2025 Honor Awards Recipients
The Turquoise Medal
VICTOR W. JOHNSON AIA
Victor W. Johnson, AIA, is honored with the Turquoise Medal, the highest distinction awarded by AIA Santa Fe.
Licensed since 1988, Johnson has built a career defined by design excellence, professional leadership, and a deep commitment to the architectural character of Santa Fe and the Southwest. As principal of Victor Johnson Architect, he has contributed projects that balance innovation with tradition, clarity with responsiveness to site, and enduring quality with cultural stewardship.
Johnson’s work reflects a thoughtful approach to architecture as both craft and context, consistently demonstrating rigorous problem‑solving and sensitivity to the human experience. His reputation rests not only on the buildings he has designed but also on his role as mentor, collaborator, and advocate for the profession. The Turquoise Medal recognizes his lifetime achievements, honoring his sustained excellence, his service to the architectural community, and his dedication to advancing the values of design, stewardship, and imagination.
Through his career, Victor Johnson exemplifies how architecture can inspire, endure, and enrich the cultural fabric of Santa Fe.
The Architecture Firm Award
DNCA is a small architectural practice distinguished by its commitment to design excellence and the quality of the built environment. With a highly personalized approach, the firm combines rigorous problem-solving with innovative clarity and practical expediency, consistently delivering projects that satisfy and inspire clients. DNCA designs modern, light-filled spaces rooted in authenticity, employing an honest palette of materials responsive to site, climate, and budget. Their work reflects a balance of contemporary sensibility and vernacular tradition, evolving within the craft of architecture and construction.
The firm believes architecture provides the occasion for human life to unfold, shaping rituals, inspiring imagination, and informing the spirit and mind. Aesthetics, for DNCA, emerges from functionality and the integration of building systems with economic constraints. Each project is grounded in human values, unique programmatic needs, and a deep appreciation for construction methods.
By distilling ideas into simple, functional diagrams, DNCA resolves complex requirements with professional rigor and imaginative clarity. Their engaged, individualized service ensures clients benefit from a knowledgeable, consistent, and accessible team. DNCA exemplifies how thoughtful design can elevate everyday life through simplicity, authenticity, and enduring craft.
The Associate Award
CHARELLE BROWN
Associate AIA
Charelle Brown (Santo Domingo Pueblo) brings extraordinary dedication to architecture rooted in community and tradition.
At Yale, she was among the Native women who organized groundbreaking dialogues and exhibitions on indigenous design, gaining national recognition. Returning home, she pursued her master’s at the University of New Mexico while working with Woven Architecture and leading adobe construction efforts in Santo Domingo Pueblo.
Her contributions include serving as one of 12 indigenous voices in the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center’s recent exhibit on Pueblo architecture. Brown’s work blends cultural heritage with contemporary practice, inspiring colleagues and communities alike.
The Architectural Service Award
CARINA JULIG
Carina Julig is the city government reporter for the Santa Fe New Mexican, where she has illuminated the civic and cultural forces shaping our city since 2023.
A graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder’s journalism program, she previously reported for the Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald and Sentinel Colorado.
Her reporting has consistently drawn public attention to the built environment of Santa Fe — from the challenges of housing affordability and midtown redevelopment to the stewardship of historic spaces and civic landmarks. By weaving together issues of governance, community, and design, Carina has helped citizens see architecture not only as structures, but as living expressions of civic values.
Through her coverage, Carina has stimulated public appreciation of architecture in Santa Fe, encouraging dialogue about how our city’s physical form reflects its identity and future. Her work embodies the mission of the Architectural Service Award: to honor those who deepen public understanding of architecture’s role in community life.
Excellence in Architectural Context Award
GALISTEO BASIN OVERLOOK
Autotroph
Alexander Dzurec AIA
Recognizes a project that demonstrates exceptional sensitivity to its surroundings, honoring Santa Fe’s heritage, traditions, and architectural character while contributing meaningfully to the built environment.
Leadership in Sustainable Practice Award
GRETA HOUSE
BPUBLIC Prefab
J.D. Scott AIA
Honors a project that exemplifies environmental responsibility, innovation in sustainable design, and a commitment to stewardship of natural resources.
Creative Design Citation
LUNA NUEVA
Architectural Alliance
Hunter Redman AIA
Acknowledges an unbuilt project that showcases imagination, foresight, and conceptual strength, offering inspiration for the future of architecture.