The 2018 Jury of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has inducted Laredoan Viviana Frank-Franco to its prestigious College of Fellows, an honor awarded to members who have made significant contributions to the profession of architecture. She was inducted Friday, June 22, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.
Frank-Franco, who for more than three decades has been an important figure in Laredo’s growth and the push for sustainable downtown revitalization, is the founding principal and president of Frank Architects, Inc. She is the first Laredo architect and the only female architect along the borderlands to be elevated to the AIA fellowship.
Frank, Xavier, and Julian Rotnofsky are pictured with Laredo architect Viviana Frank-Franco on the occasion of her induction into the American Institute of Architects (AIA) College of Fellows in New York City on Friday, June 22.
Her recognition as an AIA Fellow was based on her work to advance the living standards of people through an improved environment. Working with the City of Laredo, she was one of the lead architects who authored the Viva Laredo Comprehensive Plan, a document that was drafted with the participation of over 30,000 Laredoans through town hall meetings, workshops, and interactive surveys.
The document will serve as the guide for Laredo’s growth over the next 20 years. The foundational principles in the document include making the city more walkable, planning new and improved public spaces, and utilizing economic development strategies to make the city prosperous, diverse, and affordable.
In addition to her professional endeavors, she has dedicated her time to over a dozen initiatives that improve and promote the quality of life of Laredoans. Most notably, she has been a solution-builder and facilitator for the El Centro de Laredo Farmers’ Market, as well as an advocate for food security through the Laredo Center for Urban Agriculture and Sustainability, for preservation initiatives that protect the historic fabric of the city, as well as for active transportation through the formation of Bike Laredo.
Frank-Franco said she believes her role as an architect and a city-maker are one and the same. She has worked closely with groups of advocates to push for causes that create a more equitable and safe city for all.
“If happiness is an inalienable right, then access to a happy life is the main purpose of cities,” she said.
The AIA fellowship program was developed to elevate architects who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession and who have made a significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level.
The stringent requirements result in only three percent of the AIA’s more than 91,000 members being recognized as Fellows. There are currently 3,425 living fellows globally.
