Attention: You are using an outdated browser, device or you do not have the latest version of JavaScript downloaded and so this website may not work as expected. Please download the latest software or switch device to avoid further issues.
| 14 Aug 2025 | |
| Awards |
From a field of 55 project entries designed by AIA Wisconsin architect members, five projects were awarded the Honor Award, the highest recognition awarded for design excellence. Additionally, four projects were given Merit Awards, recognizing overall design excellence, and six projects received Special Recognition Awards for outstanding achievement in the categories of Adaptive Reuse, Community Impact, Historic Preservation, Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI), and Sustainable Design. These awards underscore the creativity, innovation, and impact of Wisconsin architects in shaping the built environment in Wisconsin and beyond.
Each Design Award submission was evaluated using AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence, a tool to consider projects through the impact of social and environmental factors in an effort to work towards a sustainable, equitable, and resilient built environment.
A distinguished jury from outside of Wisconsin selected the winners. Members of the 2025 Design Awards jury included AIA member architects recognized for their contributions to AIA and the profession.
2025 Design Awards Gala
In celebration of this year’s winners, AIA Wisconsin will host their fifth annual Design Awards Gala in Milwaukee on Friday, October 10, 2025, at Jan Serr Studio. This premier event for the design community is open to the public as well as architects. The gala also serves as a fundraiser for the Wisconsin Architects Foundation (WAF), a charitable organization dedicated to assisting architecture students and professionals by funding educational programs, scholarships, and grants.
► Click here to learn more and purchase tickets.
2025 HONOR AWARDS
HIGHEST LEVEL OF DESIGN EXCELLENCE
(Listed in alphabetical order.)
Centro
Madison, WI
Architecture Firm: EUA
Design Architect: John Chapman, AIA
Design Team Members:
Owner: Centro: Karen Menéndez Coller, PhD – Executive Director
General Contractor: J.H. Findorff & Son, Inc.
Consultants:
Photography: C+N Photography; Saiki Design; EUA
"This project excels in layering materials and textures. Strong inside and out, its thoughtful integration of details—from undulating panels to flooring patterns that echo the exterior—creates a welcoming, intentional space. I'm happy for the community to have such a well-crafted building."
- Elissa Morgante, AIA, 2025 Juror
Project Summary: Centro’s new home, Calli—named for the Aztec symbol of home, rest and family—was designed as a cultural and civic anchor for Madison’s Latinx, immigrant, and multigenerational communities. The building’s design honors heritage while addressing future needs, beginning with a welcoming public plaza defined by sensory layers—the shimmering metal panel façade featuring the Aztec Calli symbol, the sound of music, and the calming flow of a central fountain. Inside, a sunlit double-height lobby creates an open, inviting arrival experience. Architectural details such as a mosaic of Cempasúchil flowers at reception, brick arches leading to an interior plaza, and basket-weave-inspired exterior screens provide cultural resonance while enhancing light, shadow, and texture throughout the building.
The 40,000-square-foot facility supports a broad range of programs, from early learning and adult education to workforce training, legal services, and wellness initiatives. Flexible classrooms serve multiple age groups, while interconnected gathering spaces accommodate daily interactions and large community events. A floating staircase links the lobby to light-filled classrooms and offices above, fostering connection between public, educational, and administrative spaces. With its thoughtful blend of cultural symbolism, functional programming, and dynamic community spaces, Calli creates an enduring, place-based framework for belonging and empowerment.
CLT House
Hubertus, WI
Architecture Firm: Johnsen Schmaling Architects
Design Architects: Brian Johnsen, AIA + Sebastian Schmaling, AIA, LEED AP
Design Team Members: Ben Penlesky, Matt Wendorf
Owner: David Johnson
General Contractor: Wendorf, LLC
Consultant: Structural: Core 4 Engineering
Photography: John J. Macaulay
"The use of CLT [Cross-Laminated Timber] is well done—clearly mindful of its impact while still very functional as a single-family home, and carried out with admirable restraint."
- Alyssa Manypenny Murphy, AIA, 2025 Juror
Project Summary: CLT House, overlooking Amy Bell Lake, is the first private residence in Wisconsin constructed with Cross Laminated Timber, marking a significant step in the state’s architectural evolution. Designed as a linear, low-slung form with a simple, efficient floor plan, the home emphasizes horizontality, transparency, and connection to the surrounding landscape. CLT was selected for its sustainability, thin roof profile, and ability to shorten the construction timeline, reducing costs and labor. The approach sequence moves through a south-facing porte-cochère—flanked by a small garage and workshop—that frames glimpses of the lake and facilitates access between land and water.
