The Board of Directors and the Strategic Council of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) today honored Moody Nolan with its 2021 AIA Architecture Firm Award.
The annual AIA Architecture Firm Award is the highest honor the AIA bestows on an architecture practice. The award recognizes a firm that has consistently produced distinguished architecture for at least 10 years.
As the nation’s largest African American-owned and operated design firm—with 11 offices in the U.S.—Moody Nolan has a long history of serving clients with a keen knowledge of cultural sensitivities as well as a deep understanding of the impact its work has on individuals and communities.
Founded by Curt Moody, FAIA, NOMA, and the late engineer Howard E. Nolan, the firm’s work is centered on the belief that diverse perspectives foster creativity and more responsive solutions.
Moody Nolan’s work is reflective of the people who will live, learn, and heal in the spaces it creates. Its work has been lauded with more than 320 design citations and significant awards, including Moody’s receipt of the AIA’s Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award in 1992, its Gold Medal in 2007, and the National Organization of Minority Architects’ (NOMA) President’s Exemplary Service Award in 2008. The firm was also named NOMA’s firm of the year in 2000.
Beyond the compelling design of buildings, the firm views its work as a way to encourage architecture careers in diverse communities and carry on the firm’s legacy. That ethos is made clear in projects such as Columbus’ Martin Luther King Library Branch, a vibrant community center that responds to both the character of the surrounding community and the powerful legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Though it is only 20,000 square feet, the unique facility makes a powerful and uplifting statement. In Chicago, the firm worked with City Colleges of Chicago to further its commitment to the city’s troubled South Side and replaced the aging Malcolm X College and School of Health Sciences. Despite inheriting budget issues and a very tight timeline, Moody Nolan provided the school's predominantly low-income student body with a technologically advanced learning environment that is focused on allied health professions.
In 2017, as a way to further its commitment to the community, Moody Nolan launched the Legacy House project. Fully funded by the firm and select partners, the project is committed to designing and constructing a home in each of the 11 communities in which the firm operates. The first house, in Columbus, Ohio, was completed in 2018 and was gifted to a single mother with three young children. The home sparked a renewed interest in the neighborhood, prompting neighbors to clean up their properties and spurring new development. Other homes have broken ground or are planned in Nashville and Chicago.
As the nation grapples with systemic racism and significant issues of inequality, the ideals of diversity espoused by Moody Nolan since its founding stand as a model for advancing the profession. The firm has long operated at the critical junction of architecture and citizenship, demonstrating that responsible design requires a flawless marriage of art, function, and community.
Visit AIA’s website to learn more about Moody Nolan’s selection as the 2021 AIA Architecture Firm Award recipient.
Related Stories
Religious Facilities | Mar 23, 2015
Is nothing sacred? Seattle church to become a restaurant and ballroom
A Seattle-based real estate developer plans to convert a historic downtown building, which for more than a century has served as a church sanctuary, into a restaurant with ballroom space.
Government Buildings | Mar 23, 2015
SOM leads planning for Egypt’s new $45 billion capital city
To alleviate overcrowding and congestion in Cairo, the Egyptian government is building a new capital from scratch.
BIM and Information Technology | Mar 23, 2015
Skanska hosts three-week 'hackathon' to find architect for Seattle tower development
Searching for a nimble, collaborative design firm for its 2&U tower project in Seattle, the construction giant ditches the traditional RFQ/RFP process for a hackathon-inspired competition.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 23, 2015
Can advanced elevator technology take vertical hospitals to the next level?
VOA's Douglas King recalls the Odyssey project and ponders vertical transportation in high-rise healthcare design.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 22, 2015
New Joplin, Mo., hospital built to tornado-resistant standards
The new hospital features a window and frame system that can protect patients from winds of up to 250 mph.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 19, 2015
Populous design wins competition for UK's most sustainable arena
The live-concert venue will seat an audience of 12,000, which the firm says will be masked by “the atmosphere and intimacy of a 4,000-seat amphitheatre.”
Architects | Mar 18, 2015
Architecture Billings Index rises in February
The ABI score was 50.4 last month, up slightly from a mark of 49.9 in January. This score reflects a minor increase in design services, according to AIA.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 18, 2015
Prefabricated skycubes proposed with 'elastic' living apartments inside
The interiors for each unit are designed using an elastic living concept, where different spaces are created by sliding on tracks.
Architects | Mar 18, 2015
Boston selects finalists in resilient design competition
The competition asks for creative approaches for planning for a not-so-distant future Boston where higher sea levels and more frequent flooding will be real and critical issues to contend with.
Cultural Facilities | Mar 17, 2015
The High Line’s co-designer wins contract for The Underline in Miami
James Corner Field Operations will design the master plan for this 10-mile restoration project.
