Two 2020 graduates, Robin King and Jansen Van Grinsven received awards at the 2020 Chicago Award in Architecture student competition. Robin and Jansen competed with 25 other student submissions from five school: Illinois Institute of Technology, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and UWM.

Robin received an award for her thesis, “Intentional Community for Riverwest: Patterns for Resiliency,” supervised by Associate Professor Brian Schermer. The Riverwest neighborhood of Milwaukee is just west of the UWM campus and known for its innovative, grassroots community development activity. Robin’s plan for an intentional community draws upon existing models of successful intentional communities, focusing on achieving a sustainable triple bottom line, producing benefits for people, planet, and profit. Her site-specific proposes a resilient community that encourages social connectivity, supports urban development through commercial and live/work spaces, and responds to rainwater mitigation and filtration. View images of Robin’s award-winning project on Instagram.

Jansen’s award-winning thesis, entitled “పరము (TRUST)” was chaired by Associate Professor Kyle Talbott. Jansen designed a medical center for Akkireddigudem, India that adopts a patient-centered approach that places the patient experience at the forefront. The title, “Trust,” recognizes the need for medical facilities in India to build a sense of trust among the residents of surrounding villages. View images of Jansen’s award-winning project on Instagram.

Each will receive a $300 cash award and will be recognized at the AIA Chicago annual meeting and holiday party in December. Congratulations on continuing a long-standing SARUP record of success in the annual Chicago Awards.

Robin King – Chicago Award Winner 2020

Jansen Van Grinsven – Chicago Award Winner 2020