Robin Guenther Memorial Scholarship established at Taubman College with support from Perkins&Will
A new endowed scholarship honoring the legacy of alumna Robin Guenther, M.Arch ’78, has been established at Taubman College with support from architecture and design firm Perkins&Will. Guenther, who died of cancer in 2023, led the company’s global health practice and was a tireless architect and environmental health advocate who designed green, sustainable health care facilities and co-wrote a guide to building them.
The Robin Guenther Memorial Scholarship provides multi-year, need-based financial support to graduate architecture students pursuing a Master of Architecture degree from Taubman College.
Tamar Ayalew, M.Arch ’26, is the first student to be named a Robin Guenther Memorial Scholar. Originally from Alexandria, Virginia, Ayalew earned her bachelor’s at the University of Virginia. She is passionate about architecture as a force for social and environmental good and especially drawn to health, housing, and community design. At Taubman College, she hopes to deepen her understanding of both design and the business side of architecture, with aspirations to one day start her own practice.
“I want to express my deep gratitude to Perkins&Will for their generous support,” Ayalew said. “Because of their kindness, I can devote more time and energy to my studies at Taubman College without the worry of finances. It’s a privilege to be a scholarship recipient, and I hope to one day extend the same opportunity to future students. Their belief in my potential means the world to me, and I’m incredibly grateful.”
Guenther’s work focused on the intersection of sustainability policy and health design, directing design strategies for numerous health care projects in the U.S. and abroad with an emphasis on regeneration and resilience. Some of her notable projects include the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford — the second children’s hospital in the world to earn a LEED Platinum certification — in Palo Alto, California; Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital — which was designed to operate during catastrophic flooding — in Charlestown, Massachusetts; and Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth Ambulatory Care Center — a 1980s office building repurposed using biophilic design — in Middletown, New Jersey.
In 2005, Guenther received the Center for Health Design’s Changemaker award for her leadership and innovation in the design of healing environments. In 2010, Healthcare Design magazine named her the “#1 Most Influential Designer in Healthcare.” In 2012, Fast Company included her as one of the “100 most creative people in business.” She appeared as a TEDMED speaker in 2014. And in 2018, she was honored with “Women in Design” awards from Healthcare Design and Contract magazines.
“Robin believed that architecture could heal — physically, socially, and environmentally,” said Phil Harrison, CEO of Perkins&Will. “Her impact is evident across the industry and in the values she instilled in colleagues, clients, and students.”
Photo: Robin Guenther, M.Arch ’78 (left) and Tamar Ayalew, M.Arch ’26 (right).
