Deborah Berke is the 2025 AIA Gold Medal winner

"Throughout her career, Berke has exemplified the power of architecture to transform lives and communities. Her work, teaching, and advocacy collectively underscore a profound belief in design as a tool for social good, leaving an indelible mark on the field and inspiring a more inclusive and sustainable architectural future," the Gold Medal jury's statement reads.

The Queens native's other projects spread throughout the northeast—including her Tiny Home design in the Hamptons and the adaptive reuse NXTHVN arts nonprofit space in Connecticut—were cited as other examples of a vision to promote equity and inclusivity through architecture.

Berke began her career in the 1980s. She first stepped foot on Yale's campus in 1987 as a professor and would go on to serve as the SoA's first female dean beginning in 2016. In addition to that post, she has also taught students at the Rhode Island School of Design (her alma mater), the University of California at Berkeley, and the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies while serving on the juries of several leading architectural awards. 

The Gold Medal honor adds to a list of other accomplishment that includes the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, Berkeley-Rupp Prize, and 2022 AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion. You can learn more about Berke's ambitions, thoughts, and influences by checking out our 2016 One-on-One podcast interview and her answers to our 2017 Proust Questionnaire.