Leadership in Solar Architecture and Design Award

Background of Award

(Formerly Passive Solar Pioneer Award)

The American Solar Energy Society has established this award to recognize leaders in the fields of architecture and design who have made outstanding contributions related to the use of solar, low-energy, and sustainable design strategies. Honorees will have developed significant ideas, theories, and concepts related to solar, low-energy, and sustainable building design, provided impactful demonstrations of these, or inspired others to build upon their contributions in order to advance the field and increase its impact. This award recognizes both the timelessness of sustainable design and also a sensitivity to particular design challenges of the age.

Nomination Information

Criteria:
Nominations are invited for distinguished members of the solar, low-energy and sustainable architecture and design fields meeting the following requirements:

1. The nominee must have completed significant work in the U.S. or contributed greatly to such work in the U.S. The nominee does not have to be a U.S. citizen or resident. 
2. The nominee must have been responsible for significant ideas, theories, and concepts related to solar, low-energy, and sustainable building design and have provided impactful demonstrations of these or inspired others to build upon their contributions in order to advance the field and increase its impact.
3. Nominees need not be members of the Society, but they should be well-known to the ASES community, previously been members of ASES, or have participated in ASES activities or networks in the past. 
4. The definition of “solar, low-energy, and sustainable design strategies” is intended to be broadly interpreted to include the many schools of thought, professional work, scholarship, and variations of design theory that incorporate passive and/or active solar in significant ways.

Letters of Support:

1. ASES requests that nominations include the submission of the nomination form and two letters of support for each nominee. The nomination form above must be submitted by a current ASES member. The letters of support should be emailed to awards@ases.org, using the file naming protocol Architecture_NomineeLastName_LetterWriterLastName. If possible, include the nominee’s CV or resume, or a link to it.
2. Each nomination shall include a 100-word maximum citation succinctly describing why the nominee deserves this award. 

Self-nominations and/or incomplete submissions will not be accepted.

Leadership in Solar Architecture and Design Award Winners

2024 Mike Nicklas and Gary Bailey, Innovative Designs
2023 Steven Strong, Harvard, Massachusetts
2022 Orlo Stitt, The Stitt Group
2021 Alfredo Fernandez-Gonzalez, University of Nevada Las Vegas 
2020 Bruce T. Haglund, Moscow, Idaho

Passive Solar Pioneer Award Winners

2019 David Panich, David Panich Architect
2018 Walter Grondzik, Ball State University
2017 Alison Kwok, University of Oregon
2016 Jonathan Hammond
2015 Marc Schiler, University of Southern California
2014 Mr. Donald Watson, Trumbull, Connecticut
2013 Bruce Brownell, Adirondack Alternate Energy
2012 Mark Chalom and Edna Shaviv
2010  Richard Levine, University of Kentucky
2009  Baruch Givoni, UCLA
2008  David Wright, Grass Valley, California
2007  Harvey Bryan, Arizona State University
2006  Malcolm Wells, Brewster, Massachusetts
2005  Steven Paul Badanes, University of Washington
2004  David A. Bainbridge, Alliant International University
2003  Ralph Lewis Knowles, University of Southern California
2002  Donald Prowler, Donald Prowler & Associates
2001  Murray Milne, UCLA
2000  Pliny Fisk III, Ctr Max Potential Building Systems
1999  Robert Keller, Kalwall Corporation
1998  Bill and Susan Yanda, New Mexico
1997  John Reynolds, University of Oregon
1996  Ken Haggard and Polly Cooper, San Luis Obispo Solar Group, California
1995  Anne Dunning, SOLARCON, Santa Fe, New Mexico
1994  Edward Mazria, Albuquerque, New Mexico
1993  Phil Niles, CalPoly University at San Luis Obispo
1991  Native Americans
1990  Bruce Anderson, Earth Day, USA
1989  Steve Baer, Zomeworks Corp.
1988  Norman B. Saunders, Weston, Massachusetts
1987  John I. Yellott, Arizona State University
1986  Harold Hay, California
1985  Jeffrey Cook, Arizona State University
1984  J. Douglas Balcomb, Los Alamos National Laboratory
1983  Peter Van Dresser, New Mexico
1982  Wendell Thomas, Celo, North Carolina
1981  Loren Neubauer, Davis, California
1980  Albert Dietz, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1979  George Fred Keck

Questions? Contact awards@ases.org.