U. of Florida names Berk distinguished alumnus
Michael A. Berk
The director of the Mississippi State University School of Architecture has been selected by the University of Florida to receive the 2014 Distinguished Architecture Alumni Award.
F.L. Crane Endowed Professor Michael A. Berk, AIA, is a 1981 graduate of the University of Florida.
Florida’s College of Design,
Construction and Planning honors recipients in each
of its five units -- architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, building construction, and urban and regional planning -- annually with this award.
"These awards are given to individuals who have had a notable impact on the profession of architecture and in the case of Michael Berk have also left a recognizable and indelible imprint on countless students who have worked and studied under his guidance in the School of Architecture at Mississippi State. I can think of no alumnus more deserving of this recognition,” said Jim West, dean of the College of Architecture, Art and Design at MSU.
Berk was honored at an awards ceremony in late March at the University of Florida, where he also participated in the school’s Masters Research Projects final presentations jury review with fellow critics Tod Williams and Billie Tsien.
Berk is a registered architect with an extensive practice as a design partner in the West Palm Beach firm (AOA) prior to his return to the academy. He teaches and researches in the areas of information design and factory-built housing (GreenMobile). He is considered by many to be an expert in the area of ecological design.
His recent lecture invitations include Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Hearst Lecture Series Cal Poly, Rural Studio and the National Building Museum. He has been responsible for more than $7 million in funded research.
Berk was also a pioneer in design studio pedagogies. His Digital Nomads program in 1992 created the first student-owned laptop requirement -- breaking the machine out of the traditional computer lab -- and strategically placed it along-side power saws and drawing boards to complement traditional analog design processes.
