Dina A. Griffin (BSAS ‘86), FAIA, NOMA, IIDA, NCARB, became president of Interactive Design Architects (IDEA) in 1999. The firm has partnered with internationally renowned firms including Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, and Renzo Piano Building Workshop. In 2016, IDEA was awarded The African American Cultural Center project on our campus. That same year, IDEA was selected to join the team of Tod Williams|Billie Tsien Architects to design the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
Dina A. Griffin (BSAS ‘86), FAIA, NOMA, IIDA, NCARB, became president of Interactive Design Architects (IDEA) in 1999. The firm has partnered with internationally renowned firms including Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, and Renzo Piano Building Workshop. In 2016, IDEA was awarded The African American Cultural Center project on our campus. That same year, IDEA was selected to join the team of Tod Williams|Billie Tsien Architects to design the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
Happy birthday to our newest graduate concentration in History, Theory, and Preservation! To celebrate the launch, we are having a book giveaway as part of our celebration on Wednesday 2/25 at noon in the TBH atrium.
Join us for cupcakes, sandwiches, a few words about the history of History in the school.
Book giveaway authors include Kathryn Holliday, Tom Leslie, Joseph Altshuler, Heather Grossman, Didem Ekici, Scott Murray, and more! Come for your chance to bring a new book home.
Happy birthday to our newest graduate concentration in History, Theory, and Preservation! To celebrate the launch, we are having a book giveaway as part of our celebration on Wednesday 2/25 at noon in the TBH atrium.
Join us for cupcakes, sandwiches, a few words about the history of History in the school.
Book giveaway authors include Kathryn Holliday, Tom Leslie, Joseph Altshuler, Heather Grossman, Didem Ekici, Scott Murray, and more! Come for your chance to bring a new book home.
We are excited to see you all at Career XPO ’26 tomorrow! Swipe or read below for some reminders.
When and where is the XPO? Date: FEB 19 Time: 9:00AM - 3:00PM Location: I Hotel & Conference Center (Keep an eye out for our shuttle service!)
What should you do tomorrow? •Bring your resume: Single page with portfolio link •Bring a hard copy of your portfolio •Do your research: Take note of firms you’d like to speak with in advance! Prepare at least 3 questions to ask the firms. •Prepare an elevator pitch: Tell your story and sell yourself (quickly!) Keep it within 1 minute, confident and concise Follow up to firms afterwords: Send a thank you note within 1 business day.
What should you wear? Business attire! Blazers, nice sweaters, khakis, formal shoes, clean sneakers, etc.
We are excited to see you all at Career XPO ’26 tomorrow! Swipe or read below for some reminders.
When and where is the XPO? Date: FEB 19 Time: 9:00AM - 3:00PM Location: I Hotel & Conference Center (Keep an eye out for our shuttle service!)
What should you do tomorrow? •Bring your resume: Single page with portfolio link •Bring a hard copy of your portfolio •Do your research: Take note of firms you’d like to speak with in advance! Prepare at least 3 questions to ask the firms. •Prepare an elevator pitch: Tell your story and sell yourself (quickly!) Keep it within 1 minute, confident and concise Follow up to firms afterwords: Send a thank you note within 1 business day.
What should you wear? Business attire! Blazers, nice sweaters, khakis, formal shoes, clean sneakers, etc.
Congratulations to the Senior Studio Earl Prize 2nd place winner, Nicholas Rudolph, advised by Prof. Windy Zhao.
About his winning project, Seawell: “Conceptual vertical desalination plant on Malta’s rocky coast to address water scarcity. This plant integrates public space and reveals its process to educate visitors.”
Congratulations to the Senior Studio Earl Prize 2nd place winner, Nicholas Rudolph, advised by Prof. Windy Zhao.
About his winning project, Seawell: “Conceptual vertical desalination plant on Malta’s rocky coast to address water scarcity. This plant integrates public space and reveals its process to educate visitors.”
Congratulations to the Junior Studio Earl Prize 2nd place winners, Margaret Schmidt and Matthew Sunjun Kim, advised by Prof. Carmen Mata-Pradera.
About their winning project, Urbana Civic Transit Center: “Our design focuses on redesigning the roofline of the original Civic Center to maximize internal light, providing a public plaza, and maintaining direct circulation for transportation.”
Congratulations to the Junior Studio Earl Prize 2nd place winners, Margaret Schmidt and Matthew Sunjun Kim, advised by Prof. Carmen Mata-Pradera.
About their winning project, Urbana Civic Transit Center: “Our design focuses on redesigning the roofline of the original Civic Center to maximize internal light, providing a public plaza, and maintaining direct circulation for transportation.”
Congratulations to the Senior Studio Earl Prize 1st place winner, Anya (Pei En) Lo, advised by Prof. Erik Hemmingway.
About her winning project, Animal House: “Animal House integrates animal sheltering, community space, and disaster refuge in typhoon-prone Tainan, Taiwan, using fan-inspired steel geometry to mediate human–animal coexistence amid climate risks.”
Congratulations to the Senior Studio Earl Prize 1st place winner, Anya (Pei En) Lo, advised by Prof. Erik Hemmingway.
About her winning project, Animal House: “Animal House integrates animal sheltering, community space, and disaster refuge in typhoon-prone Tainan, Taiwan, using fan-inspired steel geometry to mediate human–animal coexistence amid climate risks.”
Congratulations to the Junior Studio Earl Prize 1st place winners, José Bedolla Arreola and Jean-Aubrey Silvetti-Schmitt, advised by Prof. Gideon Schwartzman.
About their winning project, Spine: “Spine proposes a civic cultural hub reconnecting Urbana’s fragmented public life, transforming underused space into an adaptable framework for gathering, exchange, performance, and inclusive identity.”
Congratulations to the Junior Studio Earl Prize 1st place winners, José Bedolla Arreola and Jean-Aubrey Silvetti-Schmitt, advised by Prof. Gideon Schwartzman.
About their winning project, Spine: “Spine proposes a civic cultural hub reconnecting Urbana’s fragmented public life, transforming underused space into an adaptable framework for gathering, exchange, performance, and inclusive identity.”
Five Program Areas shape our curriculum, giving students the opportunity to think about architecture and design at different scales and through different media.
We have exchange programs with Munich and Switzerland.
Discover Architecture
Discover Architecture is a summer program on the University of Illinois campus. It is open to high school and pre-college students. The program is organized around the design studio and provides a studio-focused, design-intensive workshop over the course of a week.
Open post by archatillinois with ID 18301571428278570
