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See all AIA award recipients and winning projects across nearly 30 categories here.

2025 AIA Gold Medal
Deborah Berke, FAIA, LEED AP

Deborah Berke, FAIA, LEED AP, is a transformative figure in architecture whose career spans over four decades. She has combined design excellence, academic leadership, and a commitment to social and environmental responsibility. From founding her practice, Deborah Berke Partners (now TenBerke), in 1982 to becoming the first female dean of the Yale School of Architecture, her journey exemplifies innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability.

The Gold Medal is AIA’s highest annual honor, recognizing individuals whose work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.

Learn more about Berke’s selection as the 2025 AIA Gold Medal recipient.

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Jury, Gold Medal 2025
The AIA Board of Directors and Strategic Council select the winners for this program. The finalists were selected by the following advisory jurors:

• Anne Hicks Harney, FAIA, Chair, Long Green Specs, Manasquan, N.J.
• Kjell M. Anderson, FAIA, LMN Architects, Seattle
• Ung-Joo Scott Lee, AIA, Morphosis Architects, New York City
• Amy Slattery, AIA, Odimo, Kansas City, Mo.
• Megumi Tamanaha, AIA, ARO, New York City
• Roderic Walton, AIA, Moody Nolan, Chicago
• Korey White, AIA, DLR Group, Quincy, Ill.
• Taryn Williams, SGH, Washington, D.C.

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2025 AIA Architecture Firm Award
LPA Design Studios

LPA Design Studios has established itself as a trailblazer in sustainable, high-performance architecture, blending a mission-driven ethos with innovative, interdisciplinary design practices. LPA’s achievements have earned it national and international recognition. The firm has received numerous AIA awards, including a COTE Top Ten Plus Award and several AIA Committee on Architecture for Education honors. Projects like the Lanier High School Renovation in San Antonio and the West Hollywood Aquatics and Recreation Center exemplify the firm’s ability to address pressing social and environmental challenges while creating spaces that inspire and uplift communities.

The Architecture Firm Award is the highest honor AIA bestows on an architecture practice. The award recognizes a firm that has consistently produced distinguished architecture for at least 10 years.

Learn more about LPA Design Studios’s selection as the 2025 Architecture Firm Award recipient.

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Jury, Architecture Firm Award 2025
The AIA Board of Directors and Strategic Council select the winners for this program. The finalists were selected by the following advisory jurors:

• Anne Hicks Harney, FAIA, Chair, Long Green Specs, Manasquan, N.J.
• Kjell M. Anderson, FAIA, LMN Architects, Seattle
• Ung-Joo Scott Lee, AIA, Morphosis Architects, New York City
• Amy Slattery, AIA, Odimo, Kansas City, Mo.
• Megumi Tamanaha, AIA, ARO, New York City
• Roderic Walton, FAIA, Moody Nolan, Chicago
• Korey White, AIA, DLR Group, Quincy, Ill.
• Taryn Williams, SGH, Washington, D.C.

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2025 Edward C. Kemper Award
Raymond “Skipper” Post, FAIA

Across the span of nearly 60 years, Raymond “Skipper” Post, FAIA, has dedicated himself to advancing AIA and the profession at all levels. Through extensive community and organizational service, Post has bolstered the public’s perception of architects’ work while simultaneously operating a productive office dedicated to design excellence. His seemingly inexhaustible vigor and enthusiasm have led to countless meaningful appointments, and his leadership has profoundly influenced his colleagues and the built environment.

The Edward C. Kemper Award is the highest service award AIA can confer upon a member, this program recognizes significant impact on the profession through service to AIA or an architecture-related organization.

Learn more about Post’s selection as the 2025 Edward C. Kemper Award recipient.

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2025 AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education
Thomas Fisher, Assoc. AIA

Tom Fisher, recipient of the prestigious 2025 AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion, has profoundly influenced architecture, design education, research, and professional practice. Over a career spanning decades, Fisher has redefined the role of architects as public intellectuals and practical futurists, advocating for a profession that transcends traditional boundaries to address societal and environmental challenges.

Presented jointly by AIA and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), the Topaz Medallion recognizes outstanding individual contributions in architectural education.

Learn more about Fisher’s selection as the 2025 Topaz Medallion recipient.

