Building Up
It’s the tenth year of our IDAs (Innovation in Design Awards). A big anniversary like this deserved an exceptional design icon to receive our 2016 Innovator Award. Who could be a more fitting recipient than Robert A.M. Stern?
We first met at the opening gala for the Jim Vlock Building Project at the Yale School of Architecture in 2010. The project is part of the Yale School of Architecture curriculum that requires first-year architecture students to design and build a structure. But not just any structure, plans have to focus on affordable housing. The winning design results in a home for a low-income family, and the new home enjoys its position on a New Haven street. As dean of the Yale School of Architecture, Stern officiated that evening, and for several years after that, our IDAs benefitted the Jim Vlock Building Project at the Yale School of Architecture.
This year, we introduced a new IDA trophy made for us by Plexi-Craft, a company that creates wonderful custom Lucite and acrylic furniture for designers. And next year, the IDAs will appear on a variety of broadcast platforms including television, digital, cable, social media and print. What fun!
