School of Architecture and Planning Honors Louis P. Ciminelli, Walter J. Hood with 2014 Dean's Medal

The School of Architecture and Planning has announced two recipients of its 2014 Dean's Medal in recognition of their extraordinary accomplishments in our professions.

Walter J. Hood, internationally noted landscape architect, artist and educator, and Louis P. Ciminelli, chairman & CEO of LPCiminelli and founding chairman of the School of Architecture and Planning Dean’s Council, will each receive the award, the highest honor bestowed by the School of Architecture and Planning.

As head of LPCiminelli, Louis Ciminelli oversees a full-service construction firm ranked in the top 150 of all construction companies in the United States. Dedicated to public service, Ciminelli is active in the education and arts sectors in Buffalo and across the U.S. With the 2014 Dean's Medal, Ciminelli is being honored for his contributions to the revitalization of the Buffalo Niagara region through building, design, culture, art and education. The reach of his public service extends across the nation and around the world and is now contributing to a stronger future for School of Architecture and Planning through his leadership of our Dean’s Council.

Walter Hood is a professor of landscape architecture and environmental design at the University of California Berkeley. His award-winning studio practice, Hood Design, has been engaged in environmental design, urban design, art installations and research commissions since 1992. The School of Architecture and Planning recognizes Walter Hood with the Dean's Medal for his contributions to the ecological, cultural and social betterment of society through the making and remaking of landscapes. His design for the University at Buffalo's Solar Strand - a 750 kilowatt, ground-mounted photovoltaic array that has set a new design vocabulary for solar installations across our region and world - demonstrates his commitment to the practice of urban design and landscape architecture in ways that are sensitive to place and the people who occupy them.

The Dean's Medal recognizes individuals for their extraordinary accomplishment in the fields of planning, architecture or environmental design through pedagogy, research, creative activity and leadership. The highest honor bestowed by the School of Architecture and Planning, the Dean’s Medal acknowledges distinguished lifetime career achievements that develop, improve and sustain our school, university, region and world. Past recipients include architect, futurist and author R. Buckminster Fuller; John P. Eberhard, the school’s founding dean; and Barbara Campagna, formerly chief architect for the National Trust for Historic Preservation and a 1984 graduate of the School of Architecture and Planning.