KAREN LU
Snow Kreilich Architects
SAY IT LOUD - Minnesota Exhibitor
SAY IT LOUD - NOMA 50th Exhibition
Minnesota Based Designer
Who or what inspires you professionally?
Classmates, colleagues, collaborators, clients, and students. I am inspired by their creativity, passion, and desire to make a positive impact. They motivate me
to advocate for the value of design and to expand the possibilities of the profession.
KAREN LU
Bio:
The Great designer, Karen Lu is a Senior Associate at Snow Kreilich Architects. Karen’s commitment to design excellence and to positively impacting future generations of architecture professionals and global citizens is evident in her professional work and service. She has led and collaborated on projects that have won AIA Honor Awards, COTE Top Ten Green Project Awards, and Progressive Architecture Awards. Karen has been recognized for her leadership with the AIA Minnesota and AIA National Young Architect Awards.
How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
I took a drawing class my freshman year in college which turned out to be a pre-architecture major requirement. We drew buildings on location using ink pens. The inability to erase and an instructor of few words led to an eye for accuracy and detail.
What do you do?
I collaborate in my roles as project lead, project designer, project architect, and project manager. As a studio member, I also lead equity initiatives that include intercultural development training, hiring, outreach, and pursuit of the JUST Label.
What excites you in the work you do?
My love of architecture is rooted in its complexity - the successful combination of multiple contexts, diverse points of view, and the relationship of an idea to its many supporting details, like the vision of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence.
Who or what inspires you professionally?
Classmates, colleagues, collaborators, clients, and students. I am inspired by their creativity, passion, and desire to make a positive impact. They motivate me to advocate for the value of design and to expand the possibilities of the profession.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
Serving as president of AIA Minnesota and board adviser for MSP NOMA in 2020, an emotional and exhausting year fraught with challenges; working towards a more authentic, equitable, and collaborative profession, and a better built environment for all.
Featured Project Name:
Salt City Market
Featured Project Location:
Syracuse, New York
Featured Project Completion Date:
Spring 2021
Role in Featured Project:
Project Lead
Featured Project Description:
Salt City Market is a mixed-use development located in Syracuse, New York. The project is “a welcoming, inclusive gathering space that promotes collaboration, economic opportunity, and a deep sense of community.”The ground level public food hall serves as an incubator for local businesses. Strategically located glazing creates a dynamic relationship with both the streetscape and parking plaza. Stepping back above the market are office space for the client and two levels of mixed-income housing.
