The Texas Society of Architects Design Awards program recognizes outstanding architectural and urban design projects by architects practicing in Texas to promote public interest in design excellence. The 2021 Design Awards jury met virtually on May 7 to review 177 submissions, selecting 15 projects for recognition.
“One of the Design Award program’s most important missions is to promote the public’s interest in design excellence and the value it holds. It is a reminder that we, as architects, have the obligation to positively affect our communities and the way we live. Each year, the TxA Design Committee strives to select a diverse group of jurors that can bring a myriad of perspectives. This year, we selected nationally renowned architects committed to engaging in thoughtful conversations about what the priorities should be for designing the different project types they reviewed. In addition to evaluating the success of the ‘big idea’ in each project, the jurors explored social context and response to the environment. One of their goals was to make sure a variety of project types were recognized. One thing is certain: As we move forward, the emphasis on how a design impacts the community will continue to grow, and that will make our built environment better for future generations.”
— Maria Gomez, AIA, Chair, TxA Design Committee
THE JURORS
Brad Cloepfil, AIA
Allied Works, Portland
Brad Cloepfil founded Allied Works Architecture in his native Portland, Oregon, in 1994 and opened an office in New York City in 2003. The recipient of numerous design awards, Cloepfil has held professorships and lectured widely throughout North America and Europe. He earned his bachelor’s in architecture at the University of Oregon and holds an advanced degree in architectural design from the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.
Mimi Hoang, AIA
nARCHITECTS, Brooklyn
Mimi Hoang co-founded nARCHITECTS with Eric Bunge with a belief in architecture as an agent of positive change responding to and connecting people with the environment in unexpected ways. She teaches graduate design studios as an adjunct associate professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and previously taught at Yale University. Hoang holds a Master in Architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Science in Art and Design from M.I.T.
Bryan Lee Jr.
Colloqate, New Orleans
Bryan Lee is an architect, educator, writer, and design justice activist. He is the founder and design principal of Colloqate Design, a nonprofit multidisciplinary design practice in New Orleans dedicated to expanding community access to design and creating spaces of racial, social, and cultural equity. He is a design critic at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and has led two award-winning youth community design programs. Lee is founding co-organizer of the Design As Protest collective and Dark Matter University.
Christiana Moss, FAIA
Studio Ma, Phoenix
Christiana Moss is a founding principal of Studio Ma, and architecture and environmental design practice based in Phoenix. Moss studied architecture at Cornell University. After working in New York, she moved to Phoenix and founded Studio Ma in 2003 with her partner in life and work, Chris Alt. Together with forward-thinking clients, they transform ideas into significant spaces that create lasting connections between people and places.