ENR California has selected Justin Mikecz as one of its “20 Under 40” competition winners, which celebrates the excellence of young design and construction professionals around the state. He and the other winners will be published in ENR California’s February 13 issue.
Justin is dedicated to advancing the industry’s technical capacity to foster sustainability. He continually initiates dialogue during the design process that questions standard protocol and raises the collective definition of what it means for a project to be sustainable. Justin has over nine years of professional experience and joined Beverly Prior Architects (BPA) in 2007 as an Intermediate Designer. While at BPA he led the firm’s pursuit for sustainable material and systems research. In 2011, HMC Architects and BPA merged and Justin was promoted to a Project Leader. He continues to pursue learning about new innovations that can be integrated into the firm’s work. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis, MO and a Master of Architecture from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. While in grad school, Justin was among the top three honored in his class for his thesis project the Bronzeville Neighborhood Center.
In 2010, Justin received First Prize in the Northern California Region of 2010 USGBC Emerging Professional’s Natural Talent Design Competition. The competition, in partnership with Salvation Army’s EnviRenew Initiative, focused on the rebuilding effort in New Orleans. Competitors were tasked to design a LEED for Homes Platinum project that is priced affordably and is functional for elderly occupants. Justin’s winning design both honored the historical context of New Orleans and symbolizes the re-emergence of the city like a phoenix rising from the ashes. The house fits in with its Broadmoor neighbors while paying homage to the architectural history and the inherently sustainable nature of shotgun houses in New Orleans.
Justin’s dedication to his community goes beyond just his project work – he is an active participant in community service organizations and has led several initiatives. He currently serves on the Pamakid Runners Charity Committee, which raises money through events like the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon every year in San Francisco. With funds raised from events like the marathon, Pamakid Runners makes regular donations to local non-profit community organizations that match the club’s mission to “promote a healthy lifestyle.” Justin, a former college athlete and cross-country team leader, is a passionate member of the Pamakid Runners Club race team and focuses his efforts on volunteer outreach with the organizations that receive donations from Pamakid Runners.
