Woodbury’s Wahlroos-Ritter Receives AIACC Educator Award; Herbst Wins AIA Award in San Diego

Two leaders within Woodbury University’s School of Architecture have been recognized by their peers for mentorship and meritorious design, respectively, the university announced today.

As part of its 5th Annual AIACC Academy of Emerging Professionals Awards Program, the American Institute of Architects, California Council (AIACC) conferred its AIACC Educator Award on Ingalill Wahlroos-Ritter, AIA, Interim Dean of the School of Architecture.  The jury lauded Wahlroos-Ritter for her commitment to shaping young architectural minds, having served on the faculty at Yale, Cornell, the Bartlett and SCI-Arc, in addition to Woodbury.  The AIACC, the largest component of the national AIA organization, represents the interests of more than 11,000 architects and allied professionals in California.

At the same time, Woodbury San Diego Architecture Chair Catherine Herbst received the AIA San Diego chapter Merit Design Award, together with Todd Rinehart of the firm Rinehart Herbst, for the project Bee Squared Apiaries, a small beekeeping operation located in Berthoud, Colo.  Bee Squared offers beeswax candles and honey from hives located in Boulder, Larimer, and Weld counties in Colorado.

Wahlroos-Ritter: Educator and Mentor

In a professional career spanning 26 years, Wahlroos-Ritter transitioned from full-time architect and façade consultant specializing in the building envelope and the experimental architectural use of glass, to full-time educator with areas of scholarship that include building technology and study abroad studios.  Since assuming an academic leadership role 12 years ago, she has tapped many of the skills she developed as project architect: managing large, multi-disciplinary teams; coordinating and communicating with multiple constituencies; and providing a vision for initiatives and strategic priorities.  In addition to her roles as educator and administrator, Wahlroos-Ritter also serves as the director of the WUHO gallery in Hollywood and continues to work as an architect through her collaborative office, WROAD.

“Ingalill is clearly worthy and her enthusiasm is obviously contagious,” said Michael Malinowski, AIA, AIACC President.  “She not only engages and encourages her current students but also continues to follow and support them post-graduation to assure their successful transition into the profession,” noted Debra Gerod, FAIA, LEED AP, Partner at Gruen Associates.  “It is no surprise that we hire more graduates from Woodbury than any other university. Ingalill is a strong promoter of licensure and sets great examples for her students by being licensed and an active member of the AIA.”

“I am dedicated to helping architecture students find their own unique design voice, to improving architectural education processes, and above all, to making the discipline of architecture more inclusive,” Wahlroos-Ritter said.  “I believe that increasing the spectrum of diversity in architecture – be it increasing gender and ethnic diversity, supporting multi-dimensional teaching methods, or encouraging alternative practices – will expand the influence of our profession by increasing opportunities for improving the built environment.”

“Through academia and into practice, Ingalill’s professional aptitude has remained an endless source of personal inspiration — her ambition to create beautiful buildings is contagious,” said Woodbury alum Leanna Libourel, 2009 BArch, who now works at Gruen Associates.  Added Gerardo Huerta, 2013 MArch, also at Gruen: “Ingalill has served as a source of inspiration for me.  She is an advocate for equality of opportunity within the profession of architecture, as well as in the education of architecture.”

A Singular Barn for Bee-Keeping

The AIA San Diego Annual Design Awards are the ultimate recognition of design achievement for firms and projects in the San Diego region. The awards celebrate the spirit of innovation and creativity found among the practitioners who make San Diego County their home as well as the patrons with the vision to take chances and make design achievement a reality.

The Rinehart Herbst project breaks the mold for bee-keeping.  In northern Colorado at the eastern slope of the Rockies, a read of context led to a kind of vernacular characterization where simple forms and unadorned finishes seem to more easily dematerialize in the agricultural landscape.  This steel-fabricated building is a long barn-like form using two wedges of subtraction under its roof to organize programs: a secondary garage and workroom and a primary commercial honey business and “wet” honey product workroom.  Another subtraction through the middle of the form is for vehicle loading.  A working loft for “dry” production is overhead, bridging the two programs.

Catherine Herbst is an Assistant Professor and Chair in the School of Architecture at Woodbury University in San Diego.  Her firm Rinehart Herbst with her husband Todd Rinehart was established in 2000. She was a project Architect at Rob Wellington Quigley, FAIA.  Herbst received her Masters of Architecture from Montana State University and became a licensed architect in 1995.  She served as a visiting professor at her alma mater in 2006.  Herbst has been an invited juror in state AIA Awards programs in New Mexico, Florida and Arizona.

About Woodbury University

Founded in 1884, Woodbury University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Southern California. The university ranks 15th among the nation’s “25 Colleges That Add the Most Value,” according to Money Magazine, was voted “Best Graduate School” in the Los Angeles Daily News 2018 Readers Choice Awards, and is a 2018-19 College of Distinction. Woodbury was a finalist for the General Community Service Award, a part of the 2015 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll recognition program. With campuses in Burbank/Los Angeles and San Diego, the university offers bachelor\\’s degrees from the School of Architecture, School of Business, School of Media, Culture & Design, and College of Liberal Arts, along with a Master of Business Administration, Master of Architecture, Master of Interior Architecture and Master of Science in Architecture. The San Diego campus offers Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture, Master of Interior Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture degrees, as well as a Master of Science in Architecture, Real Estate Development. Visit woodbury.edu for more information.