Designight 2024

Chicago's premier architecture awards celebration.

Awards Ceremony Tickets

Harris Theater for Music and Dance

On sale now through Thursday, September 5

Join AIA Chicago as numerous awards are administered and we celebrate the global design achievements of our members. The Awards Ceremony and After Party are ticketed separately. Awards Ceremony tickets DO NOT include admission to the After Party.

After Party Tickets

Harris Theater Rooftop Terrace

SOLD OUT!

Celebrate the award-winning project teams as we party the night away. Admission includes heavy hors d'oeuvres and complimentary bar. The Awards Ceremony and After Party are ticketed separately. After Party tickets DO NOT include admission to the Awards Ceremony.

Designight 2024

The Chicago Chapter of The American Institute of Architects (AIA Chicago) proudly presents Designight 2024, Chicago's premier architectural Awards Ceremony and After Party. This year's event promises an unforgettable evening.

Join us as we recognize outstanding design achievements, groundbreaking advancements in decarbonization efforts, and exceptional contributions by Chicago's architects. Notably in 2024, nearly half of submitted projects firms of 30 persons or fewer. All firms submitting to the Design Excellence Awards were required to be signatories of the AIA 2030 Commitment, a national voluntary initiative promoting the design of carbon neutral buildings by 2030.

Awards celebrated include the Design Excellence Awards; the Decarbonization Award for projects that achieve exceptional energy reduction; the Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award, administered by the AIA Chicago Foundation, which honors projects guided by the conviction that high quality architecture is a human right; the Divine Detail Award, which recognizes key details of a project that enhance the overall artistic expression; the Lerch Bates People’s Choice Awards, presented in partnership with the Chicago Architecture Center, which celebrate the voice of Chicagoans; and the Lifetime Achievement Award, which honors the achievements of an architect who has had a lasting influence on the profession.

Designight promises an unforgettable evening and is a must-attend event for architects, designers, industry leaders, and aficionados.

Date

Thursday, September 5, 2024

Awards Ceremony

Time
4:30 PM: Lobby Doors Open and Pre-Awards Reception
5:30 PM: House Doors Open
6:00 PM: Awards Ceremony Begins

Ticket Price:
$15

After Party

Time
7:30 PM: After Party Begins

Ticket Price:
$310: Earlybird AIA Member through July 31
$335: AIA Member August 1 through August 29

$350: Earlybird Non-AIA Member through July 31
$375: Non-AIA Member August 1 through August 29

After Party tickets not available after August 27

Location

Harris Theater for Music and Dance
205 East Randolph Street, Chicago

Discover the
Finalists

The Design Excellence Award, Decarbonization Award, Divine Detail Award, and the Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award project finalists will receive either an Honor Award or a Citation of Merit, to be conferred at Designight 2024.

View the Finalists

Lerch Bates People's Choice Awards

Presented in partnership with the Chicago Architecture Center, these awards celebrate the best projects designed by Chicago's architects, as voted upon by the public. Join us at Designight 2024 as the winners are announced live on stage!

View the Finalists

2024 Award Honorees

Linda Searl, FAIA

Lifetime Achievement Award

Emily Ray, AIA

Dubin Family Young Architect Award

Moody Nolan

2024 Firm Award Recipient

Celebrating Moody Nolan

AIA Chicago's 2024 Firm Award Recipient

Learn More

Attract and Retain New Voices in Chicago

Donate to the Diversity Scholarship

Frequently Asked Questions

*If you are BOTH a Sponsor AND an Award Recipient, please follow ALL steps below.
**If you have a question about your unique code, please email membervoices@aiachicago.org

AWARD CEREMONY

AWARD CEREMONY SPONSOR TICKETS
There are three ways you can claim your allotted Sponsor Tickets for the Award Ceremony:

1. By Form: Complete the Sponsor Ticket Request Form, and after completion, The Harris Theater staff will reach out to you directly via email or phone.
2. Email: Email the Harris Theater Box Office at info@harristheaterchicago.org, mention that you are a Sponsor for AIA Chicago's Designight, and provide them with your unique code** that you received in an email from AIA Chicago’s staff.
3. Phone: by calling the Harris Theater Box Office at (312) 334-7777 during their business hours listed below. Mention that you are a Sponsor for AIA Chicago's Designight, and provide them with your unique code** that you received in an email from AIA Chicago’s staff.
  Non-Performance Days
  Monday – Friday: Noon to 5:00 PM
  Saturday – Sunday: Closed
  
  Performance Days
  Monday – Friday: Noon to Curtain
  Saturday – Sunday: Two hours prior to performance until Curtain
  Their box office is open for walkup 60 minutes prior to every performance.

AWARD CEREMONY AWARD RECIPIENT TICKETS

1. Visit Harris Theater's ticketing website, enter the unique code** provided by AIA Chicago, and your allotted tickets will be deducted from the total price.

AFTER PARTY

All after party ticketing can be handled through the After Party Ticketing Platform. Award Recipients do not receive complementary admission into the After Party.

If you registered to attend the After Party, which must be done before August 27, you will receive an email confirmation immediately after purchase.

If you are also attending the Awards Ceremony, visit the street-level lobby of Harris Theater to pick up your lanyard and name badge, which grants you admission into the After Party.

If you are only attending the After Party, you can pick up your lanyard and name badge at the top of the stairs/elevator prior to entering the party.

How Do I Access the Harris Theater?
The Harris Theater lobby entrance is located at 205 East Randolph Street on upper Randolph (street level). If you park in the Millennium Park Garage, please take the parking garage elevators to the street level (Level 7) of the garage, exit, and take a left on Randolph to enter through our street level doors at 205 East Randolph. We recommend dropping off any members of your party with limited mobility at the street level entrance before parking.

Where Can I Find Directions to The Harris Theater?
Directions to the Harris Theater via public transportation, car, bike, or on foot are available on the Harris Theater Directions and Parking page.

Can I Easily Find a Taxi or Get a Rideshare from The Theater?
The theater location near Michigan Avenue ensures that you will find taxis with relative ease. There is also a taxi stand across the street from the Harris Theater in front of the Aon Center.

Rideshares should have no problem locating the venue at 205 East Randolph.

Awards Ceremony

New in 2024, seating for the Awards Ceremony is General Admission and is first-come, first-serve. Please arrive early to ensure you and your team can sit together.

If you are a Sponsor of the event, there is a reserved "Sponsor Seating Section" at the front of the house.

If you are in need of accessible seating, please let an usher know upon arrival to the theater and they will direct you to the multiple reserved areas. For more information on accessible seating, please visit the accessibility page on the Harris Theater website, contact the Harris Theater Box Office by calling 312.334.7777, or email access@harristheaterchicago.org.

After Party

The After Party has no assigned seating and is standing room with a few lounge areas.

While there is a bag check, we ask that our guests avoid bringing unnecessary items to the theater. The following items are prohibited inside the theater: briefcases, backpacks, luggage of any kind, computer and camera bags, containers, packages, or any purses and bags larger than 12" x 6" x 12".

For those attending both the Awards Ceremony AND After Party, there will be a separate bag check area inside the street-level lobby of the Harris Theater to drop your items. These items will be taken up to the rooftop for the After Party and you will be able to retrieve them at the end of the evening.