Tickets on sale now for October 1st event celebrating Chicago architects’ global design achievements; Public to vote for People’s Choice “best of” design awards.
Media contact:
Dan O’Connell, dan@danoconnellmedia.com, 617-480-6585
AIA Chicago Digital Media Kit
July 28, 2026, CHICAGO – AIA Chicago, one of the largest local chapters of The American Institute of Architects and the collective voice of over 3,500 licensed architects, emerging professionals, architecture students, and allied professionals, today announced a robust set of projects submitted by its members for juried awards for Designight 2026, the organization’s flagship awards ceremony. The nominated design projects show Chicago architects continue to lead the industry as they respond to quickly changing design challenges with creative solutions.
Designight 2026, to be held at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park on Thursday, October 1, 2026, is a ticketed event where everyone is welcome; all firms, clients, consultants, partners, friends, and family—and all Chicagoans with a penchant for great architectural design. Tickets are on sale now.
The award program includes the fifth annual Lerch Bates People’s Choice Awards, presented in partnership with the Chicago Architecture Center and chosen by the public, which will be announced live along with the juried awards. Finalists for the juried awards, chosen by jurors from firm submissions, and the Lerch Bates People’s Choice Awards, chosen by volunteers from the Chicago Architecture Center, will be announced in August and September along with information on how the public can vote for their favorite designs.
“From stunning new construction to creative adaptive reuse projects, the 2026 award submissions reflect the wide impact of our city’s architecture firms on the local, national, and global stage,” said AIA Chicago’s Executive Director Jen Masengarb, Assoc. AIA. “At Designight, we look forward to celebrating the design excellence of AIA member firms of all sizes creating remarkable work.”
The Design Excellence Awards recognize projects of all scales, from Architecture Extra Small to Extra Large, and Interior Architecture Small to Large. In addition to the Design Excellence Awards, separate awards, chosen by additional juries/committees, will be given for Lifetime Achievement Award, the Decarbonization Award, the Design Detail Award and the Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award which is administered by the AIA Chicago Foundation.
“With a depth of experience and expertise, our jurors undoubtedly had a rich set of entries from which to choose our 2026 awardees,” said AIA Chicago President Kelly Moynihan, AIA. “I am confident they have recognized the Chicago architects and designers finding the most sustainable and equitable solutions.”
The recipients of The Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award, administered by the AIA Chicago Foundation and named for Roberta Feldman, Ph.D., Assoc. AIA, Professor Emerita at the University of Illinois Chicago, School of Architecture, and an architectural activist and researcher, will also be presented at Designight 2026.
“The Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award is centered on the belief that good design is not for the privileged few but a right for all,” said AIA Chicago Foundation President PK “Trish” VanderBeke, AIA. “I am looking forward to seeing the jury’s selection of projects that exemplify this mission.”
The Design Excellence Awards, Decarbonization Award, and Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award juries of 23 international and national design experts include:
Design Excellence Awards
Jury A reviews Divine Detail, Interior Architecture M, L
Sean Flaharty, AIA
Principal, Arcturis | Square Feet Studio
Atlanta, Georgia
David Herron, FAIA
Principal, herron + partners
Prairie Village, Kansas
Maija Kreishman, AIA, IIDA
Senior Principal, Michael Hsu Office of Architecture
Austin, Texas
Nat Madson, AIA
Design Principal, HGA
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Adrienne Nelson, AIA, IIDA
Principal, Pickard Chilton
New Haven, Connecticut
Jury B reviews Architecture XS, S, and Interior Architecture S
Jordache K. Avery, AIA, NOMA
Owner / Principal, XMERTICAL
Atlanta, Georgia
Kevin J. Kelly, AIA
Partner, Robert AM Stern Architects (RAMSA)
New York, New York
Stephanie Lemmo, Assoc. AIA
Principal and Co-Founder, Lemmo Architecture and Design
Austin, Texas
Evan Morris, AIA
Partner, Lake Flato Architects
San Antonio, Texas
Mindy Aust, AIA, LEED AP
Principal/Owner, MA Architecture
Des Moines, Iowa
Jury C reviews Architecture M, L, and XL
Michelle Cintron, AIA
Vice President/Palm Beach Office Director, Arquitectonica
Palm Beach, Florida
John Frane, AIA
Design Principal, HGA Architects
Los Angeles, California
Andrea Love, FAIA, LEED Fellow
Principal/Director of Building Science, Payette
Boston, Massachusetts
Brian Masuda, AIA
Principal, Ennead Architects
New York, New York
Paul Stanbridge, AIA, LEED AP, Well AP
Partner, Foster + Partners
New York, New York
2026 Decarbonization Award Jury
Nadav Malin, Hon. AIA, LEED Fellow, Living Future Accredited
CEO, Green Commons LLC
Brattleboro, Vermont
Chandra Robinson, AIA, NOMA
Founder, chromatografica, llc
Portland, Oregon
Doris Sung, AIA
Professor, USC
Principal, DOSU Studio Architecture
Los Angeles, California
2026 Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award Jury
Kerl LaJeune, Assoc. AIA
Public Building Commission of Chicago
AIA Chicago Foundation Trustee – Chair
Annabel Ren
Converge Architecture
2025 Honor Award Recipient
Dawn Schuette, FAIA
Threshold Acoustics
AIA Chicago Foundation Trustee
Lynette Stuhlmacher, Assoc. AIA
Read Leaf Studio Inc.
AIA Chicago Foundation Trustee
Dan Wheeler, FAIA
Wheeler Kearns Architects
External Juror
The Lifetime Achievement Award is nominated by the AIA Chicago general membership, reviewed by a committee of Fellows and previous Lifetime Achievement Award winners, and selected by the AIA Chicago Board of Directors. Previous recipients include Adrian Smith, FAIA, RIBA (2025), Linda Searl, FAIA (2024), Cynthia Weese, FAIA (2023), Ralph Johnson, FAIA (2022), Stuart Cohen, FAIA (2021); Phillip C. Johnson, FAIA (2020); John Syvertsen, FAIA (2019); Peter Landon, FAIA (2018); Carol Ross Barney, FAIA (2017) among many others. The recipient of the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award will be announced in early September.
Designight 2026
Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park
205 East Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60601
Thursday, October 1, 2026
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM with After Party to follow
Award Ceremony tickets will be available through the Harris Theater in the coming weeks:
Harris Theater Box Office: 312-334-7777
Harris Theater Website: https://www.harristheaterchicago.org
Harris Theater Address: 205 East Randolph Street
Theater rental and services have been underwritten through support of the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park.
Combined Awards Ceremony and After Party tickets are available for purchase now at: AIAChicago.org/Designight2026
About AIA Chicago
With a membership exceeding 3,500 individuals—including licensed architects, architectural designers, and a broad network of industry partners and students—AIA Chicago is one of the largest and most influential local chapters of The American Institute of Architects in the country. AIA Chicago’s mission builds on the city’s architectural legacy by advocating for the profession, sharing knowledge among members, and partnering with communities. The chapter fosters a culture of design excellence for equitable, sustainable places and spaces.
AIA Chicago offers lectures and continuing education courses; specialized, issue-specific Knowledge Communities; advocacy for architects; and help for consumers looking for an architect.
AIA Chicago is the local Chicago chapter of The American Institute of Architects. Based in Washington, D.C., the AIA has been the leading professional membership association for licensed architects, emerging professionals, and allied partners since 1857. Learn more by visiting AIAChicago.org.
