We're looking for homes to be featured on the 2026 AIA Triangle Tour of Residential Architecture! To be eligible, homes must be completed by May 1, 2026. Only projects completed within the past five years may be entered. Find the link to submit on our homepage!
Join WIA for Breath & Build (your network) this Wednesday, April 29 from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. at Fred Fletcher Park in Raleigh. This event features a one hour, beginner-friendly yoga session followed by networking and refreshments. Register here via the Upcoming Events link in our profile.
Skate Raleigh SK8 Shades reimagines what a public space can be when it is shaped directly by the people it serves, creating a vibrant third place for teens and young adults who are often left out of traditional civic programming. Set within a highly visible and active site, the project brings new energy to its surroundings, responding to a neighborhood in transition and anticipating future layers of public activation.
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Designed as a light touch intervention with a strong civic presence, the structure balances flexibility, durability, and openness. Its temporary nature is embraced not as limitation but as opportunity, allowing the space to evolve, expand, and ultimately be carried forward by community need and advocacy.
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What makes the project especially compelling is how quickly it was claimed and transformed by its users, becoming a living canvas for skate culture, graffiti, and street art. Designed with this kind of authorship in mind, it invites participation and continual reinterpretation, reflecting a deep understanding of both material resilience and cultural expression.
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This recognition reflects work that demonstrates the full arc of design thinking, from immersion and engagement to execution and impact. It stands as a clear example of how architecture can be both grounded and generative, built to be used, shaped, and redefined by its community.
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Congratulations to the @ncstate_architecture Summer Design Build team on this well-deserved recognition!
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#aiatriangle #aiatriangledesignawards #architecturedesignawards #aiatrianglenorthcarolina #designawards
The transformation of Harvard Medical School’s Gordon Hall breathes new life into its 1906 Beaux Arts grandeur, turning once dark and compartmentalized spaces into a luminous environment for collaboration. This project was honored and recognized for its masterful ability to evolve historic architecture into a model for the modern workplace. By restoring original openings and removing decades of barriers, the design creates light filled neighborhoods that support a healthy, post pandemic hybrid work culture.
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The recognition highlights a thoughtful framework centered on culture, technology, and well being. Rather than adhering to rigid departmental silos, the new flexspace prioritizes adaptive and human centered environments that foster inclusivity. Contemporary interventions honor the building’s heritage while introducing the flexibility needed for remote and in person teams to thrive together. Gordon Hall now stands as an inspiring example of how a historic landmark can be reborn to support an ever-changing community.
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Congratulations to @evokestudioarch on this well-deserved recognition!
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#aiatriangle #aiatriangledesignawards #architecturedesignawards #aiatrianglenorthcarolina #designawards
Designed as a fusion of modern learning goals and a uniquely wooded site, this new community beacon for Durham Public Schools is a masterclass in site-sensitive architecture. The project was honored for its interwoven relationship between the natural and built environment, utilizing a central courtyard and the site’s natural topography to maintain a compact, sustainable footprint. By focusing on a layout that feels approachable for its 800 students, the design replaces overwhelming hallways with a sense of community and a constant connection to the outdoors.
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The recognition highlights how the building serves as a living laboratory for young learners. Each corner is anchored by an open learning commons where education spills out from the classrooms, while a dramatic bridge housing the media center, art, and music spaces spans across the courtyard. This 136 ft clear span truss structure is intentionally left on display, piking curiosity and turning the architecture itself into a teaching tool. From the moment students enter the lobby and look through to the woods beyond, they are reminded that they are learning in the heart of nature.
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Cheers to the team @evokestudioarch for this outstanding achievement!
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#aiatriangle #aiatriangledesignawards #architecturedesignawards #aiatrianglenorthcarolina #designawards
Located on the ground floor of a mid-rise in downtown Raleigh, the newest Jubala Coffee is a versatile addition to the city’s vibrant streetscape. This project was celebrated for its clever dual identity, serving as a traditional cafe by day and transitioning into Bar Marigold—the company’s first craft cocktail concept—by night. The architecture perfectly reflects this shift in function, creating a space that feels just as natural for a morning espresso as it does for an evening drink.
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The design was recognized for its striking use of ceiling coffers that "drip" down to the ground at specific moments, defining different zones within the open floor plan. These architectural features provide a sense of shelter and intimacy, helping the shop navigate its fourth location in the city with a completely fresh and sophisticated energy. It is a seamless blend of hospitality and design that brings a new level of craft to the Raleigh coffee and cocktail scene.
