KSS Architects co-founder Allan Kehrt, FAIA, LEED AP, PP will step down from his role as senior design partner to an emeritus position at the beginning of 2012 - a move that has been ongoing for more than 10 years as part of the firm's ownership transition plan.
Since establishing KSS Architects in 1983 with colleagues Michael Shatken and Rafael Sharon, Kehrt has helped the firm grow from a staff of three focused on residential design, into a 40-person company with offices in Princeton and Philadelphia. With the leadership of its six partners - Kehrt, Shatken, Edmund Klimek, Pamela Lucas Rew, David Zaiser, and Merilee Meacock - KSS has risen above recent economic challenges and developed an award-winning portfolio of projects across the nation in the markets of higher education, K-12 education, industrial, commercial, corporate interiors, municipal design and sustainable design.
"The past year was one of the strongest we have had in the market," Shatken said. "Allan shaped our core values about design excellence as well as client relationships, which all of the partners have instilled throughout the firm. As a result, our breadth of work and our national presence continue to grow."
"I will admit it's hard to back away from KSS after 28 years," added Kehrt. "But it's is something we have been planning for many years. I have absolute confidence that Michael and our next generation will continue to add to the exceptional achievements of KSS for many, many years. It's been a great ride!"
Kehrt's legacy of projects include Rutgers University's Biomedical Engineering Building, the renovation and expansion of Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, the recent new campus center at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and Princeton Township's Municipal Complex.
In 2001, Kehrt was elevated to the American Institute of Architects' College of Fellows, an honor bestowed to only 3 percent of all registered architects in the U.S. In 2008, Kehrt was nominated to the AIA's Jury of Fellows, a three-year post, and served as a chairman in 2010. Kehrt was also named Architect of the Year by AIA New Jersey in 2006.
Active in the design education community, Allan has served as faculty, guest lecturer, or juror at many colleges of architecture in the east, including the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia University, Moore College of Art & Design, New Jersey Institute of Technology and his alma mater Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where he will continue on its Advisory Board. He has presented and lectured for many professional organizations including the American Institute of Architects and the Society of College and University Planning. BD+C
Related Stories
| Nov 11, 2012
Under40 Leadership Summit draws 71 young leaders to Chicago
More than 70 young—that is, under age 40—architects, engineers, and construction professionals descended on Chicago in early October with one thought in mind: to learn how to “create with clarity.”
| Nov 11, 2012
AIA: Building Envelope
Preventing and treating failure in glazed curtain wall systems. Earn 1.0 AIA/CES learning units by studying this article and successfully completing the online exam.
| Nov 11, 2012
Greenbuild 2012 Report: Hospitality
Hotel boom signals good news for greener lodging facilities
| Nov 11, 2012
Greenbuild 2012 Report: Government & Military
Public sector remains a bastion of sustainability
| Nov 11, 2012
Greenbuild 2012 Report: Healthcare
Green medical facilities extend beyond hospital walls
| Nov 11, 2012
Greenbuild 2012 Report: Multifamily
Sustainably designed apartments are apples of developers’ eyes
| Nov 11, 2012
Greenbuild 2012 Report: Higher Education
More and more colleges and universities see sustainainably designed buildings as a given
| Nov 11, 2012
Greenbuild 2012 Report: K-12
High-performance schools put ‘sustainability’ in the lesson plan
| Nov 7, 2012
John Portman & Associates awarded new high rise in China
108-story building to rise in Nanning, the Capital City of Guangxi Province.