2026 Excellence in Design Awards
2026 Excellence in Design Awards Submissions are open NOW through JULY 24th!
REVIEW SUBMISSION CRITERIA AND SUBMIT YOUR DESIGNS HERE
Submission window is from June through July 2026. Below is a listing of the many award winning projects of our 2025 Awards and additional years.
2026 Excellence in Design Awards Winners
Good Design is Good Business Award (2 Award recipients in 2026)
To be considered for this award, the project shall utilize Good Design to achieve strategic business objectives. This award is intended to recognize projects in which design excellence elevated the resulting benefit of a project to the business, institution, or community, which it serves. We are proud to award the 2020 Good Design is Good Business Award to:
Decades Ice Cream Bar
Tippetts/Weaver Architects
also awarded a Honor Award
Church of the Resurrection | Honor Award
also awarded a Honor Award
Member’s Choice Award (There are 2 recipients in 2026)
The Lowengard
Crispus Attuckus History & Culture Center
Honor Awards
Athletic Locker Facility | Honor Award
Hord Coplan Macht Architecture
Project Description –
Following an inclusive master planning process involving students, faculty, and administrators, this project reimagines the lower athletic facilities of an independent school in Chattanooga, TN a campus divided by a steep 50-foot grade change. The new facility was conceived not only to modernize athletic amenities, but to physically and experientially bridge two disconnected halves of the campus.
Sited into the hillside, the three-story building proposes a terraced sequence of athletic and social spaces that guide students up the slope, with each floor connecting to landscaped walkways and terraces overlooking the Tennessee River. Brick at the lower level roots the building in the school’s existing palette, while pre-weathered, thermally modified wood wraps the upper stories and deep brise-soleil shade the glazed façades — recalling the character of a front porch while enhancing thermal comfort.
Jury Comments –
The jury recognized this as a thoughtful and visually compelling design that successfully connects campus, athletics, and landscape. They were especially impressed by the skillful use of a challenging sloped site. The terraced building establishes a functional connection between different campus levels while weaving indoor and outdoor spaces together into a cohesive experience.
Crispus Attucks History & Culture Center | Honor Award
Project Description –
This recently completed History & Culture Center commemorates more than 90 years of a non-profit organization representing the African American community within a mid-size Central Pennsylvania city. Rather than a static museum, the 19,500-gross-square-foot building is an active, engaging educational venue anchored by an event space accommodating 120 people alongside three stories of loft-like exhibition galleries framed in mass-timber/CLT construction, believed to be the first such building in the region.
Inside, a cascading CLT central stair connects all three exhibition levels amid exposed wood columns, beams, and ceilings, filling the galleries with warmth and controlled daylight in place of the typical dark, windowless exhibition hall. The exterior’s pattern of vertical black, brown, and copper-toned metal panels symbolizes the community’s challenges, while local red brick and patterned masonry reference the city’s rowhome vernacular and cultural motifs — together offering a long-overdue opportunity for the community to honor its past while building its future.
Jury Comments –
The jury felt the project embodies an authentic representation of the African American community and its history. They highlighted the thoughtful and sustainable material selections and patterning, noting how these elements integrate with the project’s physical design, philosophy, and community-centered mission to create a cohesive and unified architectural response.
Church of the Resurrection | Honor Award
Project Description –
The Church of the Resurrection project reimagined a growing parish campus to better support worship, fellowship, education, and community life for both the church congregation and its adjoining school. The scope included 9,312 square feet of additions and more than 32,000 square feet of renovations, addressing long-standing space, circulation, and security challenges while creating a more welcoming, connected campus.
At the heart of the design is a new infill addition that seamlessly connects previously separate portions of the campus into a vibrant fellowship hub, while the worship space itself was transformed through the rotation of the nave’s primary axis, a new sanctuary platform, and radial seating that strengthens the congregation’s sense of participation. Reclaimed stained-glass windows were incorporated into the expanded sanctuary, honoring the church’s history while creating a renewed and inspiring spiritual environment.
Jury Comments –
The jury praised the design for thoughtfully reclaiming previously underutilized spaces and transforming them into vibrant places for worship and community. The addition improves circulation, security, and gathering spaces, while the redesigned sanctuary significantly enhances the worship experience. The jury also reflected on the broader meaning of “Good Design is Good Business.” While we may not traditionally think of religious spaces in business terms, they noted that spaces like these become important community assets places that support people spiritually and emotionally and create a profound sense of belonging.
