Mindful Modern Buildings Wins Spring IPRO Award
The Mies van der Rohe Society is proud to announce that student collaborators for the IPRO course, Mindful Modern Buildings, won a “Distinguished Achievement Award” at Illinois Tech’s Spring IPRO Day on April 29, 2022 with high praise from Reed Kroloff, dean of Illinois Institute of Technology’s College of Architecture. The Interprofessional Projects (IPRO) Program is a signature program at Illinois Institute of Technology where multidisciplinary students come together to solve real world problems.
Our new fundraising project is the subject of Mindful Modern Buildings, which will rehabilitate the gallery and auditorium in the newly renamed Michael Paul Galvin Tower on Illinois Tech’s campus. The curriculum was created and taught by Mies Society Director, Cynthia Vranas Olsen (M.ARCH. ʼ01, Ph.D. ʼ17). The team of multidisciplinary students created a proposal for the project and presented it to the Mies Society Board in February, presenting their refinements at the Mies van der Rohe Birthday Celebration: Steppin’ Up! in March.
The focus of the course is to create dynamic architectural places (both interior and exterior) that are responsive to human needs, uniting and benefiting the communities they serve. Professional mentors provided crucial insight to the students, including Mies Society Board Members; interior design students from Torrens University Australia and their professor’s Scott Skipworth (M.ARCH. ʼ93) and Robert Tuckwell; as well as Mies Society’s Artist in Residence, Venetia Stifler, Ph.D, choreographer and artistic director, Concert Dance Inc; and Mark Osorio (B.ARCH. ʼ84), director of buildings and operations at the College of Architecture. V. Divya Lakshmi (M. ARCH. ʼ21) assisted Prof. Vranas Olsen with the class.
Students were surrounded by the precedent of Mies van der Rohe, the designer of Illinois Tech’s campus, which houses the largest number of his buildings. Students also examined Mies’ concepts for the National Theatre (Mannheim, Germany), and his early exhibition work in Germany.
Back by popular demand, the Mindful Modern Buildings IPRO will continue in fall semester, 2022.
Join us in advancing Mies’ legacy and become a member of the Mies van der Rohe Society or make a gift today!
