Iowa architectural firm wins AIA's top award

Newton Road parking and chilled-water facility, University of Iowa, Iowa City

November 30, 2000
Web posted at: 6:44 p.m. EST (2344 GMT)

(CNN) -- The American Institute of Architects honored a Des Moines, Iowa, firm Thursday with its highest award, for doing "a common thing uncommonly well" and influencing the quality of architecture in the Midwest.

Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck Architecture was chosen for the 2001 AIA Architecture Firm Award by the professional organization's national board of directors.

The award will be presented at the 2001 Accent on Architecture ceremony on February 16 in Washington, D.C.

The practice was honored for producing consistently distinguished architecture for at least 10 years.

Previous recipients include I.M. Pei & Partners (now Pei, Cobb, Free & Partners), of New York; Cesar Pelli & Associates, New Haven, Connecticut; Skidmore Owings and Merrill, Chicago, Illinois; and Gensler, San Francisco, California, the 2000 winner.

"This is unbelievable," said Kirk V. Blunck, when notified by AIA President Ronald L. Skaggs that his firm had won.

Kautz Plaza, University of Iowa, Iowa City

"We're going to continue to do our best to represent Iowa's architects and the architects in the Midwest -- many of whom are as hard-working as we are," Blunck added.

In nominating the firm, architects Timothy Cahill and Katherine Schwennsen wrote, in part: "Their stated goal to do a common thing uncommonly well has struck a resonant chord in this (Midwest) region of enlightened pragmatism. The firm represents the highest level of professional balance and architectural breadth."

Emphasis on mentoring, teamwork

Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck is the continuation of Charles Herbert and Associates, a practice established in Des Moines in 1961. Over the past 40 years, the firm has evolved from designing small, private commissions to prominent public and institutional works.

Athletic offices and weight-training facility, Iowa State University, Ames

The firm's commitment to a teaching-studio mode that emphasizes lifetime learning and mentoring remains the backbone of its longevity and success, the AIA said.

Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck Architecture has an inclusive design philosophy, which views each project, regardless of scale, as a unique design opportunity, the AIA added.

The practice has won more than 200 awards for excellence in master planning and architectural, urban and interior design. Its projects range from a $2,000 children's play space to a $25 million corporate office complex.

Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck Architecture has received national AIA Honor Awards for five diverse projects: a historical restoration; a factory; an advertising agency; a retail store; and a complex urban project weaving together a parking garage, public transit facility, and a day-care center.

The AIA represents 66,500 1icensed architects and allied professionals.

TravelGuide - New Japanese museum designed by Pei
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The American Institute of Architects
Skidmore Owings & Merrill
Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck Architecture
Gensler
Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
I. M. Pei (Great Buildings Online)
Cesar Pelli & Associates

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