AIA Chicago’s Designight 2025 to Celebrate Innovative Chicago Architecture Firms

Tickets on sale now for September 18th event celebrating Chicago architects’ global design achievements; Public to vote for People’s Choice “best of” design awards

AIA Chicago, the second largest local chapter of The American Institute of Architects and the collective voice of over 4,000 licensed architects, emerging professionals, architecture students, and allied professionals, today announced that projects submitted by its members for juried awards for Designight 2025, the organization’s flagship awards ceremony, show Chicago architects continue to innovate at the highest levels of design excellence as they respond to design challenges with creative problem solving.

Designight 2025, to be held at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park on Thursday, September 18, 2025, 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 fourth 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 docents of the Chicago Architecture Center, will be announced in August along with information on how the public can vote for their favorite designs.

“The 2025 awards submissions show the remarkable breadth and depth of design talent in Chicago,” said AIA Chicago’s Executive Director Jen Masengarb. “These projects exemplify the innovative spirit that continues to make Chicago a global leader in architecture and design.”

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 Unbuilt Award and the Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award which is administered by the AIA Chicago Foundation.

“The 2025 juries brought exceptional depth of experience in multiple practice areas, as well as diverse professional and geographic perspectives,” said AIA Chicago President Jason Golub, AIA, Director at Ware Malcomb. “Their rigorous review honors the quality of work our members produce.”

The recipients of The Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award, administered by the AIA Chicago Foundation and named for Roberta Feldman, Ph.D, Professor Emerita at the University of Illinois Chicago, School of Architecture, and an architectural activist and researcher, will also be presented at Designight 2025.

“The Feldman Award honors architects who embody the belief that design is a powerful tool for social justice and equity,” said AIA Chicago Foundation President Danielle Tillman, AIA, NOMA, Managing Principal at bKL Architecture. “The recipients of this year’s award exemplify the ways in which the architects in our city are using their creativity and design expertise to serve communities that have been historically underserved.”

The Design Excellence Awards, Decarbonization Award, and Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award juries of 22 international and national design experts include:

Design Excellence Awards

Design Excellence Awards & Unbuilt Award Jury Chair

Jury Chair
Francisco Javier Rodríguez-Suárez, FAIA
Director, School of Architecture, Clayton T. Miers Professor in Architecture
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Jury A reviews Interior Architecture S, M, L

Brent Linden, AIA
Allied Works
Portland, Oregon

Nina Cooke John, AIA, NOMA
Studio Cooke John Architecture + Design
New York, New York

Cally Niess, AIA
INVISION Architecture
Des Moines, Iowa

Rebecca Rudolph, AIA
Design, Bitches
Los Angeles, California

Jury B reviews Architecture XS, M

Everald Colas, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP
STORYN Studio for Architecture
St. Petersburg, Florida

Andrew Parks, Assoc. AIA
archimania
Memphis, Tennessee

Margo Peterson-Aspholm, AIA, CPHC
Prentiss+Balance+Wickline Architects
Winthrop, Washington

Michael Guthrie, FAIA, LEED AP
INFORM studio
Detroit, Michigan

Jury C reviews Architecture S, L, XL, and Unbuilt

Jose Alvarez, FAIA, LEED AP
EskewDumezRipple
New Orleans, Louisiana

Arthur Chang, AIA
NADAAA, Inc.
Boston, Massachusetts

Damian Hines, AIA
HINESAD
Houston, Texas

Julie Hui-Guang Kaufman, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
BIG
New York, New York

Patricia Rhee, FAIA, DBIA
Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects
Los Angeles, California

2025 Decarbonization Award Jury

Marisol Gallagher, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, CPHD
Marisol Studios
Denver, Colorado

Pablo La Roche, Ph.D., AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Arcadis
Los Angeles, California

Joyce Raybuck, AIA, LEED AP
BNIM
Kansas City, Missouri

2025 Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award Jury

Jury Chair
Chris Chwedyk, AIA
The Code Group
AIA Chicago Foundation Past President

Ryan Gann, AIA, NOMA
Freelance Consultant
AIA Chicago Foundation Trustee

Helen Kessler, FAIA
UpFront Regenerative Design, Inc.
AIA Chicago Foundation Trustee

Joseph Altshuler, Assoc. AIA
Could be Design
2024 Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Honor Award Recipient

Patricia Saldaña Natke, FAIA
Urban Works, Ltd.

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 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 2025 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award will be announced in mid August.

Designight 2025

Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park
205 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601

Thursday, September 18, 2025
6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with After Party to follow

To purchase Award Ceremony tickets call or visit:

Harris Theater Box Office: 312.334.7777

Harris Theater Website: https://www.harristheaterchicago.org/performance/designight-2025 

Harris Theater Address: 205 East Randolph Drive

Theater rental and services have been underwritten through support of the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park.

To purchase combined Awards Ceremony and After Party tickets visit:  AIAChicago.org/Designight2025

About AIA Chicago

The American Institute of Architects Chicago (AIA Chicago) serves nearly 4,000 architect members in Chicago and is the second largest local AIA chapter 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. It 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 1869. Learn more by visiting www.aiachicago.org.