For the benefit of the ambitious or the merely curious, arcCA presents this handy guide to awards programs. Our primary source has been James P. Cramer and Jennifer Evans Yankopolus’s The Almanac of Architecture & Design 2007 (Atlanta: Greenway Communications, 2007), which provides a robust record of happenings in the profession. We have supplemented the awards cataloged there with others of which we have become aware by opening our emails and snail mail and generally being in the know, as it were; and we’ve visited the websites for each award to find out more. The list is divided into two broad categories: national and international awards, and state and regional awards. We have limited ourselves to awards programs that accept building-scale projects. Accordingly, we list some urban design awards but no planning awards, which seem always to deal in larger scales of development.
Within the national and international awards, we categorize awards programs by building type and other things, but of course categories often overlap. The largest portion of the list concerns awards for individual projects, and these are annotated with the award website and brief description (where readily available). Quotation marks indicate that we found the text on the program’s website, but the reader should be aware that we may have changed the order of sentences or condensed or omitted phrases without noting it.
At the end of the national and international section, we list awards that are for bodies of work—the AIA Gold Medal is an example. For these, we give the name only, supplemented where necessary by an explanatory phrase.
We have illustrated a few of the awards, concentrating on California winners, but avoiding projects that have recently appeared in the pages of arcCA. The selections are by no means intended as a second level of judgment; they are arbitrary and editorially convenient, merely. Of course, criteria and availability may change, and we make no claim to completeness.
[Editor’s note: Awards and links given here were current at the time of print publication.]
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National and International Awards
Design Awards, General
AIA Honor Awards (Architecture, Interior Architecture, Urban and Regional Design)
www.aia.org/awards
“The Institute Honor Awards program recognizes achievements for a broad range of architectural activity to elevate the general quality of architecture practice, establish a standard of excellence against which all architects can measure performance, and inform the public of the breadth and value of architecture practice.”
Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) (Environments category)
www.idsa.org/idea2007/
“The IDEAS (International Design Excellence Awards) program is the premier international competition honoring design excellence in products, ecodesign, interaction design, packaging, strategy, research and concepts. Entries are invited from designers, students and companies worldwide. Winning entries . . . receive press coverage in BusinessWeek magazine and businessweek.com as well as in hundreds of newspapers and networks, including CNN, NBC, PBS, CNBC, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and the general design press.
P/A Awards
www.architectmagazine.com
“Every year, five respected members of the design community sit down in a room for two days to determine the current meaning of the words ‘progressive architecture’ and select projects that fit their definition.”
Design Awards, Building Type
Education
Exhibition of School Architecture Awards (AASA)
www.aasa.org
“The Shirley Cooper Award is presented to the project that best meets the educational needs of its students. The Walter Taylor Award is presented to the project that best meets a difficult design challenge. The jury, at its discretion, will award citations to other projects of distinction. Recipients of these awards are recognized annually at the AASA National Conference on Education.”
Learning by Design Awards
http://www.learningbydesign.biz
“Learning by Design showcases outstanding educational facilities, from innovative and sustainable school solutions to efficient college dorm rooms that are more like home, representing the best collaborations between architects and education leaders.”
SCUP/AIA-CAE Excellence in Architecture Awards
www.scup.org
“This juried competition is open to all professional service providers and institutions that have prepared designs for two year and four year colleges, universities, academic medical and research centers, public or private institutions of any size in any country.”
Federal Buildings
GSA Design Awards
www.gsa.gov/designawards
“The GSA Design Awards Program is held every two years to honor “the best of the best” of the federal projects designed and constructed by GSA. The program has a broad number of categories that encompass virtually every way design professionals contribute to the quality of the federal workplace and leave an enduring imprint on America’s built environment. The entries are juried and selected by professional private sector peers.” (biennial)
Healthcare
Healthcare Environment Award
www.healthdesign.org
Sponsored by Contract magazine, in association with The Center for Health Design and Vendome Group LLC, to recognize innovative, evidence-based design that contributes to the quality of healthcare. Categories: Acute Care, Ambulatory Care, Long-Term Care, and Health and Fitness facilities that show a demonstrated partnership between clients and design professionals and seek to improve the quality of healthcare. First-place winners will be awarded up to two complimentary registrations for the annual HEALTHCARE DESIGN conference in the fall. Winners and Honorable Mentions receive a specially designed award at the conference and Winners are published in Contract magazine.”
