2025 Awards for Architectural Distinction Winners Announced

ATLANTA — November 17, 2025 — AIA Atlanta is proud to announce the winners of the Awards for Architectural Distinction (AAD), honoring design excellence, leadership, and service across the built environment. The awards were presented during Build Something Great at the Buckhead Theatre on Saturday, November 15.

For nearly a decade, AIA Atlanta recognized outstanding residential design, later expanding to include hospitality work before launching its new flagship program, the AAD, in 2025. The updated name signals a broader focus on conceptual strength, execution, and impact across a wider array of project types.

This year’s program recognized four individuals and 14 projects, selected from a record number of submissions. An online gallery of the winning projets will be available in late November. The winners are as follows:

People Awards

The John A. Busby Jr. Exceptional Young Architect Award

• Jon Gould, AIA

Dorothy Spence Citizen Architect Award

• James Pirch, AIA

James G. Fausett Service to the Profession Award

• Jessika Nelson, AIA
• Robin Puttock, AIA

Places Awards

Civic & Government Buildings

• BNA FBO Terminal and Hangar by Niles Bolton Associates — Merit Award
• Braselton Grist Mill by Architectural Collaborative (Arcollab) — Merit Award
• Newberry Customer Service Center by Lord Aeck Sargent — Honor Award

Cultural & Religious Institutions

• Georgia College & State University, Andalusia Interpretive Center by Page, now Stantec — Merit Award

Educational & Research Facilities

• Agriculture and Natural Resources Building at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA)
  by BarberMcMurry Architects and Lord Aeck Sargent — Honor Award
• Braselton Library by Architectural Collaborative (Arcollab) — Honor Award
• Georgia Tech Campus Center by Cooper Carry — Merit Award

Hotel — 26–100 Guest Rooms

• Palm House by Cooper Carry — Honor Award

Multifamily/Mixed-Use – Over 50 Units

• Loria Ansley by Niles Bolton Associates — Merit Award
• Stella at Star Metals by Dwell Design Studio — Honor Award

Office Buildings & Tenant Interiors

• Cardon Film Studio by Office of Design — Merit Award

Renovations/Adaptive Reuse – Under 5,000 Sq Ft

• Martin Luther King Jr. Library by McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture — Merit Award

Single-Family – Contemporary

• Alleghany County House by Point Office Architecture & Design — Merit Award
• Moreira Guest House by Architectural Collaborative (Arcollab) — Honor Award