Leading by Design

Several PennDesign faculty, students, and alumni have been honored this winter for advancing their profession and enhancing the built environment. They include Historic Preservation Research Associate César Bargues Ballester, Architecture Lecturer Scott Erdy, City and Regional Planning Doctoral Fellow Billy Fleming, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture Christopher Marcinkoski, and Professor of Architecture and Urban Design Marilyn Jordan Taylor.

Professor of Architecture and Urban Design Marilyn Jordan Taylor will be honored with the George M. White Award for Excellence in Public Architecture at the American Architectural Foundation’s 2017 Accent on Architecture Gala in Washington, DC, on April 13. The Gala celebrates individuals and organizations whose professional accomplishments combine architecture with civic and community betterment; the George M. White Award was established in 2012 in honor of the late architect who served as the Ninth Architect of the Capitol for 25 years, overseeing key construction and restoration projects in and around Washington, DC.

Alumna and longtime faculty member Denise Scott Brown (MCP'60, MArch'65) received the Medal of Distinction from AIA Pennsylvania—the organization’s highest honor—for “contributions to architecture that transcend local boundaries and have been of benefit to the profession and citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” AIA Pennsylvania named Erdy McHenry, co-founded by Architecture Lecturer Scott Erdy, Firm of the Year for “creating an economical, digitally driven method of construction which embraces the purity of material tectonics while revealing the aesthetic of space to create buildings that are recognized for their functionality, programmatic responsiveness, and social, environmental responsibility.”

Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture Christopher Marcinkoski was named a 2017 Penn Fellow. Marcinkoski is one of just eight mid-career faculty members to earn the honor this year out of a pool of candidates nominated by Penn’s deans, department chairs, and Faculty Senate leaders. The Penn Fellows program provides the opportunity over the course of two years to build University-wide networks, think strategically about higher education, and learn more about Penn and its programs by interacting with members of the University’s executive team.

César Bargues Ballester (HSPV'15), Research Associate at PennDesign’s Architectural Conservation Laboratory, was the runner-up for the inaugural Murtagh Graham Prize, established by the United States International Committee on Monuments and Sites with support from the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training of the National Park Service. Named in honor of William R. Murtagh, PhD and Roy Eugene Graham for their contributions to preservation education and cultural heritage stewardship, the prize recognizes outstanding student scholarship in the area of historic preservation technologies.

Billy Fleming, a PhD Candidate in the Department of City and Regional Planning, was named to the Archer Fellowship Alumni Association Board of Directors. The Archer Fellowship Program was established by The University of Texas System with former U.S. Representative Bill Archer in 2001 to bring highly motivated and accomplished students to Washington, DC, for a comprehensive academic and professional experience. Fleming holds a Master's of Science, Community & Regional Planning from UT Austin.