The American Institute of Architects has announced the winner of its 2021 Firm Award, recognizing annually one outstanding architectural firm that has “consistently produced distinguished architecture for at least 10 years.” Moody Nolan, the first Black-owned firm to receive this honor, has far exceeded those qualifications.
Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Moody Nolan is the nation’s largest Black-owned firm, with a staff of more than 220. Founded in 1982 by Curt Moody with the late engineer Howard Nolan, the firm now has offices in ten other US cities and works in many states. Among the honors the firm has already received is the Firm of the Year award in 2000 from the National Organization of Minority Architects. Firm founder Curt Moody was recently succeeded as President and CEO by his son, Jonathan Moody, as he himself became Chairman of the Board.
While the design accomplishments of Moody Nolan are definitely distinguished in quality – as the AIA award requires – they are also impressive in their variety. As with any design firm, Moody Nolan’s work tends to focus on certain types of projects. For this firm, a major area of repeat commissions is higher education, where it has made significant contributions to the university campuses of DePaul, Penn State, and Texas Southern, among others. Its portfolio also includes numerous public schools and libraries, health care facilities, and corporate offices, plus some notable hotels and religious buildings.
Another distinction of Moody Nolan – beyond what it has built — is its internal dedication to diversity. Over 40 percent of its staff are women, and over 30 percent identify as minorities. Growing up African-American in a working-class neighborhood, founder Curt Moody was frequently warned that architecture was not a viable career path for him. Diversity has thus been a founding principle of the firm under his leadership. The objective has been to build a staff with a broad range of backgrounds, producing design that responds to a wide variety of individual and community sensitivities.
Moody Nolan has also won praise for the collegial atmosphere it maintains within its office and for its effective collaboration with clients and consultants. In a letter supporting the firm for this honor, Robert Livesey, professor and director emeritus of the Ohio State School of Architecture cites Moody Nolan as “the firm of choice for our graduates.” He praises the firm as well for its willing and effective contribution to his school – volunteering for design juries, mentoring students, and supporting events.
Beyond the physical function of their buildings, Moody Nolan views them as encouraging those in diverse communities to consider design careers. This potential is apparent in the Martin Luther King library branch in Columbus, Ohio. Though only 20,000 square feet in area, the building expresses the potential of design to embody the hopes of its community and the legacy of Dr. King’s example. The potential of architecture to enrich life – possibly offering a rewarding career path — is also represented the firm’s work at historically Black colleges and universities, as well as at campuses with high percentages of minority students, such as Rowan University in New Jersey and the City Colleges of Chicago.
In 2017, furthering its commitment to community, Moody Nolan launched the Legacy House project. Funded by the firm and selected partners, the project is committed to the design and construction of houses in each of the eleven cities where the firm operates. The first one in Columbus, Ohio, was completed in 2018 and gifted to a single mother with three young children.
Relating to its older neighbors in its wood construction and finishes, the house is organized spatially to fit contemporary living patterns. It centers on an ample living-dining-kitchen volume extending vertically, with clerestory windows; the primary bedroom and bath are on the main floor, with two children’s rooms and bath above; a generous covered deck provides an improved version of the old front porch – somewhat more private but still in touch with the street. Other Legacy House projects are planned in Nashville and Chicago.
This award to Moody Nolan is in line with the American Institute of Architects’ current realignment of its top honors with today’s most urgent social and environmental concerns. As we reported in the February 22 officeinsight, AIA’s 2021 highest honor to an individual – its Gold Medal – has gone to architect Edward Mazria, not for designing iconic landmarks but for his career-long work on the energy front. Yes, works of architecture must serve their intended function and yield aesthetic satisfaction for their users and – ideally – their wider communities. But architecture firms can go beyond those basics, providing enriching experiences for those who work for them and with them, while contributing to the broader concerns of society. Moody Nolan checks those boxes as well.
