Snow Kreilich Architects
Karen Lu, AIA, NOMA is an accomplished architect currently serving as Associate Principal at Snow Kreilich Architects since November 2017. Previously, Karen held roles such as Associate Vice President at HGA Architects and Engineers from 2014 to November 2017, and Senior Associate at VJAA Inc. from 2001 to January 2014. Additionally, Karen has academic experience as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota from 2016 to 2018 and as an Adjunct Instructor at the same institution in 2005. Karen's early career included positions as an Intern Architect at Selldorf Architects and as a Summer Intern at Alliiance. Educational qualifications include a Master of Architecture from Harvard University Graduate School of Design, a Bachelor of Science in Engineering with a concentration in Economics from The Wharton School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Design of the Environment from the University of Pennsylvania.
Snow Kreilich Architects
Snow Kreilich Architects is a nationally recognized, award winning architectural studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Formerly Julie Snow Architects, the studio was founded in 1995 by Julie Snow. The studio focuses on producing architecture that performs against multiple measures of design success. This focus has resulted in consistent design recognition for projects that rely on a fresh and intensive design investigation of every project. Carefully developed shared working methodologies have resulted in consistently intelligent buildings that are well conceived and carefully detailed. Since its inception, the studio has received significant and consistent design recognition, winning a variety of design awards ranging from two Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Awards, a Design Distinction Award from I.D. Magazine, a National AIA Honor award, a Progressive Architecture Award, a Holcim Bronze Award for sustainable construction and several GSA Design Awards. Recently, the studio received AIA’s 2018 Firm Award, this award is the highest honor the AIA bestows on an architecture firm and recognizes a practice that consistently has produced distinguished architecture for at least 10 years. The studio has performed master-planning, programming and conceptual design in a collaborative studio-based design investigation. Continued evolution of design and detailing is pursued through the documentation process. Full-scale details, mock-ups, physical and computer models are used to explore projects in all dimensions. Interior design services, custom furnishings and furniture specifications are also performed in-house. Through collaboration with specialist designers and engineers, the studio has developed critical working relationships. This has allowed collaboration beyond the studio and the ability to perform projects of considerable complexity and scale.