Modern Healthcare/AIA Design Awards
www.modernhealthcare.com
“The Design Awards program recognizes excellence in the design and planning of new and remodeled healthcare facilities. The program is open to all registered architects and accepts submissions of all types/sizes of patient care-related facilities.”
Hospitality
Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design
http://ihmrs.com/goldkey/
“The Gold Key Award for Excellence in Hospitality Design is the premier interior design competition for the hospitality industry. It is held in conjunction with the International Hotel/Motel &Restaurant Show® (IH/M&RS). The 2007 Awards are sponsored by Interior Design magazine and HOTELS magazine and have a total of eight categories, which will give worldwide properties and design firms opportunities to showcase their skills and design expertise.”
Hospitality Design Awards
www.hdmag.com
James Beard Foundation Restaurant Design Award http://jamesbeard.org/awards Criteria: “Beautiful functional design that seamlessly melds the setting and theme of the restaurant environment.” Eligibility: “Any restaurant or design project that was completed or redone in North America within the last three years (2004–2006 for the 2007 awards).”
Housing
AIA Housing Awards (Housing PIA of AIA)
www.aia.org/awp_housing
“The AIA Housing and Custom Residential Knowledge Community established this awards program to emphasize the importance of good housing as a necessity of life, a sanctuary for the human spirit and a valuable national resource. The categories are (1) One and Two Family Custom Residences, (2) One and Two Family Production Homes, (3) Multifamily Housing, and (4) Special Housing.”
AIA/HUD Secretary’s Housing and Community Design Award
www.aia.org/awp_hud
“The Housing and Custom Residential Knowledge Community of the AIA, in conjunction with HUD, recognizes excellence in affordable housing architecture, neighborhood design, participatory design, and accessibility. Good design is a cornerstone of thriving homes and communities of all incomes and backgrounds. These awards demonstrate that design matters, and provide examples of important benchmarks in the housing industry. The categories of the program include, (1) Excellence in Affordable Housing Design, (2) Creating Community Connection Award, (3) Community-Informed Design Award, (4) Housing Accessibility – Alan J. Rothman Award.”
Best of 50+ Housing Awards
www.nahb.org
“The NAHB 50+ Housing Council, which has promoted excellence in the 50+ housing industry for the past 15 years, presents gold and silver awards in 58 categories to current and on-the-boards projects from across the country. Design categories cover a range of product types such as active adult, aging in place, assisted living, continued-care retirement community, for-sale condominiums, rental apartments, and renovated 50+ housing. Winners are also honored for excellence in marketing strategies focused on the mature market. Special Judges’ Awards for Innovation are also presented to projects that demonstrate extraordinary creativity and insight.”
John M. Clancy Award for Socially Responsible Housing
www.johnclancyaward.org
“The John M. Clancy Award for Socially Responsible Housing was established in 2004 by the principals of the Boston architecture firm of Goody Clancy to recognize and honor the decades of creative commitment John Clancy FAIA brought to the planning, design and construction of multifamily housing for the diverse populations of our nation at all income levels.”
residential architect Design Awards
www.residentialarchitect.com
“Architects and designers may submit residential projects in the following categories: Custom Home, 3,500 square feet or less; Custom Home, more than 3,500 square feet; Renovation (residential remodeling and additions); Multifamily Housing; Single-Family Production Housing, detached; Single-Family Production Housing, attached; Adaptive Re-use (end use must include residential); Campus Housing; Architectural Interiors (residential); Affordable Housing. Other building industry professionals may submit projects on behalf of an architect or designer.”
