Thank you for attending the 2026 Design Awards!
What a night! We celebrated 23 incredible architectural design professionals and community leaders, along with the outstanding projects shaping our region. Hundreds of industry colleagues and friends came together at The New Children’s Museum for an evening filled with inspiration, connection, and plenty of joy. View the gallery of images from the event below
2026 AWARD RECIPIENTS
Patron of the Year: Prebys Foundation | Grant Oliphant & Julie Dubick
Student Design: Sprawl to Stack | Rethinking Suburban Land Use Through Densification
Nilay Celebi | NewSchool of Architecture & Design
Legacy Award: Irving J. Gill & The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
Laura Shinn Diversity in Architecture Scholarship Recipients: Eliana Hellon & Claire Felicity Guo
Architecture
Southwestern College Instructional Discovery Cluster
Gensler
Merit Award
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Design Architect & Architect of Record | Gensler, Garrett van Leeuwen
Owner/Client | Southwestern College, Omar Gutierrez
General Contractor | Rudolph & Sletten, Armando Sandoval
Structural | Miyamoto International, Omar Gonzales
Mechanical/Plumbing | Syska Hennessy Group, Joseph Spath
Electrical | Syska Hennessy Group, Garrett Maxon Landscape | KTUA, Matt Clemens
Civil | NV5, Brian Wiese
Photographer | Here and Now Agency, Paul Vu
Kennedy Library Transformation
The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP
Merit Award
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Design Architect & Architect of Record | The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP
Owner/Client | California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
General Contractor | Hensel Phelps, Will Cates
Structural | Buehler Engineering, Colin Blaney
Mechanical/Plumbing | FM Booth, Anthony Gagliardi
Electrical | Howe Electric, Kirstin Howe
Landscape | Oasis Associates, Michael Cripe
Civil | Garing, Taylor and Associates, Perry Mcbeth
Fire Protection | Transbay Fire Protection, Will Haley
Energy Modeling | Glumac, Brian Stern
Elevator | Syska Hennessy Group, Michelle Baratta
FP Life Safety Code Analysis | Woden Fire, Andy Thul
Waterproofing | RDH, Tammy Siliznoff
Signage | Mayer/Reed, Kathy Fry
Acoustics | Colin Gordon Associates, Steven Lank Photographer | Lara Swimmer
One Alexandria Square (OAS) Campus
NBBJ
Honor Award
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Design Architect & Architect of Record | NBBJ, Laurence Chambers
Owner | Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Michael D’ambrosia
General Contractor | DPR Construction, Amanda Pritchett
Structural | Coffman Engineers, Inc., Luvelyn Benitez
Mechanical/Plumbling | Michael Baker International; Alex Gines
Electrical | MPE Consulting, Jenny Oechel
Landscape | GroundLevel Landscape Architecture, Inc., Brad Lenahan
Civil | RICK, Carson Edgington
Sustainable Design | stok, Adam Meltzer
Photographer | Ty Cole Studio Inc.
Photographer | Albert Vecerko/Esto; Albert Vecerko
Torrey Pines Fire Station/City of San Diego Fire Station 52
The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP
Merit Award
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Design Architect & Architect of Record | The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP
Owner | City of San Diego, Monica Arredondo
Client | City of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, James Gaboury
General Contractor | Level 10 Construction, John Bunje
Structural | Coffman Engineers, Jim Conley
Mechanical/Plumbing | Elen Consulting, Stephane Beauvais
Electrical | Elen Consulting, Mandi Duong
Landscape | Schmidt Design Group, JT Barr
Civil | Latitude 33, Sean Drake
Photography | Chipper Hatter
San Diego International Airport Terminal 1 & Roadways
Gensler
Merit Award
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Design Architect & Architect of Record | Gensler
Owner/Client | San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, Bob Bolton
General Contractor | Turner & Flatiron Dragados, Josh Gilbreath
Structural | Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Terry Palmer
Electrical | Syska Hennessy Group, Sean Marcel
Mechanical/Plumbing | Syska Hennessy Group, Sean Marcel
Landscape | Rick Engineering Company, Patricia Trauth
Civil | Kleinfelder, Jim Frost
Photography | Ema Peter
Luminous Wave Collaboration | Studio James Carpenter
Code Consulting | Jensen Hughes, Mark Verrochi
Traffic Planning/Design | LLG, John Keating
Commissioning | Critical Arc, Brian Agosta
Baggage Handling | Introba, Greg Wheeler
Dry Utilities | NV5, Gregg Butsko
Acoustics & Vibration | Wilson Ihrig, Patrick Murphy
HLB – Lighting | Adam Levine
Preservation & Reuse
Hotel del Coronado: Full Building Restoration
GSB Inc., Heritage Architecture & Planning, WATG
Honor Award
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1886 Architect | James Reid
Architect of Record | GSB Inc., Ronald G. Smith, AIA
Preservation Architect | Heritage Architecture & Planning, P. David Marshall, AIA
Owner/Client | BRE Hotels, James Kwasnowski
General Contractor | Swinerton Builders, Robert Lopez
Structural Engineer | KPFF, Shane Noel
MEP Engineer | Exp U.S. Services Inc.
