AWARDS / 2025 NATIONAL DESIGN AWARD
Michael Maltzan Architecture has been awarded the 2025 National Design Award for Architecture by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. The award, presented in the program's 25th anniversary year, recognizes design innovation and impact in improving the world. The award ceremony took place on April 3rd at the James Burden Mansion in New York City, followed by Cooper Hewitt's first-ever House Party at the museum, celebrating National Design Award winners from the past 25 years.
This year’s National Design Award recipients are:
- Kim Hastreiter, Design Visionary
- ilumiNACIÓN by Resilient Power Puerto Rico, Climate Action
- Nu Goteh, Emerging Designer
- Michael Maltzan Architecture, Architecture
- Matt Willey, Communication Design
- Emerging Objects, Digital Design
- Melitta Baumeister, Fashion Design
- Little Wing Lee, Interior Design
- TERREMOTO, Landscape Architecture
- Jules Sherman, Product Design
Image caption: The 2025 National Design Awards ceremony at the James Burden Mansion
Image caption: Michael Maltzan receives the 2025 National Design Award for Architecture from Cooper Hewitt Director Maria Nicanor.
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AWARDS / 2025 MAYBECK AWARD
Michael Maltzan has been awarded the 2025 Maybeck Award by the California chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The Maybeck Award is an exceptional honor given to a small number of California architects who have demonstrated a lifetime of significant achievements, substantial contributions to the profession, and a body of work that is notable and influential. It is the highest honor that the AIA California bestows upon an individual architect.
Michael will be recognized at the AIA|CA’s annual awards celebration on November 21, 2025.
Image caption: Michael Maltzan | Courtesy Ron Eshel
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CONSTRUCTION UPDATE / RIT MUSIC PERFORMANCE THEATER
Construction on RIT's new Music Performance Theater nears completion. The façade cladding is fully installed, as is the theater seating. Interior finishes are almost complete, with construction activity targeted to end by Thanksgiving and the opening to be in early 2026. This 750-seat theater represents President Emeritus David Munson's vision to elevate the school's performing arts program to match its renowned technical expertise. Once completed, the theater will serve the university's music, theater, dance, and technology programs while also providing much-needed performance space for the greater Rochester community. The project marks an exciting addition to RIT's historic Modernist campus and a transformative cultural initiative.
Pictured: RIT Music Performance Theater
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CONSTRUCTION UPDATE / LUXE LAKES WELCOME CENTER AND HOTEL
Construction on the Luxe Lakes Hotel and Welcome Center in Chengdu, China, continues to progress steadily, with façade cladding nearing completion and the project targeting an opening in September 2026. These two buildings form the architectural heart of an innovative cultural district within a newly planned waterfront community. The Welcome Center serves as the entry point for visitors arriving by car, boat, or water taxi, with its exterior and interior organization weaving together multiple circulation paths to orient guests to the site's many features. The adjacent Hotel's distinctive curving architecture ensures unimpeded lake views from all guest rooms while creating intimate public spaces that enhance the building's character. Together, these structures will serve as signature destinations that anchor our broader Master Plan for the entire Waterfront Village.
Pictured: Luxe Lakes Hotel
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EXHIBITION / BAKEHOUSE ART COMPLEX
To celebrate its fortieth anniversary, the Bakehouse Art Complex will open Bakehouse at Forty: Past, Present, Future - an exhibit to honor the artists, advocates, private and public funders, and community members who shape the institution. Past is curated by Philip Lique, Present by Krys Ortega, and Future by Michael Maltzan Architecture. MMA’s installation will foreground the ongoing design work we have been doing with the Miami nonprofit.
Pictured: MMA's model of the new Bakehouse Art Complex, produced for Past, Present, Future
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EXHIBITION / 2025 CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE BIENNIAL
MMA's 26 Point 2 Apartments was invited to be a part of the 2025 Chicago Architecture Biennial. Running from September 12, 2025, through February 28, 2026, this 10th edition centers around the theme "Shift: Architecture in Times of Radical Change" under the artistic direction of Florencia Rodriguez, the Biennial's first Latina Artistic Director. The theme examines how cultural forces impact design and the built environment, rethinking collective housing, and addressing the impact of migration on our cities. We're honored to have 26 Point 2 Apartments represent our practice in this conversation about architecture's role during periods of transformation.
Video: Part of MMA's submission, this video as part of MMA's contribution to the 2025 CAB
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EXHIBITION / 24TH INTERNATIONAL MILAN TRIENNALE
MMA is participating in the 24th International Exhibition at La Triennale di Milano, focused on the theme of "Inequalities" and running through January 7, 2026. Our contribution, Los Angeles on Fire, explores boundary and inequality in Los Angeles through the lens of the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that struck the city in January 2025. While the popular narrative of Los Angeles often emphasizes freeways, coastlines, and endless sprawl, our installation reveals another reality—a city defined by physical, economic, and social separations. The fires momentarily erased all boundaries, foregrounding both the equalizing power of climate change, and the likely uneven process of rebuilding that will follow. By tracing through a century of fire and development history, we're examining how these natural disasters expose and potentially reshape urban inequality.
