June 13, 2025

Washington architects win big at 2025 AIA Awards

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently announced the winners of its 2025 Awards during a gala event in Boston.

More than 100 winners were celebrated across 11 award programs that included general architecture awards and honors for specific typologies, such as library and educational facility design.

Among the winners were 10 Washington projects and 10 Washington-based architecture firms. The Miller Hull Partnership was a big winner of the night, taking home three project awards.

“Every project honored through these 11 award programs reminds us of the profound impact architecture has on our communities,” said 2025 AIA President Evelyn Lee. “Great architecture is not just about buildings; it is about creating spaces that uplift, connect, and inspire. These winners exemplify how thoughtful design can improve lives and shape a better future for all.”

The Washington winners are recapped below:

AIA/ALA LIBRARY BUILDING AWARDS

Photo by Lara Swimmer Photography [enlarge]

Liberty Park Library in Spokane.

Project: Liberty Park Library

Location: Spokane

Architect: Integrus

General contractor: Leone & Keeble

Substantial completion date: June 1, 2021

The 12,500-square-foot Liberty Park Library project was a relocation of an old and underserved public library to a new centerpiece location at Spokane's historic Liberty Park, which was designed by the Olmstead Brothers in the early 1900s.

The new library doubles the size of the earlier branch and includes a marketplace, program room, children's discovery area, group study rooms, staff areas, and outdoor learning space. Integrus' design takes advantage of the park's open space and views and avoids removal of specimen trees.

ARCHITECTURE AWARDS

These awards honor the best contemporary architecture regardless of budget, size, style, or type.

Photo by Sean Airhart, NBBJ [enlarge]

Seattle Ferry Terminal at Colman Dock in Seattle.

Project: Seattle Ferry Terminal at Colman Dock

Location: Seattle

Architect: NBBJ

General contractor: Hoffman-Pacific Pile & Marine Joint Venture

Substantial completion date: Aug. 31, 2024

The new Seattle Ferry Terminal replaced the decades-old Colman Dock and was the first public building constructed west of Alaskan Way on the waterfront following the demolition of the viaduct. NBBJ designed the project to feel like a “welcoming place to all” that reconnects travelers to the downtown waterfront via large swathes of glass.

Photo by Kevin Scott [enlarge]

The U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara, Mexico, designed by The Miller Hull Partnership, has been honored with a 2025 AIA Architecture Award.

Project: U.S. Consulate General Guadalajara

Location: Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

Architect: The Miller Hull Partnership

General contractor: BL Harbert International

Substantial completion date: June 18, 2024

The U.S. Consulate General Guadalajara is a regional destination for Mexican citizens seeking visas to travel to the United States. The Miller Hull Partnership designed the approximately 157,000-square-foot facility with a focus on functionality, security, and architectural excellence. It provides a safe, performance-based environment for consulate operations and community engagement, creating a welcoming and accessible site for diplomatic activities in the region.

Project: U.S. Consulate General in Hyderabad

Location: Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Design architect: Richärd Kennedy Architects

Architect of record: Integrus

General contractor: Caddel Construction

Substantial completion date: March 20, 2023

The design concept for the U.S. Consulate General in Hyderabad was influenced by massive boulder formations and significant changes in elevation throughout the project site. The design approach minimizes impact to the site and required limited excavation to respect the culturally significant landscape.

The distinctive building is ensconced with metal panels articulated as a Jali screen unifying the building on its east and west exposures. The Jali screen filters light and views along primary elevations and moderates natural light to interior representational spaces.

COTE TOP TEN AWARD 2025

This awards program recognizes projects for setting the standard in sustainable design excellence.

Project: Founders Hall, Foster School of Business, University of Washington

Location: Seattle

Architect: LMN Architects

General contractor: Hoffman Construction Company

Substantial completion date: Sept. 12, 2022

Founders Hall is the first mass timber structure on the University of Washington campus and was designed to set a new standard for embodied and operational carbon reduction. LMN's design fuses three volumes that house team collaboration spaces, administrative offices, classrooms, and gathering spaces, connected by a five-story steel and wood stair that weaves through the mass timber structure.

Project: The Bush School New Upper School

Location: Seattle

Architect: Mithun

General contractor: Exxel Pacific

Substantial completion date: June 14, 2022

The new Upper School building at The Bush School is the largest Passive House certified school in the Western U.S. and the first Salmon Safe certified school in the country. The Zero Energy certified building houses flexible classrooms and spaces. Mithun selected sustainable building materials, including mass plywood decking, to reduce embodied carbon and optimize construction.

Photo by Aaron Leitz [enlarge]

The Wagner Education Center at the Center for Wooden Boats at Lake Union Park was honored for its sustainable design.

