AIA Ohio 2021 Awards Program Open for Submissions

The AIA Ohio Design Awards Program is open for submissions! Click here to begin: https://aiaohio.org/design-awards/. The deadline for submitting projects is July 1.

The chair for this year’s jury will be Marsha Maytum, FAIA, from LMS Architects in San Francisco, an AIA Gold Medal Firm.

AIA Ohio spent time earlier this year reviewing the Design Awards Program and is implementing changes with the intent of increasing participation and recognition for projects of all types, from all components in the state.

First, the design awards program seeks to focus attention on quality design, high performance design and AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence. The Framework for Design Excellence represents the defining principles of good design in the 21st century. Comprised of 10 principles and accompanied by searching questions, the Framework seeks to inform progress toward a zero-carbon, equitable, resilient, and healthy built environment. These are to be thoughtfully considered by designer and client at the initiation of every project and incorporated into the work as appropriate to the project scope. The Framework is intended to be accessible and relevant for every architect, every client, and every project, regardless of size, typology, or aspiration.

The intent is to promote AIA’s initiatives and to encourage Ohio architects to think more holistically about their design. The jury will be instructed to evaluate submissions based on their successful response to one or more of AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence. These Include:

Second, in an effort to be more inclusive to all project types, AIA Ohio has changed the submission categories. Project submissions shall be made in one of six categories:

    • Category 1: Newly Completed Buildings
    • Category 2: Additions, Renovations and Restorations
    • Category 3: Interior Architecture
    • Category 4: Small Projects (Less than 5,000 sf and under $1.5M)
    • Category 5: Unbuilt Projects (Not built and not intended to be realized)
    • Category 6: 25 Year Award

In addition to the above six categories, AIA Ohio is adding two supplemental design awards available for considerations. These include:

    • The AIA Ohio Impact Award
    • The AIA Ohio People’s Choice Award

The AIA Ohio Impact Award is aimed at recognizing a project that exemplifies the power of design to create a better world. Impact Awards can be given for initiatives, research, products, or projects specifically designed to positively impact the social, environmental, and economic fabric of communities. Any project submitted for an AIA Ohio Design Award is eligible for consideration by the jury for this recognition, including projects recognized with awards in any of the other categories.

Aimed at increasing firm/project/client visibility, voting for the AIA Ohio People’s Choice Award will be conducted on the AIA Ohio website and shared on social media. All projects submitted for AIA Ohio Design Awards will be entered into this award. Voting for this award will open on the due date of submissions and will run for a period of not less than four weeks. The People’s Choice Award will be recognized based on the number of votes received. A minimum of the top three projects, ranked by votes cast, will be recognized.