Nordenson honored by American Institute of Architects

Professor of Architecture Guy Nordenson has been selected as one of six recipients of the American Institute of Architects' 2009 Institute Honors for Collaborative Achievement. The award recognizes and encourages the distinguished achievements of architects and others who have had a beneficial influence on or advanced the architectural profession.

Nordenson was honored for melding the roles of practitioner and educator. "Guy is not just a great engineer, he is an intellect and a teacher of the most inspirational type," architect Steven Holl said in the institute's announcement of the award.

Nordenson, who has been on the School of Architecture faculty at Princeton since 1995, has taught courses on "Structural Analysis for Architecture," "Construction and Interpretation" and "Infrastructure and Design: Design, Disaster and Southern California." He currently is working with students on a project to examine questions of urban ecology in the New York-New Jersey region. The project was awarded the American Institute of Architects' Latrobe Prize in 2007.

He founded his engineering firm, Guy Nordenson and Associates, in New York City in 1997 after practicing for 20 years in New York and San Francisco. Nordenson has collaborated with many leading architects, including Holl, Richard Meier and James Polshek. He has worked on projects ranging from the Helsinki Museum of Contemporary Art and the Santa Fe Opera House to a 10,500-car parking structure at Disneyland and Ferragamo stores in New York and Italy.

The awards will be presented at the 2009 AIA National Convention and Design Exposition in San Francisco, which runs from April 30 to May 2.