New York-based architect and educator Deborah Berke has won the 2025 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal for her architecture and educational work that “exemplifies innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability”.

Deborah Berke is the recipient of the 2025 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Gold Medal, one of the most prestigious awards in the field and the organisation’s highest honour.

Architect and educator Deborah Berke has won the 2025 AIA Gold Medal

Founder of architecture studio TenBerke (formerly Deborah Berke Partners) and dean of the Yale School of Architecture since 2016, Berke’s work often integrates sustainable and context-sensitive strategies across a range of scales including residential projects and university buildings.

The AIA cited Berke’s commitment to sustainability, as well as her efforts at Yale, as the basis for this year’s Gold Medal.

“Berke is a transformative figure in architecture whose career spans over four decades,” said the AIA. “She has combined design excellence, academic leadership, and a commitment to social and environmental responsibility.”

“From founding her practice, Deborah Berke Partners in 1982 to becoming the first female dean of the Yale School of Architecture, her journey exemplifies innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability.”

The AIA referenced projects such as the Richardson Olmsted Complex as an example of her commitment to sustainability and adaptive reuse

The AIA referenced projects such as Dickinson College High Street Residence Hall in Pennsylvania and her award-winning Richardson Olmsted Complex in New York as examples of her commitment to sustainable design, in particular a specialization in adaptive reuse projects.

Completed in 2017, the Richardson Olmsted Complex encompassed partially restoring and converting a 19th-century mental hospital into the hotel Hotel Henry. The project won several awards including the AIA National Architecture Award and the Excellence in Historic Preservation Award from the Preservation League of New York State.

Completed a year later, the High Street Residence Hall was the first residential project on the Dickinson campus in decades. Berke used several cladding types to respond to different aspects of the campus, while the building was awarded LEED Platinum certification.

More recently, TenBerke modified a 1950s law building on Harvard’s campus, which included adding extensions and reconfiguring the interior to meet the more socially driven needs of modern law pedagogy.

Projects such as the High Street Residence Hall in Pennsylvania showcase contextually sensitive architecture

“Her practice has consistently prioritized adaptive reuse, transforming historic structures into vibrant, functional spaces,” said the AIA.

Berke’s work as the dean of the Yale School of Architecture was previously awarded the AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion in 2022 and has “profoundly influenced” wider architectural pedagogy.

“As an educator, Berke has profoundly influenced architectural pedagogy,” said the organisation. “At Yale, she has advanced financial aid initiatives, increased accessibility, and championed interdisciplinary programs, making architecture education more inclusive.”

The architect also serves on multiple boards, including the Pritzker Architecture Prize and the Norman Foster Foundation and has won awards such as the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award.

Much of her work, such as a law building on the Harvard campus, centres around converting historical buildings to meet modern needs

“Throughout her career, Berke has exemplified the power of architecture to transform lives and communities,” said the AIA. “Her work, teaching, and advocacy collectively underscore a profound belief in design as a tool for social good, leaving an indelible mark on the field and inspiring a more inclusive and sustainable architectural future.”

The AIA Gold Medal was established in 1907 and is awarded annually to an individual whose work has “a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture”.

In 2024, it was awarded to David Lake and Ted Flato of Texas-based Lake Flato Architects and Chicago architect Carol Ross Barney in 2023.

Dezeen named Deborah Berke as one of the 50 most powerful women in architecture and design earlier this year.

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