Inside, a light-filled living hall combines kitchen, dining, and lounge areas, with floor-to-ceiling glazing opening to a lakeside patio and a trellised southern garden. Two compact bedrooms share a single bath at the rear. The restrained material palette pairs warm-toned timber with monochromatic siding and polished concrete floors, while exposed beams express the modular logic of the structure. Extending beyond the exterior walls, the beams generate shifting patterns of light and shadow, enhancing both interior and exterior surfaces and underscoring the home’s precise craftsmanship and tectonic clarity.
Davidson Park
Milwaukee, WI
Architecture Firms: HGA + Heatherwick Studio
Design Architect: Peter Balistrieri, AIA
Design Team:
HGA Team:
Heatherwick Studio Team:
Owner: Harley-Davidson Foundation
General Contractor: Greenfire Management Services
Consultants:
Photography: Kyle Szef; Harley Davidson; Nate Vomhof Media Co; HGA
"This project was impressive in its scale and the sheer variety of spaces and activities it accommodates. It’s remarkable how extensive and sophisticated it is, with landscaping that feels appropriately natural and seamlessly integrated."
- Alyssa Manypenny Murphy, AIA, 2025 Juror
Project Summary: Davidson Park transforms a nearly 5-acre asphalt parking lot at Harley-Davidson’s Milwaukee headquarters into a multi-functional civic green space. Developed through extensive stakeholder engagement, the park integrates diverse topography, native planting areas, and adaptive use of the site’s original brick buildings. The centerpiece is The Hub, a 260-foot diameter sunken amphitheater with tiered seating, motorcycle bays, and panoramic views. Surrounding The Hub are pedestrian pathways, a market street, picnic areas, a playground, a contemplative garden, and an entry plaza with a seasonal concessions pavilion. The design supports a wide range of activities, from concerts and markets to exercise programs and motorcycle rallies, while maintaining flexibility for future uses.
Sustainability strategies include stormwater-conscious design, the use of native and sacred plantings, and the incorporation of locally sourced materials such as handset brick pavers, waney edge timber, and weathered steel. Topographic transitions and surface treatments provide clear wayfinding, while bespoke elements such as uniquely patterned brick motorcycle bays designed in collaboration with local students connect the park to neighborhood heritage and culture. Together, these features create a layered, contextually grounded public space that blends environmental performance, cultural identity, and functional versatility.
Marquette University College of Nursing
Milwaukee, WI
Architecture Firm: HGA
Design Architect: Paula Verboomen, AIA
Design Team Members:
Owner: Marquette University
General Contractor: Findorff
Consultant: Ring and DuChateau (Lighting Design)
Photography: Gaffer Photography; HGA
"This project stood out for its beautifully simple façade, vigorous floor plans, and exceptional use of natural light. Kudos to the design team for making light such a defining and celebrated feature of the experience."
- Stephen Schreiber, FAIA, 2025 Juror
Project Summary: The renovation and expansion of Stratz Hall transforms a mid-century academic building into a new home for Marquette University’s College of Nursing. Located at a pivotal point between two campus quadrangles, the project preserves and repurposes much of the original structure while removing select portions to correct code deficiencies and improve functionality. A 32,000-square-foot addition creates a primary entrance, commons areas, instructional spaces, and a student kitchen and lounge, all organized around a five-story skylit atrium. The addition’s mass cantilevers over a sienna-toned porcelain tile base, forming a sheltered entrance canopy and a second-floor terrace while avoiding existing underground utilities. The upper mass is clad in crème porcelain tile, recalling tones from the existing precast and incorporating shaded window openings to control glare.
Inside, the building accommodates 103,000 square feet of flexible program space, including active learning classrooms, skills and simulation labs, informal gathering spaces, student services, faculty offices, and wellness rooms. The design improves accessibility, integrates new mechanical and electrical systems, and enhances energy performance. Architectural elements such as the transparent second floor, the richly toned first-floor base with a five-story mural, and framed views from the atrium toward the Church of Gesu strengthen the building’s connection to campus. The adaptive reuse approach unites disparate structural systems into a coherent plan while creating a welcoming, functional, and future-ready academic environment.
