2026 DC Design Awards

The DC Design Awards are back, and reinvented. This year, AIA|DC is turning the awards into an annual ceremony and gala-style reception celebrating the best of Washington’s built environment. Join colleagues from across the design and building community to honor the architects, designers and firms shaping the District’s skyline and streetscape, then stay for a night of celebration and conversation.

The Awards

Doors open at 6:30pm, ceremony begins at 7pm

The evening opens with an awards ceremony honoring this year’s distinguished projects and people.

• AIA|DC Design Awards: Recognizing outstanding achievement across Architecture, Interior Architecture, Historic Resources and Urban Design/Master Planning.
• Washingtonian Residential Design Awards: Honoring excellence in distinctive residential projects in the region.
• Unbuilt Washington Awards: Bridging the academic and professional communities by celebrating research, conceptual exploration and innovation in design thinking in the DC Metro region.

The Chapter will also recognize individuals whose work as architects, advocates, educators, clients and partners makes Washington a better place:

• Emerging Architect Award: Honoring emerging leaders of any age whose early-career contributions and dedicated service have meaningfully impacted the architecture community.
• Centennial Medal Award: Recognizing an architect with at least a decade of service to the Chapter, community or profession.

The Reception

After the ceremony, from 8:30-11:30pm, the celebration moves to a gala reception with:

• Live entertainment
• Casino games
• Guided tours of the newly redesigned National Geographic Museum of Exploration
• Heavy hors d’oeuvres, small bite stations and dessert stations
• A full bar throughout the evening

Become a Sponsor

Put your company’s name in the spotlight. Sponsorship includes logo placement, social media features and custom branding on casino tables and signature cocktails, all in front of DC’s top design professionals. To learn more, review our sponsorship benefits and contact Kim Bender at kbender@aiadc.com.

Join AIA|DC CRAN and Capital Area CRAN for an evening of mentoring and mixing that connects emerging professionals with architects who’ve built careers in custom residential design. It’s designed for emerging professionals but open to anyone curious about residential practice.

The conversations will dig into the realities of residential work: career paths and licensure, running a practice, working with clients and consultants, and what it really takes to deliver a thoughtful, high-quality home. Along the way, we’ll talk about the architect’s role in healthy and sustainable materials, energy-efficient design, and advocating for the value of good design in our communities.

The evening opens with informal networking, so come early, grab a refreshment, and meet people across every stage of practice. By building connections between generations of architects, Home Grown strengthens the professional pipeline and supports the architect’s responsibility to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public through responsible residential design.

Bring your questions. You don’t need a portfolio or a polished elevator pitch, just curiosity.

This event is free, and refreshments will be provided.

Thank you to Ateliers Jacob for opening their doors and hosting us for the evening.

Learning objective 1

Identify professional development pathways in residential architecture, including licensure, practice management, and collaborative design, and explain how they support an architect’s responsibility to protect public health, safety, and welfare.

Learning objective 2

Discuss strategies for selecting healthy and sustainable building materials in residential projects, and describe how collaboration among architects, clients, and consultants improves indoor environmental quality and occupant well-being.

Learning objective 3

Recognize energy-efficient and resilient design strategies for residential buildings, and explain how they reduce environmental impact and improve long-term safety and performance for occupants.

Learning objective 4

Explain how architects can advocate for thoughtful, responsible residential design with clients and communities, and why that advocacy matters for safe, healthy, and livable neighborhoods.

Photo caption and credit:

Aerial View of Ruppert Nurseries (Courtesy of Ruppert Nurseries)

Join AIA DC COTE as we leaf-peep at Ruppert Nurseries! This tour will consist of a hay wagon ride around the tree farm during which we will cover the topics listed in the learning objectives. Q&A Sessions will take place during the tour and afterwards. Please dress appropriately for being outside and consider bringing a hat and walking shoes. Light refreshments and drinks will be provided by the RN team. It is about an hour drive to the location.

Learning objective 1

Evaluate how nursery‑level sustainability practices—including cover cropping, native species cultivation, and integrated pest management—impact site resilience, environmental health, and long‑term landscape performance in architectural projects.

Learning objective 2

Assess tree structure and health (pruning methods, root architecture, leaders, branching habits) to reduce site hazards, support safe circulation, and ensure long‑term compatibility with built elements such as foundations, pavements, and utilities.