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Huge congratulations to the Merit Award winner @in_situ_studio !
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Since its establishment in 1983, the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture has served as a vital beacon at Duke University. This project was honored and recognized for its powerful transformation of a catastrophic 2022 flood into an opportunity to reaffirm the center’s mission through architecture. The reimagined space acts as a sanctuary for the African Diaspora community, providing a much-needed platform for dialogue and collective remembrance.
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The design team was celebrated for how they translated the legacy of jazz composer Mary Lou Williams and the shared rhythm of the Diaspora into a physical refuge. A wood clad central drum, adorned with Adinkra inspired patterning, anchors the communal area while a Haint Blue palette—drawn from Gullah Geechee heritage—brings a sense of comfort and healing. By balancing these vibrant cultural markers with intimate spaces for reflection, the center now stands as a resilient home for community and celebration.
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Huge congrats to the team from @evokestudioarch on this remarkable achievement!
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#aiatriangle #aiatriangledesignawards #architecturedesignawards #aiatrianglenorthcarolina #designawards
Cary Pediatric Dentistry’s new home is a refreshing take on healthcare design, trading typical clinic vibes for a sense of restrained playfulness. This project was recognized for its ability to create an environment that sparks curiosity without being overstimulating. By organizing the clinic around clearly articulated volumes and carving out spaces that reveal pops of color and texture, the design feels more like an exploration than a dental visit.
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The recognition also points to the brilliant use of daylight as a primary material, which works with a soft, calibrated palette to keep the atmosphere calm and clear. Behind the scenes, the efficient clinical planning ensures that circulation is intuitive for both staff and families, making the entire experience feel easy and welcoming. It is a thoughtful balance of imagination and discipline that perfectly reflects the mission of providing a warm, engaging space for young patients and their caregivers.
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A big shout out to @studio_three_ten for this well-earned win!
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#aiatriangle #aiatriangledesignawards #architecturedesignawards #aiatrianglenorthcarolina #designawards
Set within a dense stand of mature pines, the White Residence is a beautiful meditation on ground, movement, and light. This project was honored for its sensory approach to architecture, where the house acts as a bridge between the earth and the canopy. By embedding one end of the structure into the slope while letting the other hover lightly above the forest floor, the design creates a home that feels both anchored and weightless.
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The recognition for this work highlights how the subtle boomerang form follows the site’s natural bowl shaped topography to open up views in every direction. A sculpted roof floats above like a thickened canopy, filtering soft daylight deep into the interior while vertical cladding echoes the rhythm of the surrounding trunks. From the bold yellow exterior that pops against the muted greens of the forest to the thoughtful details that support aging in place, the house is built to be an enduring part of the landscape.
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Way to go to the whole team @thoughtcraftarchitects on this incredible achievement!
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Designed for the granddaughter of a Mies van der Rohe protégé, the ACBD Residence is a beautiful study in intimacy, order, and family legacy. The project was celebrated for its sophisticated axial plan and programmatic massing, which allow the home to step naturally down its sloped site. By balancing rigid geometry with soft curves, the architecture manages to feel both highly organized and deeply personal.
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The design team was recognized for how they handled the transition between public and private life. Large, open public spaces are filled with light and volume to capture views of the wooded stream out back, while the private quarters are kept lower and wrapped in curves to soften the facade and blend into the landscape. Even the interior palette draws from a meaningful family heirloom, a quilt made by the owner’s grandmother that hangs prominently in the kitchen.
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High five to the team @the_raleigh_architecture_co for such a thoughtful and well-deserved honor!
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Tucked into the rolling contours of a Piedmont hillside, Arbutus is a clever exercise in privacy and geometry. Situated on a tricky pie shaped lot, the home uses a unique tri spoked plan to create a secluded sanctuary right in the middle of a suburban neighborhood. Built on the footprint of a former ranch house, the structure sits quietly behind a row of majestic white and red oaks, keeping a low profile that respects the existing landscape.
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The design was celebrated for its innovative use of site and sustainability, managing a Three-Story program that never rises more than two levels above grade as it follows the slope of the hill. From the naturally aging wood cladding that will silver over time to the secret roof garden hidden within its curvaceous form, every detail feels like a discovery. Best of all, the entire home is powered almost entirely by photovoltaic energy, proving that high design and high efficiency go hand in hand.
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Kudos to @in_situ_studio who involved for bringing this sustainable vision to life! 🌿
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