Spoonbill Ranch
Emmons County, ND
Architecture Firm: Johnsen Schmaling Architects
Design Architects: Brian Johnsen, AIA + Sebastian Schmaling, AIA, LEED AP
Design Team Members:
Owners: Jeffrey & Jackie Mudge
General Contractor: Paramount Builders
Consultants: Core 4 Engineering (Structural)
Photography: John J. Macaulay
"There is a lot to be learned from this project that can be transferable to more modest projects. There is a lot in the space planning, the rigor of how the program is resolved, that is all instructionable and should be influential."
- Stephen Schreiber, FAIA, 2025 Juror
Project Summary: On an 8,000-acre property in North Dakota’s Prairie Pothole Region, Spoonbill Ranch is part of a decade-long restoration of native tallgrass prairie. The only permanent structure on the land, aside from two weathered barns, is the owner’s residence—an emphatically horizontal form partially embedded in a slope and organized around a central courtyard for wind protection and a sense of refuge within the vast open landscape. Approached along a gravel road, the low green roof merges with the prairie before wrapping three sides of the courtyard to shade south-facing spaces and form a deep portico at the entry. Inside, a light-filled living hall anchors kitchen, dining, and lounge areas, with a scalloped wood ceiling adding warmth to a restrained palette of concrete, blackened steel, and white walls. Lift-slide doors frame views of a nearby pond and open to the courtyard, centered on a 15-foot stainless steel sculpture.
Board-formed concrete and blackened steel rainscreen provide durability against harsh weather, while triple-pane glazing, high-performance insulation, a photovoltaic array, and geothermal systems enable off-grid operation. The residence combines formal rigor with ecological sensitivity, integrating architecture into the restored prairie and reflecting the vastness of the surrounding grassland.
2025 MERIT AWARDS
OVERALL DESIGN EXCELLENCE
(Listed in alphabetical order.)
The Adria
Madison, WI
Architecture Firms: Kahler Slater, Inc. (Design Architect & Interior Designer) + Knothe & Bruce Architects (Architect of Record)
Design Architect: Joel Koeppen, AIA
Design Team Members:
Owner + Developer: Apex Properties; Walter Wayne Development
General Contractor: Stevens Construction
Consultants:
Photography: Tom Harris Photography; Kahler Slater
"I love the articulation of the facades and the way each unit was developed within its context. This building has so much rigor and intention, with beautiful light and really interesting exterior spaces."
- Stephen Schreiber, FAIA, 2025 Juror
Project Summary: Set on one of Madison’s last available lakefront parcels, The Adria transforms a compact, rail-adjacent site into a 10-story, 207-unit residential tower centered on wellness and sustainability. A rotated “7” shaped massing maximizes lake views for more than 80 percent of units, shields from rail noise, optimizes solar access, and maintains light and air for neighboring buildings. Its sculptural façade features splayed, semi-recessed balconies that extend living spaces, enhance privacy and acoustic comfort, and animate the building with changing light. A regular bay structural system supports efficient vertical stacking, while refined layouts and amenity spaces focus on resident experience. Floor-to-ceiling glass, landscaped rooftop decks, a pool terrace, and green roof zones foster seamless indoor-outdoor connections, bringing nature into daily life.
Sustainability measures include bird-safe glazing, native plantings, stormwater retention, EV charging, energy-efficient systems, low-flow fixtures, and durable, locally sourced materials to reduce environmental impact and embodied carbon. Affordable units, transparent ground-floor design, and pedestrian-oriented site planning foster community connections. Together, these strategies address a complex site with an integrated approach that combines environmental performance, resident well-being, and responsiveness to the urban context.
Rockford Public Library
Rockford, IL
Architecture Firms: Engberg Anderson + Studio GWA
Design Architect: Joseph Huberty, AIA
Design Team Members:
Owner: Rockford Public Library
General Contractor: Scandroli Construction Co.
Consultants:
Photography: Nels Akerlund Photography
“This project offers a fresh reinterpretation of the traditional library, moving beyond the cloistered, historic model we often expect. It invites you to enjoy the views as much as the books, with transparency that reveals the activity inside and warmly says, ‘Come on in!’ It’s an excellent example of how libraries are evolving—not just as centers of education, but also as vibrant community gathering places. The composition and material choices are thoughtfully executed, reinforcing this new vision.”
