Andrea Leers facts for kids

Andrea Leers is an American architect and teacher. She is known for designing many important buildings. Andrea Leers and Jane Weinzapfel started their own architecture company called Leers Weinzapfel Associates. This company was the first one owned by women to win a very special award, the Architecture Firm Award, in 2007. In 1991, she became a member of the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows, which is a big honor for architects.

Andrea Leers also taught architecture at many famous universities. She was the director of a special program at Harvard Graduate School of Design. She also taught at places like Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Tokyo Institute of Technology. In 1982, she spent a year in Japan to study design. She was also invited to teach in Rome and Paris. In 2018, she was chosen to help lead a special commission for the city of Boston.

Early Life and Education

Andrea Leers was born in Miami, Florida. She grew up in Massachusetts. She studied art history at Wellesley College. Later, she earned a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She learned from a very famous architect named Louis I. Kahn.

In 1970, Andrea Leers started her first architecture company. In 1982, she and Jane Weinzapfel started their new company, Leers Weinzapfel Associates, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Cool Buildings Andrea Leers Designed

Andrea Leers and her team have designed many interesting buildings. They often work on university buildings and public spaces. Here are some of their important projects:

• MIT Media Lab Expansion: This is a modern building at a famous technology school in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
• Harvard University Science Center Expansion: An addition to a science building at Harvard University.
• United States Federal Courthouse: A courthouse building in Orlando, Florida.
• Blue Hill Avenue Youth Development Center: A place for young people in Boston, Massachusetts.
• MBTA Operations Control Center: A building that helps manage public transportation in Boston.
• University of Arkansas Adohi Hall: A unique student housing building in Arkansas.
• John W. Olver Design Building: A building at the University of Massachusetts Amherst designed for students studying design.

Important Talks and Presentations

Andrea Leers has given many talks about architecture. She has shared her ideas with students and other architects around the world.

• She was a judge for a big design competition in France in 2015.
• She gave a talk called "Making Connections" in Cyprus in 2014.
• She spoke at the National Building Museum about her company's work.
• She was a main speaker at an international design conference in Taiwan in 2010.

Awards and Recognitions

Andrea Leers and her firm have won many awards for their amazing designs.

• Architecture Firm Award (2007): This is a very high honor from the American Institute of Architects.
• Boston Society of Architects Award of Honor (2009): An award from the architects in Boston.
• Award of Excellence from the BSA Women in Design Committee (2002).
• They have been listed among the "Architect Top 50" many times.
• Their work was featured in the "Wall Street Journal Best Architecture of 2017."
• They have won several AIA Honor Awards for their designs.
• They also won an International Design Award in 2007.
• Their projects have received American Architecture Awards.
• One of their buildings was named "World Building of the Year" in 2017.

See Also

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In Spanish: Andrea Leers para niños