The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has awarded Deborah Berke, the Edward P. Bass Dean of the Yale School of Architecture, with the 2025 Gold Medal — one of the architecture profession’s most prestigious honors — in recognition of her design excellence, academic leadership, and commitment to social and environmental responsibility over her four-decade career.
The award, the AIA’s highest annual honor, recognizes individuals whose work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.
“From founding her practice, Deborah Berke Partners (now TenBerke), in 1982 to becoming the first female dean of the Yale School of Architecture, her journey exemplifies innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability,” stated the AIA’s announcement of the award. “… Across a diverse portfolio, her work balances modern aesthetics with vernacular sensitivity, showcasing how design can enrich daily life while fostering community and care.”
In her professional practice, Berke designs private residences, hotels, residential and commercial developments, and institutional art and music buildings. Projects have included the renovation and expansion project that created the Yale School of Art’s Holcombe T. Green, Jr. Hall and NXTHVN, a multi-use arts and creative center in New Haven’s Dixwell neighborhood.
Throughout her career, Berke has exemplified the power of architecture to transform lives and communities.
Other significant projects include the residential colleges at Princeton University; the Cummins Indy Distribution Headquarters in Indianapolis; the 122 Community Arts Center in New York; the Rockefeller Arts Center at SUNY Fredonia; and the 21c Museum Hotels located across the South and Midwest.
“Her work not only integrates environmentally conscious strategies but also emphasizes the social dimension of sustainability, creating spaces that promote equity and inclusivity,” the AIA noted in its announcement.
The AIA’s Gold Medal is a fitting recognition of Berke’s achievements as “an innovative architect and dedicated educator,” said Yale President Maurie McInnis.
“Her elegant, functional buildings simultaneously welcome you and encourage you to appreciate the interplay of different materials that create the spaces surrounding you,” McInnis said. “Through her teaching, she instills in her students an ability to create stunning, imaginative designs that are sustainable, inclusive, and purposeful. I am thrilled that one of our university leaders, and a distinguished faculty member, has received this great honor.”
Berke, who became the first woman to lead the School of Architecture in 2016, was reappointed to a second five-year term in 2021.
During her tenure, she has led efforts to diversify the faculty and student body, and forged collaborations with other schools and departments on campus. She has recruited top-flight faculty, greatly expanded financial aid, and created a new undergraduate major in urban studies that bridges multiple disciplines.
She also supported the establishment of the Yale Center for Ecosystems in Architecture — a multi-field effort to develop a sustainable built environment — and the Regenerative Building Lab, a program that teaches students design and building techniques that reduce a structure’s environmental impact during construction and throughout its existence.
Berke, who is also the J.M. Hoppin Professor of Architecture, received the 2022 AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education, the highest honor given for architectural education in the United States, reflecting her role in shaping future architects.
“Throughout her career, Berke has exemplified the power of architecture to transform lives and communities,” the AIA stated. “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.”
Berke is the third dean of the Yale School of Architecture to receive the medal, joining Charles W. Moore and César Pelli, who received the honor in 1991 and 1995, respectively. The list of past recipients includes several other former faculty and alumni of the school, including Frank Gehry, Louis Kahn, Sir Norman Foster, and Eero Saarinen. Other recipients have included I.M. Pei, Carol Ross Barney, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Louis Sullivan.
