. Karla is a registered architect in Hawai'i, Illinois, and Venezuela and a member of the American Institute of Architects. She has served on the AIA Honolulu Board of Directors and as co-president of the Chicago Architectural Club.
At the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Karla is an associate professor with tenure at the School of Architecture, where she serves as the director of undergraduate studies, coordinates the Design Fundamentals Studio, and teaches advanced courses that explore the process and agency of design through analytical drawing and architectural production. Karla also teaches design studios on Holistic Housing and leads the Spaces for Peace design exchange between UH and the Nagaoka Institute of Design in Japan. In 2020, she was honored with the UHM Presidential Citation for Meritorious Teaching. Karla is a Principal Investigator and member of the start-up team at the University of Hawai'i Community Design Center, where she conducts public-interest design research projects serving the citizens of Hawai'i.
Since 2003, Karla has co-authored creative projects, productions, collaborations, and calls for action with Brian Strawn. This partnership was ignited by a proposal for the 9/11 Memorial in New York, which was selected as one of eight finalists amongst 5,201 entries in what turned out to be the largest architecture competition ever held. Sierralta and Strawn's work responds to the layered complexities and responsibilities of design, focusing on reimagining spatial typologies and architectural artifacts as catalysts for expanding understanding. Their work has been recognized nationally and internationally, including honors and awards from AIA, ACSA, IIDA, Graphic Design USA, Fast Company, and SEGD. Brian and Karla's independent and collaborative efforts continue to inform the Strawn Sierralta body of work, lineage of ideas, and way of thinking.
Before joining the faculty at UHM, Karla was a Studio Associate Professor at the College of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, where she was curator of foundational graduate studios and taught across the graduate and undergraduate curriculum. She has also served on the faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Universidad Rafael Urdaneta, and La Universidad del Zulia.
karla@strawnsierralta.com
Brian grew up on his family's farm in Mid-Central Illinois, established in the 1830s. His agricultural and rural upbringing sparked his interest in the environment, leading him to pursue a BA in Zoology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and a Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Seeking to expand beyond the traditional boundaries of architectural practice, Brian earned a Master of Design with a focus on design strategy and user research from IIT's Institute of Design, founded as The New Bauhaus by László Moholy-Nagy. Brian is a registered architect in Illinois and Hawai'i, is a member of the American Institute of Architects, and served as co-president of the Chicago Architectural Club.
At the University of Hawaiʻi, Brian is the inaugural Director of the Office of Planning and Spatial Experience, where he leads efforts centered on imagining the physical and digital realms of the campus of the future. In his previous roles at UH, Brian led public interest design projects for multiple state agencies and nonprofits serving the citizens of Hawai'i and taught research-focused design studios at the School of Architecture, where he served as a Principal Investigator, Lecturer, and key member of the start-up team at the University of Hawai'i Community Design Center.
Since 2003, Brian has co-authored creative projects, productions, collaborations, and calls for action with Karla Sierralta. This partnership was ignited by a proposal for the 9/11 Memorial in New York, which was selected as one of eight finalists amongst 5,201 entries in what turned out to be the largest architecture competition ever held. Sierralta and Strawn's work responds to the layered complexities and responsibilities of design, focusing on reimagining spatial typologies and architectural artifacts as catalysts for expanding understanding. Their work has been recognized nationally and internationally, including honors and awards from AIA, ACSA, IIDA, Graphic Design USA, Fast Company, and SEGD. Brian and Karla's independent and collaborative efforts continue to inform the Strawn Sierralta body of work, lineage of ideas, and way of thinking.
Before joining UH, Brian served as a Design Director at IA Collaborative, an innovation and design consultancy in Chicago, where he led multidisciplinary teams composed of user researchers, product designers, business strategists, UI/UX and graphic designers on projects for clients that included Abbott, Godrej, Hyatt's Andaz boutique hotels, and FedEx. As a young architectural designer, Brian trained at Vinci Hamp Architects in Chicago under John Vinci, FAIA, where he worked on the renovation of a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Oak Park, an expansive exhibit on Josef Hoffmann’s work at the Neue Galerie in New York, and various projects at Crab Tree Farm, a 19th-century, lakefront, dairy farm reimagined as a Museum of Arts and Crafts furniture and decorative arts in Lake Bluff.
