AIA Nebraska Award for Architectural | Design Education

Recognizes a living person of esteemed character who has rendered distinguished service to the profession of architecture design or to the arts science in a Nebraska institution of higher learning.
Must be nominated by an AIA Nebraska member, faculty member, current student, or former student and have made a significant contribution to architectural education. The candidate shall have had a cumulative effect on many students and influenced a wide range of students. The candidate shall be a person whose activities have consistently influenced students and provided the ability to make connections between the educator’s particular areas of expertise and other areas as appropriate. (Established 2020)

2025 AIA Nebraska Award for Architectural | Design Education Award Recipient

Jason Griffiths_Educator1

Professor Jason Griffiths is an Associate Professor in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Architecture and the W. Cecil Steward Professor of Sustainability. He earned his Master of Architecture with distinction from the Bartlett School of Architecture in the UK and has held distinguished appointments, including the Hyde Chair of Excellence and the Hawthorne Distinguished Professorship.

A tireless advocate for the advancement of design-build pedagogy, Griffiths provides a transformative, experience-based education for students at UNL. Through his PLAIN Design-Build collective, he integrates research on mass timber with buildings for non-profit organizations in Nebraska. Projects such as Mizer’s Ruin, BLIND, and the Baxa Cabin at Cedar Point Biological Station have enabled students to develop a deep understanding of low-carbon design and socially responsible forestry. Beyond the classroom, Griffiths’ research and creative practice place him at the forefront of material innovation and cultural discourse in architecture. His book Manifest Destiny: A Guide to the Essential Indifference of American Suburban Housing challenges conventional paradigms of suburban development, while his ongoing work-supported by grants from the US Forest Service and the Softwood Lumber Board, among others-advances the use of engineered wood products and sustainable building practices in both education and professional practice

Architectural | Design Education Award Recipients

2025 Jason Griffiths

2024 Stephanie Ling, AIA

2023 Vanessa Schutte, AIA

2022 Katherine Ankerson, AIA

2021 David Karle, Assoc. AIA

2020 Jeffrey L. Day, FAIA