SPACE
A New Idea of Home in North Texas
AIA Dallas honors 14 projects exploring a wide range of approaches to contemporary living. BY TERRI PROVENCAL
Langdale House by architect Bentley Tibbs, recipient of an AIA Dallas 2026 Jury Citation. Photograph by Charles Davis Smith.
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region long associated with oversized houses and relentless suburban expansion, North Texas is slowly redefining what residential architecture can be. The inaugural AIA Dallas Residential Design Awards, announced May 14, 2026, at the AIA Dallas Center for Architecture, offered an unusually nuanced snapshot of that evolution. Rather than celebrating a single architectural aesthetic, the fourteen recognized projects reveal a residential landscape increasingly shaped by adaptation, density, environmental responsiveness, and careful attention to everyday life. Presented by Home IQ Solutions and hosted by America ByDesign executive producer Mike Chapman, the evening paired the announcement of the winners with a conversation among the jurors, shifting the focus from competition to the ideas behind the work. The awards, chaired by Laura Juarez Baggett, AIA, and Thad Reeves, AIA, were created to recognize exceptional residential design by AIA Dallas architects across a broad range of housing types—from custom homes and renovations to duplexes, multifamily housing, and accessory structures. The winning projects suggest that some of the most compelling residential work happening in North Texas isn’t defined by square footage or spectacle, but by how thoughtfully architects respond to place, existing buildings, and changing patterns of living. Several projects explore the possibilities of transformation rather than replacement. Bentley Tibbs Architect’s Langdale House and NIMMO Architecture’s Caladium House demonstrate how comprehensive renovations can preserve the character of existing homes while fundamentally rethinking how they function. JRAF Studio’s Mi Casa Es Su Casa, recognized with a Jury Citation, similarly reflects an approach that values reinvention over demolition.
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AIA Dallas 2026 Jury Citation recipient Mi Casa Es Su Casa, designed by JRAF Studio. Photograph by Sydney Bro.
Elsewhere, architects are expanding the conversation about housing itself. Designed by buildingcommunityWORKSHOP’s +ONE: An Experiment in Housing Affordability, awarded a Merit Award in the Multifamily Small category, addresses one of the region’s most urgent questions: how thoughtful design can contribute to more attainable housing. FAR + DANG’s Butterfly Duplex offers another perspective, suggesting that higher-density living can also be architecturally ambitious and deeply contextual.