An Interview with AIA Hong Kong’s H&A Chair Scott Brooks on Design Excellence and Sustainable Architecture
For nearly three decades, the AIA Hong Kong Honors & Awards program has served as Asia’s premier celebration of architectural excellence. But as Honors & Awards Chair Scott Brooks explains in this candid conversation with Communications’ Chris Quinlan, the awards have evolved far beyond recognition ceremonies.
Today’s program operates with a clear mission: to showcase design solutions that genuinely improve people’s lives while advancing sustainability, community resilience, and lasting positive impact. Through four distinct categories—architecture, interiors, urban design, and unbuilt projects—AIA Hong Kong Honors & Awards celebrates work that demonstrates how good design can create meaningful change.
“Projects that advance sustainability, support community resilience, and create lasting positive impact.”
The following conversation reveals how strategic changes, including the introduction of the Open International category and integration of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence, have strengthened the program’s impact while maintaining its core commitment to celebrating exceptional design. Scott and Chris discuss the challenges of evolution, the benefits of international participation, and what makes AIA Hong Kong’s program unique in the global architectural landscape.
Chris: Can you tell us about the AIA Hong Kong Honors & Awards program and why it matters to our architectural community?
Scott: Absolutely. You know, we’ve been running this program for nearly 30 years now, and I think it’s become Asia’s premier celebration of architectural achievement. But here’s the thing – we’re not just handing out awards and patting people on the back.
What we’re really trying to do is showcase design solutions that make a difference.
Projects that advance sustainability, that foster community resilience, that create lasting positive impact. We recognize outstanding work across four categories – architecture, interiors, urban design, and unbuilt projects – but the thread that connects them all is this idea that good design can genuinely improve people’s lives.
I think what makes it matter to our community is that we’re not just celebrating what’s been done in the past. We’re pointing a way forward through the lens of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence. When architects see the work we’re showcasing, they’re seeing examples of what’s possible – what architecture can achieve when it’s really firing on all cylinders. And that’s incredibly inspiring for the profession.
Plus, AIA Hong Kong were early proponents of sustainable design. We introduced our Sustainability Award back in 2007 and pioneered the first sustainability symposiums in the region. So, we’ve always been about pushing the envelope, encouraging architects to think bigger about their role in creating a better world.
You talked about the impact and vision behind the Honors & Awards program. Can you share what truly sets our awards apart from other design competitions in the region? What makes this program unique?
That’s a great question, Chris. I think there are really three things that set us apart, and they all work together to create something pretty unique.
First, we have an outstanding design jury – distinguished architects, design leaders, and architectural historians who bring incredible expertise to every evaluation. What’s really powerful is how we combine local and international perspectives. We have world-class professionals from Hong Kong who understand our context, our challenges, our opportunities – then we bring in voices from around the world who’ve seen what’s happening in different markets, different contexts.
“We combine local and international perspectives. This combination of deep local knowledge with broad international insight elevates the whole process.”
That’s the secret sauce—you get a jury that understands our local context and challenges, with the added benefit of a global outlook that raises the standard for everyone involved.
Second – we introduced our Open International category a couple of years ago. What that means is you don’t have to be an AIA member to participate. We’re welcoming submissions from licensed architects worldwide, especially from our Asia Pacific region. I think that’s really important because we’re committed to celebrating design excellence wherever we find it. And honestly, it’s opened up this whole new world of submissions—and new AIA International Associate members—that we might never have identified otherwise.
And here’s the third thing that I think truly makes us special: we exhibit all qualifying submissions – not just the winners – at The Rotunda in Exchange Square, Central.
That’s one of Hong Kong’s premier locations, right in the heart of the financial district. So every single participant gets this exceptional visibility to Hong Kong’s architectural and business communities. Even if you don’t win an award, your work is still being showcased in one of the most prestigious places in the city. That’s pretty powerful recognition in itself.
You mentioned the AIA Framework for Design Excellence. How has integrating this framework changed your evaluation process, and what does it mean for architects submitting their work?
