JURY
Don Rood, Jury Chair | Principal, The Felt Hat
Northwest native and Cooper Union alumnus Don worked for six years with Heidi and Robin Rickabaugh at Principia Graphica, a small design consultancy recognized internationally throughout the 70's and 80's. Don worked on corporate identity and branding, book design, and consumer packaging. He left in 1988 to found his own solo firm until rejoining long-time collaborator Paul Mort to form Rood Mort Design.
Since co-founding the Felt Hat he has worked on a myriad of strategic design efforts, ranging from retail environments for Nike to worldwide brand creation for PacifiCorp subsidiaries to consumer packaging and experience design.
The Felt Hat's work extends beyond their regular multidisciplinary practice. They have made a priority of consulting with educators, government leaders and the business community about Design Thinking as an emergent pan-disciplinary strategic tool, uniquely positioned to address policy-level issues in both private and public endeavors.
Brian Libby | writer/critic, portlandarchitecture.com
Brian Libby is a freelance writer and photographer living in Portland. His writing has appeared in publications such as the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, Premiere, Salon, Dwell, Metropolis, Architectural Record and The Oregonian. Architecture, film and food are the main subjects he covers, but occasionally he writes about business, sports, science and other topics as well.
Brian is also an accomplished photographer and filmmaker. His photos were exhibited in a critically acclaimed show in the summer of 2003 at the American Institute of Architects called "Out of Site". His short film "Tsukiji 5AM" was screened as part of the 2005 Northwest Film & Video Festival.
Jerome Diethelm | Architect/ Landscape Architect, Professor Emeritus, University of Oregon
Professor Emeritus of Landscape Architecture and Public Service, Jerome Diethelm is a landscape architect and an architect, Professor Emeritus of Landscape Architecture and Community Service at the University of Oregon, and a practicing planning and urban design consultant from Eugene, Oregon. He has studied and worked with Hideo Sasaki, Kevin Lynch and Richard Haag and has just recently retired from the University of Oregon’s Department of Landscape Architecture, where he taught for 35 years. He was Oregon’s department head for ten years from 1972-1982.
Roxi Thoren | Assistant Professor of Architecture and Landscape Architecture University of Oregon
Professor Roxi Thoren holds a joint appointment at the University of Oregon in the departments of architecture and landscape architecture, where she teaches courses in design theory, microclimate design, and design studio that bridge the two disciplines. She has worked for designers in Boston, Charlottesville, and Philadelphia, gaining experience in grayfields redevelopment, urban design, and housing.
Professor Thoren's work is based in the overlap of architecture and landscape. Her research explores the connection between community identity, built form, and the physical environment. Current projects include a study of the landscape and architecture of Iceland, and an investigation of microclimates as a means of thickening the boundary between inside and outside. Her work analyzes a site's physical, cultural and historical structure to inform the design of places that express and enhance the lives of their residents, perform ecologically, and respond to the changing demands of communities over time.
Greg Brower | Landscape Architect / Principal, the Berger Partnership
Greg joined The Berger Partnership in 1990 and became a principal in 1999. His natural curiosity about the way things work and a love of the outdoors led him to a career in design. Upon graduating from Iowa State he worked in Des Moines for two years and adopted a midwest work ethic – “The pencil goes down when the job is done”. Upon arriving in Seattle Greg has taken on many design challenges, including some that stretched the boundaries of landscape architecture.
Greg’s creativity and skill shows in his projects and personal art endeavors. Some notable projects include the Space Needle Plaza, REI’s flagship store, Renton Piazza, and Washington’s World War II Memorial. Greg’s success with these and many other projects comes not only from attention to detail and organization but a sense of humor that is present every day and in an occasional design.