World Architecture News (WAN) House of the Year Award
www.worldarchitecturenews.com
Libraries
Library Buildings Awards
www.aia.org
“To encourage excellence in the architectural design and planning of libraries, the AIA and the American Library Association/Library Administration and Management Association created this award to distinguish accomplishments in library architecture.” (biennial)
Library Interior Design Award
www.ala.org
“The biennial awards honor excellence in library interior design, incorporating aesthetics, design creativity, function, and satisfaction of the client’s objectives. Ten winners, two projects of merit, and one honorable mention were selected from more than 100 projects submitted from throughout North America.” (biennial)
Religious Buildings
Religious Art & Architecture Design Awards
www.faithnform.com
“The Annual Religious Art and Architecture Design Awards program is co-sponsored by Faith & Form Magazine and the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture (IFRAA), a Knowledge Community of the American Institute of Architects. The Awards program was founded in 1978 with the goal of honoring the best in architecture, liturgical design, and art for religious spaces. The program offers three primary categories for awards: Religious Architecture, Liturgical/Interior Design, Sacred Landscape, and Religious Arts.”
Retail Design
SADI Awards
http://retailtrafficmag.com/sadi_entries/
“The SADI Awards is a self-nominating awards program that recognizes outstanding architectural achievement in retail environments, honoring retail designs that successfully balance form and function to create imaginative environments for consumers.” Sponsored by Retail Traffic magazine and the AIA.
Skyscrapers
Emporis Skyscraper Award
http://awards.emporis.com
“The Emporis Skyscraper Award selects the best new high-rise buildings of the world which were completed in the recent year. The award is being presented for the design of the buildings and their functionality.”
International Highrise Award
www.highrise-frankfurt.de
“The competition is organized by the City of Frankfurt / Main. The International High-rise Award is donated by DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale, the central fund arm of the Sparkassen Financial Group, for a building that stands out for its particular aesthetic appeal, its pioneering design, urban integration and sustainability as well as innovative technology and economic feasibility.”
Theater Design
USITT Architecture Awards
www.usitt.org
“Sponsored by the USITT Architecture Commission, the Architecture Awards Program honors excellence in the design of theatre projects. They were created in 1994 to recognize architects for superior design work, to increase the interest of architects in USITT, to promote USITT to a larger audience, and to provide resource material for USITT members on contemporary theatre.”
Design Awards, Material or System
Lighting Design Awards
www.iald.org
“The IALD encourages submissions of all types and sizes. There is no minimum or maximum number of awards granted. Awards of Excellence and Merit will be based on points earned for both aesthetic and technical design achievement. Recognition in the form of a Special Citation may be given for a particularly innovative aspect of a project’s lighting design. The grand prize, IALD’s Radiance Award, will be presented to the project that is judged among all submittals to be the finest example of lighting design excellence.”
R+D Award
www.architectmagazine.com – select “R+D Award”
“New technologies are revolutionizing the process and product of architecture. To celebrate advances in building technology, ARCHITECT and Hanley Wood proudly announce the R+D Awards. The awards honor innovative materials and systems at every scale—from HVAC and structural systems to curtain-wall and ceiling- panel assemblies to discrete building materials such as wood composites and textiles. The R+D Awards are purposefully open to building technologies of all types, in order to encourage the broadest possible dialogue among architects, engineers, manufacturers, researchers, students, and designers of all disciplines.”
Tucker Design Awards
www.buildingstonemagazine.com
“Sponsored by the Building Stone Institute and recognized as one of the most prestigious architectural design awards in the country, the Tucker Design Awards honor those who have achieved excellence in the incorporation and use of natural stone.”
Wood Design Awards
www.cwc.ca
“The Wood Design Awards program is the only North American program that aims to foster growth in the quality of architectural practices by recognizing achievements in wood architecture.” Presented by the Canadian Wood Council.
