AIA New Orleans prepares for the Annual Design Awards Ceremony this week with the theme Design Beyond Sustainability. Welcoming nearly 90 entries, the ceremony will recognize the accomplishments of AIA New Orleans members worldwide in eight distinct categories at two levels – Award of Merit or Honor Award. Additional honors recognized at this year’s Design Awards will include Legends of Architecture and Beyond Sustainability Honor Award.

The intent of this year’s theme, Design Beyond Sustainability, is to stress the importance for architects, contractors and owners to look beyond what is sustainable in building practice today towards something with real value and quality that actually gives back – or at least does not take away – from our overall environment. Architects and owners have been challenged to consider what it means to go farther, to Design Beyond Sustainability.

The Legends of Architecture award is bestowed upon two individuals who have significantly contributed to the built environment through practice, support or advocacy. Previous recipients include Arthur Davis, FAIA, and Al Ledner, AIA.

The 2011 recipient of this award, previously named ‘Sustainable Honor Award,’ was The Green Project for providing the  community with a venue to donate and purchase affordable, recyclable materials that also maintain the integrity of traditional New Orleans homes while keeping these valuable building products out of landfills.

Each year, AIA New Orleans Design Awards program accomplishes three simple, yet invaluable, goals: celebrate the best of this region’s architecture; recognize achievement in a broad range of architectural work; and inform the public of the breadth and value of architectural practice.

Tickets are $75.00 for AIA members or $125.00 for non members. For information contact Eliana Thompson at thompson@aianeworleans.org.