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Jury, Topaz Medallion 2025

• Elizabeth Danze, FAIA, Chair, Danze Blood Architects, Austin, Texas
• Illya Azaroff, FAIA, +LAB architects, New York City
• Jordan Luther, Assoc. AIA, AIAS, Pittsburgh
• Winifred Newman, Assoc. AIA, Clemson University, Greenville, South Carolina
• Renee Chow, University of California, Berkeley
• Andrew Chin, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Tallahassee

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2025 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award
Bryan C. Lee Jr., NOMA, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C

Bryan C. Lee Jr., NOMA, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, is a transformative architect, educator, and activist whose career has redefined the role of design in fostering social and spatial justice. As the founder and director of Colloqate Design and a leading voice in the Design Justice movement, Lee has championed architecture as a tool for dismantling systems of oppression and building spaces of reparation and liberation. Lee will serve as the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) 2025-2026 president. 

The Whitney M. Young Jr. Award distinguishes an architect or architectural organization that embodies social responsibility and actively addresses a relevant issue, such as affordable housing, inclusiveness, or universal access.

Learn more about Lee’s selection as the 2025 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award recipient.

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The following awards are now open for submissions:

• COTE® Top Ten Award
• AIA/ALA Library Building Award 
• Architecture Award
• Collaborative Achievement Award
• Design for Aging Review Award
• Education Facility Design Award
• Healthcare Design Award
• Housing Award
• Interior Architecture Award
• Justice Facilities Review Award
• Regional & Urban Design Award
• Small Project Award

January 8, 2025 is the application deadline for these 12 awards. Start your submission on the AIA website at this link.

New this year, AIA has introduced a common application to streamline submissions for multiple award programs. You can fill out one application per project, choose the award programs you want to enter, and pay $450 for the first submission and only $100 for every additional program.

The following programs are also open for submissions with the corresponding application deadlines:

• November 15: Associates Award, Awards for Excellence in Public Architecture, Young Architects Award
• December 15: Honorary Fellowship, Honorary Membership

Eligibility information, submission checklists, past successful applications, and more tools are available on the AIA Awards FAQ page. All award winners will be announced at the AIA Awards Gala at AIA25.

See Residential Design’s coverage of previous AIA Design Award winners here.

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“It had been on the market for years, and under contract by a number of developers who could not satisfy the parking requirement,” says Bob. He was intrigued by the possibilities of the building, which dead ends in Piedmont Park, Atlanta’s stellar Olmstead-designed urban oasis, but the clock was ticking.

“It was scheduled for demolition in 30 days by the city,” he recalls. “We had to scramble to stabilize the building enough to make the case for renovation. The city is dealing with all these condemned buildings, and they just want to tear them down.”

Although developers before him had failed, Bob had an ace up his sleeve—knowledge of an obscure city ordinance allowing pre-1965 buildings to forgo parking. What that meant, though, was compliant parking, because ultimately the firm was able to squeeze in three tight spaces. Those spaces now serve the firm’s new offices on the ground level and two rental apartments above.

Salvaged and recycled materials, PV panels, a high-performance retrofit substantially beyond code, and a restorative garden of native plants ensure a bright future for this human-scale project. Said our judges, “They really made something special out of what would have been a teardown.”

Citation

Residential Special Constraints

Robert M. Cain, Architect

Redivivus

Atlanta

Project Credits

Architect/Interior Designer: Robert M. Cain, FAIA, principal; Carmen Stan, AIA, project architect, Robert M. Cain, Architect, Atlanta

Builder: Jeff Meadows, Biltmore Construction Management, Smyrna, Georgia

Landscape Architect: Georgia Hill, LEED Green Associate, Beautyberry Gardens, Decatur, Georgia

Structural Engineer: Kelly Allbright, PE, PEC Structural Engineering, Decatur

Project Size: 4,098 square feet

Site Size: 0.10 acre

Construction Cost: $155 per square foot

Photography: Frederik Brauer

Key Products

Appliances: Summit, Bosch, LG (living units); Sub-Zero under-counter (office)

Cabinetry Hardware: Häfele; Emtek

Entry Doors/Door hardware: Rixson pivot hardware; LINNEA; Pella

Fasteners: Simpson Strong-Tie

Faucets: Grohe; Kohler

Flooring: Eutree

Garage Doors: Overhead Door Co.

HVAC: Daikin Mini-splits (office); Carrier (living units)

Insulation: Icynene

Paints: Sherwin-Williams

Roofing: GAF PVC membrane

Shading: Lutron roller shades

Sinks: Kohler; Duravit

Toilets: Duravit

Windows: Pella 

The post 2024 RDAA | Residential Special Constraints | Redivivus | Robert M. Cain, Architect appeared first on Residential Design.

A spare palette prevails: Interior partitions are wood with metal accents. Stone flooring continues out to the landscape, and the wood roof planes cover both interior and exterior spaces, strengthening connections between inside and out. “Every space offers the opportunity to engage with the natural world visually and physically through greenery or water moving around,” Tony says. “It creates a language whereby we are inviting the user to sit outside as much as inside.”

