Honoring Design Excellence
Photo Credit by Gabi Belton
Architecture impacts our lives in tangible ways each day. There are not always words to easily describe what that experience entails, however, one physically knows when they have seen a space or building that looks “cool”, radiates warmth or nourishes the soul.
As one of my last official duties as AIA Minnesota President, I had the recent pleasure of participating in the AIA Minnesota Awards Celebration. (www.aia-mn.org/honor-22/). It was a festive evening to celebrate projects that embrace all that is good about the built environment. Awarded projects incorporated the AIA Framework for Design Excellence principals like well-being, equitable communities, sustainability, and economy ranging from civic, medical and public works buildings.
In addition to seeing the joy and excitement of project winner recipients, one of my favorite moments happened after the ceremony. My 12-year-old daughter was my plus-one for the evening. She came for the food and the “After Party Girls Night Out” trip to Target with mom. To my surprise, she asked me questions about building materials, location of projects and shared what she like about these buildings. She even recalled seeing one of the projects in Minneapolis. In that moment, I realized that she was describing how these buildings made her feel, how they compared to spaces she enjoys like her own school and places that she would want to visit.
The intangible becomes tangible in the built environment. It is what architects do best. Integrating sustainable solutions while making beautiful and last spaces and places to enable how we live, work, play and learn well. These projects exemplify what architectural excellence looks like. It has been a privilege and gift to serve in such an incredible architectural community we have in MN. Congratulations @HGA, @perkinswill, @ryanacompanies, @LeoADaly, @msrltd, Cuningham Group and Salmela Architects for designing architecture that advances a vital profession, vibrant communities and architecture that endures in our community. Keep shining!
