Valerie Schweitzer – Head of jury

Valerie Schweitzer Architects / Principal

Valerie Schweitzer AIA is the principal of Valerie Schweitzer Architects, an award-winning design firm based in NYC that focuses on LEED GOLD multifamily residential projects and experimental pavilions on both coasts of the USA. She was recently selected in 2021 as part of Architizer’s 100 Women to Watch in Architecture, and her pavilion design of 2020 in Long Island was used to launch a new design section in the New York Times, with its timely heralding of stronger connections between architectural structures and habitat.

Schweitzer’s work focuses on deepening a sense of place, reinterpreting old vernaculars, and maintaining a sense of human scale; while many ateliers resort to computer generated designs, Schweitzer relies primarily on old school methods of sketch and physical sketch models, tapping into technology only to enhance a human-driven design. Her latest design of 15 unit apartment building, now under construction in West Los Angeles, has already gained attention, featured in the Architect’s Newspapers’ Facades plus for its unusual facade of board form and Corteen steel that emphasizes shared garden spaces. Her previous 5 story LA apartment building in Brentwood, (award-winning) has become something of a landmark in the neighborhood, animating the streetscape with sculptural features and color that pool the ecologies of the site. Her team is currently working on a proposal for a public pavilion in Jackson Hole Wyoming that aims to honor the indigenous tribes of the area and the sacred dimension of the landscape.

Schweitzer studied architecture and philosophy at Princeton University (Class of ’91),where she received The Alexander Guthrie McCosh Prize, and The Class of 1869 Prize in Ethics. She received her Masters of Architecture from UCLA’s Department of Architecture and Urban Design with high distinction.