“This looks like a modern Bauhaus,” a judge said. “It’s a great rendering.”

Citation

Custom on the Boards

Anacapa Architecture

Valley Estate

Montecito, California

Project Credits

Architect: Dan Weber, AIA, principal in charge; Tony Schonhardt, AIA, design director; Lila Boyce, project manager; Anacapa Architecture, Santa Barbara, California

Builder: Hill Construction, Los Angeles

Interior designer: Lila Boyce, senior interior designer; Nicole Robinson, Tete Ramirez, Anacapa Architecture

Landscape architect: Ground Studio, Santa Barbara

Project size: 8,830 square feet

Site size: 2 acres

Photography: Nick Kvistad (models), Places Studio (renderings)

Key Products

Entry doors: FritsJurgens hardware

Fireplace: Isokern

Windows: OTIIMA

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“It’s a protected national dune, and there was just one spot to put the house,” says Kevin Toukoumidis. “We were left with a very small footprint—on top of a flat dune where one side drops down 60 feet to the lake.”

The entry side of the house is also a popular walking area for the neighborhood, presenting a privacy challenge for the clients, who wanted a very transparent, glass-filled house. What’s more, says the architect, “the winds are very intense in this microclimate—sometimes reaching gale force.”

The firm’s solution to the client’s desire for prospect and refuge is a front courtyard and a series of clever Cor-Ten steel panels that open and close manually. “They rotate very easily a full 360 degrees, but you can lock them in place with throw bolts,” notes Kevin. “It’s a cloistered experience when closed, and they’re sculptural elements when open. Or they can rotate to focus on or frame nature.”

Said one judge, “This detail is so nice—so well done and well presented. The level of documentation they provided with the entry is so important in this category.”

Citation

Architectural Details

dSPACE Studio

Dunelands

Saugatuck, Michigan

Project Credits

Architect/Interior Design/Landscape Architect: Kevin Toukoumidis, AIA, principal in charge; Jordan Snittjer, project architect, dSPACE Studio, Chicago

Builder: Matt Bruursema, Tony Zahn, Zahn Builders, Holland, Michigan

Steel Fabricator: Bob Harmsen, Harmsen Steel, Zeeland, Michigan

Site Size: 4 acres

Construction Cost: Withheld

Photography: Ty Cole

Key Products

Cladding: StoSignature stucco 

Entry Doors/Windows/Window Systems: Panoramah!

Exterior Lighting: Flos, SPJ Lighting

Fire Pit: Paloform

Outdoor Appliances: Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet

Shading: Dizal louvers

The post 2024 RDAA | Architectural Details | Dunelands | dSPACE Studio appeared first on Residential Design.

“Pivoting refers to the doors on this addition and remodel, but it was also a response to the pandemic and how we use outdoor spaces,” explains architect Christopher Tucker, AIA. “We had to stop and pivot in a different direction on this project. At first, we had designed a more interior space.” 

Ultimately, the scope was expanded into a retrofit of an attached garage and its adjacent gravel parking pad into a dining room that opens onto a courtyard garden and entertaining space. A new garage, studio space, and carport were also added, with the carport flexing as an event pavilion. Those pivot doors open the carport to the courtyard or stay closed to conceal the cars within. 

Said our judges, “It creates this wonderful courtyard out of this liminal space and pulls all of these other spaces into it with a level of porosity that’s very well done. It’s all about the leftover space and how they captured that.”

Citation

Custom Outdoor Living Design

Mode4 Architecture

Pivoting

Bethesda, Maryland

Project Credits

Architect: Christopher Tucker, AIA, Mode4 Architecture, Alexandria, Virginia

Builder: Steve Howard, Square One Development, Hagerstown, Maryland

Landscape Architect: SPD Landscape Studio, Silver Spring, Maryland

Project Size: 5,000  square feet

Site Size: 0.66 acre

Construction Cost: $600 per square foot

Photography: Anice Hoachlander

Key Products

Garage Doors: Clopay

Pivot Doors: Mahogany and steel, custom design by Christopher Tucker and Kenneth Lopez, Mode4

Pivot Door Hinges: FritsJurgens

Window/Window Wall Systems: Western Window Systems 

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As a protected wetlands, the construction challenges onsite were myriad. “We had to bring everything in on a 15-foot flat bottom boat, and the demo material had to go out that way as well,” says principal Troy Miller. The team salvaged most of the existing steel piles and lifted the new structure above the flood plain. A storage shed below is “designed to flood” because, says Troy, “that’s unavoidable.” 