Design Awards, Sustainability
AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects
www.aiatopten.org
Judged on a set of ten metrics: Intent & Innovation, Community, Site, Bioclimatic Design, Light & Air, Water, Energy, Materials, Long Life, and Feedback.
BSA Sustainable Design Awards
www.architects.org
“Any built project of any type anywhere in the world by any design professional anywhere in the world is eligible.”
ED+C Excellence in Design Awards
www.edcmag.com
“Environmental Design + Construction magazine’s . . . Excellence in Design Awards recognize commercial spaces and offices, institutional facilities, government buildings, multi-use residential buildings and single-family residential homes that clearly demonstrate a commitment to green building and sustainable design.”
Holcim Award for Sustainable Construction
www.holcimfoundation.org
“The Holcim Awards (main) competition is open to participants of every age for projects at an advanced stage of design with a high probability of execution. The competition celebrates innovative, future-oriented and tangible sustainable construction projects from around the globe and provides prize money of USD two million.”
IIDA/Metropolis Smart Environments Awards
www.iida.org
“The Smart Environments Awards recognize distinction in interiors that integrate design excellence, human well-being, and sustainability.”
National Green Building Awards
www.nahb.org
“NAHB honors individuals, companies and organizations that are ‘bringing green to the mainstream,’ by transforming green design and construction practices. Award categories include: Green Building Program of the Year; Advocate of the Year; Outstanding Green Marketing Program; Green Project of the Year – Single Family; Green Project of the Year – Multifamily; Green Project of the Year – Development; Green Project of the Year – Remodeling.”
Phoenix Awards
www.phoenixawards.org
“Created in 1997, this prestigious award honors individuals and groups working to solve critical environmental challenges of transforming blighted and contaminated areas into productive new uses. The awards are open to any individual, group, company, organization, government body or agency. Criteria for The Phoenix Awards focus on the magnitude of the project, innovative techniques, solutions to regulatory issues, and impact upon the community.”
SBIC Exemplary Sustainable Buildings Award
www.sbicouncil.org
“The Exemplary Sustainable Building Awards recognize commercial, residential, and government buildings that demonstrate the successful application of the whole building approach; it is open to all building professionals.”
Show You’re Green
www.aia.org
“The AIA Housing and Custom Residential Knowledge Community select “Show You’re Green” projects as examples of outstanding housing that is both affordable and green. The selected projects demonstrate how regional, geographic, climatic, and cultural influences generate different responses to unique needs.”
Sustainable Design Leadership Awards
www.aia.org
Design Awards, Historic Preservation
National Preservation Awards
www.nationaltrust.org
“Each year the National Trust celebrates the best of preservation by presenting National Preservation Awards to individuals and organizations whose contributions demonstrate excellence in historic preservation.”
NTHP/HUD Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation
www.huduser.org
“The HUD Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation recognizes organizations and agencies for their success in advancing the goals of historic preservation while providing affordable housing and/or expanded economic opportunities, particularly for low- and moderate- income families and individuals.”
Design Awards, Interiors
ASID Patron’s Prize
www.asid.org
“The Patron’s Prize honors those who support and/or promote quality interior design, and is given on an annual basis as merited. Eligible parties include individual clients (residential and commercial), organizations, government bodies, foundations, media and museums that have significantly supported and/or promoted quality interior design.”
Annual Interiors Awards (Contract magazine)
www.contractdesign.com
Design for Asia Awards
www.dfaaward.com
“The DFA Award is presented to companies from around the world that have generated business success through great design that impacts Asia. The Award is dedicated to promote design excellence. It also seeks to raise awareness amongst businesses and the public alike, that good design is an essential component in business success and the enjoyment of life.”
Interior Design Competition
www.iida.org
“To recognize and reward outstanding interior design, and to encourage new ideas and techniques in the design and furnishing of interior spaces. Honoring Outstanding Design in the Following Categories: Commercial, Government, Health & Institutional, Hospitality, Residential, Retail.”
