Alumni Awards - 2021 - University of Houston

Announcing the 2021 Alumni Awards

September 1, 2021

The University of Houston Architecture and Design Alumni Association and the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design are pleased to celebrate another exceptional group of accomplished alumni award winners. The jury, consisting of alumna Catherine Callaway ’07, alumna Aide Guitierrez ’12, and alumnus Brandon Hendricks ’07, accepted the challenge of selecting the 2021 award winners for five categories: Distinguished Alumni Award, Leadership Alumni Award, Successful Entrepreneur Award, Innovator Alumni Award, and Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

The awards will be presented at the alumni association's annual meeting on Tuesday, September 7^th, at 6:30 pm. Those unable to attend in person can join the meeting portion, starting at 7:00 pm, via Zoom. Register to attend either in-person or virtually here.

Congratulations to our 2021 Alumni Award Winners! Scroll down to meet the winners and learn about their exemplary careers.

MEET THE JURY

Catherine Callaway '07

Associate Vice President, Kirksey Architecture

Catherine Callaway, AIA, is recognized for her talents as a designer, project manager, and community advocate. At Kirksey Architecture her projects serve the local community, whether a church, city hall, or non-profit organization. Callaway continues to give back to UH through mentoring students and leading the popular UH Art & Architecture walking tour. As 2017 AIA Houston President, Callaway led the chapter’s response to Hurricane Harvey. She created opportunities for AIA Houston to lend their expertise to our suffering region and helped position the chapter in shaping a more resilient future for our city. Catherine recently earned young architect awards from AIA Houston, TXA, and AIA, and the 2020 UH Architecture + Design Leadership Alumni Award. As 2021 ArCH President, she invites everyone to visit the newly re-opened Architecture Center Houston and view the Houston 2020 Visions exhibit.

Aide Gutierrez '12

Senior Design Researcher, eBay

Aide Gutierrez is a Sr. Design Researcher at eBay, located in Austin, Texas. The last few years she explored the fintech world through her work with Charles Schwab and State Street. Prior to that, Gutierrez was part of the IBM Cloud and IBM Watson teams where she focused on creating innovative solutions for a wide variety of fields like healthcare, retail, entertainment, cloud development, telecommunications, and more. When not conducting research, Gutierrez likes to spend time with her family, fiancé, and dog. She also enjoys playing around with new technologies and exploring small Texas towns.

Brandon Hendricks '07

Development Manager, Radom Capital

Brandon Hendricks is a licensed architect turned commercial real estate developer. With a Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design from the University of Houston Hines College and a Master of Business Administration from Rice University’s Jones School of Business, Brandon has spent over a decade improving the built environment. Throughout his career, he has worked for award-winning design firms where his efforts have received international recognition. Brandon is currently a development manager at Radom Capital, a diversified real estate development and investment firm where he bridges his passion for design and real estate with transformational projects.

2021 Alumni Award Winners

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD – BENITO GUERRIER, AIA ’91

Executive Vice President, Kirksey Architecture

Benito Guerrier, AIA, graduated with a Master of Architecture for the University of Houston. A native from Mexico City, where he obtained his Bachelor of Architecture, he has practiced architecture in Houston for more than 30 years. For the past 26 years, Benito has been at Kirksey Architecture and currently serves as Executive Vice President and Director of Government Projects. His projects range from community center, new schools, and municipal buildings to large office building and civic plazas for the state and federal government. He is particularly passionate about historical buildings and his work has been recognized with multiple AIA design and preservation awards.

As a leader in our community, Benito has served on boards and commission of various organizations, including Houston Hispanic Architects & Engineers, Houston Parks Board, Preservation Houston, Scenic Houston, Architectural Foundation and currently chairs the Harris County Hispanic Cultural Heritage Commission. In 2020, Benito was named Principal of the Year by the SMPS for his leadership in the design and construction community of Houston.