Learning objective 3

Identify appropriate planting windows—including root‑pruned stock, summer digging limitations, and fall‑planting risks—to mitigate transplant failure, protect site investments, & support healthy establishment in compliance with project performance goals.

Learning objective 4

Coordinate effectively with landscape architects & contractors by integrating plant‑related constraints into site planning, documentation, & construction sequencing, reducing installation risks & improving overall project HSW outcomes.

Presented By: 

Kelly Lewis (President & Partner) 

Kelly started with Ruppert Nurseries in 1994. He is a Certified Professional Horticulturist and has a Texas A&M Certificate of applied business management.

Nick Graves (General Manager)

Nick has been with Ruppert since 2006 and has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Landscape Horticulture with a minor in Agricultural Business and Entomology. Nick is also a Certified Professional Horticulturist.

Photo caption and credit: 

Burrville Elementary School, Perkins Eastman DC

Join AIA|DC's Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) for networking and rapid-fire style presentations at the committee’s "Back to School" Fall Social.

This event will showcase current work related to the design of learning environments by firms in the DC metropolitan region. Presentations will highlight emerging trends through designs still on the boards, completed within the last year, or under construction.

Learning objective 1

Explore and understand how diverse spaces can support lifelong learning.

Learning objective 2

Describe new trends in school designs around the nation.

Learning objective 3

Explain and analyze existing school facilities for their inherent challenges.

Learning objective 4

Discuss and define 21st century learning environments.

Sponsored by: 

Main Sponsor

Secondary Sponsors

Photo Caption & Credit

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architecture

This course will explore the growing importance of resilient building design as a result of accelerating climate change and extreme weather events.

We will discuss resilient design principles and fenestration's role in resilient design, including; the importance of building product durability, energy efficiency, storm and hurricane protection, and how simple, passive, and flexible systems are more resilient.

In order to design with resiliency in mind, we must understand how natural disasters and extreme weather events affect the buildings where we live and work, as well as the surrounding communities. The building community must coalesce around efforts to design and build more resilient structures that can withstand high winds, flooding, earthquakes, and fire.

Learning Objective 1

Analyze the importance of resilient building design within the changing environment and extreme weather events.

Learning Objective 2

Identify and understand the 12 resilient design principles in the built environment.

Learning Objective 3

Examine fenestration’s role in resilient design and considerations for specifying highly durable and energy efficient products.

Learning Objective 4

Identify high performance windows and door products that should be considered when designing for resiliency.

Presenter Name

Diane van Horn

Presenter Bio

Diane van Horn is the Senior Architectural Territory Manager for Loewen Windows and Doors. In her role Diane is responsible for architectural specifications, project reviews, design assistance and delivering Continuing Education courses. Diane has experience in fenestration products for both residential and commercial applications. Diane currently serves on the Board of Directors for AIA New Jersey’s Newark & Suburban Chapter. In addition, Diane is a member of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) where she earned her Construction Document Technologist (CDT) certification.

Call for Nominations

The AIA|DC Nominating Committee is pleased to open nominations for the 2027 Board of Directors. Serving on the board is a meaningful way to shape the chapter's direction, strengthen the architecture community in the District, and represent the interests of AIA|DC's membership at the local and national level. We encourage all eligible members to consider the open positions below. Candidates should be prepared to commit the time and effort described in this form and to uphold the fiduciary and ethical responsibilities of chapter leadership.

The AIA|DC Nominating Committee Seeks nominees for open director and officer positions that meet the following qualifications:

OFFICERS

• President-Elect/VP | 1 year term
  • Must have previously served on the board for at least 1 year
• Treasurer | 1 year term
• Secretary | 1 year term

DIRECTORS

• Associate Director | 1 year term
  • 1 open seat
  • Must be an Associate AIA Member
• Young Architect Director | 1 year term
  • 1 open seat
  • Must be an architect licensed up to ten years of initial licensure
• Director-at-Large | 2 year terms
  • 3 open seats
  • Must have demonstrated leadership experience in one or more of the following chapter functions: Professional Education, Sponsorship, Advocacy, Honors & Awards, Membership/Committees

All nominees must be AIA members in good standing. Nominations will close on October 23 at 4pm. The Nominating Committee will review all submissions for eligibility before finalizing the ballot.

