Victor A. Regnier
Victor A. Regnier, FAIA (pronounced Rah-near or Ren-yea) is an American architect, professor, and researcher. His research and publications have explored the creation and evaluation of residential settings for the physically and cognitively frail with special attention to northern European precedents. Early life. Victor Regnier was born in 1947 in suburban Johnson County near Kansas City. His father was a builder and developer and his mother was a librarian. He is married to Judith Gonda Ph.D., a writer, and has two daughters Jennifer and Heather. In 1973, he received his Master of Architecture from the  University of Southern California (USC) under a fellowship program at the Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center where his research centered on the role of supportive housing in achieving independence and life satisfaction for older people. Prior to that, he had received undergraduate degrees in Architecture and Architectural Engineering at Kansas State University. He began his practice in Santa Monica, CA, as the vice president of Gerontological Planning Associates but soon joined USC's Andrus Center as a researcher and preceptor. Eventually, he became the chief of the Environmental Studies Laboratory at the Andrus Center. Academic career. In 1979, he accepted  a tenured joint appointment at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign teaching design in the graduate architecture program and doing research in a think tank called the Program of Housing Research and Development. At Illinois, he taught graduate seminars and design studios, while focusing his research on design decision making. In 1983, he joined the faculty of the USC School of Architecture as a tenured Associate Professor with a joint appointment at the Andrus Gerontology Center. In 1992, he was appointed Dean of the School of Architecture (1992–1995) and promoted to full professor. Subsequently, he served as the Vice Dean  for External Affairs (2011–2012) and the Associate Dean for Research (2016–2017). In addition to issues associated with aging, he teaches studios and seminars at USC Architecture in Health Care Design. Design Principles and Priorities. Identifying the innovative qualities of northern European housing and care settings for the frail has been the centerpiece of his research over the last 30 years. His work intertwining theory and practice focuses primarily on: Academic and Professional Achievements. His work is relevant because it intertwines theory with practice. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects(FAIA) as well as the Gerontological Society of  America(FGSA), a singular distinction. In 2008, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) made him an ACSA Distinguished Professor to recognize his teaching and research. Regnier has published 13 books/monographs as well as over 65 articles and book chapters. He has directed over 25 research projects. From 1993 to 2010, Regnier taught in the summer Executive Education Program in the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Books and Research Monographs. Books: Edited Books: Monographs: Translations: Honors and Awards. Research and Academic Awards Service and Philanthropy. Regnier has been a member of numerous boards and organizations including the Gamble House  Conservancy; the USC Architectural Guild; USC Associates; USC Leonard Davis Dean's Circle; the Community Design Center of Los Angeles (past president); Syracuse University School of Information Science Board of Visitors; Kansas University (KU) Chancellor's Club (Mt. Oread Society); Kansas State University, President's Club (George T Fairchild Society) and the Foundation to Assist California Teachers (FACT). Regnier has also served on the editorial or advisory board of 9 journals or professional magazines. Through his own personal and family foundations he has funded endowed scholarships for students at USC Architecture, the USC Gerontology Center, the University of Arizona, Kansas  State University, Syracuse University, the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana), and Johnson County Community College. His charitable giving through his family foundation, (including his brother Robert and sister Catherine) over the last 20 years has included the following buildings: Regnier Hall on the KSU campus, Regnier Hall on the KU/KC Campus, Regnier Center on the Johnson County Community College campus, and the Regnier Family Wonderscope Children's Museum. In addition, they have endowed the Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Bloch Business School at UMKC, and the Victor L. Regnier Architecture and Victor L. Regnier Distinguished Visiting  Chair (2 chairs) at Kansas State University in the College of Architecture, Planning, and Design. Additional endowed programs focus on the priority topics of science, education, and children.