2025 Awards for Architectural Distinction Finalists Announced
Thursday, October 9, 2025
ATLANTA — October 9, 2025 — AIA Atlanta is proud to announce the finalists for the 12th Annual Awards for Architectural Distinction (AAD), honoring excellence in residential, hospitality, commercial, and institutional architecture. Open to architects registered in Georgia, AAD recognizes outstanding projects from around the world.
The 2025 program was juried by esteemed peers, including Matt Toddy, AIA (Elevation Studio, Columbus, OH), Jeff Pastva, FAIA (Scannapieco Development Corporation, Philadelphia, PA), Jason Takeuchi, AIA (Ferraro Choi and Associates, Ltd., Honolulu, HI), Jessica O’Donnell, AIA (urban practice, Philadelphia, PA), and Gabriella Bermea, AIA (Perkins Eastman, Austin, TX).
Winners will be announced at Build Something Great, presented by Clad Axis and Dri-Design, on Saturday, November 15, 2025, at Buckhead Theatre. Tickets are on sale now.
Affordable & Workforce Housing
Madison Reynoldstown Affordable Housing
Atlanta, Georgia
PRAXIS3 architecture + interdisciplinary design
Civic & Government Buildings
BNA FBO Terminal and Hangar
Nashville, Tennessee
Niles Bolton Associates
Braselton Grist Mill
Braselton, Georgia
Architectural Collaborative (Arcollab)
Decatur Housing Authority Offices
Decatur, Georgia
PRAXIS3 architecture + interdisciplinary design
Denmark Library
Forsyth County, Georgia
McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture
Fredrick Douglas Park Family Center
Indianapolis, Indiana
Meticulous Design
Newberry Customer Service Center
Newberry, Michigan
Lord Aeck Sargent Planning & Design, Inc.
Cultural & Religious Institutions
Georgia College & State University, Andalusia Interpretive Center
Milledgeville, Georgia
Page, now Stantec
Educational & Research Facilities
Agriculture and Natural Resources Building at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture
Knoxville, Tennessee
BarberMcMurry Architects and Lord Aeck Sargent Planning & Design, Inc.
Braselton Library
Braselton, Georgia
Architectural Collaborative (Arcollab)
Daniel Hall at Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina
Lord Aeck Sargent Planning & Design, Inc.
Emory Nursing Learning Center
Decatur, Georgia
The Beck Group
Georgia State University Library North Study Commons
Atlanta, Georgia
PRAXIS3 architecture + interdisciplinary design
Georgia Tech Campus Center
Atlanta, Georgia
Cooper Carry
The Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center at Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama
Cooper Carry
Hotel — 101+ Guest Rooms
The Granada Hotel
Atlanta, Georgia
Kenneth Gowland, RA, NCARB
Hotel — 26-100 Guest Rooms
Palm House
Palm Beach, Florida
Cooper Carry
Multifamily/Mixed-Use — 50 Units or Less
Revival Lofts
Atlanta, Georgia
Dennis Hertlein / Choate+Hertlein Architects
Multifamily/Mixed-Use — Over 50 Units
300 N. Michigan
Chicago, Illinois
bKL Architecture LLC
Cirrus and Cascade
Chicago, Illinois
bKL Architecture LLC
Loria Ansley
Atlanta, Georgia
Niles Bolton Associates
McAuley Park – Mixed Use Campus
Atlanta, Georgia
Smith Dalia Architects
Stella at Star Metals
Atlanta, Georgia
Dwell Design Studio and Oppenheim Architecture
The Juniper
Atlanta, Georgia
Brock Hudgins Architects
Office Buildings & Tenant Interiors
Cardon Film Studio
Decatur, Georgia
R. Andrew Rutledge, AIA; Office of Design
Renovations/Adaptive Reuse — Under 5,000 Sq Ft
Cooper House at the University of Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Lord Aeck Sargent Planning & Design, Inc.
Martin Luther King Jr. Library
Atlanta, Georgia
McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture
Paty Modern Reno
Decatur, Georgia
Lightroom Studio, LLC
Restaurant — Renovation/Tenant Build-out
Amelia Gene’s
Memphis, Tennessee
The Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry
Retail & Destination Developments
Lake Oconee Gathering House
Greensboro, Georgia
Blur Workshop
Single-Family — Contemporary
ADU_06
Atlanta, Georgia
Stephen Trimble Architects
Alleghany County House
Roaring Gap, North Carolina
Point Office Architecture & Design
Hilltop House
Sandy Springs, Georgia
JonesPierce
Moreira Guest House
Athens, Georgia
Architectural Collaborative (Arcollab)
Featured Finalists Photo Credits (from left): Stella at Star Metals (Garey Gomez); BNA FBO Terminal and Hangar (Morgan Nowland Photography); Braselton Library (Kristin Karch); Palm House (Robert Granoff)