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Bridget Benge, Assoc. AIA
Bridget Benge, Assoc. AIA, is a principal interior designer, architectural designer, and educator whose work encompasses professional practice, academia, and research. Her multi-disciplinary approach has earned her recognition across multiple design disciplines, including notable awards, scholarships, and fellowships in interior design, architecture, and urban studies.
Benge's professional trajectory spans residential and commercial design, beginning with her foundational studies at Chicago's Harrington College of Design. Following her degree in Interior Design, she practiced in Chicago before pursuing advanced degrees in Interior Architecture & Architecture. This academic pursuit led to the establishment of her design practice, which expanded from Chicago to New York by 2020. In 2024, she co-founded Studio Artempo, an integrated architecture and interior design firm maintaining offices in Chicago, New York City, and Urbana-Champaign.
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As a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Architecture, Benge teaches architecture, interior architecture, urbanism, detail design, and material studies. Her pedagogical approach emphasizes the intrinsic relationship between interior design and architecture, informed by her cross-disciplinary background.
Her current research investigates resilient housing solutions for communities affected by environmental and social challenges. This work spans multiple geographic contexts, including Indonesia, Jordan, Puerto Rico, and coastal regions of the United States, examining how architectural interventions can address pressing humanitarian needs.
Jeffery Poss, FAIA.
A visionary architect whose work transcends traditional boundaries, Jeffrey Poss has shaped both the physical and intellectual landscape of contemporary architecture through decades of innovative design and transformative education. His work, recognized through his election to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects, encompasses residential design, memorial spaces, pavilions, and experimental structures, reflecting a comprehensive approach to architectural practice and theory.
Poss's professional path includes collaborations with influential firms such as Skidmore Owings and Merrill, Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo & Associates, and Tai Soo Kim Partners. His early career was distinguished by winning the Lloyd Warren Traveling Fellowship, which helped shape his perspective on architectural practice and education.
As a faculty member at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (1989-2019), Poss made lasting contributions to architectural education. He established the detail + FABRICATION Program Area and served as Interim Director of the Illinois School of Architecture. His pedagogical excellence in concept development, materials, and architectural detailing earned him the AIA Education Honors Award. He was awarded Professor Emeritus status in recognition of his contributions to the field.
His scholarly work includes two significant publications: "Space, Movement, and Light: The Architecture of Jack Sherman Baker, FAIA" and "Spaces of Serenity: Small Projects for Meditation and Contemplation." Currently, Poss is curating an exhibition examining the cultural significance of modernist residential architecture in Champaign-Urbana from the 1940s to 1980s, exploring these homes as centers of artistic and cultural innovation.
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