Martin Felsen (born 1968) is an American

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and

Fellow of the American Institute of Architects Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) is a postnominal title or membership, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Fellowship is bestowed by the institute on AIA-member ...

(FAIA). He directs UrbanLab, a

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

-based architecture and urban design firm. Felsen's projects range in scale from houses such as the

Hennepin, Illinois Hennepin is a village located on the Illinois River in Putnam County, Illinois, United States. The population was 757 in 2010, an increase of 50 since the 2000 census. It is the county seat and second largest village in Putnam County. Hennepin is ...

Residence, mixed-use residential and commercial buildings such as Upton's Naturals Headquarters, public open spaces such as the

Smart Museum of Art The David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art is an art museum located on the campus of the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. The permanent collection has over 15,000 objects. Admission is free and open to the general public. The Smart Muse ...

Courtyard at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

, and large scale, urban design projects such as Growing Water in Chicago and a masterplan (13 square kilometers / 5 square miles) for the Yangming Lake region of

Changde Changde ( ) is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of Hunan province, People's Republic of China. In addition to the urban districts, Changde also administers the county-level city of Jinshi and six counties. Changde is adjacent to Dongt ...

, China. Felsen was awarded the 2009 Latrobe Prize by the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

, College of Fellows.

Biography

Felsen earned his

Bachelor of Architecture The Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) is a bachelor's degree designed to satisfy the academic requirement of practising architecture around the world. Australia Architectural education in Australia varies depending on the university offering th ...

from

Virginia Tech College of Architecture and Urban Studies The College of Architecture, Arts, and Design formerly the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech consists of four schools, including the School of Architecture, which consistently ranks among the best in the country. Headquart ...

in 1991 and a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...

in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation in 1994. Prior to founding his own firm, he worked for Peter Eisenman,

Stan Allen Stan Allen (born 1956) is an American architect, theorist and former dean of Princeton University School of Architecture. Biography He received a B.A. from Brown University, a B.Arch. from Cooper Union and an M.Arch. from Princeton Universit ...

, and OMA/ Rem Koolhaas in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

. In addition to practicing architecture at UrbanLab, Felsen has lectured internationally, and curated and participated in several international exhibitions about contemporary architecture and urbanism. Two public exhibitions curated by Felsen were held at the

Chicago Architecture Foundation The Chicago Architecture Center (CAC), formerly the Chicago Architecture Foundation, is a nonprofit cultural organization based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, whose mission is to inspire people to discover why design matters. Founded in ...

in 2016 and 2017. The 2016 show, titled "50 Designers, 50 Ideas, 50 Wards," exhibited transformative proposals aimed at improving the quality of life for residents in each of Chicago's 50 wards. Felsen invited fifty notable architects and teams of architects/artists to participate and produce original work. The 2017 show, titled "Between States - 50 Designers Transform Chicago's Neighborhoods," exhibited design solutions to transform underappreciated and underperforming parts of Chicago into rejuvenated civic anchors. Again, fifty notable architects and teams of architects/artists were invited to participate and produce original work. Felsen has publicly spoken about these exhibitions, along with the importance of architecture in tackling urgent issues such as globalization in cities on several occasions. Felsen was invited to participate in the

Venice Biennale of Architecture Venice Biennale of Architecture (in Italian Mostra di Architettura di Venezia) is an international exhibition of architecture from nations around the world, held in Venice, Italy, every other year. It was held on even years until 2018, but 202 ...

(La Biennale de Venezia) in 2010 and 2012, and the Chicago Architecture Biennial in 2015 and 2017. In 2010, as the Director of Archeworks, an alternative design school, Felsen exhibited "Mobile Food Collective" in the U.S. Pavilion at the 12th International

. In 2012, Felsen and UrbanLab exhibited "Fresh Water District" at the 13th International

curated by David Chipperfield. In 2015, Felsen and UrbanLab exhibited "Filter Island" at the Chicago Architecture Biennial curated by Sarah Herda and Joseph Grima. In 2017, Felsen and UrbanLab exhibited "Re-Encampment" at the Chicago Architecture Biennial curated by Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee. Felsen's work has also been exhibited at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

, the National Building Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Felsen has been featured in several publications such as

Architect magazine ''Architect Magazine'' is the successor to ''Architecture'', one of a series of periodicals published from before World War I by the American Institute of Architects. Overview This is the sixth iteration of a magazine about the field associate ...

. He has received many honors for his work, including several design awards from the

. Since 1996, Felsen has taught architecture and urban design as an associate professor at the

Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour Institute and Lewis Institute in 1940. The university has prog ...

. He has been a visiting professor at Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

. Felsen served as Director of Archeworks, an alternative design school in Chicago from 2008-11. Under his leadership, Archeworks completed several significant public interest design projects, and developed and organized two influential urban design workshops titled ''Infrastructures for Change''. During Felsen's tenure, Archeworks’ projects were exhibited internationally at the

and

The Architecture Foundation Founded in 1991, The Architecture Foundation is Britain's oldest independent architecture centre. It examines contemporary issues in architectural theory and practice, through a public programme that has involved exhibitions, competitions publicatio ...

in London. Felsen founded and served as editor of a new Archeworks publication titled ''Works''.

