Category: Announcements

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)

AIA Atlanta is now accepting applications for the 2026 Board of Directors. This is your opportunity to step into leadership, bring energy and vision to the profession, and serve nearly 2,000 members who look to our chapter for direction and impact.

We’re seeking passionate, engaged architects who want to do more than hold a title — leaders ready to advocate for the profession, elevate peers, and push AIA Atlanta forward. Whether your strengths are in finance, continuing education, advocacy, or community building, there’s a place for your voice and leadership at the table.

Review the six open positions and apply today to help shape the future of AIA Atlanta. Applications close October 21, 2025.

Learn More

For nearly a decade, AIA Atlanta has celebrated excellence in the built environment through its annual design awards. What began as the Residential Design Awards, later expanding to the Residential & Hospitality Design Awards, has grown in both scope and impact, reflecting the evolving work of Georgia architects.

Today, we’re proud to unveil a new name for our flagship awards program: the Awards for Architectural Distinction.

This new name is more than a rebrand; it represents a broader vision of what truly matters—distinction in concept, execution, and impact across a broader range of typologies.

Why the Change?

Our members produce work that is not confined to a single project type or place. From innovative public buildings to commercial campuses and culturally rooted homes, the profession is more expansive and influential than ever.

The Awards for Architectural Distinction reflect that evolution. The program is now open to new project types located anywhere in the world, as long as they are designed by a Georgia-registered architect.

What’s Included

The program now houses two distinct pathways for recognition:

Places Awards

For built projects of exceptional quality, innovation, and problem-solving. Juried by nationally recognized leaders in architecture and design. Accepted project types include:

• Commercial
• Hospitality
• Institutional
• Residential

People Awards

For people and firms shaping the profession. From emerging talent to lifetime achievement, these honors recognize those whose leadership, service, and creativity are making a lasting mark.

Both will be presented at our annual celebration, Build Something Great, on Saturday, November 15, 2025, at Buckhead Theatre.

Submission Details

Detailed categories and submission criteria will be available at a later date. Submissions for the 2025 Awards for Architectural Distinction open on Monday, June 30, and will close on Friday, August 29.

Featured Project: Nami
Firm: ASD | SKY
Category: Restaurant – New Construction
Award: 2024 Honor Award
Photographer: Richard Cadan

View All Winners »

The Aspire conference, hosted by the AIA state chapters of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, returns to Asheville for three days of thought-provoking presentations, panel discussions, and workshops on industry challenges.

Join us from September 14 to 16 for a transformative experience where collective knowledge grows, connections deepen, and inspiration soars. Proposals for presentations, tours, and events are now open. Submit a proposal to contribute to a movement of innovation and creativity!

Submissions close on Monday, February 10.

Submit a Proposal

AIA Atlanta is excited to join 12 other AIA Chapters in partnership with America ByDesign: Architecture, a series featured on CBS and YouTube.

In 2025, we’ll collaborate to spotlight outstanding architecture and design by AIA Atlanta architects, putting Atlanta design on a national stage. Click here to learn more and to submit a project for consideration.