2026 Studio Awards: The Jury

The Texas Society of Architects announced its 2026 Studio Awards winners in July. Jurors Rod Kruse, FAIA, Jimenez Lai, Zeinab Maghdouri, and Jenny Sabin reviewed 79 entries, selecting nine projects for recognition. The winners, largely proposals for the Houston area, present innovative, adaptable solutions addressing topics ranging from water management and ecological restoration to adaptive reuse and cultural engagement.

Rod Kruse, FAIA
Iowa State University College of Design
BNIM
Des Moines, Iowa

Rod Kruse, FAIA, a professor of practice at Iowa State and principal at BNIM, is known for projects demonstrating the responsible use of natural and financial resources. His portfolio includes more than 110 higher education projects and studies, corporate offices, research facilities, cultural facilities, parking structures, and private residences. His work has received more than 70 design awards, including three National AIA Honor Awards for Architecture and two AIA COTE Top Ten awards.

Jimenez Lai
UCLA Architecture and Urban Design
Bureau Spectacular
Los Angeles

Jimenez Lai is a faculty member at UCLA and founder of Bureau Spectacular. He previously worked for various international offices, including OMA. Lai’s work includes the MoMA-collected White Elephant, the Taiwan Pavilion at the 14th Venice Architecture Biennale, and the book Citizens of No Place. His awards include the Architectural League Prize for Young Architects, Debut Award at the Lisbon Triennale, and Swarovski Designers of the Future Award at Design Miami/Basel.

Zeinab Maghdouri
Reed Hilderbrand
Cambridge, Massachusetts

A designer at Reed Hilderbrand, Zeinab Maghdouri advocates for the integration of architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design. She earned her Master in Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2024 and holds degrees in architectural engineering from the Iran University of Science and Technology. She previously ran her own practice in Iran, focusing on architectural competitions to explore design challenges ranging from landscape strategies to urban interventions.

Jenny Sabin
Cornell College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
Jenny Sabin Studio
Ithaca, New York

Jenny Sabin is the Arthur L. and Isabel B. Wiesenberger Professor in Architecture and inaugural chair of the new multicollege Department of Design Tech at Cornell AAP, as well as principal of Jenny Sabin Studio and director of Cornell’s Sabin Design Lab. Her work investigates the intersections of architecture and science, applying insights from biology and mathematics to the design of responsive material structures and ecological spatial interventions.