Awards for Great People
The Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA|DC) and Washington Architectural Foundation (WAF) are proud to present Awards for Great People. Each year, our Fall Design Fête celebrates these individuals and their work in making Washington better through their contributions as architects, advocates, educators, clients and partners.
Centennial Medal
Glenn Brown Award
John 'Wieb' Wiebenson Award
Emerging Architects Award
Architect Educator Award
Public Service Award
Partnership for the Planet Award
Laureates are selected annually by the Awards for Great People Jury, comprised of at least two members of AIA|DC and two members of WAF who shall be appointed by the Presidents of both organizations. The jury may select more than one laureate, or no laureates, per award in a given year and may consider nominations from prior years and nominations of its own.
Eligibility, nomination and submission requirements for each award are further detailed below. There are no fees required for submission. Unless noted otherwise, posthumous awards may not be given.
Centennial Medal
The Centennial Medal is the highest honor AIA|DC can bestow upon a member. The laureate must be “an architect whose contributions span at least a decade of service to the Chapter, to the community, or to the profession”. The Centennial Medal is not intended to be an award for excellence in architectural design.
Granting Organization: AIA Washington DC
Eligibility: AIA|DC architect member in good standing. Posthumous awards may be given.
Submission Requirements: Submissions should include a nomination letter, up to three letters of support and sufficient background documentation to show the jury the worthiness of the candidate
Centennial Medal Laureates
1989 Chloethiel Woodard Smith, FAIA
1990 Edwin Wiehe, AIA
1991 Leon Brown, FAIA
1992 David H. Condon, FAIA
1993 Charles H. Atherton, FAIA
1994 Arthur M. Keyes, Jr., FAIA
1995 Louis E. Fry, Sr., FAIA
1996 Hugh Newell Jacobsen, FAIA
1997 Joe Miller, FAIA
1998 Joe Reid, AIA
1999 Isham Baker, FAIA
2000 Colden Florance, FAIA
2001 Frank Schlesinger, FAIA
2002 Joe Passonneau, FAIA
2003 Harry Robinson, FAIA
2004 Don Myer, FAIA
2005 George Hartman, FAIA
2006 Warren Cox, FAIA
2007 Mary Oehrlein, FAIA
2009 David Cox, FAIA
2010 George Dove, FAIA
2011 Dave Metzger, FAIA
2012 David Daileda, FAIA
2013 Marshall E. Purnell, FAIA
2014 Suman Sorg, FAIA
2015 Shalom Baranes, FAIA
2016 Graham Davidson, FAIA
2017 Hal Davis, FAIA
2018 Mary Katherine Lanzillotta, FAIA
2019 Hany Hassan, FAIA
2020 Steven Spurlock, FAIA
2021 David Haresign, FAIA
2022 Stanley I. Hallet, FAIA
2023 Amy Weinstein, FAIA
2024 Yolanda Cole, FAIA
Glenn Brown Award
The Glenn Brown Award honors an individual who has raised public awareness of architecture and its benefits to society and who has improved the quality of life in Washington, DC.
Glenn Brown was the founder of the Washington Chapter of the AIA and the quiet force behind the resurrection of the L’Enfant Plan and the development of the McMillan Plan in 1900. Author, scholar, presidential advisor and most of all, civic activist, Brown began a strong legacy of architectural involvement in city affairs.
Granting Organization: AIA Washington DC & Washington Architectural Foundation
Eligibility: Nominees are not required to be architects. Most laureates have not been architects.
Nomination Process: Nominators and references are requested to not contact potential nominees for information about their qualifications or for their permission to places their names in nomination.
Submission Requirements:
Nomination Letter: Summary of the nominee’s achievements. Three-page maximum.
Letters of Recommendation: Exactly three (3) one-page letters of support.
Supporting Exhibits: Strongly encouraged, but not required.
