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As the former University Planner for Yale, and the current chief architect and master planner for the University of Connecticut, Laura Cruickshank has left an indelible imprint on the State’s academic landscape from Storrs to Singapore. Her projects range from residential halls to research facilities, with each project reflecting the social and cultural fabric of the community. Her innovative designs have been recognized with awards and citations, and by the American Institute of Architects when she was elected into the College of Fellows, an achievement shared by only 3 percent of the Institute’s members.

 The oldest of seven children, Laura Cruickshank was born in New Rochelle and raised in Scarsdale and the Catskill Mountains, New York. Her mother stayed at home to raise the family, while her father worked as an engineer and entrepreneur. As a child, Laura was fascinated by her father’s work around the house, including building an addition. By the time she was 12, Laura was drawing miniature floor plans.

 After graduating from Ursuline high school, Laura tried out four different majors at Mount Holyoke College, eventually earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Studies in 1975. Her interest in buildings as the individual components of cities prompted her to attend graduate school at the University of New Mexico, where she received a Master of Architecture. It was there where she met and married her husband, eventually moving back to the east coast in 1981, where they raised two children.

Ms. Cruickshank became a licensed architect in 1984, working for several firms before starting out on her own, establishing an architecture firm with two partners in Branford, Connecticut in 1996. Her exemplary work resulted in numerous awards for her building designs. After more than twenty years in private practice, she was hired by Yale University, first as a planner and program manager, and then as University Planner. In that capacity, she was responsible for innovative designs, including the Yale Health Center, the Malone Engineering Center, the School of Management and two new residential colleges. In 2010, Ms. Cruickshank led a team of Yale colleagues and collaborated with international architects in the planning and construction of the Yale National University of Singapore College campus, a challenging task that required her to integrate Yale traditions with a Singapore aesthetic.

 In 2013, after 11 years at Yale, Ms. Cruickshank took on a new challenge, accepting the position of Master Planner and Chief Architect at the University of Connecticut. In addition to those roles, she is also the Associate Vice President of University Planning, Design, and Construction, responsible for managing all of the projects at UCONN’s flagship campus at Storrs, as well as those at four regional campuses and the law school. Shortly after arriving at the University, Laura formulated a long range campus master plan for the university, equipped with a strategic vision for the future and a two and one half billion dollar budget allocated by the University and the State of Connecticut.

Under Laura’s leadership of more than 30 team members, completed projects at the main campus in Storrs include the Science 1 Building, the Engineering and Science Building, the Student Recreation Center, the Innovation Partnership Building, and the Peter J. Werth Residence Tower. Beyond Storrs, she oversaw the design and construction of the University’s new campus in downtown Hartford, highlighted by the renovation and restoration of the historic Hartford Times building, originally constructed in the early 20th century.

 Throughout her career, Laura Cruickshank has been recognized for her extraordinary architectural achievements, her leadership skills, and her innovative designs in the world of higher education. In the course of her career, she has received one of the Remarkable Women in Business Award and the Champion of Change Award. In 2015, she was elected into membership of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects, an accolade shared by only 3 percent of the Institute’s members. Beyond these accomplishments, Laura continues to be a role model for young women architects, in a country where approximately just 17% of all registered architects are women. As she continues to literally build a lasting legacy at the University of Connecticut, Laura also looks forward to mentoring young women to become “whatever it is they want to do.”

Related Links:

Master Planner & Chief Architect Laura Cruickshank Inducted into CT Women’s Hall of Fame

View some of Laura’s Work: