Designer of the Year

Shields inspires clients and students

By Chris Thompson

Shields Jim Shields is a lot of things to a lot of different people.

To Jim VanderHeiden, principal at HGA Inc. in Milwaukee, where Shields has worked for 16 years and is the associate vice president of architecture, he is a technically strong designer who has tackled a long list of high-profile projects. He led the designs for the restoration of Old Main at Carroll College in Waukesha, the Stayer Center for Technology and Executive Learning at Marion College in Fond du Lac, St. Boniface (also known as the copper church) in Mequon, the restoration and master planning at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee and, currently, the Pier Wisconsin project on Milwaukee's lakefront.

"Jim is very effective at inspiring clients," VanderHeiden said. "He helps them to understand what good architecture and design is. He inspires them to reach farther than they might otherwise reach."

To the Very Rev. Carl Last, with whom Shields worked for about three years on the Cathedral of St. John, he is the ultimate team player and creative thinker. On that project, Shields oversaw the architectural work for the renovation of the cathedral and the design and building of the atrium that connects the service center with the cathedral.

"He was open to ideas, challenges and adjustments," Last said. "His design for the atrium was a redesign of an initial concept, and it ended up being 10 times the quality of the original."

So, would Last hire Shields again if another project were to pop up at the cathedral?

"In a heartbeat," he said.

But perhaps the most telling description of Shields comes from Bob Greenstreet, the dean of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the director of planning and design for the city of Milwaukee.

"In my opinion, he's one of the best designers in Wisconsin," he said.

Greenstreet can back up that opinion with a long history of working with Shields, who is a full professor in Greenstreet's school and has taught there for 18 years. Greenstreet first met Shields when he was a graduate student at UWM in 1981.

"He's one of those rare individuals a school hires from the student body because they're too great to let get away," he said.

VanderHeiden said Shields, who splits his time between school and HGA, maintains a dual career because he believes that designing projects makes him a better teacher, and teaching students makes him a better designer.

It's a career path that has led to success, both for the students and their teacher, Greenstreet said.

"He's a devout modernist who designs extraordinary buildings and transfers that to the classroom, where he is a popular and inspiring teacher," he said. "He has a very clear perspective of a design philosophy rooted in pragmatism and design excellence. He has the ability to create outstanding conceptual designs that are fundamentally buildable and realistic."

And all of those descriptions, added together, have helped Shields become something to The Daily Reporter Publishing Co.: Designer of the Year.