2023 Studio Awards: The Jury

The Texas Society of Architects Studio Awards recognize real or theoretical projects demonstrating excellence in design. The program accepts submissions from both students and practitioners, and projects of all types are considered together. The jury searches for standouts that push beyond the boundaries of architecture to address current critical issues. The jurors met on July 14, selecting seven projects out of 72 entries.

Neil M. Denari, FAIA
NMDA
Los Angeles

Neil Denari, FAIA, is a professor of architecture at UCLA and founder and principal of Neil M. Denari Architects, a firm exploring architecture, urbanism, and graphic design at all scales. NMDA approaches design as the outcome of research and speculative thinking and places equal emphasis on sustainability of culture and sustainability of the planet. Denari’s awards include a USA Fellowship and induction into the Interior Design Hall of Fame, both in 2010, and the Los Angeles AIA Gold Medal in 2011.

Anand Devarajan
Anand Devarajan Architecture
Los Angeles

Anand Devarajan Architecture focuses on thoughtful and experiential design for cultural buildings and residential and mixed-use projects. Anand Devarajan set up the studio after collaborating with Frank Gehry for nearly two decades and serving as a design partner on iconic commissions including the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum and Philadelphia Museum of Art addition and renovation. He is also a founding member of Geoversity Design, a nonprofit pursuing nature-inspired breakthroughs in human design, enterprise, and creative expression.

Friedrich Ludewig
ACME
London

Friedrich Ludewig oversees design direction for ACME, a firm he founded in 2007. The practice operates in contemporary architecture, urban planning, interior design, and product design and works with private, corporate, and public clients. Ludewig’s recent projects include the Stratford Pavilion in London, Canopy by Hilton London City,  and Copr Bay Phase One. Prior to founding ACME, he worked for Foreign Office Architects, where he delivered projects including the Meydan Umraniye and the Masterplan for the London 2012 Olympics.

Mónica Ponce de León, AIA
MPdL Studio
Princeton, New Jersey

Mónica Ponce de León, AIA, is dean of the Princeton University School of Architecture and founding principal of MPdL Studio, an architecture and design practice working on institutional, cultural, civic, commercial, and private residential projects. Ponce de León’s honors include the National Design Award in Architecture from Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, the Academic Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Young Architects and Emerging Voices awards from the Architectural League of New York.