2025 Awards
The American Institute of Architects – Memphis Chapter (AIA Memphis), hosted its awards gala in November of 2025, and is proud to announce the recipients of its 2025 Design Awards, recognizing outstanding achievements across multiple categories including Interior Design, Restoration/Renovation, and New Construction.
The jury—led by Jury Chair Reese Rowland, FAIA of Polk Stanley Wilcox (Little Rock), alongside Wesley Walls, AIA (Polk Stanley Wilcox, Little Rock), Josh Siebert, Assoc. AIA (Modus Studio), and Jennifer Herron, AIA (herron horton architects)—evaluated submissions for design excellence, creativity, and impact on community and built environment.
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Garden Pavilion
archimania
2025 Honor Award | Restoration / Renovation
Jury Comments:
Absolutely stunning adaptive reuse. A 21st century cathedral for healing! The contrasting high-luminous white veneer is a stunning contrast to the original cast-in-place concrete – a very elegant interplay of materials. Unsurprisingly, this project is well-presented.
A cooling tower for respite. Great program and the drawings are attractive as well. The cladding material is a welcomed relief from the surrounding brick structures. Love the raw concrete and the light filtering through the spaces. Beautifully done.
Absolutely Gorgeous. Great ability to show restraint and yet making the previous life of the space come alive in this chapter of the building.
Stunning.
An eyesore becomes the most wonderful place using what most would say tear down. The vision to bring light down from above harkens to chapels of the past, which has been lost in modern worship spaces, as a move connects space and spirit and take advantage of the existing solid enclosure. Beautiful.
Madison Lofts
archimania
2025 Honor Award | New Construction
Jury Comments:
Most importantly, this project makes the correct urban gesture fronting the street and reinforcing the urban edge. That it’s also an elegant design is a wonderful bonus for the city of Memphis – love the restrained yet contrasting use of materials and their interplay front-to-back. Wonderful proportions along its public façade.
The materials integrate well with each other. The building addresses the street while also maintaining some protection. The linear form with the glass retail space is anchored well with the solid mass of the apartment units.
Bold move in splitting the building in two distinct colors, but seems extremely successful in how the architect worked with the streetscape and wood components of the building. Front Facade is stunning and enjoyed the proportions.
A similar theme to other projects with the challenge of budget, and creating so much for so little by making (and knowing) the right consistent moves using scale and proportion over ornament. The juxtaposition of a solid masonry street front with exterior wood clad walkways on the back was a simple yet powerful move.
Alliance Crisis Center for Wellbeing
brg3s architects
2025 Award of Merit | New Construction
Jury Comments:
Projects of this size are often difficult to break down to an appropriate urban, street-level scale, yet this does it in a creative and playful way. The rooftop vaults are both successful and fun!
Love the back facade and the amount of natural light in these spaces.
Playful and fun. Enjoyed the windows and textures. Loved the back facade!
Large complex projects like this, especially medical, that are so program driven can be difficult to navigate in creating space and moments of joy. This project does both, utilizing the roof as a place of openness and enclosure, shelter. The vaults harken back to mid-century forms, but in a lighter, fun way.
Barons
LRK
2025 Award of Merit | Interior Design
Jury Comments:
Well-executed. Contrasting, yet sophisticated interiors on both sides of the wall.
Very helpful to see the before and after photos. Simple detailing and love the light and dark coziness of these spaces.
This project shows a lot of consistency and restraint that ties it together well. Very comfortable Space. Great use of colors and textures.
Very elegant, and the moment of discovery is the payoff. Attention to detail is impressive.
Eggleston Studio Home
archimania
2025 Award of Merit | New Construction
Jury Comments:
Very well-presented and photographed. Wonderful balance between restoration and new interventions – I would love to live here!
Nice juxtaposition of preserving the old and introducing the new. Love the outdoor deck on the third floor as well as the preservation of the skylight. Great to see mixed use in this historic structure. Good balance here.
Overall great presentation of the project and very successful in just the right amount of old and new. Very Clean design.
A beautiful reinterpretation of a classic building, and a model for hopefully more to come. Love the move to pull the rooftop addition back as a more subtle response to the existing architecture.
