Posen Architects is thrilled to share some exciting news from the newly established Lori Klein Design Excellence Award at Kean University’s Michael Graves College of Architecture + Design, Robert Busch School of Design. We are delighted to announce that this year’s inaugural recipient is the talented designer, and graduating senior, Dominique Patti.
The Lori Klein Design Excellence Award was established in 2025 to acknowledge Lori’s career long dedication to leadership in the healthcare design space; her laser focus on ‘Best Practices’ and ‘Evidence Based Design’, her mentorship of many young staff members and her twenty-five plus years as Director of Design and Design Principal at the firm. The annual Award comes with a monetary prize and the opportunity to shadow a staff designer at Posen Architects, gaining valuable, hands-on experience in the world of design.
The competition included six interior design, healthcare project submissions and the jury—composed of Dennis Posen, AIA, Lori Klein CID, and Tom Fantacone AIA, three of the four Principals of the firm, unanimously selected Dominique’s Ribbon Retreat project as “best in class.” The project stood out for its thoughtful research, exceptional presentation, and how it addressed the challenges set forth by the competition. As Lori Klein put it:
“Beautifully done presentation and project brief that answers the challenges of the competition. The issues and solutions are clearly addressed and well researched; adding in interviews and looking at similar projects shows that a lot of thought went into the submission. Presented in a well-spoken manner—wearing the breast cancer pink pin shows commitment to the cause.”
Dominique’s work embodies the very essence of design excellence—solving complex problems while making a meaningful impact on important social issues. This is exactly the kind of talent the Lori Klein Design Excellence Award seeks to recognize and celebrate.
We’re very proud to acknowledge Dominique’s exceptional work and look forward to seeing the future she builds through her design journey. Congratulations once again on this well-deserved recognition!