Atelier Ten Receives Five 2026 AIA Design Awards

We are pleased to share that five Atelier Ten projects received 2026 AIA Design Awards. Read more about each project below.

California College of the Arts Campus Expansion, Architecture Award and Education Facility Award
Sustainability is an intrinsic part of the CCA curriculum and is a main driver of the new unified campus. Atelier Ten identified the project’s primary energy demands and worked with the team to minimize these through integrated passive design and equipment efficiencies in the individual art studios.

One of the key characteristics of the project is the integration of indoor and outdoor space to create an active and vibrant campus year round. As a highly passive building, the majority of spaces within the new building have abundant access to daylight and natural ventilation. Courtyards create usable outdoor spaces which bring daylight and natural ventilation to the ground level studios. This design not only extends the spaces usable area and activates the courtyards, but also naturally ventilates the space to reduce energy loads.

Lower School Campus of Westmark School, Education Design Award
“One in five children have learning differences. Yet most schools are not designed with neurodiversity in mind, which hinders learning for students with dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia. The design of the Lower School campus of Westmark School—which supports students with language-based learning differences—creates an inclusive, welcoming and nature-infused environment, featuring mass timber and other natural materials.” – AIA

Atelier Ten led the sustainability vision for this net zero carbon school by incorporating energy-saving passive design strategies to create a high-quality indoor learning environment. The building is organized in a pinwheel shape surrounding a central courtyard. Atelier Ten optimized the roof overhangs for stormwater management and indoor comfort. The overhangs ensure comfortable, daylit learning environments with views and access to the outdoors.

UC San Francisco Joan & Sanford I. Weill Neurosciences Building, Healthcare Design Award
The Weill Neuroscience Institute at University of California San Francisco’s Mission Bay campus is a state of the art laboratory housing wet and dry laboratories, vivarium, clinical spaces and research offices. Atelier Ten provided technical guidance, analysis and support for mechanical system design and overall sustainability throughout the Lean Integrated Project Delivery process. Atelier Ten collaborated with the design team to develop a shading design that minimizes the need for automated shades to be deployed. The shading system is also designed to reduce interior heat gain while balancing daylight.

Sunnyvale City Hall, Interior Design Award
Sunnyvale City Hall is the first city hall in the country designed to be Net Zero Energy and LEED Platinum certified. As the sustainability and LEED consultant, Atelier Ten worked with the team to establish project goals, define building massing and establish a pathway to Net Zero Energy. The team focused on passive building design, resilience and renewable energy systems as key development drivers. Supporting the ambitious sustainability goals, the project optimizes natural daylight, increases thermal and visual comfort, and reduces electrical lighting energy consumption. As articulated in the award announcement, “The lobby’s central staircase is not just a physical structure but a catalyst for movement and interaction, promoting health and exploration encouraging city staff and the public to move fluidly throughout the building.” – AIA

Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1 Entry Pavilion, Small Project Award
Transforming a former surface parking lot and vehicular turnaround into a public resource, the Pier 1 Entry Pavilion establishes a new outdoor civic space for New York City. The project includes an elevated plaza shaded by a cantilevered canopy and three public facilities structures, including the park’s first private family/gender-neutral restrooms. Atelier Ten supported the sustainability vision for the project. Photovoltaic shingles on the roof power all of Pier 1.