Landscape | Burton Landscape Architecture Studio, Reid Katkov
Interior Designer | Wimberly, Liana Hawes-Young
Meeting Room Architect | WATG, Jason Van Auker
Meeting Room Facades General Contractor | MC Contracting, Scott Foster
Fresco Conservator | Evergreene Architectural Arts, Ean Frank
Civil Engineer | Hale Engineering, John Hayes
Photographer | P. David Marshall, AIA
Single Family Residential
Arista Residence
Matthew Segal, AIA
Merit Award
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Design Architect & Architect of Record | Matthew Segal, AIA
Owner/Client | Matthew Segal, AIA
General Contractor | Matthew Segal AIA
Structural | DCI Engineers, Jon Deck
Mechanical/Plumbing | Haffner Mechanical, Andrew Haffner
Electrical | Huey Electric, Earl Huey
Landscape | Matthew Segal AIA
Civil | PLSA Engineering, Zack Sikora
Photography | Luca Prodi
Multifamily Residential
Kaya
Jeff Svitak Inc.
Honor Award
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Design Architect | Jeff Svitak Inc, Jeff Svitak
Architect of Record | David Trachtenberg
Owner/Client | Nutmeg PE LLC, Jeff Svitak
General Contractor | Premium West Construction, Tyler Deetjen
Structural | Matt Schmitter
Mechanical/Plumbing/ Electrical | H & W Engineering, Tom Harmon
Landscape | Aron Nussbaum Studio, Aron Nussbaum
Civil | Coffey Engineering, Michael Kinnear
Photography | Cesar Bejar Studio, Cesar Bejar
Iris at San Ysidro
Studio E Architects
Community Commendation
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Design Architect & Architect of Record | Studio E Architects, Eric Naslund, FAIA
Owner/Client | National CORE, Patrick Meredith
General Contractor | National CORE, Patrick Meredith
Structural | SMR Consulting Engineer, Nathan Fields
Mechanical/Plumbing | Metrics Mechanical Engineers, Tyler Reynolds
Electrical | Electrical Design, Inc., Enrico David
Civil | Fuscoe Engineers, Craig Watson
Landscape | Form/Work Landscape Architecture, Mike Vail
Photography | Breadtruck Films, Jeff Durkin
Interior Architecture
Headquarters
AAHA Studio
Honor Award
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Design Architect & Architect of Record |AAHA Studio, Baker Architecture
Owner | Wedgewood Weddings
General Contractor | Trainor Commercial Construction, Inc.
Structural | Dodd & Associates
Electrical | H+W Engineering, Inc.
Historical Consultant | Heritage Architecture & Planning, David Marshall, AIA
Art Consultants | DAC Art Consulting
Custom Bar Shelf, Curtain Fabrication and Engineering | Basile Studio
Custom Mural | David Feucht
Sign Painting | Grand Prestoz
Kitchen Consultant | TriMark
Photographer | Andrew Bui
One Alexandria Square Grab & Go
HGW Architects
Citation Award
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Design Architect & Architect of Record | HGW Architecture
Owner | Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Michael D’ambrosia
General Contractor | DPR Construction, Amanda Pritchett
Structural | Coffman Engineers, Inc., Luvelyn Benitez
Mechanical/Plumbling | McParlane & Associates, Jake Munson
Electrical | MPE Consulting Electrical Engineers, Dan Mayorgas
Landscape | GroundLevel Landscape Architecture, Inc., Brad Lenahan
Civil | Rick Engineering Company, Carson Edgington
Photographer | Ty Cole Studio Inc.
