AMES, Iowa — Becky Hansel, AIA, ACHA, a board-certified healthcare architect and the first female partner of INVISION Planning I Architecture I Interiors in Des Moines, is a recipient of the 2024 Design Achievement Award presented by the Iowa State University College of Design.

Established in 1988, this award recognizes outstanding creative and professional achievements of alumni in all the college’s disciplines.

Hansel, of Windsor Heights, received a bachelor of architecture from Iowa State in 2000. She will be recognized as part of Iowa State’s homecoming celebration at the ISU Alumni Association’s 93rd Honors and Awards Ceremony at 1:30 p.m. CT Friday, Nov. 1, at Stephens Auditorium in Ames and streamed live online. A dessert reception will follow. Both the ceremony and reception are free and open to the public.

Hansel began her career as an architectural intern with Shiffler Associates Architects, PLC, and later served as a project manager and healthcare focus market leader with RDG Planning & Design in Des Moines.

At INVISION since 2014, Hansel has led over 150 diverse healthcare projects across the Midwest. Fostering a culture of innovation among a team of 90 professionals, she champions a human-centered design philosophy and collaborates with clients to develop successful long-term strategies for a range of healthcare environments.

Among Hansel’s most notable projects is the Story County Medical Center Outpatient Expansion, which received a 2018 Healthcare Design Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Academy of Architecture for Health, a 2018 Citation Award from the AIA Central States chapter and a 2020 Silver Award from the Association of Licensed Architects (ALA).

The MercyOne Comfort Health Center for Women won a 2017 AIA Iowa Excellence in Design Merit Award (the first ever for a healthcare project), a 2019 International Interior Design Association Award and a 2020 AIA Iowa Impact Award. The Monroe County Hospital and Clinics Outpatient Expansion won a 2022 ALA Gold Award and Buchanan County Health Center won a 2019 ALA Gold Award.

Hansel supports emerging talent through mentorship and continuous learning, both within the office and as a mentor for Iowa State University students in the College of Design’s interdisciplinary healthcare design studio.

She is a 2015 graduate of the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute Community Leadership Program. She became board certified by the American College of Healthcare Architects in 2021. She served on the Des Moines YMCA Supportive Housing Campus Board of Managers from 2017-2023.

Contacts

Karlyn Rainey, Alumni Relations and Events Coordinator, College of Design, krainey@iastate.edu
Lauren Johnson, Communications Specialist, College of Design, laujohn2@iastate.edu

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