Was reminded by Tim of the Cunningham Group (Minneapolis) of the AIA-CAE Education Design awards that will be handed out at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Spring Conference soon; he mentioned it in an email as he was getting ready to fly off to join the rest of his co-jury panel. Here’s a reminder of what the awards are focused upon, for those of you who do not occupy the ’school design’ or architecture worlds on a daily basis.

The call for entries to the fourth annual Committee on Architecture for Education Design Awards program opens on October 3, 2005. The CAE Design Awards recognize exemplary design of educational environments. Submissions will be due on December 6, 2005, with jurying in January 2006 and announcement of the winners at the CAE Spring 2006 Conference.

The awards program is looking identify, honor, and disseminate the projects and ideas that exhibit innovation and excellence in the following ways:

1. A planning and design process that is educational, collaborative, and builds the capacity of the school and its community to support its students
2. Enhancement of the client’s educational program through the thoughtful planning and design of facilities
3. Integration of function and aesthetics in designs that also respect the surrounding community and context.