Mary Ann Lazarus, FAIA, LEED® AP BD+C, has accepted a two-year consulting position with the American Institute of Architects in Washington, DC. Her new position, which begins March 1, will focus on increasing the AIA's impact on sustainability across the profession. The St. Louis-based architect will continue consulting at HOK.
Lazarus, an architect with HOK in St. Louis since 1980, has served as the global firm's director of sustainable design since 2001. She co-authored the second edition of "The HOK Guidebook to Sustainable Design," an influential textbook used by design professionals and universities. Lazarus won Eco-Structure's 2012 Evergreen Award in the Perspectives category, which recognizes one individual each year for advancing sustainable design. In 2011, based on her significant contributions to sustainable design over her career, the AIA elevated Lazarus to its College of Fellows.
"Mary Ann has served as a sustainability teacher and mentor for an entire generation of architects," said HOK President Bill Hellmuth, AIA, LEED AP BD+C. “We are thrilled that she has this opportunity with the AIA and that she will continue to work with us as a consultant. She is an important part of our HOK family."
"I am incredibly proud of HOK's commitment to sustainable design and of what our people have accomplished," said Lazarus. "Our Sustainability Steering Team will continue to keep HOK on the leading edge of innovation in sustainability." The steering team includes Tim Gaidis, LEED AP BD+C, sustainable design leader in HOK's St. Louis office and board member of Sustainable St. Louis.
"Mary Ann has made sustainability central to our culture and practice in St. Louis and all over the world,” said St. Louis Management Principal Rebecca Nolan, IIDA, LEED AP. “As much as we will miss her leadership, we are proud to share her expertise and passion for sustainability with the AIA and our entire profession.”
Lazarus has played a key role in many milestone HOK sustainable projects. In 2010, she led a St. Louis-based project to design Net Zero Court, a prototype for an affordable, zero carbon emissions office building. Since 2011, she has directed HOK's pro bono design team on Project Haiti, a U.S. Green Building Council-sponsored, biomimetic, LEED Platinum, net zero energy orphanage in Port-au-Prince.
HOK's current projects in St. Louis include serving as executive architect for the BJC HealthCare campus renewal project at Washington University Medical Center, executive architect for the Heritage multi-tenant lab and office building in the CORTEX district, architect for the St. Louis Science Center Agricultural Gallery site planning and design, and architect-of-record for the new 200,000-sq.-ft. expansion of the Saint Louis Art Museum.
HOK is a global architectural firm that provides planning and design solutions for high-performance, sustainable buildings and communities. Through its collaborative network of 24 offices worldwide, the firm delivers design excellence and innovation to clients globally. Founded in St. Louis in 1955, HOK's expertise includes architecture, interiors, planning and urban design, engineering, strategic facility planning, consulting, lighting, graphics and construction services. In 2012, DesignIntelligence ranked HOK as the #1 role model for sustainable and high-performance design for the third consecutive year.
Related Stories
| Oct 13, 2010
Campus building gives students a taste of the business world
William R. Hough Hall is the new home of the Warrington College of Business Administration at the University of Florida in Gainesville. The $17.6 million, 70,000-sf building gives students access to the latest technology, including a lab that simulates the stock exchange.
| Oct 13, 2010
Science building supports enrollment increases
The new Kluge-Moses Science Building at Piedmont Virginia Community College, in Charlottesville, is part of a campus update designed and managed by the Lukmire Partnership. The 34,000-sf building is designed to be both a focal point of the college and a recruitment mechanism to get more students enrolling in healthcare programs.
| Oct 13, 2010
Cancer hospital plans fifth treatment center
Construction is set to start in December on the new Cancer Treatment Centers of America’s $55 million hospital in Newnan, Ga. The 225,000-sf facility will have 25 universal inpatient beds, two linear accelerator vaults, an HDR/Brachy therapy vault, and a radiology and imaging unit.
| Oct 13, 2010
Apartment complex will offer affordable green housing
Urban Housing Communities, KTGY Group, and the City of Big Bear Lake (Calif.) Improvement Agency are collaborating on The Crossings at Big Bear Lake, the first apartment complex in the city to offer residents affordable, eco-friendly homes. KTGY designed 28 two-bedroom, two-story townhomes and 14 three-bedroom, single-story flats, averaging 1,100 sf each.
| Oct 13, 2010
Residences bring students, faculty together in the Middle East
A new residence complex is in design for United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, UAE, near Abu Dhabi. Plans for the 120-acre mixed-use development include 710 clustered townhomes and apartments for students and faculty and common areas for community activities.
| Oct 13, 2010
HQ renovations aim for modern look
Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel Architects’ renovations to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s New York City headquarters will feature a reworked reception lobby with back-painted glass, silk-screened logos, and a video wall.
| Oct 13, 2010
New health center to focus on education and awareness
Construction is getting pumped up at the new Anschutz Health and Wellness Center at the University of Colorado, Denver. The four-story, 94,000-sf building will focus on healthy lifestyles and disease prevention.
| Oct 13, 2010
Community center under way in NYC seeks LEED Platinum
A curving, 550-foot-long glass arcade dubbed the “Wall of Light” is the standout architectural and sustainable feature of the Battery Park City Community Center, a 60,000-sf complex located in a two-tower residential Lower Manhattan complex. Hanrahan Meyers Architects designed the glass arcade to act as a passive energy system, bringing natural light into all interior spaces.
| Oct 13, 2010
Community college plans new campus building
Construction is moving along on Hudson County Community College’s North Hudson Campus Center in Union City, N.J. The seven-story, 92,000-sf building will be the first higher education facility in the city.
| Oct 13, 2010
Bookworms in Silver Spring getting new library
The residents of Silver Spring, Md., will soon have a new 112,000-sf library. The project is aiming for LEED Silver certification.