2026 AIA Virginia Prize Jury Announced

Posted on by Delaney Ogden

Over the weekend of the 30 January – 2 February students at Hampton University, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech (both in Blacksburg and at the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center/the WAAC), William & Mary, and James Madison University participated in the 2026 AIA Virginia Prize competition. Faculty at James Madison University developed a brief for a site in Bridgewater, Virginia and challenged students to imagine a “third space”; a central space that brings people together in new ways, supports creative activity, and strengthens the rhythms of everyday life.

The students have completed their work and the submissions have been delivered for consideration by an impressive jury. Jury Chair James (Jim) Cutler, FAIA, is joined by Bruce Anderson, AIA, Ed Weinstein, FAIA, and Marlon Blackwell, FAIA.

About the Jury

James Cutler, FAIA

James Cutler, FAIA is one of the last students of the Louis Kahn Studio at University of Pennsylvania who is actively practicing architecture. Many of his design philosophies he learned in studio are reflected throughout his work. His designs are based upon a deep understanding of the land, materials, program and institution. He surveys each piece of land at the onset of every project which allows him to reflect its essence and spirit in the design work. Some of Jim’s most recognized projects have been a single family home built across an old logging pond in Newberg, Oregon, a residential compound for Bill Gates in Medina, Washington as well as the Edith Green Wendell Wyatt Federal Building remodel in Portland, Oregon which was awarded the “Best Tall Building in an Urban Context in the Western Hemisphere” by the Council of Tall Buildings. As the founder of Cutler Anderson Architects, this small 10-person firm is currently designing residential and mixed-use projects in Maine, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, California, Washington, Oregon and Singapore.

Marlon Blackwell, FAIA

Marlon Blackwell, FAIA together with his partner in life and work, Ati Blackwell, AIA, ASID lead the internationally recognized practice Marlon Blackwell Architects. Their work has received recognition with significant publication and more than 200 design awards including the 2016 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award in Architecture and the 2025 Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize. Working between the universal language of architecture and the particulars of place, they have cultivated a studio recognized for its formal clarity, contextual depth, and architectural integrity. In 2020, Marlon was honored with the Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects for his enduring impact on the theory and practice of architecture. He’s a lifetime member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and an inductee of the American Academy of Arts and Science. Equally respected as an educator, he served as the E. Fay Jones Distinguished Professor at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas where he taught for over 30 years. Most recently, he was the Louis I. Kahn Visiting Professor at Yale University for the Fall of 2025. A monograph of their recent work, titled “Radical Practice”, was published in 2022 by Princeton Architectural Press. 

Ed Weinstein, FAIA

Ed Weinstein, FAIA is an award-winning architect who has practiced in Seattle for over 50 years. A Principal and founder of Weinstein A+U, Ed has assisted a broad array of clients in solving complex problems, leading to unique design solutions that meet the specific needs of each project. Ed is recognized as one of our region’s leading designers. His firm has received more than 80 Seattle Chapter, Northwest and Pacific Region, and National AIA Design Awards. He has been invited to serve on numerous design juries throughout the country including the 2000 National AIA Honor Awards Jury. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (1993) and was awarded the 2011 AIA Seattle Medal of Honor for lifetime design achievements.

Bruce Anderson, AIA

Bruce Anderson, AIA has been a Principal at Cutler Anderson Architects on Bainbridge Island, Washington since 2001. Along with partner, James Cutler, their unobtrusive style preserves the land while incorporating form, function and esthetics into a building’s design and placement. He holds a Master of Architecture and Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington and is a registered architect in the states of Washington, Utah, Vermont and Kentucky. Bruce is known for his design skills, but also has extensive experience in project management and regulatory issues. From 1996 – 1998, Bruce served as Chair of the Bainbridge Island Planning Commission. Additionally, while serving as President of the Bainbridge Island Land Trust, he was instrumental in decisions pertaining to acquisitions of vacant land for not only the Land Trust, but also for the Bainbridge Island Park District. Throughout his tenure Bruce has taught architecture courses for the University of Washington and served as a design critic and juror for several design competitions throughout the country.

Anne Marie Duvall Decker Announced as 2022 Design Awards Jury Chair

Posted on by cguske

Anne Marie Duvall Decker, FAIA, founding principal of Duvall Decker Architects, will serve as the jury chair for the 2022 Design Awards program.

About the Design Awards

The Design Awards recognize outstanding design, built and unbuilt, from the past eight years. The location of projects is not restricted, but any built works submitted for consideration must have been completed after January 1, 2015. The entry deadline is June 28, 2022.

