UArizona Architecture Undergraduate Serves on National Jury for AIA 2022 Architecture Awards

Ana Astiazaran ’22 B.Arch, who received a national COTE Top Ten for Students Award for Sustainable Design Excellence from the American Institute of Architects in 2021, recently served as one of nine national judges for the AIA 2022 Architecture Awards.

Astiazaran, who represented the American Institute of Architecture Students national organization, was the only student jury member in the esteemed competition.

“My experience was challenging but quite enjoyable,” says Astiazaran. “I had the opportunity to meet outstanding architects who practice across the country and who I admired before participating. However, I had to look at them as my colleagues and work as a team so we could value everyone’s input, and they made me feel like one of them—not just a student.”

“It was interesting to review the variety of sustainable approaches that architecture firms take,” she says. “It was a different experience because I had to provide critical feedback and be on the other side of the review versus the designer role I’m more familiar with. As a student, I value my instructors’ feedback, so I wanted to be able to establish positive discussions with my colleagues about the projects. I have to say, there were so many exceptional projects that it was difficult for us to select the winners. I feel honored to have been selected, to work with such renowned architects and to have the opportunity to learn even more about environmental design.”

The AIA named the 11 international projects that exemplify the “best in contemporary architecture” on February 15, 2022. According to the AIA, the jury selects submissions that demonstrate design achievement, including a sense of place, purpose, history and environmental sustainability.

The 2022 Architecture Award winners, showcased in Architect magazine, include ten institutional, educational, government and commercial projects in the United States and one project in London, United Kingdom.

“Having demonstrated her own superior design abilities by winning a COTE Top Ten Award, it was nevertheless a tremendous distinction for Ana to be named a juror for the AIA 2022 Architecture Awards,” says Robert Miller, director of the School of Architecture at the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture. “This demonstrates leadership and sends a message to students everywhere: You don’t have to graduate before you can make a difference.”

In addition to Astiazaran, the jury for the 2022 Architecture Awards was comprised of chair Susan Blomquist AIA, Payette in Boston; L. William Zahner, Zahner in Kansas City; Dominique Hawkins FAIA, Preservation Design Partnership in Philadelphia; Eddie Jones FAIA, Jones Studio in Tempe, Arizona; Gia Mainiero AIA, Dattner Architects in New York City; Pierre Roberson AIA, AECOM in Detroit; Gail Kubik Assoc. AIA, Finegold Alexander Architects in Salem, Massachusetts; and Heather Young AIA, Heather Young Architects in Palo Alto, California.