CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – David M. Chasco, the interim dean of the College of Architecture and Design at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Mich., has been chosen to be the new director of the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, pending approval of the board of trustees at its July 15 meeting in Chicago.
He will begin his new duties Aug. 16. He succeeds Michael J. Andrejasich, who served as acting director 1999-2000 and has been serving as interim director of the school since 2000.
Chasco, who also serves as the chair of the Department of Architecture at Lawrence Technological University, was instrumental in the ongoing development of the university’s integrated design studios incorporating allied disciplines. As department chair, he played a role in the development of two off-campus studios – the Detroit Urban Studio, co-sponsored by General Motors, and the Pontiac Main Street Studio allied with the National Main Street Center, part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, in Washington, D.C.
“David Chasco is an experienced leader in both architecture and architecture education,” said Kathleen F. Conlin, the dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts. “His professional architectural work with one of the country’s foremost firms is an invaluable asset to re-invigorating our curriculum and designing our students’ introduction to the field. Committed to architectural practice, David also possesses a keen sense of international education and issues of historical preservation. He is prepared to strengthen this school in extending its leadership in the architectural issues of the day.”
Chasco has a strong interest in international programs and developed a study program in Paris for senior and graduate students. He also developed the Lake Victoria Ssesse Island Cultural Center Studio in Uganda for the Pan African Development Corp. for presentation of design ideas at the United Nations.
As a member and associate in the firm of Gunnar Birkerts & Associates, an international-based design practice, he was the project designer/director for a broad range of building types including the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela; the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts (theater) at Michigan Technological University; the National Elastomer Center at Ferris State University; the University of Michigan – Flint Library; Holtzman Silverman Office underground sustainable office building in Southfield; mixed-use projects in Florence and Milan, Italy, for the Fiat Corp.; and the Detroit Archdiocese Cathedral addition/renovation. Other design efforts include the University of Iowa College of Law, the University of Utah Marriot Library, the Duke University Law School, the Minnesota History Museum Competition and the Detroit Tigers stadium renovation.
In 1992, Chasco was named a Plym Fellow in the School of Architecture at Illinois. The Francis J. Plym Fellowships are given to accomplished mid-career architects.
Chasco earned his master’s degree in architecture at Illinois 1980 and his bachelor’s degree in architecture at Illinois in 1977. He currently lives in Huntington Woods, Mich.
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