WOMEN IN NORDIC DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE: CRAFT MEETS INDUSTRY

Jennifer Yoos, FAIA, will be speaking at Scandinavia House in New York as a part of their four-part series Nordic American Connections: Conversations on Architecture and Design. The series invites prominent architects, critics, and scholars to reflect on Scandinavian and Nordic design’s enduring impact in shaping modern American design since the 19th century.

The third panel of the series, Women in Nordic Design and Architecture: Craft Meets Industry on Thursday, March 19th at 6:30 PM, will focus on women in Nordic design.

Follow this link to learn more and purchase tickets to the event!

In the News: Reimagining Fraser Hall

“Fraser Hall’s reopening this Fall represented more than the renovation of a historic building; it embodied a rethinking of how students at the University of Minnesota learn science. Designed by the award-winning Minneapolis-based architecture firm VJAA, in collaboration with BWBR, executive architects, the project has transformed the 1928 law library into a modern hub for undergraduate chemistry. The reimagined Fraser Hall supports active, inquiry-based learning and will provide a welcoming, collaborative environment for thousands of students from nearly every college on campus.”

This past fall, 2025, the University of Minnesota Undergraduate Chemistry Teaching Laboratory Facility opened. Jennifer Yoos shares how VJAA transformed the historic building into a collaborative, sustainable space for student learning.

Follow this link for the full article.

Photos: Jasper Lazor

825 Arts is a finalist for the 2025 Architizer A+Awards

We are excited for 825 Arts to be selected as a finalist in this year’s Architizer A+Awards! It is one of five selected worldwide for the Popular Choice Award. Please vote for 825 Arts in the Architecture+Adaptive Reuse category! See link at the bottom. Each year the online public chooses the Popular Choice Winner and virtual voting is now open through May 16!

Architizer A+Awards Link

Photo: Corey Gaffer

VJAA at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale

VJAA has been selected as a finalist for PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity, the U.S. Pavilion exhibition at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia.

Organized by the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas in collaboration with DesignConnects and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, PORCH represents the United States’ exploration of civic engagement, community building, and social and environmental resilience through architecture and design.

As part of the exhibition, VJAA’s work will be featured within the U.S. Pavilion, contributing to the broader dialogue on the role of architecture in fostering generosity, connection, and cultural exchange. Visit porchusavenice2025.org and follow @porchusa2025 to learn more!

VJAA Receives Three 2024 AIA Minnesota Awards

VJAA is the recipient of two AIA Minnesota Honor Awards and one Commendation for Excellence at this years A’24 MN closing Awards Celebration and Reception. Congratulations to our clients 825 Arts, Upper Canada College and Saint Cloud State University. Also thank you to our collaborators and to RDH Architects in Toronto.

Lindsay Boathouse at Upper Canada College in Toronto, Canada received an Honor Award in two AIA Framework for Design Excellence categories: Design for Well-Being and Design for Discovery. 825 Arts community art center in Saint Paul, Minnesota’s Frogtown neighborhood received an Honor Award in four AIA Framework for Design Excellence categories: Design for Equitable Communities, Economy, Resources, and Integration. The Autism Discovery Center at Saint Cloud State University received a Commendation for Excellence in the Design for Well-Being category.

Follow this link to the AIA MN website for more information!

Lindsay Boathouse photography by DoubleSpace Photography

825 Arts photography by Corey Gaffer Photography

Autism Discovery Center photography by Jasper Lazor