Design Awards Emcee

We are excited to welcome Christopher Drew Armstrong, Associate AIA, Director of Architectural Studies and Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh, back to his emcee post for Design Pittsburgh 2023!

Special Guests & Exhibits

Look out for a number of other exhibits throughout Nova Place during the Reception that showcase the work of our committees and community partners!

This year, Design Pittsburgh welcomes Pittsburgh Architecture Week partner the Young Preservationists Association (YPA) for a special guest segment of the Design Pittsburgh Awards Ceremony. YPA publishes a Top Ten Preservation Opportunities List
annually as a way to engage the broader community on noticing those historic sites that seem to be forgotten. The Awards Ceremony will begin with the reveal of the 2023 Top Ten list. You can also learn more about these Top 10 sites at the YPA Exhibit at the Design Awards Reception. As part of Architecture Week, AIA Pittsburgh plans to partner with a different architecture-related organization each year to open Design Pittsburgh to the wider architecture community.

AIA Pittsburgh will honor the Small Firms of southwestern Pennsylvania with a dedicated exhibition at Design Pittsburgh. Stop by the Small Firm Exhibit at the Design Awards Reception to view the work of our small firms and sole practitioners from across the region!

Visit exhibits all over Nova Place to find out more about:

  • The 2023 Young Architects Studio Competition
  • The AIA Pittsburgh Young Architects Forum and the AIA Pennsylvania Emerging Professionals Committee
  • The AIAS Carnegie Mellon Chapter
  • The AIA Pittsburgh Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Community and the Architecture Learning Network
  • The AIA Pittsburgh Advocacy Committee
  • The AIA Pittsburgh Committee on the Environment

Design Pittsburgh Featured Events:

  • Design Exhibition
  • People’s Choice Award
  • Design Awards Ceremony
  • Young Architects Studio Competition

Design Exhibition & Awards

Each year, AIA Pittsburgh hosts the Design Awards – a juried design competition open to AIA members and firms whose principal(s) are members of AIA Pittsburgh. Additionally, any member of any AIA chapter across the country who has a project in the 11 county area represented by AIA Pittsburgh can be included in the design competition in a variety of award categories, including the People’s Choice Award, which is chosen by popular vote. All projects must have at least one AIA Pittsburgh architect on the project team. Submissions for the AIA Pittsburgh Design Awards Competition can only be submitted by an AIA Pittsburgh architect.

The mission of the awards is to recognize and honor architects and designers, and promote excellence, innovation, and achievement in the craft of architecture. All Design Award submissions are available online for viewing and voting.