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
| Dec 29, 2011
Decision not to fireproof the new World Trade Center Transportation Hub criticized
Some criticized the decision, reasoning that the structure could be a terrorist target.
| Dec 29, 2011
Seismic safety in question at thousands of California public schools
California regulators responsible for enforcing earthquake safety laws have failed to certify more than 16,000 construction projects in California public schools, increasing the risk that some projects may be unsafe, according to a state audit report.
| Dec 29, 2011
GreenWizard offers cloud-based LEED credit management, assessment
The company recently began offering companies the ability to run assessments for design credits, in addition to traditional product-specific LEED credits.
| Dec 27, 2011
Clayco awarded expansion of Washington University Data Center in St. Louis
Once completed, the new building addition will double the size of the data center which houses sophisticated computer networks that store massive amounts of genomic data used to identify the genetic origins of cancer and other diseases.
| Dec 27, 2011
Ground broken for adaptive reuse project
Located on the Garden State Parkway, the master-planned project initially includes the conversion of a 114-year-old, 365,000-square-foot, six-story warehouse building into 361 loft-style apartments, and the creation of a three-level parking facility.
| Dec 27, 2011
Nova completes $60M Clearwater Conference Center
Comprising an entire city block, the 450,000 sq. ft. facility features over 400 meeting rooms, six theaters, a full-service health spa, complete with an indoor running track, and a commercial kitchen that can efficiently accommodate over 1,000 diners
| Dec 27, 2011
BD+C's Under 40 Leadership Summit update
The two-day Under 40 Leadership Summit continued with a Leadership Style interactive presentation; Great Solutions presentations from Under 40 attendees; the Owner’s Perspective panel discussion; and the Blue Ocean Strategy presentation.
| Dec 27, 2011
Suffolk Construction celebrates raising of Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum cupola
Topping off ceremony held on 238th Anniversary of Boston Tea Party.
| Dec 27, 2011
State of the data center 2011
Advances in technology, an increased reliance on the Internet and social media as well as an increased focus on energy management initiatives have had a significant impact on the data center world.
| Dec 27, 2011
USGBC’s Center for Green Schools releases Best of Green Schools 2011
Recipient schools and regions from across the nation - from K-12 to higher education - were recognized for a variety of sustainable, cost-cutting measures, including energy conservation, record numbers of LEED certified buildings and collaborative platforms and policies to green U.S. school infrastructure.