- Elissa Morgante, AIA, 2025 Juror
Project Summary: Replacing a structurally compromised and environmentally contaminated facility, the new 68,000-square-foot Rockford Public Library reclaims a former industrial site along the Rock River in downtown Rockford. The project transforms the location into a multigenerational hub for learning, creativity, and community connection. Program priorities include expanded youth and teen services, workforce development and maker spaces, digital content labs, a dedicated local history wing, and outdoor terraces that extend activity into the landscape. The library’s design is organized around a central atrium and four program-aligned terraces, with a full lower level housing parking, mechanical systems, and storage to maximize public space.
Significant environmental remediation restored the site to safe, buildable condition while maintaining the project’s $39 million budget. The building’s orientation, high-performance envelope, efficient HVAC system, daylight-responsive lighting, and PV-ready roof support long-term sustainability. Flexible and inclusive interior spaces range from active youth learning zones to digital media labs and multipurpose rooms with access to a rooftop terrace designed for potential future expansion. By remediating a contaminated site and creating an adaptable, community-focused facility, the project serves as a lasting civic resource that supports both present needs and future growth.
Sinclair School of Nursing
Columbia, MO
Architecture Firms: HGA + International Architects Atelier, Inc. (IAA)
Design Architect: Paula Verboomen, AIA
Design Team Members:
Owner: University of Missouri-Columbia
General Contractor: River City Construction, L.L.C.
Photography: Michael Grimm Photography; International Architects Atelier, Inc. (IAA)
"The composition is impressive, especially in how the fenestration is complemented by strong vertical articulation. The garden entry creates a welcoming social space, while the consistent use of color and materials thoughtfully connects the building to the rest of the campus."
- Elissa Morgante, AIA, 2025 Juror
Project Summary: Located on the University of Missouri campus, the Sinclair School of Nursing replaces a 1979 building that no longer supported the growing program. The project reuses the original foundations and basement excavation while introducing an L-shaped plan with a prominent north-facing volume oriented toward the Campus Mall. The configuration captures daylight along the perimeter, creates efficient adjacencies for classrooms, labs, and collaborative spaces, and incorporates a lowered courtyard that brings natural light into the lower level. A glass lobby at the main entrance visually connects the public entry, interior gathering spaces, and courtyard, reinforcing connections between the School of Nursing, the Medical campus, and the broader university community.
Program spaces include high-tech simulation labs, research and innovation suites, interactive classrooms, student and faculty commons, collaboration zones, and outdoor spaces. The project increases simulation space by 138 percent, classroom space by 16 percent, and research space by 567 percent, enabling a projected 30 to 40 percent enrollment growth. Designed with sustainable strategies and targeting LEED Gold, the building balances contemporary architectural language with campus context, supporting wellness, adaptability, and future program needs while enhancing visual and physical integration across the university.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Chemistry Building
Milwaukee, WI
Architecture Firms: Kahler Slater + CannonDesign
Design Architect: Koby Scheel, AIA
Design Team Members:
Owners:
General Contractor: VJS Construction Services Inc.
Consultants:
Photography: Laura Peters; Peter McCullough
"The composition of the UW-Milwaukee Chemistry building is exceptionally strong both inside and out. The thoughtful use of color, materials, and the undulating facade creates a dynamic presence on campus. Inside, details like the flooring articulation, vibrant yellow accents, and linear lighting reinforce the building’s character. The facade’s movement and rhythm feel like a clever nod to the nature of chemistry itself—materials interacting, coming together, and separating—giving the design a meaningful and engaging expression."
- Elissa Morgante, AIA, 2025 Juror
Project Summary: The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Chemistry Building replaces a 50-year-old facility with a 163,400-square-foot structure designed to support contemporary research and instruction in STEM and health sciences. Located at the southwest corner of campus, the building anchors a newly envisioned STEM quad and transforms a previously underutilized area into an academic hub. Its first floor serves as a transparent gateway, connecting students to a revitalized courtyard and encouraging informal gathering and outdoor learning. The building’s dynamic façade, featuring vertical fins and shifting massing, and the interior “braid”-inspired spine reinforce visual and physical connections between labs, classrooms, and breakout spaces, aligning the architectural form with the building’s collaborative program.
