Berkeley Architect Honored as AIA Fellow

Kurt Schindler of Berkeley's ELS Architecture and Urban Design is among the 122 American Institute of Architects (AIA) members elevated to its prestigious College of Fellows, an honor awarded to members who have made significant contributions to the profession, according to an AIA press release.

Schindler, a native of Walnut Creek, received his M.Arch degree from UC Berkeley in 1974 and his bachelor's degree in environmental design from UC Berkeley in 1970.

On the ELS website, Schindler cites his favorite buildings as "Tengboche and Braga Monasteries, Khumbu and Manang, Nepal and other high-altitude cultural structures. Simple honest buildings celebrating the spirit of a people in harsh climates and spectacular natural surroundings."

ELS focuses on the design of public spaces, with an international clientele. Locally the firm's projects have included preservation of the Downtown Berkeley YMCA and the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center.

The 2013 Fellows will be honored at an investiture ceremony at the 2013 National AIA Convention and Design Exposition in Denver.

The Fellowship program was developed to elevate those architects who have made a significant contribution to architecture and society and who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession. Election to fellowship not only recognizes the achievements of architects as individuals, but also their significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level.