Part screened porch and part aerie, The Roost has lived up to its name, attracting owls who hunt along the waterway. Everyone, it seems, enjoys the shelter it now provides from the hot Texas sun. “Shade is such a privilege here sometimes,” Troy notes. “That’s what the project was doing—creating shade without being closed off to the environment around it.”

Citation

Custom Outdoor Living Design

Furman + Keil

The Roost

Austin, Texas

Project Credits

Architect: Troy Miller; Phillip Keil; Gary Furman; Maanasa Nathan; Dawson Williams, Furman + Keil, Austin, Texas

Builder: Crowell Builders, Austin

Landscape Architect: Word + Carr Design Group, Austin

Lighting Design: Studio Lumina, Austin

Project Size: 880 square feet

Site Size: 0.80 acre

Construction Cost: Withheld

Photography: Leonid Furmansky

Key Products

Ceiling Fans: Modern Fan. Co.

Cladding/Decking: Ipe

Flooring/Roofing: Douglas fir

Door Hardware: Baldwin

Lighting Control: Lutron

Paints/Stains: Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams

Pavers: Lueders limestone

Refrigerator: Summit

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Landscape connections occur in every room. Glass panels frame intimate pockets of greenery outside the office and the primary bedroom and bath, and the great room’s retractable glass wall opens to the pool terrace. “The pool is an inch and a quarter higher than the hardscape and has an infinity trough on all four sides,” Sean says. “The idea was to make it look like a black mirror, a piece of art in the yard.”

Our jury members praised the “continuity from exterior to interior,” calling it “a handsome project overall.”

Citation

Architectural Interiors

Studio AR&D Architects

Hillview Cove

Palm Springs, California

Project Credits

Architect: Sean Lockyer, AIA, Studio AR&D Architects, Los Angeles

Builder: Mark Hahn, Qualcon, Rancho Mirage, California

Interior designer: Sam Cardella, Cardella Design, Palm Springs, California

Landscape architect: Marcello Villano, Palm Springs

Project size: 7,200 square feet

Site size: 0.50 acre

Construction cost: $700 per square foot

Photography: Lance Gerber

Key Products

Dishwasher: Miele

Exhaust fans: Fantech

HVAC trimless registers: Titus FlowBar

HVAC system: Trane

Faucets: Watermark, Brizo, Blanco

Fireplace: Stellar Hearth Products 

Garbage disposal: InSinkErator

Lighting control system: Lutron

Outdoor grill: Fire Magic by RH Peterson

Ovens: Miele

Refrigerator: Sub-Zero

Showerheads: JACLO

Sinks/Soap Dispenser: Blanco

Toilets: Geberit

Undercounter refrigerator: Sub-Zero

Washer/dryer: Maytag

Water heater: Rheem

Wine refrigerator: Wine Guardian

The post 2024 RDAA | Architectural Interiors | Hillview Cove | Studio AR&D Architects appeared first on Residential Design.

The lower level porte cochère, too, embodies the design’s pronounced sense of shelter. “They can drive the snowmobile right in, offload equipment, and get out of the weather,” says Russ Tyson, AIA. Sliding doors block the winter wind or open to summer breezes. “The homeowners often set themselves up to enjoy the sun there,” adds project designer Drew Bortles. “Two Adirondack chairs live in there at different times.”

Citation

Architectural Interiors

Whitten Architects

The Overlook

Kingfield, Maine

Project Credits

Architect: Whitten Architects, Portland, Maine

Builder: Sebastian Tooker, Sebastian Tooker Construction, Kingfield, Maine

Interior designer: Heidi Lachapelle Interiors, Portland

Landscape architect: Soren Deniord Landscape Studio, Portland

Project size: 6,500 square feet

Site size: 309 acres

Construction cost: Withheld

Photography: Trent Bell Photography

Key Products

Acoustic: ROCKWOOL Safe ’n Sound. ROXUL

Cladding: Eastern white cedar and western red cedar

Cooking vent hood: Zephyr

Dishwasher: Bosch

Entry doors and hardware: Marvin

Faucets: Kallista

HVAC systems: Mitsubishi 

Lighting: Allied Maker, Worley’s Lighting, Workstead

Lighting control systems: Lutron HomeWorks

Paints/stains/coatings: Valhalla LifeTime wood treatment, Watco

Radiant heating: Veissman

Range: Wolf

Refrigerator: Liebherr

Sinks: Kraus, Kallista, Kast

Toilets: TOTO

Towel heaters: Rejuvenation

Tubs: Kohler

Washer/dryer: LG

Windows: Marvin

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