Oh, this has been huge for us, Chris. So the AIA Framework for Design Excellence – it’s basically this guide that helps us have structured conversations about sustainability. It’s more than the usual stuff like energy efficiency or green materials, though those are obviously important. It’s much broader and more comprehensive.
“We’re pointing the way forward through the lens of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence.”
What’s exciting about it is that it encourages architects to think about sustainability from Day One of a project. It also gives us this solid framework to actually evaluate design. So when we aligned our evaluation criteria with these principles, we were basically encouraging the architecture community by saying, “Let’s aim higher.”
The AIA Framework is built around ten principles – things like designing for integration, equitable communities, ecosystems, water, and so on. It really helps development teams use design as a tool for positive change. Every project has the potential to make a real impact, right?
For architects submitting their work, what this means is we’re not just asking “Is this building beautiful?” or “Does it function well?” – though these still matter enormously. We’re asking: How does this project contribute to a built environment that’s zero-carbon, equitable, resilient, and healthy? Because when we showcase outstanding work, we’re not just celebrating what’s already been done – we’re showing what’s possible.
And the response has been beyond our expectations. Last year’s transition really showed how committed our AIA community is to integrating sustainability, equity, resilience, and well-being into design. Each award recipient effectively demonstrated how contemporary architecture already addresses these critical priorities.
The Open International category was introduced in 2023. How has adding it expanded the program’s reach, and what prompted the change?
Honestly, it came right out of our AIA Chapter’s Strategic Plan. Our awards had always done a great job of serving—and promoting—our core members, but the other pillars—engaging the wider community, and growing membership—we felt they would benefit from more daylight.
Opening the door to licensed architects who aren’t yet AIA members lets us do all four things at once, which I think a flagship program must deliver. We’re still celebrating our own members, but now we’re cross-pollinating with practices across Asia and beyond. It brings new ideas into the conversation, shows our members how their work stacks up globally, and it signals that Hong Kong is open to the best design talent.
“With our Open International category, you don’t have to be an AIA member to participate. We’re welcoming submissions from licensed architects worldwide.”
The result? A more diverse set of projects, fresh perspectives in the jury room, and, frankly, a bigger spotlight on the Honors & Awards program itself. This change brought new sponsors and new members to the Chapter.
People who enter through the Open International category stick around, attend events, and sometimes even join the Chapter as International Associate Members. So it’s not just an awards tweak; it’s a way to live out the spirit of our strategy and strengthen the entire professional community.
The program has seen some significant changes over the past few years. How do you respond to members who might be concerned about these shifts, and what’s your view on the program’s trajectory?
Look, I get it. Change is unsettling, especially when you’re talking about a program that’s been running for nearly 30 years. Some people looked at the Open International category or the AIA Framework for Design Excellence and wondered if we’re fixing something that wasn’t broken.
“We’re still celebrating our members’ work… But now we’re doing it in a way that also engages the broader architectural community, …”
But here’s the thing – we weren’t just making changes for the sake of change. We were responding to real challenges. We had this awards program that was doing one thing really well – celebrating our members’ work – but it wasn’t fully achieving the other pillars of our strategic vision.
The changes we’ve made have strengthened the Honors & Awards program. The Open International category has brought in fresh perspectives and raised the bar for everyone. The AIA Framework for Design Excellence has given us a more rigorous, forward-looking way to evaluate projects. And honestly, the quality of submissions has gone up.
I think what some people are really concerned about is whether we’re still focused on our core community. And the answer is absolutely yes. We’re still celebrating our members’ work, we’re still providing that platform for recognition. But now we’re doing it in a way that also engages the broader architectural community, attracts new talent, and positions Hong Kong as a leader in sustainable design.
Through these changes, we’ve got momentum, we’ve got energy, and we’ve got a clear vision for where we’re heading. That’s something to be excited about.
That’s really helpful context, Scott. Now, let’s get into the practical details for architects who might be interested in participating. What types of projects can they submit, and who exactly is eligible?
