William C. Jensen, AIA, vice president of architecture and engineering at Minneapolis-based Ryan Companies US Inc., recently received a Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) award from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The former Panther was one of nine school-wide recipients to be honored with the award at an alumni event in May. Jensen, noted as being a “prolific and award-winning architect,” represented the School of Architecture & Urban Planning where he received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture in 1999 and 2001, respectively. But the GOLD Award is only the most recent addition to a lengthy list of accolades. Prior to taking up his current position at Ryan Companies in 2006, Jensen was honored for his architectural design work on Epic Systems Corporate Campus, Verona, Wis.; Davenport Courthouse, Davenport, Iowa; TianXing Roosevelt Centre, Dalian, China; and Urban Outfitters Corporate Campus, Philadelphia, which won seven national awards from organizations including the AIA, the Urban Land Institute, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Jensen began his career as a journeyman carpenter in NYC Local #17 before holding project manager positions at construction management companies and architecture firms including Cunningham Group and Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd. He also has served as an adjunct instructor, teaching design studio and urban design studio to graduates and undergraduates at the University of Minnesota’s College of Design.
Past GOLD Award winners representing the School of Architecture & Urban Planning include David A. Ciepluch, formerly an energy efficient project strategist at We Energies in Milwaukee, and Lora A. Strigens, AIA, associate at Hammel, Green and Abrahamson.