Brian's diverse skill set has led to his engagement on a wide range of projects, including research and creative work for Santa Clara University, Johns Hopkins, Chicago Loop Alliance, Hyatt, China Guardian, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
brian@strawnsierralta.com
The Wall Street Journal, “Chicago’s Marina City Towers Get Cast in the New Candyman” by Alina Dizik, November 4, 2021
The Financial Times, “Beyond the Log Cabin: New Chalet Living” by Ruth Bloomfield, October 14, 2021
Monkeypaw Productions, Bron Studios, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Universal Pictures and BRON Creative. “Candyman [Film]” by Nia Da Costa, 2021
KITV4 Island News for ABC, Good Morning Hawai‘i. “Building Voices: Housing for All and the Hawai‘i Housing Lab”, Interview by Nicole Tam, October 1, 2019
Hawai‘i Business Magazine, “Higher Education: Architects are planning Hawai‘i’s first vertical school, which might be as tall as 10 stories, in the middle of Kaka‘ako” by Brittany Lyte, September, 2017
Oxford University Press. Commonplace Witnessing, Rhetorical Invention, Historical Remembrance and Public Culture by Vivian Bradford, 2017
Dezeen, “Californian ski chalet by Strawn+Sierralta draws inspiration from the slopes”, by James Brillon, December 2017
Hawaii Public Radio. “Building Voices: Community Design Toolkit.” Interview by Noe Tanigawa, April 18, 2017
Khon2 News. “Building Voices, Generating Ideas, Solutions for Hawaii’s Biggest Issues.”, Interview by Kristine Uyeno, April 18, 2017
Harvard University Press. Who Owns the Dead? The Science and Politics of Death at Ground Zero by Jay Aronson, 2016
Little Brown and Company. One World Trade Center: Biography of the Building by Judith Dupre, 2016
Oxford University Press. Memorials to Shattered Myths: Vietnam to 9/11 by Harriet F. Senie, 2016
University of Massachusetts Press. The Stages of Memory, Reflections on Memorial Art, Loss and the Spaces Between by James E. Young, 2016
National Geographic Society. A Place of Remembrance, Official Book of the National September 11 Memorial by Allison Blais and Rasic Lynn. Foreword by Michael R. Bloomberg, 2015
ABC’s Nightline, “New American Dream-Rent or Own?”, ABC News, July 26, 2012
Chicago Magazine, “Where to go - Now!.” by E. Glusac and Nina Kokotas, January 2012
Dwell Magazine, “Houses We Love”, by Sam Graw. Volume 11, no.5, April 2011
Tahoe Quarterly Magazine. “Go Big, Then Go Home.” 8th Annual Mountain Home Awards, by Vangela Wightman, Spring 2011 (cover).
Architectural Record. “The Rebirth of the World Trade Center (and New York).” by Gregory Wessner, September 2011
The History Channel, Engineering an Empire “The City of the Future, A Design and Engineering Challenge”, January 22, 2007
Cornell University Press. Communities of Memory: On Witness, Identity, and Justice by W. James Booth, 2006
Indiana University Press. Religion, Violence, Memory, and Place by Oren Stier, J. Shawn Landres, 2006
University of Chicago Press. Celebrating Freedom:12151791, McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum by Yood, James, 2006
National Public Radio – Eight Forty-Eight, WBEZ Chicago, “Lake Effect Proposal”, 9:00 p.m. Nov. 24, 2006
Architect Magazine, “City of the Future” by Edward Keegan, February, 2007
Chicago Sun Times, “Building the Future” by Kevin Nance, December 31, 2006
The Russel Sage Foundation. Contentious City: The Politics of Recovery in New York City by John Mollenkopf, 2005
Random House Trade Paperbacks. Up from Zero: Politics, Architecture, and the Rebuilding of New York by Paul Goldberger, 2005
Chicago Tribune, “Finalists Named for Sculpture at Tribune Tower Museum.” by Charles Storch, April 01, 2005
Architectural Record, Rizzoli. Imagining Ground Zero: The Official and Unofficial Proposals for the World Trade Center Site by Suzanne Stephens, Ian Luna, Ron Broadhurst, Robert Adams Ivy, Jr., 2004
Competitions Magazine, “A Green Sanctuary in the Industrial Heartland.” by Stanley Collyer, Fall 2004
Chicago Tribune, “Camping Shelter Made of Old Pipes Wins Competition.” by Blair Kamin, September, 14, 2004
Architectural Record, “Chicago Comes Back.” by Kamin, Blair, May 2004
Architectural Record, “Young Firms Bring a Breath of Fresh Air to the Windy City.” by John Czarnecki, May 2004
Architectural Record, “Chicago Moves On.” by Pearson, Clifford, May 2004
Chicago Tribune, “Ones to Watch.”, Blair Kamin, March 28, 2004
Chicago Tribune, “Environmental Center Site Finalists Named.”, by Blair Kamin, February 24, 2004
Chicago Magazine, “Eight Notes for January.”, by Jennifer Tanak, January 2004
Planeta FM, Caracas, Venezuela, Interview by Jonathan Reveron, January 13, 2004
Circuito Union Radio, Caracas, Venezuela, Interview by Eli Bravo, January 12, 2004
