ENR’s National Top 20 Under 40
Denver, CO
Lauren Amber Prestenbach
Principal
Powers Brown Architecture
Architect helps clients navigate COVID-19 challenges in the workplace
Prestenbach was named a principal at Powers Brown Architecture just one year after joining the firm. With undergraduate degrees in biology, psychology and interior design, her diverse training sets her apart on interior design projects, including tenant finish work at Block 162 and the Market Center historic adaptive reuse in Denver. Prestenbach’s background was a perfect fit to help spearhead the firm’s “Safe Work Return Roadmap,” turnkey design and research to help their clients navigate the challenges of COVID-19 in the workplace. Her involvement in the industry has helped interior designers across the state. As vice president of advocacy for the Rocky Mountain chapter of the International Interior Design Association, Prestenbach worked with a team to help pass legislation legally recognizing and licensing interior design professionals in Colorado. Her team’s design of a pro bono renovation at a local day shelter became a case study for a broader effort to gain bipartisan support for the bill, which clarifies language for permitting and exemptions about life safety systems. The bill was signed into law on April 1, 2020.