Design Awards
The AIA Houston Design Awards program recognizes design excellence in:
- Architecture greater than 50,000 SF
- Architecture less than 50,000 SF
- Residential architecture
- Interior architecture
- Restoration/renovation
- Divine detail
- Urban design
- On the boards
- Conceptual
Criteria to be used by the jury include quality of design, resolution of the program idea, sustainable responsibility, innovation, thoughtfulness, and technique.
2025 Jurors
Dr. Anzilla Gilmore, FAIA, NOMAC
Associate Vice President
Louisiana State University
Dr. Anzilla Gilmore, FAIA, NOMAC, is a nationally recognized architect and facilities executive with over 20 years of combined experience in project management and institutional leadership at the University of Houston, Rice University, and Louisiana State University. She currently serves as the Associate Vice President & Chief Facilities Officer for the LSU System.
In her role at LSU, she leads a team of more than 600 professionals and is responsible for over 500 buildings on the flagship campus in Baton Rouge, as well as more than 25 million square feet of facilities across LSU’s eight campuses statewide, including two medical campuses.
Anzilla has successfully led major capital projects from planning through execution, consistently delivering high-impact outcomes in complex university environments. Her leadership at Rice University included roles such as Interim Associate Vice President and Director of Project Management, where she oversaw design, construction, and campus infrastructure initiatives.
She holds a Doctor of Education in Leadership and Learning from Vanderbilt University, a Master of Architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a Bachelor of Architecture from Prairie View A&M University. She is a licensed architect in Louisiana and Texas. A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a member of the NOMA Council, Anzilla has received numerous accolades, including the 2022 Houston NOMA Legacy Award and the 2020 John S. Chase Jr. FAIA Award. She is also widely recognized for her commitment to mentorship and professional development, particularly through co-founding initiatives that support and uplift emerging professionals in architecture.
Ryan Culligan, AIA
Design Principal
SOM
Seanna Walsh, RA
Project Leader
Studio Gang
Architect Seanna Walsh is a Project Leader in Studio Gang’s Chicago office. Energized by the expression of building systems that respond to environmental, social, and site conditions to create new types of architecture, Seanna has over 15 years of experience leading design teams for a diverse range of projects across the US, Europe, and Asia. At Studio Gang, she has worked on the St. Regis Chicago; a mixed-use, high-rise tower in Paris; and urban planning projects throughout the US. Her current projects include commercial and residential buildings that will become part of a highly sustainable, live-work neighborhood in Silicon Valley. Seanna has served as a lecturer and guest studio critic at leading institutions, including the Illinois Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, Auburn University, and the University of Illinois Chicago. She was recognized by Bisnow’s Chicago Women Leading Real Estate as a 2024 Rising Star Honoree.
Seanna received her Bachelor of Arts degree at Tufts University. During her undergraduate studies, she engaged in a year of architectural formation at the Sorbonne Université in Paris. Her studies there included research about immigrant communities in the neighborhoods and banlieues of Paris. This work led into an undergraduate thesis on post-colonial architecture in Northern Africa and beyond, a study that continues to inform and impact the way that Seanna approaches design in cultural contexts different from her own. She received her Master in Architecture from Rice University, where her thesis explored spaces for community engagement across the widely varying urban fabric of Houston’s residential neighborhoods.
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