D.I.R.T. Studio Earns Urban Design Award

D.I.R.T. staffers will participate in studios, workshops, and lectures in Milwaukee.

Mairi Beautyman -- Interior Design, 1/22/2007

D.I.R.T. Studio, a design firm based in Charlottesville, North Carolina, is the recipient of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s first biannual Urban Edge Award. Honoring international excellence in urban design, the $50,000 awards program was initiated by the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

D.I.R.T. is praised for its gritty, no-nonsense approach to the renewal of post-industrial landscapes. The award-winning firm, led by Julie Bargmann, receives $25,000. The remaining half is used to transport the winners to Milwaukee to work with students, faculty, and local practitioners on urban design issues relating to the area. During the Spring Semester, D.I.R.T. staffers will participate in studios, workshops, and lectures in Milwaukee.

The Urban Edge Award is the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s second major international award program. In 2005, members of the Dutch firm MVRDV came to the University as part of the $100,000 Marcus Prize program. Early this year, Barcelona publisher Aktar will release a book showcasing the results of MVRDV’s work.

The Urban Edge Award program is sponsored by the law firm of Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren and the Wisconsin Preservation Trust.