BROOKLYN, November 4, 2024 – A jury of architects, educators, and planners from within and outside of Brooklyn have been chosen to select compelling entries to the Brooklyn Design Awards (BKDA) program, by reviewing the work independently, followed by a remote convening and deliberation. Entries will be commended for design excellence, technical skill, innovation, environmental responsiveness, and social impact. See below for the 2024 BKDA Jury:
- April Hughes, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, is the President at Nurture. A graduate of the University of Kansas, April has received recognitions including the 2014 AIA Chicago Dubin Family Young Architect of the Year and the AIA Illinois John Wellborn Root Award in 2013. Steadfast in her dedication to the firm’s mission as a woman-owned enterprise, April advocates for a net-zero future while championing opportunities for women, ensuring their voices are heard and valued.
- Carl Sergio, AIA, brings 13 years of diverse experience across firms of all sizes, all project phases, and various market sectors. He has been co-director of AIA Chicago’s Bridge Mentorship Program for the past nine years. He co-founded AIA Illinois’ Emerging Professionals Network in 2017, and has served as AIA National’s Young Architect Regional Director on the AIA Illinois board in 2019 and 2020. He has also started AIA Chicago’s Wing Student Mentorship Program and the nationwide NEXUS Mentorship Program.
- Melissa Long, AIA, is a licensed architect and educator with over a decade of experience working in cultural, residential, and civic architecture. She is an Associate Principal at Napach Design Group where she leads the office’s educational projects. She also teaches undergraduate Intermediate Design at Pratt Institute as a Visiting Assistant Professor.
- Sanjive Vaidya, Chair, New York City College of Technology, Department of Architecture, has twenty-five years of experience, working for Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and Davis Brody Bond Architects before establishing his own studio in 2005. He currently serves on the Board of Directors at the Architectural League of New York. Sanjive’s role as an educator and department chair has evolved into an inquiry of how a design student’s good intentions are supplanted by economic forces that bend their will and erode optimistic agendas.
- Melissa Sarko, AIA is a principal at Ennead Architects where she leads projects across multiple typologies. Her strong interest in project programming and planning is a critical component to the success of each of her projects. Melissa excels at motivating project teams and has experience managing large projects for complex institutional and government clients.
Thanks also to the help of BKDA Technical Review Team:
- Jane Sanders AIA, CPHD – Director of Sustainability at Henson Architecture.
- Ed May, CPHD – Partner at bldgtyp
- Leon Frazier AIA, CPHD – Associate and Technical Architect at CO Adaptive.
- Jason Boutin, AIA, CPHD – Partner, The Brooklyn Studio and Board Member, AIA Brooklyn
The BKDA program has evolved in order to better respond to the complex issues that communities are facing all over the world. The call to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public has a new and broader meaning in the context of challenges such as increasing climate extremes and social inequity. As such, the AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence has been phased into the selection process, and submitted work will be judged not just on aesthetics, but also on measurable performance metrics.
Entries will be judged in light of the success with which the project has met its individual requirements, and each will be evaluated individually, not in competition with others. The BKDA program will highlight the borough of Brooklyn, with its design community serving as a creative hub for innovation, and its diverse neighborhoods as a dynamic network and unique urban fabric.
The 2024 winners will be honored in December by the chapter in a Brooklyn-based celebration, on December 9th at 501 Union.
The Brooklyn Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Brooklyn) is an organization founded in 1894. With over 950 members, the Chapter is the second largest chapter in New York State and has represented the professional interests of architects for over a century. AIA Brooklyn is dedicated to the advancement of the architectural profession through education, outreach, and mutual support.
