Press
AIA Toledo Chooses Architect of the Year
The Toledo Chapter of the American Institute of Architects is pleased to announce that Michael R. Duket, AIA, has been named Toledo Architect of the Year for 2006.
In making the announcement, the AIA Toledo cited Mr. Duket’s influence on Toledo’s architecture, his role as a mentor to many area architects, and management skills as a Principal of Duket Porter Associates.
Mr. Duket is a Principal of Duket Porter Associates, formerly Seyfang Blanchard Duket Porter, which recently celebrated its 35th Anniversary. DPA, with a staff of twenty-five, has an extensive award winning design portfolio. The firm’s experience encompasses a broad range, including Institutional, Educational, Commercial, and Residential work.
Educated at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Mr. Duket has practiced as an Architect in Cincinnati, and then the Toledo area. He is intent upon creating projects which reflect the character and needs of the client, with approaches that are both fresh and thoughtful. He was personally involved with the firm’s association with Centerbrook Architects, and the creation of the Academic House, a 400 Student Dormitory and related Office and Classroom building for the Honors Program at the University of Toledo. He has extensive experience with commercial and residential design, including many notable and award-winning projects in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Delaware, and Montana. Many of his homes have been published in Architectural Digest, Northern Home and Traverse magazines.
He was the founding member of the AIA Toledo Design Awards Program as a direct result of AIA National’s commitment to the promotion of celebration of excellence in architectural design, and has held many positions in the Toledo Chapter, including President in 1992.
Mr. Duket’s commitment to design excellence and the arts includes dedication to community affairs. He has served many local organizations, including the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, as board member for the past six years. Currently he is Co-Chair of the Commission’s Art in Public Places Committee, which is responsible for the acquisition and conservation of The City of Toledo’s Public Art Collection. He chaired the committee for the new Korean War Memorial, recently dedicated on the Civic Center Mall. He supported the Epilepsy Center “Practically a Golf Tournament” for many years and served on the House Committee for the Ronald McDonald House.
Duket Porter Associates is directly involved in the renewal of the Summit Street Corridor near downtown Toledo, where the offices of the firm are located. Their renovated office building received an Honor Award from AIA Toledo, a Landmarks Preservation Council's Excellence in Preservation Award, and a “Top Ten Project” Award from the Cherry-Summit-Bancroft Corridor Coalition; the firm plans to continue with other developments in the immediate area.
Mr. Duket will be presented the prestigious AIA Toledo Architect of the Year Award at the organization’s Annual Honor Awards Gala on November 18, 2006.
originally posted at www.aiatoledo.org/news.htm