Having grown up in rural Wisconsin, surrounded by farmland, Dane Rausch, AIA became keenly aware of the spatial changes that occurred with the seasons. He experienced vast open fields covered in snow, replaced by row upon row of budding crops that continued to grow into tall stalks of corn, enclosing his childhood home. This sense of continuously changing spatial configurations and the impact it has on the emotional connection one has to space are foundational to his work in design and architecture. Throughout his youth, he explored different aspects of space from fort building in the woods to corn mazes in the fields. These explorations were reinforced upon the discovery of architecture as a career path in junior high while taking his first drafting class. Dane went on to the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning where he received his Masters of Architecture professional degree, spending two semesters abroad at the Ecole Speciale D’Architecture in Paris and traveling Europe.
Dane has a prior career in graphic design and advertising while making his way through graduate school. His first position in architecture was with Booth Hansen in Chicago where he was introduced to Interior Architecture as a focused area of practice. He was later invited to join Gensler’s recently established Chicago office, serving as Interior Design Director a Chicago studio and for the firms Detroit office. After his time at Gensler, he started his own interior architecture practice, working on private homes, high-rise housing, and higher education projects. Today Dane serves as Interior Design Principal at HDR’s Chicago office. His work at HDR brings together his interests working in a variety of project types that are always user-focused. From the staff and leadership teams to the clients and end-users his projects serve, the understanding that an emotional connection is primary to the built environment is paramount. He is dedicated to the success of his team members, clients, and communities.
In addition to his work in interior architecture, Dane co-teaches a design studio at Columbia College Chicago, serves on the Interior Architecture Knowledge Community in Chicago as well as the national AIA, has served as a volunteer for the Special Olympics, and is a supporter of women’s health at Prentice Women’s Hospital in Chicago. He chaired and established the first formal marketing committee for Friends of Prentice and served as executive board member for three years, raising funds to support grass roots research with a goal to improve women’s health and well-being.
Dane’s current roles as design lead and teacher offer him the best of the two worlds as a professional, designer and mentor. He is committed to sharing current knowledge while helping individuals build new avenues for the profession, community, and themselves. Just as his roles are focused on the stewardship of his profession, his design work is timeless, drawing from human experience, natural inspiration, and the craft of placemaking. Dane believes that when we create a deep connection between people and the places they inhabit, we ensure that those spaces will be cared for by current generations to be shared with future ones.