Photographer | Angela Hess Photography, Angela Hess
SOL – Student Hub at Southwestern College
Gensler
Merit Award
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Design Architect & Architect of Record | Gensler, Garrett van Leeuwen & Thomas P. Heffernan
Owner/Client | Southwestern College, Omar Gutierrez
General Contractor | Balfour Beatty, Neil De Los Santos
Structural | Coffman Engineers, Casey Whitsett
Mechanical/Plumbing | MA Engineers, Dan Grammier
Electrical | Syska Hennessey Group, Sean Marcel
Landscape | KTUA, Jerod Huwa
Civil | NV5, Scott Vinton
Kitchen | Orness Design Group Inc., Ken Relethford
Photography | Here and Now Agency, Paul Vu
San Diego State University Prebys Stage - Experimental Theater, Outdoor Stage, and Sound Lab
HGA Architects
Honor Award
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Design Architect & Architect of Record | HGA Architects, John Frane
Owner | San Diego State University, Roxanna Kreisler
General Contractor | Rudolf & Sletten, Grant Fernando
Structural | Degenkolb, Alvaro Celestino
Mechanical/Plumbing | ME Engineers, Gary Mayeda
Landscape | David McCullough, Zeek Magallanes
Civil | Michael Baker International, James Haughey
Lighting | HLB Lighting, Guy Smith
Theatre | Theater DNA, Michael Ferguson
Acoustics, AV, IT | MCH, Tony Hoover
Fire & Safety | Jensen Hughes
Photographer | Bitterman Photography, Jeremy Bitterman
BioScience Properties
Perkins & Will
Citation Award
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Design Architect | Perkins & Will, Ryan Bussard
Architect of Record | Perkins & Will, Kay Kornovich
Owner/Client | Steve Bollert
General Contractor | McCarthy Building Companies, Inc, Dan Browne
Structural | Coffman Engineers, Jim Conley
Mechanical/Plumbing | MA Engineers, Michael Akavan
Electrical | Michael Wall Engineering, Shahab Saleh
Landscape | GroundLevel Landscape Architecture, Inc., Brad Lenahan
Civil | Rick Engineering, Carson Edgington
Photographer | Kevin Scott
San Diego County Administration Center Renovation
SILLMAN
Honor Award
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Design Architect & Architect of Record | SILLMAN, Brett Tullis
Owner/Client | County of San Diego, Kathryn Moroz (Project Manager)
General Contractor | Turner Construction Company, Edgar Sanchez
Structural | BWE, Charlie Colvin
Mechanical/Plumbing | IMEG, Eric Glatzl
Electrical | IMEG, Erkan Bisevac
Fire Protection | Project Design & Consulting, Steve Leyton
Preservation Architect | Architect Milford Wayne Donaldson, Milford Wayne Donaldson, FAIA
Photography | Alex Nye Photography
Sid’s House
Palo
Merit Award
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Design Architect & Architect of Record | Palo, David Pearson
Owner/Client | Brandy (Sid) Hofstetter
General Contractor | Foss Builders, Jeff Foss
Structural | MYB Engineers, David Yoo
Mechanical/Plumbing | Palo
Electrical | Palo
Landscape | Palo, Mikaela Pearson
Photography | Onnis Luque
Fora
Jeff Svitak Inc.
Honor Award
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Design Architect & Architect of Record | Jeff Svitak, AIA
Owner/Client | Jeff Svitak, AIA
General Contractor | RGB Group Inc., Rich Gerace
Structural | DCI Engineers, Jon Deck
Mechanical/Plumbing/Electrical | H+W Engineering, Tom Harmon
Landscape | Aron Nussbaum Studio, Aron Nussbaum
Photography | Zum Studio, Bryan Zum
Photography | Zaickz Moz
Small Projects - Less than $2 Million
Exchange Pavilion/Pabellon de Intercambio
Heleo
Citation Award
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Design Architect & Architect of Record |Heleo, Barbara Leon
Owner | World Design Capital 2024 San Diego Tijuana, Joanna Salazar Harris
General Contractor | Exchange Pavilion LLC
Structural | MDEP Structures, Matt Magano PE
Electrical | ELEN Consulting, Anton Nathanson PE
Lighting Design | Elluminet, Midory Esquer
Steel Fabrication & Installation | EMP Steel Solutions Inc., Rafael Fernandez
Digital LED Displays | Fuse Technical Group, Chris Peterson
Lighting Vendor/Lighting Programming | SDLA, Brian Rhea, Andrew Durham
Modular Recycled Seating | ByBlock, Heidi Kujawa
Photographer | Recording Architecture, Paco Alvarez
Photographer | Ian Patzke Photography, Ian Patzke
Divine Detail
Headquarters, Curtain
AAHA Studio
Honor Award
-
This Divine Detail Submission accompanies the Project entitled, Headquarters submitted in the category of Interior Architecture
Name of Divine Detail | Curtains
Design Architect/Architect of Record | AAHA Studio, Harper Halprin Leshtz
Engineering and Fabrication | Basile Studio
2026 AIA San Diego Design Awards Jury
Jury Chair: Anne Marie Duvall Decker, FAIA
Amanda Loper, FAIA, LEED AP
Scott Magic, AIA, NCARB
Michael Cotton
Javier Sánchez, HFAIA
Jury chair Lecture Luncheon
We hosted Anne Marie at The Miller Hull Partnership for a Lecture Luncheon prior to the awards ceremony where she shares the story of Duvall Decker and the vision behind their Firm of the Year recognition!
2026 Design Awards Committee:
Ben Dalton, AIA - Partner, The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP.
Maxine Ward, AIA - Principal | LEED AP, Studio E Architects
Michael Cintron, Assoc. AIA - Founder, Lowtide Community Collective
Garrett Van Leeuwen, AIA - Studio Director | Principal, Gensler
Eric Jones, AIA - Studio Director | Principal, LPA Design Studios
Thank you to our 2026 DxSD Partners
GOLD PARTNERS
SILVER PARTNERS
BRONZE PARTNERS
Awards Archives
Project Information and credit to project partners is provided by the architectural firm or entrant of record in AIA San Diego's Design Awards Call for Entries. AIA San Diego, its Design Awards Committee/Representatives, and its Design Awards Jury (Juries) are not the authors of this content, nor are they responsible for verifying its accuracy. Companies/consultants/contractors should contact the firm of record to address discrepancies. To be eligible for consideration and receipt of award in AIA San Diego's Design Awards, entries must be made by AIA members in good standing who abide by the Ethical Standards of Attribution of Credit set forth by the American Institute of Architects.
