Alicia Berg, AICP, assistant vice president for campus planning + sustainability was recently appointed to the 2019 AIA Institute Honor Awards for Architecture Jury. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) was founded in 1857 as the professional association for architects. Berg attributed her selection for this prestigious role to her University of Chicago affiliation and her extensive planning and design review experience. The projects which Berg and the other jurors select will be featured on the AIA website January 2019 and honored at the annual AIA conference in Las Vegas June 2019.
Berg joined the University of Chicago, Facilities Services in 2015. Working in collaboration with numerous departments across campus, she has been instrumental in planning the integration of new development on Campus South and for completing the University’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan. She was nominated for the 2019 AIA Institute Honor Awards for Architecture Jury by an awards task force which serves the AIA President.
“This honor is really exciting, and I am learning a great deal from the applications; they are exposing me to the latest in cutting-edge sustainability solutions to consider what might make sense to explore for implementing on our campus,” Berg shared.
This year’s jury reviewed over 300 applications for the awards – a task which required a huge time commitment for the six-week evaluation period. Berg explained, “I view 10-20 slides for each application to evaluate design intent, client requirements, and sustainability (energy, materials, and water management).”
Preliminary evaluations were completed virtually so jurors did not communicate until they met in Washington, D.C. in late September. When they convened, the jurors culled the applications to a select few that will receive site visits. A second round of virtual deliberations is scheduled in November.
The University has received eleven AIA Chicago Chapter Awards between 1960 and 2014. Berg reviewed the list of past recipients and noted proudly, “We have engaged AIA Honor Awarded architects such as Murphy/Jahn, architect for Mansueto Library, and Edward Durrell Stone, architect for New Grad Residence Hall the building which is now Keller Center.”
According to the AIA website, the chosen projects “show the world the range of outstanding work architects create and highlight the many ways buildings and spaces can improve our lives.” Design teams representing each winning project will be honored at the AIA conference in Las Vegas in June 2019.