Decades Ice Cream Bar | Honor Award
Project description –
Decades is a bar, restaurant, and entertainment venue occupying a historic armory building in the City of Lancaster, featuring a bar and dining area, six lanes of bowling, and a wide variety of arcade games. Wanting to expand outdoor seating without competing with the historic armory, the design team first explored temporary structures — a food truck, food carts, pre-built sheds, container buildings before local regulations and lessons learned from a pandemic-era courtyard pop-up pointed toward a small permanent pavilion instead.
The result is a simple, understated building clearly subordinate to the main structure, with a large overhanging roof and upward-swinging awning doors that open the entire kitchen and bar to the courtyard for food, beer, ice cream, and milkshake service. A separate set of doors opens the Ice Cream Bar directly to the public sidewalk, letting the venue serve pedestrians snacks and ice cream but not alcohol right from the street.
Jury Comments –
The jury described this as a charming project that transforms a small urban space into an inviting destination. They praised the creative use of a compact courtyard and the simplicity of the pavilion design, which establishes a strong street presence while successfully extending the existing business into an active and engaging outdoor space. It is a wonderful example of how thoughtful design regardless of project size can contribute directly to the identity, experience, and success of a business.
Merit Awards
Strata House | Merit Award
Project Description –
Set on a one-acre hillside parcel adjacent to the client’s home of nearly twenty years, this two-level residence gently inserts itself into a steeply sloped site with extraordinary panoramic views. A modest, single-story entry façade of local fieldstone and wood siding faces the neighborhood cul-de-sac, echoing the scale of surrounding homes, while cantilevered concrete “trays” carry the house’s more dramatic living areas the owners’ “pods” out over the slopes to capture sweeping views of the cityscape and mountains beyond.
Each major zone kitchen and dining, living and entertaining, and the bedroom suites — is deliberately unaligned in geometry, distinguishing one cantilevered volume from the next. Continuous ribbons of glass, sliding doors, and Nana Wall systems flood the north-facing rooms with light and connect them to outdoor terraces, while media and utility rooms nestle quietly into the hillside. A below-grade garage with a green roof keeps service functions out of view, completing a design that is understated from the street yet boldly expressive toward the landscape.
Jury Comments –
The jury described the project as carefully crafted and thoughtfully sited, with spaces that establish a dramatic presence atop the hill while providing naturally lit interiors and expansive views. They noted that the architecture responds beautifully to the conditions of the site, with the surrounding landscape, materials, spatial relationships, and function all thoughtfully considered and successfully resolved. The result is a residence that feels both distinctive and deeply connected to its setting.
Chestnut Street Studio| Merit Award.
Project Description –
In downtown Lancaster a city known for its colonial-era grid and historic rowhome character a busy family needed a dedicated work-from-home space but lacked room within their main house. Working with the architect through an integrated project delivery approach, they built a two-story, 930-square-foot accessory dwelling unit that streamlined construction and minimized disruption to neighbors.
The compact ground floor prioritizes site efficiency, moving vertical circulation to the exterior to reclaim yard space and even tucking in a rare urban amenity: an integrated Level 2 EV charger in the garage. Upstairs, a light-filled studio finished in custom birch-plywood millwork flexes between a professional workspace and a guest retreat with its own kitchenette, with large-format glazing and skylights framing views to the outdoor play area below.
Jury Comments –
The jury described this as a well-crafted, compact studio that makes exceptionally efficient use of a narrow urban lot while preserving valuable outdoor space. They praised the project’s efficient layout, strong daylighting, and thoughtful use of exterior circulation demonstrating how a small project and constrained site can produce an elegant and highly functional solution.
Liberty-Curtin Elementary School | Merit Award
Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates
Project Description –
Serving a rural farming community within Pennsylvania’s largest geographic school district, the original Liberty-Curtin Elementary was built in 1969 and hadn’t seen a comprehensive modernization in more than 35 years. A 2020–2021 assessment found that renovation wouldn’t adequately meet the district’s long-term goals, opening the door to a new school built around current teaching models.
The design draws inspiration from two historic barns adjacent to the site, shaping the building’s material palette, forms, and relationship to its rural surroundings. The result knits the new elementary school into both the farming landscape and the neighboring residential community, creating a welcoming, human-scaled “second home” for young students experiencing school for the first time.
Jury Comments –
The jury praised the project’s use of its historic context, scale, color palette, and interior design. They were particularly impressed by the holistic approach taken to the project while maintaining the operation of the existing school demonstrating careful planning and a strong understanding of both the building and its users.
Treetops Residence | Merit Award.
Project Description –
Perched on a hillside within a densely wooded area, this residence is designed to blend seamlessly with its natural surroundings, cantilevered into the tree canopy for sweeping views of the forest and creek below. Gabion site walls encapsulate the yard and parking area, preserving privacy from the street.
