Philip Merrill Environmental Center Wins AIA’s Twenty-five Year Award

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Philip Merrill Environmental Center in Annapolis, Maryland has received the prestigious AIA Twenty-five Year Award for its enduring legacy as the world’s first LEED Platinum-certified building.

A pioneering example of sustainable architecture designed by SmithGroup, the project demonstrated that sustainable design is feasible, cost effective and beautiful. It also transformed how the profession defines great design by helping to advance the AIA Design Excellence Framework, the guiding benchmark for holistic sustainable design. The award was announced during the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2026 in San Diego.

Designed to operate in harmony with its surroundings while minimizing its impact on the Chesapeake Bay and its ecosystems, the Philip Merrill Environmental Center has served as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s headquarters since it was completed in 2000. Internationally recognized as a model for energy efficiency, high performance and water conservation, the building’s use of recycled materials, renewable resources and both passive and active solar power helped set the global standard for achieving LEED Platinum certification.

A quarter century later, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Philip Merrill Environmental Center continues to thrive as an effective workplace environment and highly popular event and educational venue – reflecting and supporting the foundation’s mission in all aspects of its design, construction and ongoing operations.

“Everyone wins when design works with nature instead of against it. For over 25 years, the Philip Merrill Environmental Center has set the bar for green buildings all around the Chesapeake Bay and the world,” said Willy Agee, Chesapeake Bay Foundation Vice President for Operations. “We started with a vision that was ahead of its time: to use cutting-edge, green technology that replenishes our land and cleans our water. Those results still hold up a quarter-century later and have inspired a legacy of green operations across our region. We are grateful to SmithGroup for their innovative leadership designing the Philip Merrill Environmental Center and thank the American Institute of Architects for this prestigious award.”

With its exceptional sustainable performance and positive environmental and community impact, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Philip Merrill Environmental Center provides living proof of what it means to design a better future. The project joins an impressive list of previous Twenty-five Year Award winners that includes the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in DC.

Click here to view the full list of AIA Award 2026 winners.

Click here to view a list of past AIA Twenty-five Year winners.