ALA News & Member Stories
News from ALA, stories from our members.
Association news alongside stories written by ALA members: the projects they build, the practices they run, and the paths that got them there. Members can submit a story any time at ALA@licensedarchitect.org.
The 2026 Student Merit Award Winners
Gold to a housing complex carried by ship cargo holds. Silver to a heritage center that rests lightly on its site. Six student projects.
WickRight and the Art of Drying Out a Wet Building
Bob Kelly spent 35 years pulling apart rotting roofs and walls. When the supply stores did not sell the fix, he invented it. Meet WickRight.
Christopher Strom Helped Write the ADU Rules. Then He Built the Proof.
He helped write the ADU ordinances in Minneapolis and Edina. Then he designed a 715 square foot ADU that won ALA Gold.
The 2026 Design Awards Are Open for Submissions
Submissions close August 28. Winners will be honored November 5 at Medinah Country Club and published in the permanent online archive.
YALA Launches ALA Open Studio
A quarterly session hosted at a member firm: tour the office, then talk honestly about one practice topic. Open to every member, at every career stage.
Architrist of Phychiatecture
A programming meeting at a client's kitchen table, a daughter listening in, and the moment she decided her mother's architect was a psychiatrist.
From Dream to Practice: The Next Chapter Begins
From sketching buildings as a child to founding his own architectural practice in 2025, a story decades in the making.
Dobson Pipe Organ Builders
After a fire destroyed their facility, a world renowned organ builder chose to rebuild in their town of 1,731 people. The building became a haiku.
From the Drafting Table to Municipal Leadership
Laid off in the Great Recession, a decade in retail, then a plan review job that reopened the path to licensure and a building official post.
Greater Chicago Food Depository
Phase II of the Nourish Project expanded Chicago's food bank by 38,000 square feet, with community kitchens producing prepared meals daily.
From Apple II to AU: An Architect's Journey from Drafting Boards to Digital Workflows
A fourth grader hooked on an Apple II becomes a licensed architect, a college instructor, a textbook co-author, and an Autodesk University presenter.
Geneva Bay Lakehouse
A mid-century house on Geneva Lake, reimagined: a barrel vault entry, a flight-inspired cupola, ship-inspired nooks, and a bridge over the creek.