Program elements include publicly accessible lecture halls and outreach labs on the lower levels, with instructional and research spaces above designed for flexibility and team-based learning. A grand stair and social corridor with natural light and transparent lab walls foster interaction and circulation across floors. The building accommodates evolving pedagogies, supports partnerships with local biotech and pharmaceutical industries, and provides accessible spaces for public engagement. Sustainable design strategies, clear circulation, and flexible programming combine to create a contemporary, functional, and academically focused facility within the campus context.
2025 SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARDS
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN A SPECIFIC CATEGORY
(Listed in alphabetical order.)
SPECIAL RECOGNITION IN COMMUNITY IMPACT
Concordia 27
Milwaukee, WI
Architecture Firm: Quorum Architects, Inc.
Design Architect: Allyson Nemec, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP
Design Team Members:
Owner + Developer: Wiegand Enterprises, LLC
General Contractor: Greenfire Management Services, LLC
Consultants:
Photography: Jake Badovski; Quorum Architects, Inc.
“This project successfully transforms an underused structure into welcoming, functional spaces for local businesses and services. It’s a great example of making a meaningful impact through thoughtful design on a challenging, modest site.”
- Alyssa Manypenny Murphy, AIA, 2025 Juror
Project Summary: Concordia 27 (C27) revitalizes three vacant historic buildings on Milwaukee’s Near West Side, transforming them into a mixed-use community hub. The project integrates office, community, commercial, and residential spaces to address economic, health, and social disparities, while preserving the historic character of the original structures. Program elements include offices and meeting spaces for Near West Side Partners, a commercial kitchen operated by the Center for Independence, co-working and maker spaces, wellness and counseling services, and 33 affordable workforce apartments. Renovations strengthened the primary façades along a central corridor and created a cohesive campus of interconnected historic buildings.
The design addresses challenges posed by the variety of building ages and tenant needs by establishing a unifying architectural language while allowing individual tenant identity to be expressed within their spaces. Common areas and selected tenant suites feature community-based art commissions that reference tenant missions, the neighborhood, and the city. Spatial organization, material selections, and adaptive reuse strategies support accessibility, flexibility, and program integration, creating a functional and inclusive environment that serves both residents and the broader community.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION IN COMMUNITY IMPACT
The Flats at 402
Madison, WI
Architecture Firm: Engberg Anderson Architects
Design Architect: Tim Wolosz, AIA
Design Team Members:
Owner + Developer: Bear Development
General Contractor: Construction Management Associates
Consultants:
Photography: Upperview Media
“This project clearly goes beyond the typical affordable housing model, elevating the design from a basic box to a unique, memorable, and uplifting place. Thoughtful articulation of the elevations and materials gives the building a distinct character, while the updated interiors offer a refreshing departure from commonplace furnishings. It’s a functional and thoughtfully elevated example of affordable housing that stands out for its care and intention.”
- Elissa Morgante, AIA, 2025 Juror
Project Summary: The Flats at 402 is a four-story, 54-unit affordable housing building with a lower-level parking floor, located just west of the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison. The project includes residential units, a lobby, leasing offices, and tenant amenities such as bike parking, storage, and a dog wash. Constructed with a wood-frame structural system over a concrete podium, the building incorporates planks, beams, and columns to support both functionality and durability. The exterior integrates salvaged stone cladding from the original building with espresso-toned fiber cement panels and black windows and doors, while accent columns and a large intersecting canopy define the main entry and establish a visual focal point.
Sustainable design strategies include Wisconsin Green Built Homes standards, Energy Star-rated appliances, a roof-mounted solar array, and a green roof to manage stormwater. The building was designed to meet or exceed accessibility standards under the Fair Housing Act, ADA, Section 504, and other applicable codes, applying the most stringent requirements where regulations conflicted. Spatial organization, material choices, and site planning create a functional, durable, and contextually integrated residential development that addresses both performance and occupant needs.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION IN ADAPTIVE REUSE
Hillcrest Park
Waukesha, WI
Architecture Firm: Galbraith Carnahan Architects
Design Architect: Nick Carnahan, AIA
Design Team Member: Brandon Reinke, AIA
Owner: City of Waukesha: Department of Parks, Recreation & Forestry
General Contractor: Ray Stadler Construction Company, Inc.
