Kristine Fallon, 2017. Photo by Steve Capers. © Bush Infotech Group, Inc.
On March 13, 2024, Iker Gil interviewed architect Kristine Fallon to record her oral history. The interview took place at the offices of MAS Context located at 1564 North Damen Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. During the conversation, Fallon discussed her upbringing, her education, her early career at SOM and Epstein, key projects of Kristine Fallon Associates, Inc., and the IAWA Kristine Fallon Prize.
Kristine Fallon is an architect and innovator who had a major impact on how projects are designed, how project teams communicate throughout design and construction, and how facility information is transferred to owners. Throughout her 40-year career, she served as a link between software developers and the facilities industry (design, construction, and operations). Her efforts improved the software tools available to architects, facilitated the analysis of building models, automated the flow of project information throughout design and construction, and speeded the capture of relevant facility information for owners.
She was unflagging in her support of and participation in the development and deployment of national and international building data standards. She led seven major BIM-related research studies for the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, two major research publications for the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, and a precedent-setting study on electronic design data archiving for The Art Institute of Chicago. She has advised many owners on BIM, including the General Services Administration (GSA), the National Institutes of Health, the Capital Development Board of Illinois, the Public Building Commission of Chicago, and the Tennessee State Architect. Her international renown and influence are evidenced by “Best Practice” citations in federal research studies and by myriad invited presentations in North and South America, Europe, and Asia.
Kristine Fallon was very active in the American Institute of Architects (AIA), serving on the boards of directors of AIA Chicago and AIA Illinois. She also chaired AIA Chicago’s Computer Committee for many years and served on AIA National’s Technology in Architectural Practice Advisory Group for five years (2007 Chair). In 1995, Fallon was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in recognition of her achievement in enhancing the technical proficiency of the profession.
She was president, vice president, and newsletter editor for the Chicago Women in Architecture (CWA). She taught both architecture and construction management students to approach digital techniques thoughtfully, and has maintained strong ties to Virginia Tech, where she serves on the Advisory Board for the International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA). She sponsors the IAWA Kristine Fallon Prize to research the undocumented contributions of women architects and designers.
For more than twenty years, the Chicago Architects Oral History Project (CAOHP) documented the contributions of architects to Chicago during the twentieth century. The CAOHP was begun in 1983 under the auspices of the Art Institute’s Department of Architecture to record the life experiences of architects who shaped the physical environment in Chicago and surrounding communities. It was intended not only to fill an existing void in the literature but to go beyond the facts to explore motivations and influences, behind-the-scenes stories, and personal reflections. This collection of oral histories contains comprehensive life-review documents as well as shorter, focused interviews. These narratives explore the development of Chicago’s architecture and planning from the early 1900s to the present day. Included in the collection are Skidmore, Owings & Merrill partners and associates, students and colleagues of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, members of the Chicago Seven, principals of second- and third-generation architectural and engineering firms, and architects who defy classification.
In addition to conducting the interview, Iker Gil prepared a 88-page PDF transcription of the conversation, including related images, to match the design and format of previous oral histories included in the CAOHP. Funding to conduct Kristine Fallon’s oral history was provided by Iker Gil and Julie Michiels.