Pictured: Los Angeles on Fire installation view
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EXHIBITION / 2025 VENICE ARCHITECTURE BIENNIAL
MMA's permanent supportive housing work is featured in the U.S. Pavilion at the 2025 Biennale Architettura de Venecia. The exhibition, titled "PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity," showcases 52 projects that explore the cultural, architectural, and environmental significance of this iconic American typology.
Pictured: U.S. Pavilion, 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. Photo courtesy of Tim Hursley
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NOW ON VIEW / QAUMAJUQ
On view through May 31, 2026
Pictured: Qaumajuq’s Qilak gallery | photo by Iwan Baan
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NOW ON VIEW / GOETHE-INSTITUT
On view through January 29, 2026
Pictured: Goethe-Institut LA | photo by Iwan Baan
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NOW ON VIEW / HAMMER MUSEUM
On view through March 1, 2026
On view through November 30, 2025
On view through November 30, 2025
Selections from the collection are on permanent display at the museum.
Pictured:The Armand Hammer Collection
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NOW ON VIEW / MOODY CENTER FOR THE ARTS
On view through December 20, 2025
Pictured: Bio Morphe installation view | photo by Alex Marks
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NOW ON VIEW / INNER-CITY ARTS RESENTHAL THEATER
The Rosenthal Theater on the Inner-City Arts campus is a creative home for innovative programming in the performing arts. The space nurtures and illuminates the artistic spirit of young people and adults, enabling them to create, present, and experience new work.
Each year Inner-City Arts offers shows for school partners and public audiences to experience the magic of live performance.
Pictured: Rosenthal Theater at night | photo courtesy Inner-City Arts
| | MMA IN THE NEWS / RECENT PRESS | | LECTURES / DELIVERED BY MICHAEL MALTZAN | | |
New Architecture in a New World, Chicago Architecture Center Panel Discussion, Chicago, IL / September 18
How Architecture Shapes Humanity, Aspen Ideas Festival Panel Discussion with Shigeru Ban, Michael Kimmelman, and Annabelle Selldorf, Aspen, CO / June 26
Can We Un-Isolate Ourselves, Aspen Ideas Festival Panel Discussion with Marc Dunkelman, Hanna Rosin, and Virginia Thomas, Aspen, CO / June 28
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Restaging Criticism: The L.A. Fires and Architecture in the Age of Climate Shock, Panel Discussion with Alejandro Haiek Coll, Christopher Hawthorne, Mark Lee, and Ana Rascovsky, Venice, Italy / May 10, 2025
From the Bedroom to Social Infrastructure, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania / April 7
Pictured: Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum
| | AWARDS / NATIONAL DESIGN AWARD, MAYBECK, 26 POINT 2 APARTMENTS | | |
2025 Maybeck Award
Michael Maltzan
AIA California
USA 400
Michael Maltzan
Wallpaper Magazine
International Architecture Award
26 Point 2 Apartments
Chicago Athenaeum, Museum of Architecture and Design
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National Design Award
Michael Maltzan Architecture
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Honorable Mention, Housing Completed
26 Point 2 Apartments
The Plan Magazine Award
AN’s 2024 Best of Design
26 Point 2 Apartments
Architect’s Newspaper
Pictured: 26 Point 2 Apartments
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TEAM / ELEVATIONS
Hannah Hoyt has been elevated to Principal, recognizing her exceptional leadership and contributions to the practice. Yun Yun has advanced to Senior Associate, while Karisma Dev, Edward Simpson, and Genevieve Pepin have all been promoted to Associate. These elevations reflect not only individual excellence but the collaborative spirit that defines our studio—each of these team members has consistently demonstrated the kind of innovative thinking and commitment to our shared values that drives our work forward. We're also thrilled to celebrate the promotion of Taylor Li and Kinamee Rhodes from interns to full-time employees, bringing them fully into our studio family.
We're excited to welcome Hugo Ventura, who has joined the office as Senior Project Architect and Ben McMillan, as Director of Business Development.
Click here to meet the the MMA team.
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TEAM ACHIEVEMENT / TAYLOR LI
Congratulations to Taylor Li, who placed second in her age group in the Olympic distance race at the 2025 Zuma Beach Triathlon on September 14th. The challenging course included a 1.5K ocean swim, 40K bike ride along Pacific Coast Highway, and 10K run paralleling the beach. The annual event, organized by The Zuma Foundation in partnership with the Challenged Athletes Foundation, supports the Boys & Girls Club of Malibu's Emergency Relief Fund for families affected by the recent Los Angeles wildfires.
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OBJECTS / TOTE BAG
MMA's newest tote bag gives a behind the scene look at our work.
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AROUND THE STUDIO / MODELS
The studio continues to hum with the energy of making. Models have always been central to how we think and work, allowing us to test ideas, explore relationships, and communicate possibilities. This kind of productive energy reinforces the collaborative spirit that drives our work forward.
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