Consultants:
Photography: Alloy Photography; Galbraith Carnahan Architects
“This project transformed a limited and awkward existing structure into a functional and inviting pavilion. It thoughtfully retains key elements of what was there while making judicious additions, resulting in a space that is both practical and respectful of its origins.”
- Alyssa Manypenny Murphy, AIA, 2025 Juror
Project Summary: Hillcrest Park repurposes a former Nike missile radar support structure into a civic pavilion at the highest point of the park in Waukesha. Long neglected and damaged by vandalism, the structure presented a unique opportunity to reclaim a Cold War relic as a functional public asset. The project preserves the original hexagonal footprint while introducing a new circular roof with steel and wood framing clad in tapered standing seam metal panels. A central skylight framed by a steel compression ring provides views to the sky, referencing the structure’s original observational purpose. Perimeter screens composed of galvanized steel angles and metal wire mesh define the space and enhance safety, while integrated lighting illuminates the pavilion at night.
Site design includes a gently sloping, ADA-compliant concrete path connecting the pavilion to accessible parking. Durable, low-maintenance materials were selected to ensure longevity while respecting the historic character of the existing structure. The project demonstrates adaptive reuse by transforming a once-abandoned military structure into a functional public space that accommodates gatherings and educational activities while preserving a tangible connection to the site’s history.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION IN JUSTICE, EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION (JEDI)
McKenzie Regional Workforce Center
Fitchburg, WI
Architecture Firm: OPN Architects, Inc.
Design Architect: Malorie Hepner, AIA
Design Team Member: Wesley Reynolds, AIA
Owner: Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County
General Contractor: Findorff
Consultants:
Photography: Alex Michl; OPN Architects
"The thoughtful use of the 2x4's, combined with vibrant touches like yellow ductwork and a royal blue back wall, creates a dynamic and inviting space that feels both creative and welcoming. This project successfully fosters an environment that encourages engagement with the trades and skilled work, an important and timely initiative.”
- Elissa Morgante, AIA, 2025 Juror
Project Summary: The McKenzie Regional Workforce Center repurposes a former split-level prairie-style office building into a hub for vocational education and workforce development in Dane County. The project includes a single-story addition that houses skilled trades classrooms, deliberately positioned along primary circulation paths to make learning visible and engaging. The addition’s concrete and steel structure, ductwork, plumbing, and electrical systems are intentionally exposed in teaching and social areas to serve as educational tools. Interior spaces integrate structural and mechanical elements into functional design features, such as slanted load-bearing walls that accommodate benches, lockers, and display monitors, and stairways that guide visitors through a history tunnel highlighting the Boys & Girls Clubs’ presence in the community. Natural light, clear and frosted glazing, and a color-coded palette emphasize activity zones and encourage interaction.
Material durability, accessibility, and pedagogical clarity were central to the design. Maple wood, metal trim, acoustic panels, and concrete form a neutral backdrop for strategic uses of color in flooring, furniture, and exposed mechanical elements. Program spaces include an entrepreneurial center, multipurpose training areas, rooftop learning patios, and administrative offices, all connected to the central corridor that promotes gathering and circulation. The design celebrates partnerships with local contractors, vendors of color, and female tradespeople, integrating donor recognition throughout the building while simultaneously supporting hands-on education, apprenticeships, and job placement programs. Overall, the project transforms an existing structure into a transparent, flexible, and engaging learning environment that supports skill development, equity, and career exploration.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION IN HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Royal Thai Pavilion Restoration
Madison, WI
Architecture Firm: InSite Consulting Architects
Architects: Stephen Mar-Pohl, AIA (Principal-in-Charge) + Stacey Z. Keller, AIA, NOMA (Project Architect)
Design Team Members: Gretchen Pfaehler, FAIA (Specifications writing); Donovan Brendler (Drafting)
Developer: Amy Loewenstein Scanlon, AIA (Department of Public Works- Engineering Division)
General Contractor: Kalam Corporation
Photography: Focal Flame c/o Olbrich Botanical Gardens; Demaster Drones c/o InSite Consulting Architects; InSite Consulting Architects
“The integration of the community in restoring the beautiful tiles and inviting their participation brought a genuine sense of humanity and vitality to the project. It is an exceptional restoration, executed with a remarkable degree of skill.”