Bowling

UrbanLab: Bowling is a new book about UrbanLab's work authored by Martin Felsen and Sarah Dunn, published by Applied Research + Design. The book explores relationships and realities between cities, architecture and water. As populations steadily increase in cities, the world's natural resources are consumed at ever-faster rates. The majority of the world's populations live in countries where clean water supplies are dwindling, and these water shortages are also quickly translating into food shortages. What can designers do to avert looming water-related realities? UrbanLab: Bowling views potential water crises as opportunities to speculate on future urban design possibilities, especially in cities. Several projects are presented that take an ecological approach to re-thinking received urban design methodologies of addressing the design of water-related infrastructures in existing and new cities.

Awards and honors

*2017 named

(FAIA) *2017 AIA Chicago Distinguished Building Award Citation of Merit - ''Mohawk House'' *2016 AIA Chicago Regional & Urban Design Honor Award - ''Masterplan for Changde, China'' *2015 Chicago Architecture Biennial, ''The State of the Art of Architecture'' *2014/15 MCHAP: Mies Crown Hall Architecture Prize, Nominated Work – ''Mohawk Residence'' *2014 AIA Chicago Distinguished Building Honor Award – ''Morgan Street Live/Work'' *2014 AIA Chicago Unbuilt Design Award, Special Recognition – ''

MoMA PS1 MoMA PS1 is a contemporary art institution located in Court Square in the Long Island City neighborhood in the borough of Queens, New York City. In addition to its exhibitions, the institution organizes the Sunday Sessions performance series, the ...

'' *2014

Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts The Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts is a 501(c)3 non-profit that “fosters the development and exchange of diverse and challenging ideas about architecture and its role in the arts, culture, and society. The Graham realize ...

Publication Grant *2013 AIA Chicago Sustainability Leadership Special Recognition Award – ''

'' *2012

, the 13th International Exhibition *2012 AIA Chicago Small Project Award - ''Video Arcade,

Merchandise Mart The Merchandise Mart (or the Merch Mart, or the Mart) is a commercial building located in downtown Chicago, Illinois. When it was opened in 1930, it was the largest building in the world, with of floor space. The Art Deco structure is locate ...

'' *2011 AIA Chicago Regional & Urban Design Honor Award - ''Vertical Farming the

Union Stock Yards The Union Stock Yard & Transit Co., or The Yards, was the meatpacking district in Chicago for more than a century, starting in 1865. The district was operated by a group of railroad companies that acquired marshland and turned it into a central ...

'' *2010 AIA Chicago Interior Architecture Honor Award - ''Hennepin House,

'' *2010 Buckminster Fuller Challenge, Honorable Mention *2010 Emerging Voices, Architectural League of New York - ''lecture delivered at the

New Museum The New Museum of Contemporary Art, founded in 1977 by Marcia Tucker, is a museum in New York City at 235 Bowery, on Manhattan's Lower East Side. History The museum originally opened in a space in the Graduate Center of the then-named New Sch ...

'' *2010

, Archeworks at the 12th International Exhibition *2009 AIA Chicago Distinguished Building Award - ''Hennepin House,

'' *2009 AIA Chicago Urban Design Award - ''Growing Water, Chicago'' *2009 Latrobe Prize, from the

(AIA) College of Fellows. *2009 Named Global Visionary by

WBEZ WBEZ (91.5 FM) – branded ''WBEZ 91.5'' – is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to serve Chicago, Illinois, and primarily serving the Chicago metropolitan area. Financed by corporate underwriting, government funding and lis ...

, Chicago Public Radio *2008 AIA Chicago Unbuilt Design Award, Growing Water, Chicago *2008 Excellence in Education Award,

American Institute of Architecture Students The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) is an independent, nonprofit, student-run organization providing programs, information, and resources on issues critical to architecture and the experience of education. The core focus of AI ...

*2007 AIA Chicago Dubin Family Young Architect Award, AIA Chicago *2007 AIA Chicago Divine Detail Award - ''Hannah’s Bretzel'' *2007 National Grand Prize, The City of the Future: A Design and Engineering Challenge,

The History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...

*2003 Emerging Visions Competition Prize, Chicago Architecture Club *1995 Lloyd Warren Fellowship: 82nd Paris Prize,

Van Alen Institute Van Alen Institute is a New York City-based independent nonprofit architectural organization, dedicated to improving design in the public realm. It was founded in 1894 as the Society of Beaux-Arts Architects. In 1995, the institute was named in hono ...

Selected works

* ''UrbanLab: Bowling'' (Applied Research + Design Publishing, 2017)

References

External links

UrbanLab's official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Felsen, Martin 1968 births Living people Virginia Tech alumni Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation alumni Illinois Institute of Technology faculty Artists from Chicago Architects from Illinois Jewish architects Architectural theoreticians