Today, the American Institute of Architects announced the winners of its 2020 Collaborative Achievement Awards, recognizing the Boston–based Global Design Initiative for Refugee Children (GDI) and New York City–based Robert Silman Associates Structural Engineers as “design professionals, clients, organizations, architect teams, knowledge communities and others who have had a beneficial influence on or advanced the architectural profession.,” according to an AIA press release.
Established by the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) in 2016, GDI focuses on and facilitates the design of safe play spaces for refugee children in encampments around the world. In 2018, the organization constructed its first project in Lebanon, creating a communal area from modular, easily manipulated wood frames. Recently, GDI has completed more projects in Lebanon, as well as a project in Dorchester—Boston’s largest neighborhood. “Beyond improving the daily lives of children, GDI has created a road map for design professionals seeking to use their skills to serve the greater good and solve issues of global importance,” according to the AIA release.
Robert Silman Associates Structural Engineers was founded in in 1966 as a single-person practice focused on restoring residential buildings in New York City. Over time, the practice began restoring landmark building such as Carnegie Hall in New York and expanded with offices around the country and a reputation for collaborating effectively with architects and other design professionals on a wide range of projects. Following founder Robert Sillman's death in 2018, the firm has continued this his legacy. “Steered by a new generation of leaders and now boasting more than 170 employees, the firm continues to approach all of its work with compassion and thoughtfulness,” according to the AIA press release. “Its commitment to nonprofit organizations and pro bono work has ensured the benefits of architecture and engineering are delivered to underserved communities across the nation,” the release continues.
The jury for the 2020 AIA Collaborative Achievement Awards included chair Timothy C. Hawk, FAIA, president at WSA Studio in Columbus, Ohio; Lawrence Scarpa, FAIA, co-founding principal of Brooks + Scarpa in Hawthorne, Calif.; Peter MacKeith, Assoc. AIA, dean of the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design in Fayetteville, Ark.; Oswaldo Ortega, AIA, project architect at Gensler in Chicago; and Julia Laue, AIA, principal architect and manager of the San Francisco Public Works Bureau of Architecture in San Francisco.
To see more winners of the 2020 AIA Honor Awards, click here.
