One of three architects to receive an American Institute of Architects (AIA) Minnesota Young Architects Award, MSR Design principal Dagmara Larsen, AIA, LEED AP, is being recognized for her commitment to designing equitable, sustainable, and human-centric, award-winning projects for a wide range of organizations and individual clients. The jury celebrated her excellence in design and strong voice in library and higher education design, which has a significant impact on communities, and her role as a firm leader. The AIA Minnesota awards program honors individuals who have shown exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the profession within the first 10 years of being licensed to practice architecture.
Promoted to MSR Design firm principal last year, Dagmara champions an integrated design approach on every project. She believes that an architect needs to evaluate each project through different lenses in order to bridge aspirational, programmatic, and performative goals as part of the design solution. An example of this holistic approach in her work includes the transformation of Madison Public Library’s Central Library in Madison, Wisconsin (certified LEED Gold). Dagmara is committed to design excellence and achieving project success in terms identified by individual users, as exemplified in the Tulsa City-County Library Central Library renovation project (winner of an AIA/ALA Library Building Award) and Haverford College Visual Culture, Arts, and Media (VCAM) Building (winner of an AIA CAE Education Facility Design Award of Excellence and AIA Minnesota Honor Award).
This year’s winners of the AIA Minnesota Young Architects Award (including Jennifer Christiaansen, AIA, and Daniel Yudchitz, AIA, as well as Dagmara) have demonstrated deep commitment to public service, advancement of the profession, and design that improves communities and user experiences, all of which align directly with AIA Minnesota’s core values and the future of the architecture profession. The recipients will be recognized at the annual AIA Minnesota Awards Celebration in December.