The great room anchors the home around a monumental stone fireplace framed by floor-to-ceiling windows, with large bi-fold doors creating a seamless indoor-outdoor connection to the pool, deck, and fire pit. Throughout the house, a Lutron automation system tied to the solar cycle, in-floor radiant heating, and a geothermal heat pump paired with spray-foam insulation combine high-tech convenience with energy efficiency.
Jury Comments –
Perched on a hillside, Treetops Residence captured the jury’s attention through its magnificent forest views and thoughtful juxtaposition of spaces, each filled with natural light. The jury praised the way the residence integrates with its surrounding context and the harmonious relationship among its materials, architecture, and landscape.
Citation Awards
Ballpark Commons | Citation Award
Project Description –
The RFP for this urban site adjacent to a Minor League Ballpark called for a two-story retail or office structure with parking treating the parcel as a conventional commercial “outparcel.” This architect-led team pushed back on that premise, arguing that constructing a typical suburban building on such a critical Gateway site into the City was not in the community’s best interest, and that the site deserved a more creative, iconic approach.
The resulting design reimagines the parcel as a “Gateway Park” rather than a “Gateway Building” — more green space than pavement or roof, and more pedestrian experience than singular retail destination. The concept provides 22,000 square feet of leasable space under roof alongside more than 10,000 square feet of flexible outdoor vendor, food truck, and event space, creating a welcoming new gateway place that connects to the Ballpark and nearby city developments.
Jury Comments –
The jury described Ballpark Commons as a creative, community-focused concept with a strong identity and sustainable design strategies. They particularly appreciated the inventive approach to transforming a typical commercial site into a pedestrian-focused gateway within a natural landscape, creating flexible spaces for public gathering and events.
Crossnet Ministries| Citation Award
Crabtree, Rohrbaugh TONO Architects& Associates
Project Description –
CrossNet Ministries is a pillar of the New Holland, PA community, providing transitional housing, career counseling, a food pantry, youth programs, and prepared meals for those facing food insecurity. As the organization’s many services and staff had outgrown their scattered facilities, the architect developed a master plan to bring everyone under one roof.
The project adaptively reuses a massive 32,000-square-foot former tractor factory occupying an entire city block adjacent to the railroad tracks, transforming an under-utilized building into a bright, comfortable home for the organization. The plan also accommodates the logistics of large-scale food donations and preparation, while a reimagined masonry façade gives CrossNet a strong new visual identity within the community.
Jury Comments –
The jury recognized the project’s mindful repurposing of a deteriorated structure to create a safe and supportive place for families and individuals in need while contributing meaningfully to the surrounding community. They praised the adaptive reuse strategy and the holistic planning that brings the food pantry, offices, youth programs, and donation services together under one roof giving CrossNet a stronger and more unified community identity.
Kelker Street Residence | Citation Award
Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates
Project description –
Built in 1900 by developer Benjamin Engle, 237 Kelker Street is a brick rowhome blending Queen Anne and Italianate styles in one of Harrisburg’s historic neighborhoods. For 125 years it served as a residence — including a stint as a three-unit apartment building — before decades of neglect left it teetering on the edge of condemnation.
A new owner saw the property’s potential and undertook a thoughtful renovation, transforming 237 Kelker into a modern home. The restoration carefully balances updated comfort and contemporary living with respect for the historic charm and architectural character that define the city’s rowhome vernacular.
Jury Comments –
The jury called this an exceptional restoration that preserves the home’s historic character while creating a highly functional residence for modern family life. They noted the sensitivity of the renovation, particularly the care given to honoring the original architecture, materials, and details while thoughtfully adapting the home for contemporary living.
Lombardo’s Deli and bistro Renovations & Addition | Citation Award
Project Description –
This expansion adds a dedicated deli for traditional Italian meats and cheeses, creating new retail frontage that draws guests further into the space, alongside a bistro serving brunch through dinner. The bistro includes an 80-seat indoor bar and dining area connected to a 100-seat outdoor patio and terrace, plus a moody 30-seat cigar lounge for late-night conversation.
A new chef’s lounge offers an intimate, up-close cooking-to-table experience, and all of the new spaces are supported by a large commissary kitchen with expanded cooler, freezer, and dishwashing capacity. The expansion is anchored by a U-shaped central bar finished in white marble with bespoke floating shelves, while an exposed steel truss ceiling gives the space a light industrial character that keeps circulation open and inviting.
Jury Comments –
The jury described the project as a vibrant, business-driven expansion that strengthens Lombardo’s identity and the family’s legacy. The addition of dining, retail, and event spaces creates flexibility while establishing a clear identity and a seamless connection between indoor and outdoor gathering areas.
