October 3, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHICAGO - The New York Times once described Reed Kroloff, Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture dean and Rowe Family College of Architecture Endowed Chair, as "the man with the list at architecture’s party."

After more than a quarter-century of experience in architecture, urbanism, and design, he knows innovation when he sees it--and this year, he’ll apply that knowledge as a juror for the American Institute of Steel Construction's Forge Prize, a conceptual competition that challenges emerging architects, architecture educators, and graduate students to dream big and come up with a vision for the future that capitalizes on the full potential of structural steel.

Kroloff developed a perspective on design and the industry from multiple angles. In addition to being a founding principal of jones|kroloff, an advisory practice that develops strategy for clients in the architecture and design industry, he’s a regular media contributor and critic and a former editor in chief of Architecture magazine.

"Reed has a special talent for communicating both analytically and passionately about architecture," said AISC Senior Architect for University Relations Jeanne Homer, AIA. "He's spent decades thinking about what makes a design work (and, through his leadership, he has inspired thousands of students over the course of his career). That experience, expertise, and passion will be real assets to the Forge Prize jury as they consider visionary concepts and the impact they'd have on how we live, work, and play in the future."

Prior to joining IIT, Kroloff served as director of the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and as dean of Tulane University School of Architecture in New Orleans--leading it through Hurricane Katrina and the city's recovery.

Kroloff holds a bachelor of arts from Yale University and a master of architecture from the University of Texas at Austin.

The 2024 Forge Prize jury also includes Corgan’s Samantha Flores and Architect's Paul Makovsky.

About the Forge Prize

The Forge Prize, established in 2018, is a unique opportunity for creative thinkers to come up with visionary designs that embrace steel as a primary structural component and capitalize on steel's ability to increase a project's speed.

Recent Forge Prize winners include concepts to reimagine the existing gas station infrastructure for the EV age, expand a Harlem housing block while building community among residents, and harness the potential of 3D printing to create an unconventional pedestrian bridge.

Entries are due November 30--and the stakes are high.

Three finalists will each win $5,000 and work with a steel fabricator to further develop their ideas before presenting them live to the world on a global YouTube stream. The winner will receive the $10,000 grand prize.

All finalists will receive complimentary registration for NASCC: The Steel Conference in San Antonio, Texas (March 20 to 22, 2024), and the winner will present their concept to an audience of the industry's best minds at the Steel Conference’s Architecture in Steel specialty conference.