Design Awards

This year, ten projects have been recognized for excellence in architectural design by the 2023 Design Awards program of AIA Wisconsin, the state society of The American Institute of Architects (AIA).

All projects were designed by AIA Wisconsin architect members. Out of 64 total entries from architects across the state of Wisconsin, three projects were awarded the Honor Award for overall excellence, and seven projects received Merit Awards for distinction in a focused area. Projects could be located anywhere in the world as long as they were submitted by a Wisconsin architect member.

A nationally distinguished jury from outside of Wisconsin selected the award-winning projects. Members of the 2023 Design Awards jury included Janette S. Blackburn, FAIA, of Shepley Bulfinch; Jennifer Park, AIA, of Park Fowler Plus; and Todd Hoehn at WEISS/MANFREDI.

AIA Wisconsin has been promoting, supporting, and advocating on behalf of architects in the state of Wisconsin since 1911. The member organization focuses on providing continuing education to architects and designing a better built environment for the future. Each Design Award submission included AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence, which asks questions regarding how the project considered social and environmental issues in its design. Each of this year’s projects were measured not just on aesthetic components, but how the building interacts with people and the natural environment.

In celebration of the 2023 winners, AIA Wisconsin will be hosting their third annual Design Awards Gala in Milwaukee on Friday, September 15, 2023. Members of the public are invited. The gala will also be a fundraiser for the Wisconsin Architects Foundation (WAF), which provides scholarships, grants, and educational opportunities to further architects and the study of architecture in Wisconsin. Purchase tickets here.

Janette S. Blackburn, FAIA

Janette Blackburn, FAIA, LEED AP, is a Principal at Shepley Bulfinch, a leader in the firm’s higher education and library design practice. As an award-winning architect and planner, she excels in building consensus among diverse clients. Janette’s work is informed by a deep understanding of teaching and learning environments and the programs that support community life on campus. Throughout her career, she has crafted spaces that respond to occupants’ activity patterns, creating versatile and memorable places tailored to their communities and designed for lasting relevance. Coaching and leading project teams at Shepley Bulfinch, Janette fosters creative thinking and a culture of openness. She is an active member of the American Institute of Architects, the Boston Society of Architects, and the Society for College and University Planning, where she serves on the North Atlantic Regional Council. A speaker, writer, and teacher, at the local and global level, she most recently co-authored “The Designer’s Lens: How Architects See Space” for the 2022 book Designing Libraries for the 21st Century. Janette received the Ball State Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2018 and was elevated to the AIA College of Fellows in 2019.

Jennifer Park, AIA

Jennifer Park, AIA, holds over 20 years of experience and is currently a Principal and Co- Founder at Park Fowler Plus, and a Professor of Practice/Coordinator of Second Year Architecture Studio at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Jennifer’s portfolio features a multitude of noteworthy projects including her contributions to museum design and community outreach for the Obama Presidential Center Museum, an innovative animated ceiling design for a corporate interior at 35 E. Wacker in downtown Chicago, and the AIA Chicago Honor Award winning BARDAVID restaurant. In an interview with Julia Gamolina of Madame Architect, Park expressed her dedication to advancing equity and diversity through utilization of her professional and academic platforms. Her roles as a founding member in AIA Chicago’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, and current position as a co-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee at IIT College of Architecture exemplify this dedication. Jennifer has earned recognition as a recipient the 2021 AIA National Young Architects Award, the 2019 AIA Chicago Dubin Family Young Architect Award, and was named one of Chicago’s Women of Influence by Michigan Avenue magazine.

Todd Hoehn

Todd Hoehn is a Principal at WEISS/MANFREDI Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism, a multidisciplinary design practice based in New York City. For the past 20 years he has been leading complex multidisciplinary projects focused on integrating sustainable landscape and architecture in the public realm. Todd is currently the principal in charge of the Longwood Gardens Reimagined Project in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania featuring a passive conservatory and the La Brea Tar Pits and Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, California a world geological heritage site.  Previously, he was the Senior Project Manager for the collaborative research facilities of the Krishna P. Singh Center for Nanotechnology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and was the Project Architect for the Seattle Art Museum Olympic Sculpture Park which is downtown Seattle’s largest green space, open free to the public. Todd received a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.