2026 Design Awards: The Jury

Chris Baribeau, FAIA
modus studio
Fayetteville, Arkansas

Chris Baribeau, FAIA, is principal architect and co-founder of modus studio, a progressive design collective that has contributed a broad range of influential and sustainable placemaking projects since its inception in 2008. Together with its companion fabrication lab, the firm bridges the profession with architectural, graphic, prototyping, and fabrication work. Baribeau draws inspiration from his place at the threshold between the natural and human-made worlds of the Ozarks. He advocates for conscious observation as inspiration for design and views the world around him as an unwritten instruction manual for living.

Everald Colas, AIA, NOMA
STORYN Studio for Architecture
St. Petersburg, Florida

Everald Colas, AIA, NOMA, is a Haitian American architect and educator and founding principal of STORYN Studio for Architecture. He is known for shaping projects that are culturally grounded and formally precise. His work blends deep research with contemporary form, translating local histories into spatial experiences. Before founding STORYN, Colas served as a senior architect at Bjarke Ingels Group in New York City. His work has earned him the University of Florida’s 2018 Young Architects Design Award and 2021 Distinguished Service Award, and three Phil Freelon Professional Design Awards from NOMA.

Ashley Rao, AIA
Leers Weinzapfel
Boston

Ashley Rao, AIA, is a principal at Leers Weinzapfel Associates, a Boston-based architecture and urbanism practice recognized for exceptional design for the public realm in complex urban and campus contexts. Her design sensibility is motivated by a deep commitment to sustainable design principles and an enthusiasm for community building. Rao was an adjunct professor at Wentworth Institute of Technology and an assistant instructor in planning and urban design at Yale School of Architecture. Recent award-winning projects include Adohi Hall at the University of Arkansas and the Davis Center at Williams College.

James Timberlake, FAIA
KieranTimberlake
Philadelphia

James Timberlake, FAIA, is a founding principal of KieranTimberlake whose work reflects his belief in beautifully crafted buildings that are holistically integrated with site, program, and people. Notable projects include Atwater Commons at Middlebury College, Melvin J. and Claire Levine Hall at the University of Pennsylvania, Cellophane House at MoMA, and the U.S. Embassy in London. He lectures internationally and has held visiting professorships at Penn, Princeton, Yale, and the University of Michigan. Timberlake is a recipient of the Benjamin Latrobe Prize, Louis I. Kahn Award, and American Academy in Rome Prize.