Crow Residence
UrbanARCH
2025 Award of Merit | Restoration / Renovation
Jury Comments:
Very well-presented and photographed. Wonderful balance between restoration and new interventions – I would love to live here!
Nice juxtaposition of preserving the old and introducing the new. Love the outdoor deck on the third floor as well as the preservation of the skylight. Great to see mixed use in this historic structure. Good balance here.
Overall great presentation of the project and very successful in just the right amount of old and new. Very Clean design.
A beautiful reinterpretation of a classic building, and a model for hopefully more to come. Love the move to pull the rooftop addition back as a more subtle response to the existing architecture.
Memphis International Airport Concourse B Modernization
UrbanARCH and Alliance
2025 Award of Merit | Restoration / Renovation
Jury Comments:
For a project of this scale, it would be easy to ignore the contextual connections to the mid-century terminal, but instead the team embraced the original, iconic structure with creative, interior detailing celebrating the original martini columns. The result is a light-filled, beautiful concourse that confidently embraces its role as a monumental civic space.
That ceiling! And amount of natural light makes this space so much more enjoyable to spend time in while waiting for departure. Feels light, up lifting. The wood veneer walls with artwork are beautiful as well.
Love that it plays homage to the other portions of the Airport throughout history in a modern way. Enjoyed the use of color and textures in just the right amount and not overdoing it. Love the ceiling treatment.
A large complex project organized very simply for travelers to understand and navigate, marked by beautiful moments of delight. The ceiling lifts to the light, views, while lifting the spirit. It honors the original terminal without replication.
Youth Villages – Nashville
archimania
2025 Citation Award | Interior Design
Jury Comments:
Grounded in simplicity and restraint, accomplishing a lot with very little resources. Very impressive for the budget.
Straightforward organization. Great execution on a low square foot cost.
The minimalist approach is very successful allowing the clean lines and sharp contrast to guide you through the spaces.
So much for so little. Knowing the right moves and being consistent in that decision paid off. Good design can occur at any cost.
Rail to River
UrbanARCH
2025 Citation Award | Restoration / Renovation
Jury Comments:
A simple, yet elegant adaptive reuse of an often-maligned building-type. The warmth and sophistication of the wash house is a nice complement to the industrial nature of the main Farmer’s Market structure.
Appreciate the efforts in taking a forgotten asset in a distressed community and making it so much better with thoughtful design. Transparency definitely is the theme! The Wash House is also a well-designed place with the materials, skylights, concrete benches, shade for rest. Love the dusk view showing the connection of the Wash House to the Farmer’s Market. Wonderful transformation and can image all different uses. (cont’d next page)
Wonderful use of economy on a tight budget and makes for a great gathering place. Where Simple and economical meet with the right amount of design. High impact with a few simple moves. This project has meaning because of who and how many it will serve as a place for community. Taking an often-maligned building structural system, and using the same skin components to make a glowing beacon for a community is impressive.
Fleetview Residence
archimania
2025 Citation Award | Restoration / Renovation
Jury Comments:
I grew up in this era and love the way this home has been so delicately updated. It respects its period while adapting it for a modern family. The kitchen is stunning with its new connection to the courtyard!
Opening up this house to the courtyard was a great move. The expansive kitchen, connection to the living room and larger windows at the kitchen to the courtyard allow natural light to further enhance these spaces. The materials at the kitchen are pleasing as well. Simple moves make a difference.
This project deserves praise. Great use of making space that plays off the natural light throughout. The kitchen design is very clean and successful.
Taking a home with already good bones, recognizing the importance of the courtyard as both light source and organizing element transformed the home. Again, small but meaningful moves, especially with the aspects of a communal space like the kitchen made this a real home.
House in the Pines
UrbanARCH
2025 Citation Award | New Construction
Jury Comments:
This project is most successful towards the water, which is where it matters most. Handsome spaces inside and out. Beautiful use of materials and very-well detailed.
There are some beautiful moments in this house with the different types of materials.
Really like the craftsmanship and use of materiality.
Purposeful expression of structure and connection, along with beautiful raw materials detailed very well makes this house worthy of recognition.