Our Awards

Lesley Peréz (’26 MSUP, ’27 MS.Arch) is a dual-degree graduate student at CAPLA committed to advancing equity through design and policy. Inspired by her upbringing in East Los Ángeles, her work focuses on creating accessible, community-centered spaces where people can thrive. At CAPLA, she has served as a student ambassador, contributed to housing policy research with ARCHES, and engaged in community outreach through the Indigenous Society of Architecture, Planning and Design—shaping a future career in planning, transportation, and design at local and global scales.

Architecture Professor Teresa Rosano, Research Coordinator Greg Veitch, and their students won the 2026 ACSA Collaborative Practice Award for their “Tucson Hope Factory Micro Shelter Village” project. The studio partnered with the community to design and build micro-shelters, emphasizing equal collaboration between students and community members. This approach fostered student agency, teamwork, and meaningful impact. The project was praised for advancing inclusive, community-driven architecture. Rosano and Veitch will present the work at the ACSA conference in Chicago.

CAPLA posthumously honors Donald Baker, MRED ’14, as its 2026 Alumnus of the Year, a visionary developer whose influence on Southern Arizona and the university community continues to resonate long after his passing.

Teresa Rosano, associate professor at the School of Architecture, earned the 2025 AIAS Faculty Advisor Honor Award for her mentorship, inclusive teaching, and leadership. She inspires students through community-focused, real-world architectural education and over 25 years of professional experience.

Francisco Zazueta, a fifth-year Bachelor of Architecture student at CAPLA, was awarded the 2025 Presidential Citation by the AIA Southern Arizona Chapter for his leadership as president of the AIA Student Chapter. Recognized for his optimism and dedication to strengthening connections between students and professionals, his work focuses on mentorship, community engagement, and expanding opportunities for architecture students. Through initiatives with NOMAS and AIAS, Zazueta uses leadership and design to support a more connected, just, and resilient architectural community.

Christopher Tucker, a lecturer in architecture at CAPLA, received the American Institute of Architects’ Design Pedagogy Award for his Abiotic Studio, a fourth-year course that challenges students to engage with ecological realities and reimagine post-industrial landscapes through more-than-human perspectives.

In November, Associate Professor Teresa Rosano received two top honors at the 2025 AIA Arizona Design Awards: the Architects Medal and a Community Design Award for a student-led capstone project. The recognized project—the Tucson Hope Factory Micro Shelter Village—aims to support unhoused communities in Southern Arizona through a collaborative, student-designed micro-shelter prototype.

The Western Planner organization has named CAPLA Associate Professor Ladd Keith its 2025 Planner of the Year, honoring his pioneering leadership in climate-responsive planning and community resilience across the American West.

The University of Arizona’s Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine has been recognized internationally for its innovative design, earning an honorable mention in the 2025 International Architecture Awards. The distinction highlights the university’s commitment to creating spaces that advance health, wellness, and architectural excellence.

A team of Master of Science in Urban Planning (MSUP) students at CAPLA received the Arizona APA’s Best Student Planning Project Award for their capstone, “Community Investment Strategy Toolkit for the City of South Tucson.”

CAPLA Dean Nancy Pollock-Ellwand has been named a recipient of the University of Guelph Alumni of Honour Award, recognizing her global leadership in cultural heritage conservation and lifelong dedication to education.

A team led by CAPLA’s Sandra Bernal Cordova, Altaf Engineer, and Ladd Keith aim to develop community-centered solutions to the growing threat of extreme heat.