LEADERSHIP ALUMNI AWARD – ANICA LANDRENEAU, Assoc. AIA, LEED BD+C, WELL AP, BREEAM, fitwel ’05

Global Director of Sustainable Design, HOK

Anica Landreneau is HOK’s global sustainable design director, serving on the firm’s board of directors and design board. Based in Washington, DC, Landreneau is appointed to Mayor’s Green Building Advisory Council and Co-Chairs the Building Energy Performance Standard Task Force. Landreneau is serving a third term on the DC Green and Energy Codes committee. She also serves on the national AIA Government Advocacy Committee, is Vice-Chair to the USGBC LEED Advisory Committee, and a Senior Fellow of the New Buildings Institute. Landreneau is a former Chair of the AIA Codes and Standards Committee, and was appointed to the AIA Blue Ribbon Panel on Codes, co-authoring Disruption, Evolution, and Change: AIA’s Vision for the future of Design and Construction. Landreneau also co-authored with the US General Services Administration The New Sustainable Frontier: Principles of Sustainable Development. Her testimony before Congress and policy recommendations are included in the Majority Staff Report, Solving the Climate Crisis: The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America.

SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR AWARD – Russell Hruska, AIA ’93 and Rame Hruska, AIA ’00

Rame Hruska ’00
Co-Founder + CEO, Intexure Architects + Boxprefab

Rame Hruska is a licensed architect and the co-founder of Intexure, with experience in a wide variety of residential and commercial projects, including projects in Europe and the Middle East. She served in an executive leadership role at two modular off-site construction companies before co-founding Boxprefab. Rame’s passion is a focus on design, company vision, and architectural product development. “Prefabricated building systems offer the opportunity to integrate design through fabrication at a highly detailed product level, bringing good design to the mainstream at scale”.

Russell Hruska ’93
Co-Founder + COO, Intexure Architects + Boxprefab

Russell Hruska is a licensed architect and co-founder of Intexure, practicing for over 20 years. Russell has in-depth leadership and operational experience in the modular industry, as well as site-built construction prior to founding Boxprefab. Russell combined his expertise in architecture and construction to serve as the developer for a series of homes in Houston’s Museum Park neighborhood and set a new standard for urban infill. This combined multi-faceted design-build experience gives Russell unique expertise in the off-site construction industry and an understanding to leverage its benefits for successful projects.

INNOVATOR ALUMNI AWARD – ALAN NGUYEN ’10

Founder and Creative Director, Space Junk Co.

Alan Nguyen is a Vietnamese American artist, designer and entrepreneur from Katy, Texas. He is the founder and creative director of Space Junk Co, a multidisciplinary creative design studio that collaborates with passionate artists, brands, and creatives. Established in 2014 and based in Amsterdam, Space Junk Co’s mission is to spark joy to imagination by realizing beautiful and exciting ideas into products and experiences. Alan is an expert in 3D printing design, working in a diverse array of industries including art, jewelry, design, fashion, music, footwear, eyewear, architecture, and healthcare. Throughout his career, Alan has worked on projects for FROG, IDEO, NOOKA, Karim Rashid, Ross Lovegrove, Zaha Hadid, Microsoft, Philips, 3D Systems, Freedom of Creation, 3D Hubs, The New Originals, Sumibu, Patta, Studio Molen, Evert Nijland, Lil Nas X, and Enrica Masi, among others, and is an assistant researcher at KMD KEIO University in Tokyo, Japan. Alan also works with the Figura Nova foundation creating innovative 3D printing solutions to improve the well-being of women affected by breast cancer. Alan believes anything is possible and is an extreme advocate of following your heart and pursuing everything possible to achieve your dreams, no matter how long and how hard it takes.

OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD – Iván Jiménez ’13

Iván Jiménez is a designer and a licensed architect in Germany with a professional and academic background from Germany, China, Spain, France, Chile, Mexico, and the United States. He graduated from the University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design with a Bachelor of Architecture, Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design, and Minor in Construction Management.

Jiménez has participated in several career development programs, including Alexander von Humboldt German Chancellor Fellowship for Prospective Leaders where he performed as a Visiting Researcher at the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) to develop design research on advanced fabrication processes with a focus on robotics. His Humboldt research contributed with several World Economic Forum reports on The Future of Construction.

Additionally, as a student, Jiménez was awarded the Gerald D. Hines Fellowship where he worked for Enric Miralles-Benedetta Tagliabue (EMBT) in Barcelona, Spain, and the National Development Program from the Hispanic Association for Colleges and Universities (HACU) where he collaborated with NBBJ Architects.

Jiménez has gained his professional experience with Intexure Architects (Houston), SFP Architects (Stuttgart), Fluxá & Haas Arquitectos (Chile), and Metalab Studio (Houston).

Since 2018, Jiménez has worked for Haas Cook Zemmrich – STUDIO2050 in Stuttgart, Germany, as an associate, serving as head of Innovation and Technology.