In this special webinar held on June 16, attendees learned from the architects behind three recent winners of the SRP Sustainable Design Award presented by AIA Arizona. Each speaker described how they applied the principles of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence, highlighting its ten measures—including design for integration, equitable communities, ecosystems, water, energy, wellness, resources, change, discovery, and beauty—to guide a holistic and high-performance approach to design. Through real-world examples, presenters demonstrated how the framework informed decision-making, performance goals, and interdisciplinary collaboration across each project..
Featured projects ranged from the Sonoran Desert Passive House in Tucson by David Brubaker, AIA, to the TSG Foundation Center for Spiritual Development by Grace Design Studios, and the University of Arizona Applied Research Building by SmithGroup.
For the 2026 AIA Arizona Design Awards, entrants in these three categories: Distinguished Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Unbuilt will be required to include project information for at least three of the 10 principles of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence. Those three categories celebrate the best contemporary architecture regardless of budget, size, style, or typology.
The AIA Framework for Design Excellence represents the defining principles of design excellence in the 21st century. Comprised of 10 principles and accompanied by searching questions, the framework informs progress toward a zero-carbon, healthy, just, resilient, and equitable built environment.
The 10 principles of the Framework are:
- Design for Integration
- Design for Equitable Communities
- Design for Ecosystems
- Design for Water
- Design for Economy
- Design for Energy
- Design for Well-Being
- Design for Resources
- Design for Change
- Design for Discovery