Glenn Brown Award Laureates
2001 Sarah Booth Conroy
2002 Robert Lautman
2003 Robert Peck
2004 The Honorable Daniel Patrick Moynihan
2005 The Honorable Jim Graham
2006 Ben Forgey
2007 Richard and Sabine Yanul
2008 James Goode
2009 Martin Moeller, Assoc. AIA
2010 Doug Fruehling, Editor of Washington Business Journal
2011 David Maloney, DC SHPO
2012 Ginnie Cooper, DC Chief Librarian
2013 William B. Alsup, III
2013 Mayor Anthony Williams
2014 Allen Y. Lew
2015 Gerald R. Sigal
2016 Kojo Nnamdi
2017 Elinor Bacon
2018 Tommy Wells
2019 Robert P. Kogod
2020 Earl Alexander “Rusty” Powell, III
2021 Lonnie G. Bunch III
2022 Scott Kratz
2024 Uwe S. Brandes
John ”Wieb” Wiebenson Award for Architecture in the Public Interest
The Wieb Award honors an architect who, throughout his or her career, has made a difference in the Washington community through work in the public interest.
Named in honor of the late John “Wieb” Wiebenson who passed away in 2003, the Wieb Award recognizes the profound impact of the public spirit of architecture and those practitioners who make careers out of projects taken on not for pay, but just for the sake of doing good. Wieb was widely recognized as a champion of great design and for his work for nonprofits throughout the city, from founding Don’t Tear it Down (now the DC Preservation League) to designing cheerful spaces for places like Bread for the City and Martha’s Table. He began his career in Boston working with Walter Gropius at the Architects Collaborative and later with Charles Moore, designer of California’s famous Sea Ranch, who taught him that architecture should be fun. Wieb’s portfolio includes private homes, schools, restaurants and nonprofits. When not designing buildings that have been described by the Washington Post as “at once creative and sensible,” Wieb drew Archihorse, a comic strip focused on urban design and architecture, which was published for many years by the Progressive Review. Wieb was also a prolific map maker.
The first Wieb award was given posthumously to John Wiebenson. We are reminded of the spirit, creativity, and great humor he brought to his work which has enriched the city for all people.
Granting Organization: Washington Architectural Foundation
Eligibility: Practicing architect in the Washington community. Nominees need not be AIA members.
Submission Requirements:
Nomination Letter: One-page summary of the nominee’s achievements and contributions to the field.
Candidate biography: 2‐page maximum
Candidate photograph: jpeg; no larger than 300 dpi and 1MG.
Additional letters of recommendation are not required but are strongly recommended.
Wieb Award Laureates
2004 John Wiebenson
2005 Robert Schwartz, FAIA
2006 Mary Kay Lanzillotta, FAIA
2007 Todd Ray, FAIA
2008 Dave Shove-Brown, AIA
2009 Darrel Rippeteau, AIA
2010 Steven Spurlock, FAIA
2011 Stephen Vanze, FAIA
2012 Barbara G. Laurie, AIA
2013 Roger K. Lewis, FAIA
2014 Susan Piedmont-Palladino
2015 Lam Vuong, AIA
2016 Janet Bloomberg, AIA
2017 Joanna Schmickel, AIA
2018 Greg Kearley, AIA
2019 Gina Volpicelli, AIA
2020 Ruben Quesada, Assoc. AIA
2021 Omar Hakeem, AIA
2022 Rence Gill, AIA
2023 Anna McCorvey
2024 Ian Walker
Emerging Architect Award
The Emerging Architect Award recognizes individuals of all ages who have shown exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the profession in an early stage of their architectural career.
Granting Organization: AIA Washington DC
Eligibility: AIA|DC members in good standing within the first ten (10) years of professional experience. Nominees need not be licensed, but must have graduated from a NAAB-Accredited degree program within the last 10 years.
Nominations: In addition to regular nominations, self-nominations are encouraged but must include all required materials.
Submission Requirements:
Nomination Letter: One-page summary of the nominee’s achievements and contributions to the field.
Supporting Exhibits: Materials (clippings, drawings, articles, citations, etc.) not exceeding ten (10) pages that best demonstrate the nominee’s accomplishments. Proper credit for material presented and its accuracy is the responsibility of the nominator.
