IIDA Georgia names Vivien Chen its “Designer of the Year” while Clemson University recognizes Emily McGee as one of its top young alumni.
Vivien Chen
, a senior design professional in HOK’s Atlanta studio, has been named “Designer of the Year” by the Georgia Chapter of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA). Chen earned the recognition for a portfolio of award-winning work that includes Emory University’s Health Sciences Research Building II and new Atlanta headquarters for Norfolk Southern and Graphic Packaging International.
This is not the first time Chen has received third-party praise for her interior design. In 2018, the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) named her to its list of “Ones to Watch,” which recognizes young designers who are making an outsized mark on the profession. Last year, Interior Design Magazine named her to its Atlanta “30 Under 30” list of up-and-coming designers.
Chen is an active member of the Georgia chapters of ASID and IIDA and is past chair of IIDA’s Leaders Breakfast Series. In 2019 Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) presented her with its “Emerging Alumni Award” in recognition of her early career accomplishments and assistance mentoring SCAD design students and graduates.
Emily McGee
, a medical planner in HOK’s Washington D.C. studio, recently received the Roaring10 Award from her alma mater, Clemson University. The award recognizes graduates from the past decade who are making a major impact in business, leadership, community, educational or philanthropic endeavors.
McGee graduated from Clemson in 2016 with a master’s degree in architecture + health. She is now pursuing a master’s degree in public health at John Hopkins University where she was recently awarded a prestigious Bloomberg American Health Initiative Fellowship.
While at HOK, she has worked on a number of large, complex healthcare projects, including UPMC Mercy Pavilion in Pittsburgh and Grady Health System Cornell Pavilion in Atlanta. In 2022, McGee was one of just three designers to earn an Associates Award from the American Institute of Architects. The award recognizes associate AIA member leaders who have made significant contributions to their community, organization or industry. Beyond her design work, McGree is an active member of HOK IMPACT, the firm’s social responsibility arm, and regularly lectures at the University of Maryland and is involved with the graduate studios at Howard University and Clemson.