Each entry will be judged on how successful the project is in meeting its individual requirements. Consideration is given to aesthetics, social impact, innovation, context, performance, and stewardship of the natural environment — with particular emphasis on the Framework for Design Excellence.

The Design Awards program is sponsored by:

GOLD
The Three Aspens

SILVER
Mafi
The Garland Company

About Anne Marie Duvall Decker, FAIA

Anne Marie Duvall Decker, FAIA, with her partner, Roy Decker, FAIA, founded Duvall Decker in Jackson, Mississippi — a place defined by both palpable need and engaging culture. The firm is a diverse and expanded practice, employing planning, development, design, and building care to promote the quality of the built environment and the health and well-being of its inhabitants. Duvall Decker delivers design excellence and promotes social, economic, and environmental quality, no matter the scope, type, budget, or scale of the project.

Anne Marie pursues a meaningful public architecture that elevates the individual human experience. She has designed award-winning public schools, affordable housing, state institutions, libraries, and university buildings that embrace their physical surrounds and cultural traditions with innovation and invention. She is the leader in the studio, fostering design quality, detailing building construction, making exemplary construction documents, and finding ways to be efficient and have joy in the work.  

Anne Marie Duvall Decker, FAIA, received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Mississippi State University. She is a recognized contributor to the advancement of the profession. She has served as a board member and past President of AIA Mississippi and as a trustee and past Chair of the AIA Trust. Anne Marie is often invited to share the firm’s work and her experience as a lecturer, critic, teacher, and design juror, most recently serving as Visiting Professor of Practice at the University of Tennessee College of Architecture and Design. She has served on the jury for the 2018 AIA Institute Honor Awards for Architecture and as a selection committee member for the Architectural League of New York’s American Roundtable initiative. Most recently, she serves the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations as an Industry Advisory Group Peer.

2014 Design Awards Jury Announced

Posted on by cguske

The Virginia Society AIA announces the jury chairs for the 2014 Awards for Excellence in Architecture. For 2014 there are five categories in the Awards for Excellence: Architecture, Historic Preservation, Interior Design, Contextual Design, and Residential Design. Entries will be accepted through 5 p.m. June 27 and project submissions are due by 5 p.m. on July 25.  See the Call for Entries for descriptions of each of the 5 awards categories. 

Ray Calabro, FAIA
Principal, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
In his nearly 20-year career with Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Ray Calabro’s work has emphasized the relationship of a building to its surrounding landscape. He believes that architecture is a thoughtful response to the culture and spirit of each place. This vision and commitment is most clearly demonstrated by the award-winning Grand Teton Discovery and Visitor in Jackson, Wyoming. Calabro regularly leads the Bohlin Cywinski Jackson team in a collaborative design process to achieve extraordinary, award-winning buildings including visitor centers, corporate headquarters, academic buildings for science and research, and private residences across the western United States and Canada.

Calabro frequently speaks at regional, national and international design conferences, and serves as a juror and design critic at leading schools of architecture and design.

Jean Carroon, FAIA
Principal, Goody Clancy
Jean Carroon leads Goody Clancy’s extensive preservation and renovation practice. She has received national recognition for her special expertise in applying sustainable design technology to historic buildings and has been appointed to Boston mayor Menino’s Green Building Task Force and the Advisory Board of the Green Roundtable’s Nexus Green Building Resource Center. Her book, Sustainable Preservation: Greening Existing Buildings, was published in 2010 by John Wiley & Sons. She is also a recognized expert in the design of accessibility solutions for historic buildings. She has led Goody Clancy’s restoration of some of the most distinguished landmark buildings in the country, including H.H. Richardson’s Trinity Church in Boston. She has also directed the renovation of a number of venerated buildings on historic university campuses throughout New England.

Carroon lectures frequently on preservation and sustainable design topics to local and national audiences, including the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. She has participated in panels and symposia for the General Services Administration, AIA Livable Communities, the Association for Preservation Technology, and the Green Building Alliance, and is a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation Sustainability Coalition. She earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Architecture at the University of Oregon.

Awards are presented each November at Architecture Exchange East. Winning projects are also honored during the Visions for Architecture gala, in Inform magazine, and serve as the subject of an annual exhibition at the Virginia Center for Architecture.

The 2014 Awards for Excellence in Architecture are sponsored by Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Company, GeoEnvironmental Resources, and Jack Davis, FAIA.

Enter the 2014 Design Awards>>