Education
Felsen earned his Bachelor of Architecture from the Virginia Technical in 1991 and a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University in 1994.
Felsen earned his Bachelor of Architecture from the Virginia Technical in 1991 and a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University in 1994.
He directs UrbanLab, a Chicago-based architecture and urban design firm. Felsen"s projects range in scale from houses such as the Hennepin, Illinois Residence, mixed-use residential and commercial buildings such as Upton’s Naturals Headquarters, public open spaces such as the Smart Museum of Art Courtyard at the University of Chicago, and large scale, speculative urban design projects such as Growing Water in Chicago. Prior to founding his own firm, he worked for Peter Eisenman, Stan Allen, and OMA/Rem Koolhaas in Rotterdam.
Felsen’s work has been exhibited at the International Venice Biennale of Architecture, the Museum of Modern Art, the National Building Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Felsen has been featured in publications such as Architect magazine and Dwell magazine. He has received many honors for his work, including several design awards from the American Institute of Architects.
Since 1996, Felsen has taught architecture and urban design as a Studio Associate Professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He was a visiting professor at Washington University in Saint Louis in 2011.
Felsen served as Director of Archeworks, an alternative design school in Chicago from 2008-2011.
Under his leadership, Archeworks completed several significant public interest design projects, and developed and organized two influential urban design workshops titled Infrastructures for Change. During Felsen’s tenure, Archeworks’ projects were exhibited internationally at the Venice Biennale of Architecture and The Architecture Foundation in London. Felsen founded and served as editor of a new Archeworks publication titled Works.
2014 American Institute of Architects Distinguished Building Honor Award – Morgan Street Live/Work.
2014 American Institute of Architects Distinguished Building Honor Award – Morgan Street Live/Work 2014 American Institute of Architects Unbuilt Design Award, Special Recognition – MoMA PS1 2014 Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts Publication Grant 2013 American Institute of Architects Sustainability Leadership Special Recognition Award – MoMA PS1 2012 Venice Biennale of Architecture, the 13th International Exhibition 2012 American Institute of Architects Small Project Award - Video Arcade, Merchandise Mart 2011 American Institute of Architects Regional & Urban Design Honor Award - Vertical Farming the Union Stock Yards 2010 American Institute of Architects Interior Architecture Honor Award - Hennepin House, Hennepin, Illinois 2010 Buckminster Fuller Challenge, Honorable Mention 2010 Emerging Voices, Architectural League of New York - lecture delivered at the New Museum 2010 Venice Biennale of Architecture, Archeworks at the 12th International Exhibition 2009 American Institute of Architects Distinguished Building Award - Hennepin House, Hennepin, Illinois 2009 American Institute of Architects Urban Design Award - Growing Water, Chicago 2009 Latrobe Prize, from the American Institute of Architects (American Institute of Architects) College of Fellows. 2009 Global Visionary by WBEZ, Chicago Public Radio 2008 American Institute of Architects Unbuilt Design Award, Growing Water, Chicago 2008 Excellence in Education Award, American Institute of Architecture Students 2007 Dubin Family Young Architect Award, American Institute of Architects Chicago 2007 American Institute of Architects Divine Detail Award - Hannah’s Bretzel 2007 National Grand Prize, The City of the Future: A Design and Engineering Challenge, The History Channel 2003 Emerging Visions Competition Prize, Chicago Architecture Club 1995 Lloyd Warren Fellowship: 82nd Paris Prize, Van Alen Institute.