Design Awards, Other Special Criteria
Aga Khan Award for Architecture (design for the Muslim world)
www.akdn.org/agency/aktc_akaa.html
“The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was established in 1977 by His Highness the Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, to enhance the understanding and appreciation of Islamic culture as expressed through architecture. Its method is to seek out and recognise examples of architectural excellence, encompassing concerns as varied as contemporary design, social housing, community improvement and development, restoration, reuse, and area conservation, as well as landscaping and environmental issues. Through its efforts, the Award seeks to identify and encourage building concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of societies in which Muslims have a significant presence.” (triennial)
AIA TAP BIM Awards
www.aia.org/tap_default
“The BIM Awards program accepts submissions from practitioners globally based on Building Information Modeling using advanced methodologies or processes. The program will judge submissions according to these general criteria: quantified benefits in cost, schedule, or quality; interoperability between software applications; effective team collaboration; “moving the ball forward” in terms of process change; cultural change; “return on value” (value achieved for the project divided by value expended in the effort).”
AR Awards for Emerging Architecture (architects and designers under 45)
www.arplusd.com
“Conceived in 1999 by the Architectural Review, the Awards are intended to bring international recognition to a talented new generation of architects and designers up to the age of 45. The awards have attracted entries from more than 80 countries and from every inhabited continent. The awards are supported by Buro Happold and InterfaceFLOR.”
AGC Aon Build America Awards (awarded to the contractor)
www.agc.org/awards
“The competition is open to all AGC general contractor and specialty contractor members working as prime contractors. Awards will be considered for new construction and renovation work.”
Business Week/Architectural Record Awards (collaboration and the achievement of business goals through architecture)
http://archrecord.construction.com
“Organizations use architecture and design to market their products and services, illustrate their commitment to sustainability and/or a culture of design, and attract qualified personnel, giving them a healthy and attractive environment to work in. Good design can help a company do its job better and can help it redefine itself. This program honors the architects and clients who best utilize design to achieve such strategic objectives. Recipients will be featured in Architectural Record and BusinessWeek magazines, read by over 5 million business and design professionals.”
Charter Awards (New Urbanism)
www.cnu.org
“The Charter Awards are one of the most respected urban design awards programs internationally. The awards seek to recognize exemplary efforts to plan and build according to the Charter of the New Urbanism.”
Cityscape Architectural Review Awards (design for the emerging world)
www.cityscape.ae/awards
“Cityscape and the Architectural Review have teamed up to organise the most prestigious architectural awards platform for the emerging world. The Awards recognise and reward excellence in Architecture and Design from the emerging regions of the Gulf States, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, South America and South and East Asia (excluding Japan, New Zealand & Australia) and Latin America.”
Dedalo Minosse International Prize for Commissioning a Building (client)
www.assoarchitetti.it
“The Dedalo Minosse is a biennal prize that celebrates the value of the project and highlights the importance of commissioning, which is often neglected in the discussion on architecture, forgetting that a good quality building can be realized only if there is a good fusion between the architect and the client of the work. Promoted by ALA–Assoarchitetti together with the international architecture and design magazine l’ARCA.”
EDRA/Places Awards (place design and planning)
www.places-journal.org
“EDRA/Places awards recognize professional and scholarly excellence in environmental design, and reflect the related missions of the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) and Places. Entries represent the full breadth of environmental design and related social science activity, including architecture, landscape architecture, planning, urban design, interior design, public art, lighting design, graphic design, environmental psychology, sociology, anthropology and geography.”
European Prize for Urban Public Space
http://urban.cccb.org/prize/
“The European Prize for Urban Public Space is a biennial competition that aims to highlight the importance of public space as a catalyst of urban life, and to recognise and foster investment by public administrations in its creation, conservation and improvement, while also understanding the state of public space as a clear indicator of the civic and collective health of our cities.”
