Voting Is Now Open for the 2026 Lerch Bates People's Choice Awards

Voting Is Now Open for the 2026 Lerch Bates People’s Choice Awards

Voting is officially open for the 2026 Lerch Bates People’s Choice Awards, presented in partnership with AIA Chicago and the Chicago Architecture Center. These awards give the public an opportunity to recognize the projects that have made a lasting impression across the built environment, from affordable housing and civic spaces to cultural institutions, workplaces, and residential design.

The finalists were selected by Chicago Architecture Center docents and volunteers from projects submitted to AIA Chicago’s Design Excellence Awards program. Winners will be revealed during Designight 2026 on October 1.

Vote for Your Favorites

Public voting is open now through September 16, 2026. We encourage Chicagoans and design enthusiasts alike to weigh in on their favorites across these 10 diverse categories.

2026 Lerch Bates People’s Choice Awards Finalists

Affordable Housing

• Encuentro Square – Canopy, Chicago, IL
• Grace Manor – JGMA, Chicago, IL
• The Haven on Lincoln – Gensler, Chicago, IL
• United Yards – 1A – DesignBridge Ltd., Chicago, IL

Community & Civic

• Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation – LJC, Chicago, IL
• Chicago Transit Authority Red Purple Modernization – EXP, Chicago, IL
• Evanston Ecology Center – Nurture Architects, Evanston, IL
• West Bund Convention Center – Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Shanghai, China

Cultural & Museum

• James & Elizabeth Bramsen Tropical Forests – Goettsh Partners, Brookfield, IL
• National Public Housing Museum – LBBA Architects, Chicago, IL
• Pritzker Military Museum & Library – Jahn/, Somers, WI
• Shedd Aquarium Experience Evolution Phase II – Valerio Dewalt Train, Chicago, IL

Education & Research

• Crow Island School – Perkins&Will, Winnetka, IL
• Ehrman Crest Elementary and Middle School – CannonDesign, Seneca Valley, PA
• Kalamazoo RESA Career Connect Center – DLR Group, Kalamazoo, MI
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Chemistry – CannonDesign, Milwaukee, WI

Healthcare

• Beloved Community Family Wellness Addition – Converge Architecture, Chicago, IL
• Northwestern Medicine Bronzeville Outpatient Center – LJC, Chicago, IL
• Sankofa Village Wellness Center – Moody Nolan & Converge Architecture, Chicago, IL
• Thresholds | Center for Health and Mental Wellbeing – DesignBridge, Ltd., Chicago, IL

Multi-Family Residential

• 1000M – Jahn/, Chicago, IL
• 7220 McDowell Mountain – Optima, Inc., Scottsdale, AZ
• The Dylan – bKL Architecture, Chicago, IL
• Raye – SCB, Shaker Heights, OH

Office

• The Bell – SCB & Ste. Marie, Chicago, IL
• Neal Gerber & Eisenberg – Gensler, Chicago, IL
• RBB – Russell Burns Building – LJC, St. Louis, MO
• Sany IROOTECH Headquarters – Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Guangdong, China

Retail & Hospitality

• Atrium Club at 25 E Washington – geniant Eastlake, Chicago, IL
• Double Clutch Brewing Company – SCALA+MANA, Evanston, IL
• Jackson Lake Lodge Restoration – Nurture Architects, Moran, WY
• Millennium Park Pavilion – SCALA+MANA, Chicago, IL

Single Family, New Construction

• Evanston’s First Passive House – Kipnis Architecture + Planning, Evanston, IL
• Lakewood Balmoral Residence – Wheeler Kearns Architects, Chicago, IL
• Shoreline Reflections – Robbins Architecture and Interiors, IL
• Strata House – dSPACE Studio, Avon, CO

Single Family, Adaptive Reuse

• House on the Park – Studio Dwell Architects, Chicago, IL
• The Lantern House – 34-Ten Architecture, Chicago, IL
• Midcentury for the Next Century – TBDA, Arlington Heights, IL
• Vintage Lincoln Park Residence – SMNG A Ltd., Chicago, IL

Celebrate Architecture at Designight 2026

We look forward to celebrating the finalists and announcing the winners during Designight 2026, AIA Chicago’s premier evening recognizing excellence in architecture and design.

Don’t forget to cast your vote before September 16 and help select the projects that will earn the 2026 Lerch Bates People’s Choice Award in their respective categories.