AIA Chicago Announces 2019 Firm Award and Dubin Family Young Architect Recipients
11.01.2019
AIA Chicago announces the recipients of the 2019 Firm Award and Dubin Family Young Architect Awards
In an annual tradition of recognizing excellence in the architecture profession, AIA Chicago will award the 2019 Firm Award to Brininstool + Lynch.
The AIA Chicago Firm Award was established in 1991 to recognize outstanding achievements and excellence in the body of work produced by a firm over a period of time, and the ongoing contributions of the firm to the advancement of the architectural profession.
For thirty years, Brininstool + Lynch has distinguished itself through buildings and interiors whose beauty lies in their restraint: spare, smart structures that manipulate light, space, and a simple material palette to create architecture of unusual grace.
The work is firmly rooted in the proud architectural legacy of Chicago, unabashedly celebrating its kinship with the rigorous modernism of Mies van der Rohe, as well as its sympathy for Frank Lloyd Wright’s marriage of building and landscape. And, in the pragmatic Chicago tradition, Brininstool + Lynch is a firm whose work is as much driven by process as it is by product. The result is architecture that is as enduring and timeless as it is graceful and powerful.
The award jury was impressed with elements throughout the firm’s submission, from design excellence to civic engagement.
“Their projects are expertly detailed and compelling, but their firm culture is just as striking,” said one juror. “They are highly awarded, highly published, and active as jurors, lecturers, and professors.”
Added another juror, “They have demonstrated a commitment to giving back to the community through excellent pro bono work, while also taking real strides in advancing diversity within their firm as well as the overall profession.”
The firm has completed a wide range of projects, including lauded single-family homes (their Wood House in Chicago has won multiple AIA Chicago Design Excellence Awards), as well as mid-sized office spaces and large towers around the world. Notable local projects include Basecamp’s Chicago office, architectural photographer Christopher Barrett’s photo studio, and the 710 West Grand multifamily apartments in River West.
“We began this firm as Chicago-based architects, and while we practice internationally, being part of the legacy of this city’s architectural history is profoundly meaningful to us,” said David Brininstool, AIA, co-founder and principal of Brininstool + Lynch.
(Above: Brininstool + Lynch employees at their 30th-anniversary celebration, held this year)
Dubin Family Young Architect Award
AIA Chicago also announces that Jennifer Park, AIA, will receive the 2019 Dubin Family Young Architect Award. Established in 1983 and administered by the AIA Chicago Foundation, the award recognizes excellence in ability and exceptional contributions by Chicago area architects between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-nine OR licensed 10 years or fewer. Thanks to the generosity of the late M. David Dubin, FAIA, his family and friends, this award has been endowed with a cash prize. The award is juried by the AIA Chicago Foundation.
Park (left) is principal of Brininstool + Lynch. Previously the Founder and Principal of Jurassic Studio, she has completed acclaimed academic, commercial, residential and retail projects through practices in New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City and Chicago. Her design explorations query the relevance of patterns, ornamentation and composition in contemporary architecture. Park is also a Visiting Assistant Professor at Illinois Institute of Technology teaching architecture studio courses.
“Jennifer is very well-accomplished and has quite a diverse background—designer, professor, business person, and professional leader,” said one juror. “She successfully charted a professional path that integrates practice with teaching and leadership within the profession.”
“I’m honored to be awarded this year’s Dubin Family Young Architect Award,” Park stated. “For me this award goes beyond professional achievement by recognizing the expanded field of architecture in teaching and mentorship, and the importance of diversity and equity in our practice.”
Brininstool + Lynch and Jennifer Park will be recognized at AIA Chicago’s 2019 Annual Meeting and Holiday Party on December 3, 2019 at the Chicago Cultural Center.
