Malini Srivastava, assistant professor of architecture, has received the 2018 Young Architects Award from the American Institute of Architects. She was among 18 honorees from across the country.
The award honors individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made significant contributions early in their careers.
“Being nominated by my mentors was an immense honor. Having to then prepare materials for the award allowed me to take stock of all the work, summarize efforts so far and imagine future possibilities. Inviting feedback from and being supported with recommendations by students, academic and practice mentors, community members and, most importantly, family made me realize the great potential for risk-taking because I am cushioned by immense support and kindness,” Srivastava said. “Receiving the award is empowerment for imagining bigger and better impact through design for our local and global communities. I am grateful for the opportunity and recognition.”
Since joining the NDSU faculty in 2015, she has a record of regional and national accomplishments.
Srivastava recently led the eFargo team that won the Georgetown University Energy Prize competition, which provides access to $5 million in financing for energy-efficiency projects in the community. The city of Fargo, NDSU, Cass County Electric Cooperative and Xcel Energy teamed up to improve the city’s energy efficiency.
She led a design/build project in 2016 with fourth-year students to design a passive house for the city of Fargo and an affordable housing developer. In 2017, she was the co-principal investigator for a $100,000 National Science Foundation grant, titled “ZEROH,” to provide an interactive and multidisciplinary approach to developing zero-energy-ready homes for tribal communities in North Dakota. In addition, she was awarded a 2014 Bush Foundation Leadership Fellowship.
“Professor Srivastava’s receipt of the 2018 AIA Young Architects Award is a remarkable achievement that speaks to her expertise and excellence in both academic and professional work,” said David Bertolini, interim dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and chair of the Department of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. “She has a remarkable record of significant contributions as a professional architect and an academic. She brings intelligence, warmth, a fine sense of humor and an amazing ability to lead students, community leaders, builders and her fellow architects toward making a significant difference with architecture.”
Srivastava earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Bombay, Mumbai, India, and her master’s degree in architecture at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. She is a doctoral candidate at Carnegie Mellon University, School of Architecture.
The award selection jury included Lenore Lucey, LML Consulting, Washington, D.C.; Raymond Post, Post Architects, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Edward Vance, EV&A Architects Inc., Las Vegas; Peter Kuttner, Cambridge Seven Associates Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts; John Castellana, TMP Architecture Inc., Bloomfield Hill, Michigan; and Evelyn Lee, Savills Studley, Oakland, California.
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