Excellence on the Waterfront Awards
www.waterfrontcenter.org
“The Waterfront Center Annual Awards Program is a juried competition to recognize top-quality urban waterfront projects, comprehensive waterfront plans, outstanding citizen efforts, and student waterfront work.”
National Design-Build Awards
www.dbia.org
“To be considered for a design-build award, projects must demonstrate successful application of design-build principles including collaboration in the early stages of the project and the acceptance of single-entity risk. The project must be completed both on-time and on-budget and without litigation. Winning projects are honored for their advanced and innovative application of total integrated project delivery and finding unique solutions for project challenges.”
Palladio Awards (traditional design)
www.palladioawards.com
“The Palladio Awards Program is designed to honor outstanding achievement in traditional design. The Program recognizes individual designers and/or design teams whose work enhances the beauty and humane qualities of the built environment through creative interpretation or adaptation of design principles developed through 2,500 years of the Western architectural tradition.
Twenty-five Year Award
www.aia.org/twentyfiveyear_award
“The test of time is used to single out the executed projects that receive this award. They must have been completed 25 to 35 years ago and must be projects (in the United States or abroad) designed by an architect licensed in the United States.”
Urban Land Institute Awards for Excellence
www.uli.org
“ULI Awards for Excellence define the standard for real estate development practice worldwide. In its 29th year, the awards program is the centerpiece of ULI’s efforts to identify and promote best practices in all types of real estate development. The awards recognize the full development process of a project—construction, economic viability, marketing, and management— as well as design.”
Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design
www.gsd.harvard.edu
“Established in 1986, the Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design is the foremost award recognizing achievement in this field. The Prize is awarded every two years [by the Harvard Graduate School of Design] to recognize excellence in urban design with an emphasis on projects that contribute to the public realm of a city and improve the quality of urban life.”
Design Awards, Body of Work
American Academy of Arts and Letters Academy Award for Architecture
American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal for Architecture
American Academy of Arts and Letters Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize
AIA Architecture Firm Award
AIA Gold Medal
AIA Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture
AIA Whitney M. Young Jr. Award (professional responsibility toward current social issues)
AIA Young Architects Award
Arthur Ross Award (Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America)
Auguste Perret Prize (International Union of Architects (UIA) for work in applied technology)
Austrian Frederick Kiesler Prize for Architecture and the Arts
ASID Designer of Distinction Award
CSI Environmental Stewardship Award
Contract magazine Designer of the Year
Crowninshield Award (historic preservation)
Green Building Leadership Awards
IIDA Star Award
Lynn S. Beedle Achievement Award (extraordinary contributions to tall buildings and/or the urban environment)
National Design Awards (Architectural Design category)
National Medal of Arts
Places Placemark Award
Praemium Imperiale (Japan Art Association)
Pritzker Architecture Prize
RAIA Gold Medal
RAIC Gold Medal
Ralph Erskine Award (projects and initiatives that benefit the less-privileged)
RIBA Royal Gold Medal
Richard H. Driehaus Prize for Classical Architecture
Russel Wright Award (outstanding design for the general public)
Sir Patrick Abercrombie Prize (town planning and territorial development)
Sir Robert Matthew Prize (improving the quality of human settlements)
Spirit of Nature Wood Architecture Award
Tau Sigma Delta Gold Medal
Thomas Jefferson Medal in Architecture (Thomas Jefferson Foundation and University of Virginia)
UIA Gold Medal
Vincent J. Scully Prize (National Building Museum)
Wolf Prize for Architecture
State and Regional Awards
Design Awards, General
AIA California Council Design Award for Architecture
www.aiacc.org
“There are several subcategories that fall under Awards for Architecture. These categories are only for internal filing purposes and an award may not be given in each sub category. They include: Commercial; Institutional or Educational; Residential; Multi or Single Family Residences; Mixed-Use; Historic Preservation; Adaptive Reuse/Renovation; Societal Advancement; and Other.”
