Maria Pellot will be volunteering at “Folding, Fanning, Flying and Forming”, a Youth + Architecture event produced by AIA Chicago, the Art Institute of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools. The program, held at the SAIC Ballroom on April 26th, and led by Linda Keane, AIA, founder of NEXT.cc and Professor of Architecture + Environmental Design at SAIC, will explore paper patterns, geometry, engineering and biomimicry for approximately fifty 6th grade girls. Read more
Patricia Saldaña Natke, UrbanWorks’ Design Principal, was featured as part of the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s ongoing series, “Questions for an Architect” on February 28, 2017. The article, which originally ran in the Winter/Spring CAF Member Magazine, highlights Pat’s accomplishments with UrbanWorks and answers a series of interview questions ranging from her future goals, to her favorite buildings, to her thoughts on Chicago’s built environment challenges. Read more
UrbanWorks welcomed the I-NOMA (Illinois chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects) General Body Meeting to our office on March 22, 2017. Ameera Ashraf-O’Neil, UrbanWorks’ Senior Project Manager, led a firm tour and introduction. NOMA’s mission is to champion diversity within the design professions by promoting the excellence, community engagement, and professional development of its members. I-NOMA is a local chapter and subdivision of NOMA, which encompasses a community of design professionals committed to impacting Chicago through design and education.
UrbanWorks’ Robert Natke, following his presentation at NeoCon East in November 2016, has been invited to present “It’s Not Business As Usual: Academic Places Go Through Compression and Change Providing Design Challenges and Successes” at NeoCon in Chicago on June 12, 2017 at 4 p.m. This design show, now in its 49th year at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, will feature exhibitions from over 500 companies, as well as almost 100 CEU seminars for an anticipated audience of over 50,000 design professionals. Read more
UrbanWorks has been named Member of the Month for April 2017 by the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association (HACIA). HACIA “works to ensure the equitable participation of its constituents in the construction industry,” with a focus on Minority and Female-owned firms, “while also promoting the growth, quality of work, professionalism and integrity of these individuals and businesses.” As part of this honor, Patricia Saldaña Natke, UrbanWorks’ Design Principal, will be recognized at HACIA’s monthly meeting in April. Juan Calahorrano, HACIA’s Director of Operations, released in a statement that HACIA “is proud to recognize UrbanWorks Ltd; an HACIA member since 1998, in its April 2017 Membership Meeting. HACIA recognizes the hard work, determination and contribution that UrbanWorks and its Principal Patricia Saldaña Natke AIA have made to HACIA and the construction community through the years.” Read more
Patricia Saldaña Natke, UrbanWorks’ founding partner, has joined the board of the Chicago Women in Architecture Foundation (CWAF). “Chicago Women in Architecture Foundation is a not-for-profit that supports the mission of CWA by funding the yearly Scholarship award, the Museum of Contemporary Art and Art Institute of Chicago Lecture Series in addition to numerous educational and networking events through the year. ” Scholarships are awarded to female students in their last year of studies based on the most outstanding Design Studio Project submissions. Pat has been a member of CWA since 1986 and previously served as its President.
UrbanWorks’ Galewood Elementary School is now featured in the book “New American Architecture, Global Design + Urbanism XVI”. The 130 cutting edge new works of architecture, urban planning, and landscape architecture reveal new design directions by some of today’s foremost practitioners. Featured works include new skyscrapers, mid-rise housing, museums, cultural institutions, performing art centers, libraries, colleges and schools, affordable housing, private residences, and interiors. Read more
Ann Panopio, formerly a Project Manager at UrbanWorks, has been promoted to Studio Director/Project Architect. As Studio Director, she coordinates, manages and mentors the staff, ensuring projects are collaborative. She is focused on project teams delivering exemplary work. As Project Architect, she continues to work directly on the design, production and delivery of our wide-ranging projects, identifying innovative solutions to complex design solutions. Congratulations, Ann! Read more
UrbanWorks was a Featured Partner Firm as part of the University of Chicago’s 8th Annual Professional Services Symposium. The event, held by the University’s Office of Business Diversity, is an opportunity for senior leaders at the University to network and build sustainable relationships with minority and women owned firms. In a “Fireside Chat” between NBC5 Chicago’s Marion Brooks and UofC President Robert J. Zimmer, the President affirmed the University’s commitment to a diverse professional services vendor pool by saying, “Diversity and Inclusion-we need to do more, not less.”
UrbanWorks’ Maria Pellot, Ann Panopio, and Patricia Saldaña Natke participated in CMAP’s Big Ideas Forum: Designing the Future- Gen X and Millennials in 2050. By 2050, metropolitan Chicago’s senior population is expected to double. CMAP, Enterprise Community Partners, and Lifetime Communities Collaborative held a panel discussion on technology, design, and development. Panelists included Shelley Stern Gach from Microsoft and Matthew Phillips from Senior Lifestyle. UrbanWorks’ Associate Principal, Maria Pellot, and Project Manager, Ann Panopio, were Design Facilitators for the afternoon interactive Design Charrettes where real-life projects explored design solutions and provided technical assistance. Read more
