All Indiana AIA News

You are invited to an AIA Indiana CE Webinar – Sports Lighting Standards – presented by MUSCO Lighting, which is scheduled for Tuesday, March 10, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EDT. Recommended standards for sports lighting are the keystone of creating a safe environment for recreating at night. Sports lighting projects come with so many variables; how do you ensure that you are getting the right amount of light on and off of your playable surface? This course takes an in-depth look at the recommended values needed to play safely at night, how to mitigate impact to the surrounding environment, and provide check lists for what to look for during the design phase as well as the following years post installation. Attendees will earn 1.0 AIA HSW LUs. CLICK HERE to register!

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Click here to download COMcheck 4.1.5.5 to your desktop. COMcheck is an energy code compliance software tool that helps architects, builders, designers, and contractors to determine whether new commercial or high-rise residential buildings, additions and alterations meet the requirements of the IECC and ASHRAE Standard 90.1, as well as several state-specific codes. COMcheck also simplifies compliance for building officials, plan checkers, and inspectors by allowing them to quickly determine if a building project meets the code.

Join fellow AIA Fort Wayne members for a presentation by AIA Indiana Chapter GOLD Level Sponsor Signworks titled ADA Signage and the Architect. This course, scheduled for Thursday, March 19, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at The Kaizen Center, 7100 West Jefferson Boulevard, Fort Wayne, IN 46804, equips designers to implement ADA signage requirements that promote health, safety, and welfare in the built environment. Topics include material selection, tactile sign components, and strategic placement to enhance wayfinding, support emergency response, and ensure accessible navigation for all building users. Attendees will earn 1.0 AIA HSW CE credit. Lunch will be provided. CLICK HERE to learn more and register.

This year’s design awards were presented during the 2025 AIA Kentucky/AIA Indiana Convention on Friday, September 19, at the Central Bank Center in downtown Lexington, KY. Through the Design Awards program, AIA Indiana asks a jury of peers to select projects by leading Indiana registered architects that serve as a tribute to design excellence. This year’s jury was from AIA Oklahoma and chaired by Lisa Chronister, FAIA. Other jurors included: Joshua Hill, AIA – Studio Architecture; Sally Talley, AIA – Winterrowd Talley Architects; Shane Aaron, AIA – Narrate Design; and Brian Freese, AIA – Freese Architecture. This year there were 51 entries and 16 winners. All design award recipients were selected by the jury — with two exceptions. The H. Roll McLaughlin 25 Year Award and the Legacy Award were reviewed and selected by the 2025 AIA Indiana FAIA Design Awards Task Force. CLICK HERE to view this year’s winning submissions.

Join fellow AIA Northern Indiana members for a presentation by AIA Indiana Chapter GOLD Level Sponsor Signworks titled ADA Signage and the Architect. This course, scheduled for Wednesday, March 18, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. EST, at Chicory Event Center, 114 West 1st Street, Mishawaka, IN 46544, equips designers to implement ADA signage requirements that promote health, safety, and welfare in the built environment. Topics include material selection, tactile sign components, and strategic placement to enhance wayfinding, support emergency response, and ensure accessible navigation for all building users. Attendees will earn 1.0 AIA HSW CE credit. Lunch will be provided. CLICK HERE to learn more and register.

This year’s service awards were presented during the 2025 AIA Kentucky/AIA Indiana Convention on Thursday, September 18, at the Kentucky Theater in downtown Lexington, KY. This year’s awards included the AIA Indiana Architecture Outstanding Service Award, the Walter S. Blackburn Award, the Tony Costello Young Architect Award, the Juliet Peddle Award, the Next Gen Award, the Distinguished Firm Award, and finally, AIA Indiana’s highest honor, the Gold Medal. All awards, except for the Gold Medal and the Outstanding Service Award, were selected by the 2025 AIA Indiana Service Awards Jury, which included: Andrea Swartz, AIA, Ball State University Associate Dean of the College of Architecture and Planning and Professor of Architecture (Muncie); State Rep. Cherrish Pryor (Indianapolis); Pat Pasterick, Chair and Executive Coach at Vistage Worldwide, Inc. (Fort Wayne); and Richard S. McCoy, Founding Executive Director, Landmark Columbus Foundation (Columbus). The Gold Medal Award winner is selected by the AIA Indiana Executive Board and past Gold Medal winners. The Outstanding Service Award winner is selected by the AIA Indiana Board of Directors. CLICK HERE to view this year’s award recipients!

The AIA Indiana Emerging Professional (EP) Friendly/Exemplary Firm Recognition is a newly established annual designation approved by the AIA Indiana Board of Directors.

This program celebrates firms that provide exceptional support and opportunities for early professionals. It also aims to foster dialogue among firms across the state to encourage the development of policies and practices that promote innovation, professional growth, and progressive workplaces for future members of the design profession.

An early professional (EP) is defined as an architectural staff member who has been working in the profession for 10 years or less and falls into one of the following categories: recent graduate or unlicensed emerging professional.

This recognition provides a clearer, more accessible path for individuals pursuing licensure. Firms may receive one of two designations: AIA Indiana EP Friendly Firm or AIA Indiana EP Exemplary Firm.

2025 AIA Indiana Emerging Professional Friendly Firm Designation Award Winners
• Browning Day
• CSO
• Progress Studio
• Ratio Architects LLC
• Schmidt Associates

2025 AIA Indiana Emerging Professional Exemplary Firm Designation Award Winners
• Alliance Architects
• American Structurepoint Inc.
• arcDESIGN
• Arkos Design
• Arteckna Design
• Barton Coe Vilamaa Architects and Engineers
• Curran Architecture
• Delv Design
• Design Collaborative
• DLZ Indiana, LLC
• Elevatus Architecture
• Garmann Miller
• Grinsfelder Associates Architects, Inc.
• Guidon Design
• Hafer
• Jones Petrie Rafinski
• KRM Architecture
• Lancer Associates, Inc.
• Luminaut
• MD Architects, PC
• MKM Architecture + Design
• Performance Services, Inc.
• RQAW | DCCM
• Salas O’Brien
• Tower Pinkster Titus Associates Inc.

The firms were recognized and presented their award certificates at the 2025 AIA Kentucky-AIA Indiana Convention on Thursday, September 18, at the Kentucky Theater in downtown Lexington, KY. Congratulations to all 2025 AIA Indiana EP Friendly/Exemplary Firm award winners!

ARE study sessions will be held on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month in 2026. If you are interested in participating in these study sessions or would like to be more involved with YAF Southern Indiana, please contact Savannah Smothers, AIA, ssmothers@haferdesign.com, or Jacob Vezensky, Assoc. AIA, jvezensky@haferdesign.com.

Get a sneak peek at the renovations taking place at Ball State’s College of Architecture and Planning during the AIA Indianapolis March Program on Thursday, March 12, from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m., at BSU CAP: INDY, 25 North Pine Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202. Amy Bennetti, AIA, Principal and VP of Operations at MSA Design, will share insights into the firm’s collaborative planning and design processes, practice methods, and their work on the architecture building renovation. She will also highlight several exemplar projects. CLICK HERE to learn more and to register.