AIA California Council Design Award for Interior Architecture
www.aiacc.org
“The AIACC Honor Awards for Interior Architecture acknowledge the excellence of building interiors. The intent of this awards program is to draw attention to the broad diversity of completed interior architecture. Entries may be large or small in scope and may involve renovation, adaptive use, or new construction.”
AIA California Council Design Award for Regional and Urban Design
www.aiacc.org
“The purpose of the AIACC Honor Awards for Regional and Urban Design is to recognize distinguished achievements that involve the expanding role of the architect in urban design, city planning, and community development.”
AIA California Council 25-Year Award
www.aiacc.org
“The test of time is used to single out the executed projects that receive this award. They must have been completed 25 to 50 years ago.” California Construction’s Best of California http://california.construction.com “California Construction presents Best Of California, an extensive, year-end profile of the most intriguing projects completed in the past year. Best of California has established itself as the premiere showcase of a wide range of outstanding projects in the state. The award event honors the entire development, consultant, design and construction team.”
Gold Nugget Awards
www.goldnuggetawards.com
“The oldest and largest program of its kind, Gold Nuggets honor creative achievements in architectural design and land use planning for residential, commercial and industrial projects. Entries come from 14 Western states and international entries are now accepted for all countries. Gold Nugget winners share one common denominator: excellence and innovation in addressing complex design/build issues. The competition is sponsored by PCBC and BUILDER, a national magazine of the housing industry.”
Design Awards, Sustainability
Savings By Design Energy Efficiency Integration Design Awards
www.savingsbydesign.com
“Resource efficiency, responsibility for the environment, human productivity, quality of life— all are essential benefits of well-designed buildings. The Savings By Design Energy Efficiency Integration Design Awards, cosponsored by the American Institute of Architects, California Council, annually recognizes professionals who achieve such results in their designs.”
Design Awards, Building Type
AIA/Sunset Western Home Awards (Single-Family Residences)
www.sunset.com
“The biennial Western Home Awards program, cosponsored by the AIA and Sunset since 1957, is the oldest such program in the country. It spotlights outstanding residential design in the 13 Western states and western Canada.”
C.A.S.H./AIACC Leroy F. Greene Design and Planning Awards (K-12 Public Schools)
www.cashnet.org
“The Design Awards recognize built and unbuilt school facility projects in California. The award criteria reflects the mission and values of C.A.S.H./AIACC.”
Design Awards, Materials and Systems
Concrete Masonry Design Awards
www.cmacn.org
“The Concrete Masonry Design Awards Program recognizes and encourages outstanding architectural design that incorporates the use of concrete masonry. The program recognizes the Designers, Builders, Craftsmen, Structural Engineering Firm, Concrete Masonry Supplier, and the Owners. This annual program is sponsored by the Concrete Masonry Association of California and Nevada (CMACN) and co-sponsored by AIA California Council.”
Design Awards, Body of Work
AIA California Council Firm Award
www.aiacc.org
“This award is the highest honor the AIACC bestows on an architecture firm. The award recognizes firms who have: consistently produced distinguished architecture for a period of at least 10 years; contributed to the advancement of the profession in at least 3 of the following areas: design, research, planning, technology, practice, preservation or innovation; promoted continuing collaboration amongst individuals; produced work that has transcended a (single) specific area of expertise and have made connections between areas; developed a culture which educates and mentors the next generation of architects.”
AIA California Council Maybeck Award
www.aiacc.org
“Honoring an individual California architect for outstanding lifetime achievement in producing consistently distinguished design. The Maybeck Award recognizes outstanding achievement in architectural design as expressed in a body of work produced by an individual architect over a period of at least 10 years. The award is intended to honor the individual rather than the firm. The basis for the award is the quality of the body of work, consistently designed, during one’s career.”
Originally published 3rd Quarter 2007, in arcCA 07.3, “Comparing Awards.”
