Brian Strawn

MDes, Illinois Institute of Technology | MArch, University of Illinois at Chicago | BA Zoology, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Licenses: Hawaiʻi, Illinois

Brian Strawn AIA, is a designer, researcher and educator that directs cross-disciplinary teams through projects that intersect the fields of architecture, design strategy, and user research. Brian’s hyphenated background has led to his engagement on a wide range of projects for institutions, including Santa Clara University, Johns Hopkins, Chicago Loop Alliance, Hyatt, China Guardian, Godrej, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. 

Brian is a founding team member and Principal Investigator at the University of Hawaiʻi Community Design Center, where he has conducted projects for the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority, Hawai‘i Department of Defense, US Department of the Interior’s Office of Native Hawaiian Relations, University of Hawai'i at Hilo, and University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. 

In addition to his research efforts at UH, Brian is co-founder of Strawn Sierralta, an award-winning open practice exploring urgencies and reconsiderations related to the built environments since 2003. The studio’s work has been featured in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Dwell Magazine, Chicago Tribune, Architect Magazine, Architectural Record, Dezeen, and Fast Company.

Recent design honors include the 2022 ACSA Collaborative Practice Award, the 2020 AIA Honolulu Distinctive Detail Award, and AIA Honolulu Design Awards in 2017, 2019, and 2020.