- Alyssa Manypenny Murphy, AIA, 2025 Juror
Project Summary: The Royal Thai Pavilion at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison underwent a comprehensive restoration to address severe deterioration from decades of exposure to Wisconsin’s climate. The project included complete replacement of the clay tile roof, repairs to the wooden structural framework, restoration of decorative finishes, and conservation of mosaic tiles, paint, and gold leafing. The design team worked closely with artisan contractors from Thailand, Spain, and Germany, combining traditional techniques with modern analysis tools such as LiDAR and photogrammetry. Custom clay tiles were produced to match the originals while meeting northern climate performance requirements, including specially shaped tiles for secure eaves and valleys. Lead and copper flashing systems were upgraded for durability, and concealed sub-decking was installed to prevent wind-driven snow infiltration. Wood repairs, decorative painting, and mosaic tile replacement were executed using a combination of modern methods and traditional craftsmanship to ensure long-term resilience.
The project emphasized cultural stewardship alongside technical precision. Signed roof tiles from the original construction, which contained messages of hope and peace, were archived and complemented by new tiles with community messages written by over 1,400 participants. Minor design modifications were implemented to address local climate conditions without compromising the pavilion’s historic and symbolic integrity. The restored pavilion preserves its architectural and cultural significance while improving durability and climate responsiveness, demonstrating a successful integration of international collaboration, conservation ethics, and community engagement in a historic preservation project.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION IN SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
Usona Institute
Fitchburg, WI
Architecture Firm: RAMLOW/STEIN Architecture + Interiors
Design Architect: Nat Stein, AIA LEED AP, NCARB
Design Team Members:
Owner: Usona Institute C/O Cinque Terre, LLC
General Contractor: Kraemer Brothers, Inc.
Photography: Tricia Shay Photography
“This project demonstrates a tremendous focus on creating a welcoming, home-like environment—an essential aspect for clinical research in psychedelic therapy. The use of traditional forms and residential-style living rooms fosters a comfortable, non-clinical atmosphere that supports the client’s intent. Additionally, the building also incorporates on-site renewables and geothermal systems.”
- Alyssa Manypenny Murphy, AIA, 2025 Juror
Project Summary: The Usona Institute is a medical research organization dedicated to supporting and conducting basic, pre-clinical and clinical research to further the scientific understanding and therapeutic application of consciousness-expanding medicines. This 100,000-square-foot first-of-its-kind facility is organized into two wings: an administrative wing supporting research, educational programs, and operational functions, and a Therapy Wing offering a range of adaptable treatment spaces. The design prioritizes the “set and setting” principle, balancing scientific rigor with an environment conducive to therapeutic experiences. Pathways guide visitors from public to private spaces, while four distinct treatment rooms, including a group space with an LED strand chandelier, provide flexible, immersive environments. Architectural features such as exposed heavy timber structure, radiant Brazilian Cherry floors, Douglas Fir detailing, and carefully selected finishes create a sensory-rich yet calming environment. Light, acoustics, and climate are controlled through advanced lighting systems, window treatments, and HVAC design to optimize comfort and therapeutic effectiveness. The administrative wing includes collaborative meeting rooms, open desking, a spacious training room, and a second-floor library, while outdoor patios, guesthouses, a spa, and a commercial kitchen provide additional wellness-oriented amenities.
Sustainability is embedded throughout the project. The building envelope, composed of Canadian Cedar and dimensional stone, achieves Passive House-level performance, complemented by terra cotta roofing, deep overhangs, copper drainage elements, and operable windows. Geothermal heating and cooling, efficient building systems, and integration with the natural landscape further reduce energy use while enhancing occupant comfort. The facility’s material palette, structural systems, and landscape integration support durability, wellness, and long-term resilience. By uniting advanced research, flexible therapeutic spaces, and sustainable architecture, the Usona Institute demonstrates how medical and healing environments can be designed to optimize both human experience and environmental performance.
About AIA Wisconsin
AIA Wisconsin, the state chapter of the American Institute of Architects, promotes, supports, and advocates on behalf of architects in the state of Wisconsin. Founded in 1911, the member organization provides education and training of architects in an effort to improve both the built and natural environments for future generations.
