05/10/21

AMES, Iowa — Rod Kruse, FAIA, principal and head of the Des Moines office of BNIM Architects, is a recipient of the 2020 Design Achievement Award presented by the Iowa State University College of Design.

The award recognizes outstanding creative and professional achievements of alumni in all of the college’s disciplines, which include architecture, art and design, community and regional planning, graphic design, industrial design, integrated studio arts, integrated visual arts, interdisciplinary design, interior design, landscape architecture, sustainable environments and urban design.

Kruse, from Des Moines, received a bachelor of arts in architecture from Iowa State in 1974. He was recognized during the ISU Alumni Association’s 89th Honors and Awards Ceremony, held virtually April 7, and at a special virtual College of Design reception.

Kruse is recognized nationally for creating client-focused solutions that demonstrate the responsible use of natural and financial resources, enhance client performance and win accolades for design excellence. His portfolio includes more than 110 higher education projects and studies on 14 campuses, among them, Iowa State University’s Troxel Hall and the University of Iowa’s Stanley Museum of Art; corporate office and research facilities; parking structures; cultural facilities; and private residences.

Kruse’s work has received nearly 80 design awards, including three national American Institute of Architects Honor Awards for Architecture, an AIA Honor Award for Interior Architecture, an AIA Committee on the Environment Top Ten Award, and an AIA COTE Top Ten Plus Award. He was elevated to Fellow of the AIA in 1996. In 2014 he was awarded AIA Iowa’s Medal of Honor, the highest honor bestowed by the chapter.

Prior to joining BNIM in 2005, Kruse was a founding principal of HLKB Architecture for 18 years. He began his career at RDG Bussard Dikis (now RDG Planning and Design). He is a LEED Accredited Professional.

In addition to his design work, Kruse is a mentor, educator, leader, advocate and volunteer. He served on the AIA Fellows jury from 2002-2004, chaired the AIA National Honor Awards jury in 2012 and was a member of the AIA COTE Top Ten jury in 2013. He served on the ISU Department of Architecture Advisory Council for many years and recently was hired as the department’s first full professor of practice.

 

Contacts

Rod Kruse, BNIM, rkruse@bnim.com
Rachel Moylan, Design Events and Alumni Relations, rmoylan@iastate.edu
Heather Sauer, Design Communications, hsauer@iastate.edu

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