Project: Wagner Education Center for Wooden Boats

Location: Seattle

Architect: Olson Kundig

General contractor: Schuchart

Substantial completion date: March 23, 2019

The Wagner Education Center establishes a new front door for the Center for Wooden Boats at Lake Union Park. The building is passively conditioned via elements including an exterior shade system, operable doors and windows, and operable skylights.

DESIGN FOR AGING REVIEW AWARDS

Presented by the AIA Design for Aging Knowledge Community, these awards exemplify how architects and their teams are designing innovative solutions that improve the quality of life for older adults within specific project constraints.

Photo by Meghan Montgomery [enlarge]

New amenity spaces at the Panorama senior living community in Lacey were among the awarded projects.

Project: Panorama Amenity Expansion

Location: Lacey, Thurston County

Architect: Rice Fergus Miller Design Studio

General contractor: Andy Johnson & Co.

Substantial completion date: Sept. 1, 2022

This project at Lacey's Panorama senior living community reimagines assisted living by prioritizing health, wellbeing, and connection to nature. Rice Fergus Miller transformed outdated, basement-level amenities into vibrant, light-filled spaces that celebrate daylight and outdoor connections. A new pavilion and courtyard serve as gathering spaces, encouraging social interaction and year-round outdoor engagement. Thoughtful details include flexible seating arrangements and curated artwork.

HEALTHCARE DESIGN AWARD

Photo by Bill Timmerman [enlarge]

The new UW Medicine Center for Behavioral Health and Learning was honored with a healthcare design award.

Project: UW Medicine, Center for Behavioral Health and Learning

Location: Seattle

Architect: SRG + CannonDesign

General contractor: Clark/Abbott, a joint venture

Substantial completion date: May 6, 2024

The University of Washington's new Center for Behavioral Health and Learning integrates behavioral health, medical care, and teaching under one roof. Collaborative spaces support interdisciplinary care, while patient-centered areas prioritize privacy and comfort. SRG + CannonDesing's design “exemplifies how architecture can enhance mental healthcare and education.” The building offers a holistic environment that promotes healing and innovation via the maximization of natural light and the incorporation of calming materials.

HOUSING AWARDS

Project: Life Skills Training Center at the Washington State School for the Blind

Location: Vancouver, Clark County

Architect: Mahlum

General contractor: Pease and Sons

Substantial completion date: Sept. 1, 2023

The Life Skills Training Center at the Washington State School for the Blind was designed to revolutionize education with an immersive, real-world learning environment. The two-story building houses the school's Learning Independence for Today and Tomorrow (LIFTT) residential program as well as a new office for the Washington Department of Services for the Blind.

The multi-sensory environment is designed to promote systemic change through advocacy for and by the blind and low vision (BLV) community. Mahlum's design process centered around alumni, requiring the development of new engagement techniques to embed their voices in the design. The result is a supportive environment that blends acoustic, lighting, material, and landscape strategies to support BLV students within a layout that fosters social health as a key component of well-being.

Project: Longbranch

Location: Lakebay, Pierce County

Architect: mwworks

General contractor: Sparrow Woodworks

Substantial completion date: Dec. 1, 2022

This single-family home in Lakebay responds to landforms, trees and understory, sunlit openings, and views at the project site. The property is built with rich materials selected to complement the surrounding environment.

Project: Matt's Place

Location: Spokane

Architect: The Miller Hull Partnership

General contractor: Baker Construction

Substantial completion date: May 1, 2023

Working with Matt's Place Foundation, Miller Hull created a sustainable, replicable 1,500-square-foot home tailored to the needs of ALS patients' and their family members or caretakers. The property is equipped with smart technology tailored for ALS patients, including home control systems operated by the occupant's eye movements

Project: Manhattan Beach Residence

Location: Manhattan Beach, California

Architect: Olson Kundig

General contractor: Dowbuilt

Substantial completion date: July 1, 2021

This single-family residence is located on a narrow sloping site just blocks from the ocean. The home's design draws inspiration from California's mid-century modern architecture, mixed with the client's active outdoor lifestyle. The design complements the eclectic architectural language of surrounding stucco, wood-framed and mid-century homes, incorporating large awnings and proportionate massing. The residence terraces the hillside in a series of volumes with varying degrees of opacity and transparency.

REGIONAL AND URBAN DESIGN AWARD

Project: Student Success District, University of Arizona

Location: Tucson, Arizona

Architect: The Miller Hull Partnership

General contractor: Sundt Construction

Substantial completion date: April 13, 2022

The Student Success District at the University of Arizona is designed to strengthen connections between new and existing structures, activate underutilized spaces both indoors and out, and prioritize the student experience. The project redefines and revitalizes an existing main library and gymnasium building, reorients the entry to a science-engineering library, and merges them with a new 55,000-square-foot center for academic success.

The full list of 2025 AIA Award winners is at https://tinyurl.com/DJC2025AIAawards