Candidate Biography: Two-page maximum.
Candidate Photograph: Jpeg, no larger than 300dpi and 1MB.
Letters of Recommendation: No more than three (3) one-page letters of support.
Emerging Architect Award Laureates
2008 Griz Dwight
2009 Joseph Fuentes
2009 Jay Wilson
2010 Phil Wessell
2011 Hiroshi Jacobs
2012 Melissa Daniel
2013 Marcy Giannunzio, AIA
2013 Diane Leeson, Assoc. AIA
2014 Ryan McEnroe, AIA, ASLA
2015 Ricardo Rodriguez, Assoc. AIA
2016 Abigail Brown, AIA
2016 Luis Velez-Alvarez, AIA
2017 Leah Ijjas, AIA
2018 Nakita Reed, AIA
2019 Douglas Crawford, AIA
2020 Alison Pavilonis, AIA
2021 Scott Archer, AIA
2021 Li Ren, AIA
2022 Saakshi Terway, Assoc. AIA
2023 Caitlin Brady, AIA
2023 Mika Naraynsingh, AIA
2024 Kumi Wickramanayaka, AIA
Architect Educator Award
The Architect Educator Award recognizes an organization or individual for excellence in the advancement of architectural education at all levels (K-12, University, and/or Post-Graduate) through teaching, design, scholarship, research, or service.
Granting Organization: Washington Architectural Foundation
Eligibility: Organization or individual teacher, professor or administrator engaged in architectural education. Nominees need not be AIA members.
Submission Requirements:
Nomination Letter: One-page summary of the nominee’s achievements.
Candidate Biography: Two-page maximum.
Candidate Photograph: Jpeg, no larger than 300dpi and 1MB.
Letters of Recommendation: One-page letters of support strongly encouraged, but not required.
2020 Lindsey May, AIA
2021 Individual: Milton Shinberg, AIA
2021 Institution: Washington Alexandria Architecture Center
2022 Dahlia Nduom, AIA
2024 Amy E. Gardner, FAIA
Donald B. Myer, FAIA Public Service Award
The Public Service Award recognizes an elected or appointed organization or individual, public administrator, or institutional leader who establishes and contributes to the development of laws, regulations, policies, or initiatives that promote excellence in architecture and design in Washington, D.C. Myer is its inaugural laureate and it has been renamed in his honor.
Granting Organization: Washington Architectural Foundation
Eligibility: Organization or individual engaged in public service. Nominees need not be architects.
Submission Requirements:
Nomination Letter: One-page summary of the nominee’s achievements.
Candidate Biography: Two-page maximum.
Candidate Photograph: Jpeg, no larger than 300dpi and 1MB.
Letters of Recommendation: One-page letters of support strongly encouraged, but not required.
2020 Donald B. Myer, FAIA
2021 Marcel Acosta
2022 Stephen T. Ayers, FAIA
2024 Brian J. Hanlon, AIA
Partnership for the Planet Award
In concert with the AIA’s Climate Action priority, the Partnership for the Planet Award recognizes an individual, firm, or team which has championed sustainable and/or resilient development in the Washington, DC region. This award goes to individuals, firms, or teams who are doing cutting edge work, going well beyond current requirements, and leading the way to a more sustainable city and region.
Granting Organization: AIA|DC & Washington Architectural Foundation
Eligibility: Individual, firm, or team. Nominees need not be architects nor architectural firms.
Submission Requirements:
Nomination Letter: One-page summary of the nominees’ achievements.
Candidate Biography: Two-page maximum.
Candidate Photograph: Jpeg, no larger than 300dpi and 1MB.
Letters of Recommendation: One-page letters of support strongly encouraged, but not required.
Supporting Exhibits: Strongly encouraged, but not required.
2020 Hitt Contracting’s Co|Lab Project
2021 Building Innovation Hub
2022 Thinkbox
2023 Anica Landreneau, Assoc. AIA
2024 Heather Jauregui, AIA