Lewis Goetz, College of Fellows Chair for the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), announced five IIDA members who have been inducted into the College of Fellows. As the highest honor that the Association bestows upon Professional Members, the inductees represent those who have made outstanding contributions to IIDA and the interior design profession.
The new members include: Viveca Bissonnette of Hollander Design Group, San Diego, CA; Collin Burry of Gensler, San Francisco, CA; Carlos Martinez of Gensler, Chicago, IL; Lauren Rottet of Rottet Studio, Houston, TX; and Jaime Velez of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), Chicago, IL.
“It is an honor for the College of Fellows to welcome these extraordinary leaders in the Design world,” said Goetz. “These men and women represent the highest level of Interior Design professionalism. Their range of experience and their strong Design expertise is a credit to their professionalism and dedication to the industry.”
With over 20 years of experience in the fields of Cultural Anthropology and Interior Design, Viveca Bissonnette brings a broad depth of experience and knowledge to her professional responsibilities.
As Vice President and Design Principal at Hollander Design Group she serves in numerous capacities providing design services and is involved in all phases of the design process. Project types she has been involved with have ranged from remodel to new construction for both the private and public sectors. Outside of Hollander Design Group, Bissonnette is actively involved in the design community. She currently holds the position of President of IIDA. Bissonnette is also a current member of the Art Institute of San Diego’s Program Advisory Council. In addition she is on the Editorial Advisory Boards for both Perspective Design Journal and Interiors & Sources.
Bissonnette has held numerous board positions for IIDA and other organizations such as the San Diego Architectural Foundation (SDAF) and the California Council for Interior Design Certification (CCIDC). She has participated as a judge in many national and global interior design competitions and has been featured in numerous publications as well as authored several articles. In 2004, she was recognized as one of ten designers to watch in the country as part of the IIDA 10 year anniversary celebration.
Collin Burry’s work has garnered over 50 design awards and has been featured in over 46 publications since he joined Gensler in 1997. As one of the most sought after designers, Burry’s projects range from technology and corporate headquarters to showrooms, media, retail, hospitality, and product design. Burry’s unique creativity and vision produce tangible solutions to workplace challenges. He seamlessly unifies Design Strategy and sustainability with contemporary aesthetic, as evidenced by award-winning interiors. His recent projects include: Pixar, Apple, Nokia, Chemoil, HNI Corporation, Perfect World, Nike, Venables, Bell & Partners and Gensler’s own corporate headquarters.
On a global scale, Burry is the ambassador of corporate interior design for creative clients and the technology sector of Gensler. He was chosen to not only represent the Northwest region, but to lead the Regional Design Leaders, a collection of executives dedicated to setting the standard for design across the firm. In 2008, Gensler publicly recognized Burry with the coveted Don Brinkmann Award, for his contributions to the firm, which have consistently raised the standard of design excellence.
Burry has been an ardent supporter of legislation in California. He worked to get letters of support from Arthur Gensler and other industry luminaries when the licensurer bill was being debated in the California Assembly. He previously served as President of Northern California Chapter of the IIDA.
Carlos Martinez is a design leader with more than 25-years’ experience in a hybrid combination of architecture, design, innovation, and strategy. As a Principal at Gensler, Martinez has the dual roles of global Design Leader and Design Director for Gensler’s North Central Region.
Martinez is a passionate advocate for the strategic importance of great design and is known industry-wide for expertise in creating memorable spaces that honor their roots, delight users, promote collaboration, enhance communication, increase productivity, and elevate expectations. His clients have included companies in the professional services, consumer goods, technology, financial, retail and workplace sector. Prior to Gensler, Martinez held design leadership roles in several Chicago architecture and design firms.
Martinez also is active as a teacher of design and strategy in his capacity as adjunct professor of design at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; and he serves as Chairman on the Board of Trustees at Harrington College of Design. Martinez’s work has appeared in numerous national media outlets and design publications, including The New York Times, Forbes, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Interior Design Magazine, House & Garden, Metropolitan Home, Metropolis and Chicago Social Interiors. Martinez is past Chairman of the Board of Directors for DIFFA Chicago and serves on the Board of Directors of the Chicago High School for the Arts, the Marwen Foundation, and the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Architecture Foundation.
Lauren Rottet is one of the most‐celebrated interior architects today with an extraordinary record of awards, publications, lectures, juries, and honors. Rottet is one of only two designers to hold the coveted titles of Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Interior Design Hall of Fame, and Interiors Designer of the Year. In 2006, Rottet was inducted as an Inaugural Member of the Women in Design Hall of Fame. She is a Lifetime Appointee to the U.S. General Services Administration’s National Register of Peer Professionals for Design Excellence and served as juror for numerous IIDA and AIA design competitions and the 2010 Cooper‐Hewitt National Design Award. Rottet’s furniture and product designs have earned her four gold medals for Best of NeoCon and a Chicago Athenaeum Award.
For more than 25 years, Rottet has earned a reputation for excellence in the design of corporate interiors around the world for clients such as Artis Capital, Bernhardt Furniture, bgC3, BMC Software, Capital Group Companies, Ernst & Young’s “Workplace of the Future,” Fulbright & Jaworski, General Electric, Korea Development Bank, Mattel, McKinsey & Company, MidFirst Bank, Oaktree Capital, Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker, The Royal Bank of Scotland, Screen Actors Guild, Shell Oil Company, Sony Music, and the Walt Disney Company.
As the Director in charge of Interiors Design at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) in Chicago, Jaime Velez has executed numerous architectural and interior projects in the U.S., Europe and Asia, working at all scales and complexity levels. Velez brings a strong architectural and interior design background to his projects, which, in conjunction with his knowledge of furniture and detailing, generates integral designs with a high degree of consistency from the whole to the pieces. He believes that a space should reflect the unique characteristics of the culture of its users. His role in the design process provides insight for identification of opportunities in the feasibility phases of a project.
Velez is a graduate of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, with a degree in Architecture, and holds a Master of Architecture degree from University of Wisconsin. With more than 20 years of experience, his clients have included BankBoston Corporate Headquarters in Sao Paulo, UBS Offices, the Museum of Science and Industry, General Motors Renaissance Center and numerous law firms and showrooms.
