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| 12 Oct 2026 | |
| Design Award Winners |
Congratulations to Andrew Hart NCARB, NOMA, AIA on being selected as the 2026 Emanuel Kelly Award Recipient!
The Emanuel Kelly Award recognizes contributions to architectural education through research, teaching, and service. The recipient has developed new teaching models, published scholarly work, or led educational initiatives.
Named after Emanuel Kelly, FAIA, a longtime leader in Philadelphia’s architectural community, the award is intended to highlight the role of educators in shaping future architects and advancing the profession. With five (5) architecture programs here in Philadelphia, so many of our members teach and invest their time in the next generation of architects. The Board of AIA Philadelphia chose to honor this work with the Emanuel Kelly Award, presented for the second year at the 2026 Design Celebration.
Andrew Hart's work focuses on teaching students how to ethically and responsibly engage with documents and learn from the collective, cultural experience of communities, specifically focusing on stories in history that have historically been undervalued and underappreciated.
In this research and work, Hart strives to connect students and community members with immersive, creative environments to communicate history, personal stories, and co-author values in the best ways that can be used in both community design and academia as a model for other schools and professionals.
As a vehicle for this research, Hart uses imaginative imagery combined with documentation and observation, along with hands-on experience. The research results in the creation of immersive collaborative and co-creation of imagery, collage, sculpture, and photography to assist in forming connections and creating conversations between participants (neighbors and students) to envision new future design solutions.
Communities in which Hart actively works include towns in the coal-mining region of Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Brewerytown/Sharswood and Chinatown neighborhoods, and the surrounding environs of Philadelphia. Through research and teaching, Hart has taken students to other locations nationally and abroad for research at conferences in Denver, Louisiana, and Los Angeles, and to international destinations through teaching in India and Morocco.
Research work in these areas has been exhibited at art galleries (3rd Street Gallery and the DaVinci Art Alliance), published in papers (National Conference on the Beginning Design Student, ARCC), and through service in academic, community, and professional organizations to advocate for and promote sustainable preservation and increased community resources.
Hart's work on design justice in both curriculum and community practice has fed his service on NCARB (National Scholar '26, Senior Licensing Advisor), Justice Alliance in Design Education (JADE), and membership in Dark Matter U (DMU). He is also the faculty advisor for NOMAS (National Organization of Minority Architecture Students).
Come celebrate Andrew with us at the 2026 Design Celebration on Novemeber 12 at the Village of Industry and Art.
