Nordic American Connections: Conversations on Architecture and Design is a four-part series that presents prominent architects, critics and scholars to reflect on Scandinavian and Nordic design’s enduring impact in shaping modern American design since the 19th century.
With renewed interest in the Nordic tradition and its resilient building strategies for climate action and wellbeing, this four-part architecture series engages contemporary Nordic and American architects and designers highlighting their design approaches with an emphasis on ‘complete design’ and award-winning projects that shape the American landscape and reflect Nordic design’s pivotal role in Modernism in America. This series is offered in collaboration with AIA New York and AIA Continental Europe.
The third panel of the series, marking Scandinavia House’s 25th Anniversary, will focus on women in Nordic design from Aino and Elissa Aalto, Loja Saarinen and Greta Magnusson Grossman to contemporary women architects. Historically women have made significant contributions to modern architecture and design, influencing both public buildings and residential spaces, furniture design and textile creation. Their innovative approaches and unique styles, combinednature, craftsmanship and human-centered design with modern aesthetics to shape an industry.
Participants include Eva Christine Jensen of Eva Jensen Design; Jennifer Yoos, design partner and President at VJAA; and Suchi Reddy, founder of Reddymade. The program will be moderated by Susan Chin of DesignConnects.
The panel is organized by ASF with Susan Chin in collaboration with the American Institute of Architects New York, and American Institute of Architects Continental Europe.
AIANY Continuing Education Credits are approved for this session; attendees receive 1.5 Learning Units | 1.5 HSW credits. To receive the credits, please ask to sign the AIANY student form at check-in.
PANELISTS
EVA CHRISTINE JENSEN, Architect AIA, MAA, is the founder and principal of Eva Jensen Design, an award-winning New York based architecture firm. EJD works across a range of design disciplines with a focus on high-end residential architecture and interiors, furniture design and art & architecture installations.
Born and raised in Denmark, Eva studied Architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture, Copenhagen (KADK) and at Milan Politecnico. Before establishing own New York practice, Eva was engaged as an assistant professor at KADK and worked for renowned architect Angelo Mangiarotti in Milan, and Henning Larsen Architects in Copenhagen. In New York, her work with Shelton Mindel & Associates, further refined competences in high-end residential architecture and interior design. Previously granted residencies at both the Danish Institute in Rome and Athens, Eva is recipient of numerous awards and patented design. Influenced by her Nordic heritage, and its design sensibility, EJD emphasizes a holistic hands-on approach with attention to detail, striving to create distilled aesthetics motivated by function and infused with poetry. The studio values collaboration, driven delivery, and research as part of the architectural practice. EJD aspires to bring delight and atmosphere through innovative, authentic and cohesive tailored timeless design.
JENNIFER YOOS FAIA is a design partner (1997-Present) and president of VJAA (from 2014), she is also Professor and Head of the Schools of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Interior Design in the University of Minnesota College of Design (2020-Present). VJAA is known for its innovative approach to practice that prioritizes context, environment, social space and building craft. Since its beginnings in 1995, the firm has received twenty-three national design awards, including six National AIA Honor Awards, six Progressive Architecture Awards, and two AIA/COD Top Ten Green Building Awards. VJAA is the recipient of the 2012 National American Institute of Architects Firm Award.
Jennifer received an MArch in Architecture and Urbanism from the Architectural Association in London, a professional BArch from the University of Minnesota and a Loeb Fellowship in Urban and Environmental Studies at Harvard’s GSD. In addition to prior teaching at Minnesota as a Professor-in-Practice, she was the NADAA Visiting Professor at Cooper Union and the Ruth and Norman Moore Visiting Professor at Washington University in St. Louis. She is co-author, with partner Vincent James, of a monograph on their work published by Princeton Architectural Press as well as their book Parallel Cities: The Multilevel Metropolis (2016).
MODERATOR
Susan Chin, FAIA, Hon. ASLA is an urbanist and civic leader who leads the independent consultancy DesignConnects, advancing design excellence in the public realm. Most recently, she served as Co-Commissioner of the U.S. Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, in partnership with the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Previously, Chin led Design Trust for Public Space, a nationally recognized New York City nonprofit, where she spent more than eight years shaping innovative, equitable public spaces. Before that, she served for over two decades as Assistant Commissioner for Capital Projects at the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, commissioning over $3B in high-performance architecture and public art across the city. A national leader in the profession, Chin chaired the AIA Committee on Design in 2024, served as Vice President of the AIA National Board, and was Chapter President of AIA New York. Her civic service includes the East Midtown Governing Group and the NYC & Company Board of Directors. Her honors include the 2025 William A. Bernoudy Resident in Architecture at the American Academy in Rome; Honorary Membership in the American Society of Landscape Architects; the Kideney Gold Medal from AIA New York State; The Ohio State University Distinguished Alumna Award; and the Loeb Fellowship at Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Future panels in 2026: Nordic firms in NYC, their values and approach that guide their architecture and practice
May 14, 2026 – Next in Nordic American Architecture: Resilience Meets Wellbeing
Contemporary Nordic architects across America, the issues they face, sustainable design, and cross-cultural influence