Questions about the nomination process, position responsibilities, or eligibility requirements can be directed to the Executive Director (kbender@aiadc.com).

Photo caption and credit:

Constance Gauthier Photography 

Join the CRAN committee for a private tour of a newly completed residence in the Palisades, set on a wooded bluff above the Potomac River valley. The house spans four levels and nearly 9,000 square feet. It's a close collaboration between GTM Architects, the interior design firm Studio Sophîste, and Richardson & Associates Landscape Architecture, and each firm will lead part of the tour.

The team will talk through how they designed for a steep site and framed the river views, and how they built a high-performance envelope. They'll also show how the house supports multigenerational living and wellbeing. Sanders Company, the event sponsor, will talk about how the windows and doors were selected, detailed and installed, including the large openings that frame the views.

Note: This event is sponsored by the Sanders Company. 

Learning objective 1

Gain an understanding on how window and door systems are integrated into a high-performance building envelope.

Learning objective 2

Evaluate the safety requirements for large-format openings like bifold window walls and French doors.

Learning objective 3

Describe landscape strategies for building on a steep site.

Learning objective 4

Identify design strategies that support occupants' health and wellbeing across generations.

Presented by: 

Mark Kaufman - GTM

Martha Vicas - Studio Sophiste

Mark Finlayson - Richardson & Associates

This Book Talk is a production of the AIA Committee on the Environment (a Knowledge Community) in partnership with the AIA Historic Resources Committee (a Knowledge Community).  

To pause new construction, even briefly, spurs a radical thinking framework for alternatives to the current approach to space production and its growth imperative. This is the idea that Charlotte Malterre-Barthes explores in A Moratorium on New Construction (Sternberg Press, 2025). The book envisions a value shift for our existing stock. This COTE Book Talk starts with Malterre-Barthes unpacking these ideas and leads into a discussion between her and Arathi Gowda, FAIA, who reviews the book for COTE. Together, they will consider the compelling idea of a pause on new construction.

Such a pause, even briefly, as the publisher website notes: “creates a radical thinking framework for alternatives to the current regime of space production and its suspect growth imperative. Engaging with unsettling questions, A Moratorium on New Construction envisions a massive value shift for our existing stock. From housing redistribution to reinviting value generation, from anti-extractive measures to profound structural changes, from curricula reforms to purging the exploitative culture of the office, an entire rewiring of design processes and construction lies ahead. Somewhere between a thought experiment and a call for action, A Moratorium on New Construction is a leap of faith to envision a less extractive future, made of what we have: "Not demolishing, not building new, but building less, building with what exists, inhabiting it differently, and caring for it.”

COTE and HRC appreciate the collaboration and support of the AIA DC COTE group, the AIA DC Chapter, and Quinn Evans. 

1 CE/LU HSW for this session will be offered.

Learning Objective 1 

Identify the environmental, human, and ecological impacts of extractive material processes and conventional construction practices, including their effects on climate, land, water, and communities.

Learning Objective 2

Examine strategies for reducing the environmental impacts of new construction by prioritizing the preservation, reuse, adaptation, and more intensive inhabitation of existing buildings and housing stock.

Learning Objective 3

Evaluate how material choices, construction practices, demolition, and building reuse can influence human health, environmental quality, and the long-term welfare of communities and ecosystems.

Learning Objective 4

Apply resource-conscious design strategies that support housing needs while reducing reliance on new material extraction and construction, including adaptive reuse, redistribution of existing housing resources, and design approaches centered on maintaining and caring for existing buildings.

Presented By: 

Photo Credit: Juliette Paulet

Charlotte Malterre-Barthes - Author 

Charlotte Malterre-Barthes is an architect, urban designer, and Assistant Professor at EPFL, leading the RIOT laboratory. Her research examines contemporary urbanization, material extraction, climate and social emergency. While Assistant professor at Harvard, she initiated "A Moratorium on New Construction," challenging development protocols (2025, Sternberg/MIT Press). She holds a PhD (ETH Zurich) on space and political economy of commodities, and co-founded the Parity Group (Meret Oppenheim Prize 2023) and the Parity Front, activist networks advocating for equality in architecture.

