Winners of the 2026 Lerch Bates People's Choice Awards Announced

As part of AIA Chicago’s Designight, the Lerch Bates People’s Choice Awards have become a staple of architectural excellence and cast a spotlight on a diverse array of projects that showcase the outstanding design and innovation of local architecture firms.

The winners of the 2026 Lerch Bates People’s Choice Awards, presented in partnership with the Chicago Architecture Center, were announced as part of Designight 2026 on Oct. 1, and celebrate the best in architecture across ten categories.

Winners of the 2026 Lerch Bates People’s Choice Awards:

Affordable Housing: United Yards – 1A

The Lerch Bates People’s Choice Award for Affordable Housing went to United Yards – 1A, a project serving as a catalyst for reinvestment in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood. The award was accepted by the team from DesignBridge whose design is bringing affordable housing and community-focused commercial space to this mixed-use development.

Community & Civic: Chicago Transit Authority Red Purple Modernization

The Community & Civic award went to the team at EXP who created four new elevated stations and tracks to improve the rider experience across Chicago neighborhoods. The design utilizes terracotta facades to provide durability while also allowing each station to have a different, yet cohesive design.

Cultural & Museum: James & Elizabeth Bramsen Tropical Forests

James & Elizabeth Bramsen Tropical Forests took home the Cultural & Museum award, where Goettsch Partners designed a three-acre campus expansion for the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. This design is bringing four outdoor habitats, five viewing shelters, new indoor dayrooms and a dedicated conservation center as the largest project in the zoo’s history.

Education & Research: Kalamazoo RESA Career Connect Center

The Kalamazoo RESA Career Connect Center is a career and technical educational facility that will guide students as they explore career pathways. The team at DLR Group accepted the award for this project that features a hybrid steel and cross-laminated timber structural system to advance sustainability efforts.

Healthcare: Threshholds | Center for Health and Mental Wellbeing

The team at DesignBridge accepted the Healthcare category award for Thresholds | Center for Health and Mental Wellbeing in Chicago. This project expands an existing behavioral health facility to feature a 7,000 square-foot, three-story addition that will introduce art studios, classrooms, behavioral health offices and a training center to the project.

Multi-Family Residential: The Dylan

The Multifamily Residential winner, The Dylan, is a housing development in Chicago’s Fulton Market district that is inspired by the character and materials of the surrounding neighborhood. The team at bKL Architecture that accepted this award created a project that celebrates the spirit of the adjacent buildings and brings residential, retail and parking to the area.

Office: Sany IROOTECH Headquarters

The Lerch Bates People’s Choice Award for the Office category went to the Sany IROOTECH Headquarters, an office in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China with two interconnected towers that feature plazas, rooftop gardens, tree-lined terraces and more. The project, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), connects people to nature and provides an incredible space for Sany’s cloud-technology venture.

Hospitality and Retail: Atrium Club at 25 E Washington

The Atrium Club at 25 E Washington took home the award in the Hospitality and Retail category, and was designed by the team at geniant Eastlake. This captivating project located in Chicago’s Loop transformed an office space into social and restorative spaces that culminate into an open-air courtyard to provide an incredible workplace amenity.

Single Family, New Construction: Evanston’s First Passive House

The Single Family, New Construction Category was awarded to Evanston’s First Passive House in Evanston, IL which transformed an urban lot into a sustainable, residential design. The team at Kipnis Architecture + Planning accepted the award for this project that preserves the historic nature of the neighborhood and reduces its carbon footprint.

Single Family, Adaptive Reuse: Vintage Lincoln Park Residence

The final Lerch Bates People’s Choice Award of the night went to Vintage Lincoln Park Residence, a project that occupies portions of the fifth and sixth floors of a 1920s high-rise in Chicago. SMNG A Ltd. accepted the award for their design that preserves the character of the historic facade while bringing contemporary elements to the interior.

The AIA Chicago Lerch Bates People’s Choice Awards highlight the incredible talent and creativity within the architectural community. Each project celebrated this year demonstrates how thoughtful design can enhance communities, foster cultural growth, and redefine living and working environments. Congratulations to all the winners for their exceptional contributions to the field of architecture!