Architectural Record, “World Trade Center Memorial Finalist Designs”, by Sam Lubell, Sam, December, 2003
Newsweek, “World Trade Center Memorial: How Should We Remember ?”, by Cathleen McGuigan, December 2003
Architecture Magazine, “WTC Memorial Competition Finalists Selected”, Abby Bussel, December 2003
Time Warner Cable, News NY1 “World Trade Center Memorial Site Finalists Announced”, November 20, 2003
Architectural Lighting, “Editor’s Note”, “Eight Finalists Selected.”, Emilie Sommerhoff, Elizabeth Donoff, Nov.- Dec. 2003
The New York Times, “Eight Designs Confront Mini Agendas at Ground Zero.”, Glen Collins, Nov. 20, 2003
The New York Times, “Designs Are Shimmering Elegies in Light, Water and Glass.”, “Presenting Several Versions of the Shape of Grief and Recollection.”, David Dunlap, Nov. 20, 2003
The New York Times, “A Voice of Simplicity Cries to be Heard.”, Herbert Muschamp, Nov. 20, 2003
The New York Times, “From Around the World, Artists and Architects who Rose to a Challenge.” Ben Sisario, Nov. 20, 2003
Chicago Tribune, “9/11 Memorial Finalists.”, Kirsten Scharnberg, Nov. 20, 2003
USA Today, “Eight World Trade Center Designs Make Final Cut.” by Martha Moore, Nov. 20, 2003
Chicago Sun Times, “8 Design Finalists Chosen For Memorial at WTC Site.”, Amy Westfeld, Nov. 20, 2003
The Wall Street Journal, “Watch this space: 8 Proposals for Memorial for WTC Site Unveiled.”, Alex Frangos, Nov. 19, 2003
2024 The European Centre, Athens, Greece. “Good Design Show” installation. March 15 - May 12, 2024. Beyond Wayfinding
2019 SALT in Kaka’ako, Honolulu, HI. “Parking Day” installation. September 20, 2019. Lawn Loungers
2019 Carnegie Museum of Art Music Hall Foyer and Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA. “Drawing for the Design Imaginary” exhibit. March 23-30, 2019. Draw Story
2018 Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum and UWM SARUP, Milwaukee, WI. “PLAY (things)” exhibit. October, 18, 2018 - Jan 27, 2019. Plural Territories
2017 Hawaiʻi Convention Center, Honolulu, HI. ”Polynesian Voyaging Society Hōkūleʻa Welcome Gala” installation. June 20, 2017. Design Islands
2017 Hawaiʻi State Capitol, Honolulu, HI. “Building Voices Design Festival” installation. April 22, 2017. Design Islands
2016 Chicago Architecture Center, Chicago, IL. “50 Designers, 50 Ideas, 50 Wards” exhibit. May 24, 2016 - January 2017. Inside / Out (with Susan Conger-Austin)
2015 Chicago Architecture Biennial at Chicago Architecture Center, Chicago, IL. “Currencies of Architecture” exhibit, September 30 - December 04, 2015. Come to the Table (with Carlo Parente)
2013 Chicago Architecture Center, Chicago, IL. “The 2013 Burnham Prize Competition” exhibit, June 6 - 28, 2013. Next Stop
2012 Chicago Architecture Center, Chicago, IL. “Reconsidering an Icon” exhibit, November 6, 20 - March 28, 2013. Future Prentice
2012 IIT Institute of Design, Chicago, IL. “75th Anniversary Celebration” installation, May 11-23, 2012. Concept Loop (with Martin Thaler)
2011 Centro de Bellas Artes, Maracaibo, Venezuela. “SUB40, Arquitectura Emergente en Venezuela” exhibit, February 24-25, 2011. Ski-On Home
2007 Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL. “City of the Future” exhibit, June 7 - October 10, 2007. Lake Effect
2007 Acme Art Works Gallery, Chicago, IL. “Envisioning the Bloomingdale Line” exhibit, May 18 - June 3, 2007. ArtLine Chicago
2006 The History Channel at Chicago Architecture Center, Chicago, IL. “City of the Future Competition” Installation, November 17, 2006. Lake Effect
2006 Chicago Cultural Center and Chicago Center for Green Technology, Chicago, IL. “Water Tanks: The Chicago Prize Competition” exhibit, November - January 29, 2006. City Hive
2005 Chicago Architecture Center, Chicago, IL. “Public Process for Public Architecture” exhibit, January 2005 - May 2006. Dual Memory and Freedom by Numbers
2005 Chicago Tribune Tower, Chicago, IL. “McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum Sculpture Competition Finalists” exhibit, June 2005. Freedom by Numbers
2005 Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke, VA. “C2C Cradle to Cradle Homes Competition'' exhibit, January - March 2005. Filtering Patterns
2005 Pavillon de L’Arsenal, Paris, France. “454 projects for Paris 2012” exhibit, December 7 - February 13, 2005. Field of Play
2004 HDTS High Desert Test Sites 4, Joshua Tree, CA. “Ecoshack Green Tents” exhibit, October 23-24, 2004. Endemic Synthetic
2004 gardenLAb experiment at Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA. “Ecoshack Green Tents” exhibit, September 7 - October 16, 2004. Endemic Synthetic
2004 Chicago Architecture Center, Chicago, IL. “Big & Green Chicago” exhibit, June 1 - September 12, 2004. Ecology of Foreign Objects
2004 Graham Foundation, Chicago, IL. “WTC Memorial Competition Chicago Entries” pop-up exhibit of Dual Memory accompanied by other Chicago entries, February 24, 2004. Dual Memory
2003 World Financial Center, New York, NY. “WTC Site Memorial Competition Finalists” exhibit, November 20 - December 6, 2003. Dual Memory

