Creative Designs by Innovative Chicago Firms to be Celebrated at Designight 2025, AIA Chicago’s Signature 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, recently announced that projects submitted by its members for juried awards for Designight 2025, the organization’s flagship awards ceremony, reveal that Chicago architects continue to innovate at the highest levels of design excellence as they respond to design challenges with creative problem solving.
AIA Chicago’s Designight 2025, will be held at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park on Thursday, September 18, 2025.
“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.”
To purchase Designight 2025 Award Ceremony tickets, please contact the Harris Theater Box Office at 312-334-7777 or visit harristheaterchicago.org/performance/designight-2025. Additional information is also available at AIAChicago.org/Designight2025