Arathi Gowda, FAIA - Reviewer

Arathi Gowda is Perkins&Will’s Northeast Regional Regenerative Design Director and founder of Yes Praxes, created in 2021 to accelerate a just climate transition. She has taught sustainable urbanism at several universities and is an adjunct faculty member at Northwestern University’s Institute for Sustainability and Energy. Arathi champions collective climate action and serves on AIA’s Committee on the Environment Advocacy Group and Government Advocacy Committee. She also co-chairs the climate pledge US Architects Declare.

Sponsored By: 

Following the success of last year's program, AIA|DC and SEA-MW are once again bringing together architects, engineers, educators, and technology leaders to explore how AI is reshaping the design and construction professions.

Panelists will cover topics from AI-assisted design workflows and architectural education to digital twins and intelligent infrastructure, sharing practical insights into how organizations are moving beyond experimentation to real implementation. Through real-world examples and cross-disciplinary discussion, attendees will come away with a clearer understanding of the opportunities, limitations, and responsibilities that AI brings to the AEC community.

As AI grows more capable of generating images, concepts, analyses, and recommendations, the design professions face a fundamental question: when technology can produce countless possibilities, what is the role of human judgment? Join us as design professionals and educators consider how creativity, expertise, and professional responsibility are being redefined in an era of AI-assisted practice.

*Please Note: The event will take place in the Entry Level Living Room Space and will move to the rooftop for Happy Hour afterwards.

Learning Objective 1

Evaluate how AI-assisted tools and digital-twin technologies can support design, analysis, monitoring, and decision-making that affect the health, safety, and welfare of building occupants and communities.

Learning Objective 2 

Identify limitations and risks associated with AI-generated design and engineering outputs, including issues of accuracy, bias, data quality, and reliability that may affect project performance and public safety.

Learning Objective 3

Assess the role of professional judgment, quality assurance, and human oversight in validating AI-assisted recommendations and maintaining accountability for design decisions.

Learning Objective 4

Examine how emerging AI applications in architecture, engineering, and intelligent infrastructure may improve resilience, sustainability, lifecycle performance, and risk management across the built environment.

Panelists

Julian Arrington, AIA - Associate and Lead Designer, SmithGroup

Michael Ezban, RA, ASLA - Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech Washington - Alexandria Architecture Center (WAAC)

Dr. Nadine Alameh - Founder, LunateAI

Stephen Kane, P.E. – Senior Associate and CORE Studio Representative, Thornton Tomasetti

ECS Presents: Demystifying the Thermal Envelope with the IECC - The minimum standards for energy use of our new and renovated buildings is tightly defined in our building codes and often misunderstood and misapplied. This presentation will demystify the requirements for designing and constructing the thermal control of the exterior building enclosure, specifically in identifying and selecting one of many compliance paths, defining continuous insulation and understanding the impact of thermal bridging. Our goal is to provide a firm understanding of how to select the best envelope code design approach for a project and understand the nuances of continuous insulation.

Learning Objective 1

Understand the purpose and definition of the building enclosure.

Learning Objective 2

Identify the multiple energy code compliance paths within the IEC.

Learning Objective 3

Gain a better understanding of the potential opportunities and impacts of selecting each compliance path.

Learning Objective 4

Discuss the definition of continuous insulation and the impact of thermal bridging on building enclosure design.

Presenter Name 

Andrew Fix, P.E. 

Presenter Bio

Andrew Fix is a Principal with Mid-Atlantic Facilities in the Building Envelope Group. Andrew brings more than 15 years of façade and building envelope services relating to roofing systems and exterior wall system design and consulting experience, specializing in government, commercial, industrial, and residential construction. He has successfully provided reports, prepared quality assurance documentation for building enclosure projects, witnessing, and conducting investigative analysis of façade and existing building envelope assemblies, and field testing services. Andrew provides drawing review services as a façade specialist and building envelope designs, with particular focus on waterproofing and air barrier constructability. He provides building envelope repair design, bid assistance, and construction observation of repairs. He is versed in a wide range of building envelope performance testing related to air and moisture penetration resistance. Andrew is one of the ECS leads on whole building air leakage testing in conformance with NAVFAC and USACE standards.