Best new interiors of 2026 chosen at AIA Interior Architecture Awards

The American Institute of Architects has announced the winners of its 2026 Interior Architecture Award. Nine schemes were honored in this year's edition of the award, which are “recognized as the best in interior architecture and design.”

The awards come days after the AIA also selected the best in contemporary architecture at the 2026 AIA Architecture Awards, and the Philip Merrill Environmental Center by SmithGroup was awarded the 2026 AIA Twenty-five Year Award. You can compare the projects recognized this year to those of previous years by following our ongoing coverage of the series here.  

In the meantime, the winners of the 2026 Interior Architecture Award are as follows: 

825 Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota, by VJAA Inc. 

Project excerpt: "A community-led and engaged design process transformed a long-abandoned historic theater to support the cultural life of a diverse, dynamic neighborhood. The renewed Victoria Theater building in the Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods, now 825 Arts, supports and makes visible a vibrant arts community. The new facility provides a variety of flexible multi-functional gathering spaces, is environmentally and economically sustainable, and respects the building’s historic elements and the rich palimpsests of past occupations. The reshaped interiors include accessible, multi-functional spaces for music and dance, theater and film, gallery displays, impromptu performance and teaching, and community gatherings."

Casa Luce in Tucson, Arizona, by HK ASSOCIATES

Project excerpt: "Casa Luce is an extensive renovation of a mid-century modern home in the Catalina foothills. Characterized by burnt adobe walls supporting a low-slung roof, the home was nevertheless in need of a significant update. The goal of the redesign was to redefine the essence of the home — la essenza. The redesign combined both the bold and subtle editing of existing features, with the thoughtful insertion of 21st-century amenities. The result is as uncompromisingly modern and boundless as it is respectful of the original design."

Cedar Park Public Library in Cedar Park, Texas, by Lake Flato Architects

Project excerpt: "Located in the heart of the City's mixed-use Bell District, the new Cedar Park Public Library is a premier civic destination central to all it serves. The library design leverages the natural features of the site by orienting the building to preserve mature trees, capture summer breezes, and optimize daylight and views. The design evokes the idea of the library as the community's porch—a welcoming threshold between the city and the park that celebrates community, civic engagement, and an appreciation for reading and learning."

Jackson Hole History Museum in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by HGA + Prospect Studio

Project excerpt: "Rooted in Jackson Hole’s landscape and community, the new 13,300-square-foot History Museum transforms a once-threatened downtown block into a civic landmark. Co-created with Indigenous partners and over 2,500 residents through the 'Save the Block' campaign, it reclaims privatized land for public use and preserves 11,000 years of inclusive stories. Flexible galleries, classrooms, and terraces connect people to land and heritage, while high-performance systems and daylight-filled spaces ensure long-term resilience. Since opening, attendance has doubled, youth programs have expanded significantly, and the museum now stands as a model for balancing culture, equity, and the environment."

Missouri Botanical Garden Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center in St. Louis, Missouri, by Ayers Saint Gross and Tao + Lee Associates

Project excerpt: "The Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center provides Missouri Botanical Garden with a new gateway for their more than one million annual visitors. This transformative vision for the Garden reflects its mission 'to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment in order to preserve and enrich life.' Inspired by the Garden's history and its extensive plant collection, the building blurs boundaries between indoors and outdoors, creating an immersive experience by incorporating elements of the natural world. The visitor center integrates seamlessly into the Garden’s arrival sequence, serving as part of a series of thresholds through which the Garden reveals itself."

Mosaic Tenant Amenity Conference Center in San Francisco, California, by Gensler

Project excerpt: "While the office buildings at Embarcadero Center displayed resiliency through the pandemic, the labyrinthine retail-oriented podiums remain beset with vacancies. Two such suites were stitched together to create Mosaic, a conference center and tenant amenity suite. Mosaic is an intersection of public and private, business and social, casual and formal. The architecture’s materiality and form reflect that dialogue: sumptuous textures against stark swaths of concrete; soft, billowing forms meet clean lines; diffused daylight contrasts soft, shifting shadows."

Seattle Convention Center Summit Building in Seattle, Washington, by LMN in association with Graham Baba Architects, Scharrer AD, Rolluda Architects, and Tiscareno Associates.

Project excerpt: "At 1.5 million square feet, The Summit building is the second largest LEED Platinum building in the U.S. and largest LEED Platinum convention center. The world’s first high-rise convention center, program is stacked vertically instead of the typical sprawling horizontal convention center, offering a new model for the typology that centers on engaging community at all scales to connect people to the urban core. The building redefines convention centers, offers a shift in the events industry and seamlessly integrates with the adjacent city neighborhoods. The project emphasizes sustainability while promoting craft and art by local emerging and established artists."

Sunnyvale City Hall in Sunnyvale, California, by SmithGroup

Project excerpt: "Sunnyvale City Hall is the first city hall in the country designed to be Net Zero Energy and LEED Platinum certified. It is the heart of the new Civic Center Campus producing enough clean energy to power itself and serve as a community hub and service center for residents. The lobby's central staircase is not just a physical structure but a catalyst for movement and interaction, promoting health and exploration encouraging city staff and the public to move fluidly throughout the building."

The Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham, MIT, and Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by PAYETTE

Project excerpt: "The Ragon Institute’s new 323,000-square-foot Cambridge facility embodies a forward-thinking vision for research design. Bringing together multidisciplinary scientists and engineers to combat infectious diseases such as HIV and COVID, the building integrates advanced laboratories, collaboration spaces, a café, a childcare center, and public gardens. Guided by sustainability and well-being, its biophilic features — ample daylight, natural views, and operable windows — enhance comfort and connection to nature. A minimalist façade of scalloped sunshades creates a dynamic, light-filled exterior that responds to program and solar orientation while concealing mechanical systems. This landmark facility redefines how research environments can foster discovery, community, and resilience."