Design Excellence Awards 2011

Complete the Intent to Enter form online or download to pay by check or fax

Intent to enter due
April 14: all awards

DEADLINE EXTENDED
April 20: all awards

Submissions due
May 5: Unbuilt Design Award
May 12: Interior Architecture Award
May 19: Regional & Urban Design Award
May 26: Distinguished Building Award

Important note: AIA Chicago is moving to an online submission process this year. Details will be sent to you shortly. There will be no significant changes in content from previous year’s submissions, but the electronic form should make the submission process easier.

Awards announced
October 28: Designight at Navy Pier

For more information about the awards or Designight, contact Joan Pomaranc, program director, at 312.376.2720 or pomarancj@aiachicago.org.

Call for entries

You are invited to participate in the annual Design Excellence Awards program of AIA Chicago. This year’s categories for entries are: Distinguished Building, Interior Architecture, Unbuilt Design, and Regional & Urban Design.

Entries and eligibility

Entries may be submitted by architecture firms based in the Chicago metropolitan area, defined as the counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will in Illinois, and Lake and Porter counties in Indiana. Projects may be located anywhere in the world.

Projects located within the metropolitan area but designed by architecture firms based outside Chicago may also be submitted.

Projects must be designed by registered architects.

Projects must have been completed between January 1, 2006, and May 1, 2011, to be eligible for the awards.

Firms are encouraged to re-enter projects previously submitted if they did not win an award. Projects that have received an AIA Chicago award are not eligible for another s award in the same category, but they may be entered in a different category.

If the design team includes more than one firm, any member of the team may submit the joint project. All members of the design team must be acknowledged in the entry, and a member of the non-submitting firm(s) must provide a release indicating that they are aware of the submission.

An Intent to Enter may be submitted online, by fax, or by mail. Your Intent to Enter Form must be accompanied by the required entry fee (check or credit card). Please note that entry fees are not refundable and submissions will not be returned. Upon receipt of the Intent to Enter and fee, submission instructions will be sent to you, along with a registration number for each entry.

Credit

The intent of the awards is to honor those firms and individuals responsible for the submitted designs. AIA Chicago has always honored other team members as part of the awards process. However, it is critical to the integrity of the awards that the primary actor receive the primary credit. Entering the competition is a representation that the submitting firm is responsible for the submitted design. This must be the case or the entry is not eligible for consideration.

The architect or firm of record, associated architects, project team, consultants, general contractor, and client shall be identified on submission forms. Client names will be withheld from publication on request. Submissions from architects working as an employee or consultant to a firm must include a release from a principal of that firm acknowledging that the submitting architect had primary design responsibility and that project credits are correct.

Notification

The AIA Chicago office will notify winners immediately following the jury deliberations. No public announcement of any awards will be made by AIA Chicago prior to the awards presentation at Designight on October 28, 2011. Winners are asked not to make their own announcements prior to Designight.

Recognition

The Design Excellence Awards will be presented at Designight. Award certificates will be given to the architect, owner, and contractor for each project. Winning projects will be documented in Chicago Architect magazine. These projects will also be highlighted in a presentation that includes all awards submissions on the chapter Web site. AIA Chicago will also undertake a public relations campaign on behalf of the winners.

Awards

Distinguished Building Award

Purpose: To recognize significant achievements in the planning, design, and execution of recent building projects.

Categories: The entrant will select a category for the project: commercial, historic preservation, industrial, institutional, residential, or miscellaneous. These categories are used to sort entries for jury deliberation and for presentation on the chapter Web site; they are not used to determine the selection of winning projects.

Submissions: Submissions will include building data, a statement of not more than 200 words, and no more than ten images. Details will be included in the submission guidelines sent to you after receipt of your Intent to Enter.

Jury: A jury of distinguished national professionals will be selected.

Deadlines:
Intent to enter: April 14, 2011
Completed submission: May 26, 2011

Fees:
AIA Chicago members: $150
Non-members: $200

Interior Architecture Award

Purpose: To recognize excellence in the unique discipline of interior architecture, defined for these awards as the design of space within a building envelope that includes finishes, lighting and furnishings.

Categories: The entrant will select a category for the project: commercial, historic preservation, industrial, institutional, residential, or miscellaneous. These categories are used to sort entries for jury deliberation and for presentation on the chapter Web site; they are not used to determine the selection of winning projects.

Submissions: Submissions will include building data, a statement of no more than 200 words, and no more than ten images. Details will be included in the submission guidelines sent to you after receipt of your Intent to Enter.

Jury: A jury of distinguished national professionals will be selected.

Deadlines:
Intent to enter: April 14, 2011
Completed submission: May 12, 2011

Fees:
AIA Chicago members: $150
Non-members: $200

Unbuilt Design Award

Purpose: The purpose of the AIA Chicago Unbuilt Design Award is to recognize achievement in architectural design for commissioned projects that will not be built. Evaluation will be based on the significance of the concept and the quality of the design. Projects must have been commissioned by a client or have been produced for an invited or compensated competition. Student projects and work not commissioned by a client may not be submitted. (Note: this category is not appropriate for projects which are not yet built but which will or may be built in the future, nor for projects currently under construction.)

Categories: The entrant will select a category for the project: commercial, historic preservation, industrial,institutional, residential, or miscellaneous. These categories are used to sort entries for jury deliberation and for presentation on the chapter Web site; they are not used to determine the selection of winning projects.

Submissions: Submissions will include project data, a statement of no more than 200 words, and not more than ten images. Details will be included in the submission guidelines sent to you after receipt of your Intent to Enter.

Jury: A jury of distinguished local or national professionals will be selected.

Deadlines:
Intent to enter: April 14, 2011
Completed submission: May 5, 2011

Fees:
AIA Chicago members: $95
Non-members: $145

Regional & Urban Design Award

Purpose: To recognize distinguished achievements that involve the role of the architect in urban design; city, suburban, or campus planning; and community development. Submissions may include individual projects, planned developments, places, design elements, and programs that contribute to the quality of urban, suburban, or regional development.

Submissions: Submissions will include project data, a statement of no more than 200 words, and not more than ten images. Details will be included in the submission guidelines sent to you after receipt of your Intent to Enter.

Jury: A jury of distinguished local or national professionals will be selected judge these entries.

Deadlines:
Intent to enter: April 14, 2011
Completed submission: May 19, 2011

Fees:
AIA Chicago members: $95
Non-members: $145