We keep it pretty broad, which I think is one of our strengths. We’ve got four main categories: architecture, interiors, urban design, and unbuilt projects. That last one’s particularly important because some of the most innovative thinking happens in projects that do not get built – competition entries, speculative work, proposals that push boundaries.
For eligibility, if you’re an AIA member in Hong Kong, you can submit work from anywhere in the world. If you’re an AIA member of other chapters, the project has to be within our Chapter’s region. And thanks to our Open International category, licensed architects worldwide can also participate, even if they’re not AIA members yet, with the same provision that the project is within our Chapter’s region.
What’s nice is that we’re not prescriptive about project scale or budget. We’ve seen everything from small pavilions and residential interventions—like Su Chang’s Breathing Home, which earned a Merit Award—to major buildings and urban planning initiatives, like StudioPOD’s One Green Mile in Mumbai, which earned Merit and Sustainability recognition. We also recognize creative adaptive reuse projects, like Index Architecture’s Forest House Waldorf School, which earned an Honor Award last year. It’s all about the quality of the design thinking and how well the project addresses our evaluation criteria.
You mentioned the exhibition earlier. Can you tell us more about that component and how it benefits participants?
This might be my favorite part of the program.
Every qualifying submission gets exhibited at The Rotunda in Exchange Square, Central. And when I say every qualifying submission, I mean it – not just the winners. And, unlike many other programs, we don’t charge additional fees for exhibition.
The Rotunda is this premier space right in the heart of Hong Kong’s financial district. So when we put architectural projects there, we’re giving them this incredible platform and visibility.
“Every single participant gets exceptional visibility in one of Hong Kong’s most prestigious public spaces.”
Think about it – your work is being seen by Hong Kong’s business community, by other architects, by the public. Even if you don’t win an award, your project is still getting showcased in one of the most prestigious spaces in the city. That’s powerful recognition in itself, and it leads to new connections, new opportunities.
The exhibition also serves this broader purpose of educating the public about what good design can achieve. We’re not just talking to ourselves in the architecture profession – we’re showing the wider community what’s possible.
Finally, Scott, what’s your message to architects who are considering submitting their work this year?
Oh, well – this is your chance to be part of a conversation that’s bigger than just one project or one practice.
When you submit to our awards, you’re joining a community that’s actively working to shape the future of the built environment.
And whether you’re an AIA member or you’re participating in our Open International category, you’re getting the same high-quality evaluation, the same international exposure.
But beyond the recognition – and don’t get me wrong, that matters – you’re contributing to this larger project of demonstrating what architecture can accomplish. Every project we showcase helps educate clients, developers, and the public about what’s possible.
So if you’ve got work that you’re proud of, work that pushes boundaries, work that addresses real challenges, I’d encourage you to submit. Join us in celebrating architecture that doesn’t just look good, but actually makes a difference.
Looking Forward: The Future of Design Excellence
This conversation reveals a program that’s found its stride through thoughtful evolution. The AIA Hong Kong Honors & Awards stands today as more than a recognition ceremony—it is a platform for demonstrating architecture’s potential to address real-world challenges while celebrating the creativity and innovation of the design community.
“The program doesn’t just celebrate what’s already been done—it points toward what’s possible when design excellence meets genuine commitment to positive impact.”
The program’s commitment to showcasing all qualifying submissions at The Rotunda, combined with its embrace of international participation and focus on sustainable design principles, positions it as a model for how professional awards can serve broader purposes. Whether one is an AIA member architect or an international practitioner, the program offers a unique opportunity to be part of a conversation that extends far beyond any single project.
For architects considering participation, Scott’s message is clear: this is your chance to contribute to a larger dialogue about architecture’s role in creating a better world. The program doesn’t just celebrate what has been accomplished, it points toward what’s possible when design excellence meets genuine commitment to positive impact.
As the program continues to grow and evolve, it remains grounded in its fundamental purpose: demonstrating that great architecture doesn’t just look good…it makes a difference.
The 2025 AIA Hong Kong Honors & Awards call for entries closed on 5 September 2025.