PROJECT AWARDS

2026 ACSA Architectural Education Award, Collaborative Practice
Beyond Wayfinding

2025 Architizer Vision Awards, Finalist
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Campus

2025 ACSA Architectural Education Award, Diversity Achievement
Expanding Understanding Framework

2025 IIDA Hawai‘i Pacific Chapter Ho‘ohuli Award, Maker Award
Design Loops

2024 The Architects Newspaper Best of Design Award, Unbuilt-Education Winner
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Campus

2024 Fast Company Innovation by Design Award, Honorable Mention-Social Justice
Holistic Housing Design Toolkit

2024 ACSA Architectural Education Award, Collaborative Practice
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Campus

2023 Good Design Award, Installation Category
Beyond Wayfinding

2023 SEGD Global Design Awards, Wayfinding-Honor, Category Winner
Beyond Wayfinding

2023 Fast Company Innovation by Design Award, Finalist-Social Justice
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Campus

2023 AIA Honolulu Award of Excellence, Unbuilt Category
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Campus

2023 AIA Honolulu Distinctive Detail Award
Beyond Wayfinding

2023 Graphic Design USA American Digital Award
Beyond Wayfinding

2023 Fast Company World Changing Ideas Award, Art & Design Winner
Beyond Wayfinding

2022 ACSA Architectural Education Award, Collaborative Practice
Future of Hawai‘i’s Housing

2020 AIA Honolulu Design Award, Honorable Mention, Institutional
Lawn Loungers

2020 AIA Honolulu Distinctive Detail Award
P1CT Suite

2019 IIDA Hawai‘i Pacific Chapter Ho‘ohuli Award, Maker Award
A-Frames

2019 AIA Honolulu Design Award, Honorable Mention, Unbuilt
Plural Territories

2018 ACSA Play with the Rules: Large Pavilion, Finalist
Plural Territories

2017 AIA Honolulu Design Award, Honorable Mention Institutional
Design Islands

2015 The Shining Maze Competition, Honorable & Special Mentions
End Scene

2011 Tahoe Quarterly Modern Mountain Home Award
Ski On Home

2007 Chicago Architectural Club Emerging Visions Award

2006 IBM Engineering Innovation Award, History Channel’s City of the Future
Lake Effect

2006 Global Green USA Sustainable Housing Competition, Citation
House Made of Cups

2006 McCormick Tribune Foundation Sculpture Competition, Finalist
Freedom in Numbers

2004 Ford Calumet Environmental Center Competition, Finalist
Ecology of Foreign Objects

2004 Ecoshack Green Tent Design Competition, First Place
Endemic Synthetic

2004 Paris Olympic Landmark Competition, Notable Entry
Field of Play

2003 World Trade Center Memorial Competition, Finalist
Dual Memory