The 2023 AIA Award for Outstanding Public Architecture Goes to Dave Powell

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) awarded David M. Powell, FAIA, principal at HASTINGS, with the 2023 AIA Award for Excellence in Public Architecture. Since its inception in 1992, while it was still named the Thomas Jefferson Award, this honor has been granted to those who have contributed significantly to raising the general public’s understanding and appreciation of the value of high-quality public architecture via their efforts.

GEODIS Park ©Hastings Architecture

More About the 2023 AIA Award Winner

David M. Powell, FAIA, is a musician and architect who has enthusiastically taken up the task of empowering Nashville’s built environment. His work, which takes its cues from Nashville’s renowned songwriters, has been instrumental in the city’s phenomenal development over the past three decades. Powell has gone to great lengths as an architect, advocate, and leader to guarantee that Nashville’s expansion will honor the city’s cultural vernacular and preserve its distinctive qualities while remaining true to its historical roots.

©Daniel Meigs

The 2023 AIA Award winner is the son of a physicist and a musician, which provided him with two opposing perspectives on the world. After graduating with a Bachelor of Architecture from Oklahoma State University in 1991, he moved to Nashville to work as an architect while pursuing his passion for music. After over a decade of working in both fields, he decided to focus on architecture and become a founding partner at polifio, inc.

The recipient of the 2023 AIA Award has been a principal at HASTINGS Architecture since 2008, and he has continued to use a method of design inspired by the creative process of composing music. That’s precisely why each piece of Powell’s work has a backstory, and his genuine designs always shine a spotlight on the crucial function that the project plays in its neighborhood.

He expresses his goals precisely, finds the story’s hook, and creates a comprehensive framework. Nashville’s rapid recent development has highlighted the city’s need for public architecture and culturally significant community spaces, making this process all the more critical.

The Bridge Building, Nashville, Tenn ©Hastings Architecture

The Bellevue Library and the Ryman Auditorium are two examples of Powell’s prominent expression of his ideas. The library, accredited with the LEED Gold standard, acts as a new porch for a neighborhood recovering from a 1,000-year flood in 2010. Its ever-changing appearance is at once inviting and stimulating, serving as a hallmark for those who encounter it thanks to the impressive collection it houses.

Ryman Auditorium ©helsky.net

There’s a reason why the Ryman Auditorium is one of the most iconic buildings in Tennessee and a symbol of Nashville’s character. The Grand Ole Opry has called this building, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1983, “the mother church of country music” since its opening in 1892.

In 1993, the original structure was rescued from demolition. In 2015, Powell reinvented the patron experience by adding a contemporary glass pavilion that complements the building’s existing architecture and provides a fresh expression for Music City’s continuing creative heritage.

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Azafran Park, The Bridge Building, Coffee County Middle and Deerfield Elementary Schools, Donelson Library, Family & Children’s Service, Franklin Theatre, Geodis Park, Madison Park, Smith Springs Community Centers, Metro Police Headquarters and Family Safety Center, and adaptive reuse of the former Nashville Public Library are all examples of the 2023 AIA Award winner’s community-focused vision.

Nashville Public Library ©Eric Laignel

©Craig Alexander Photography

The 2023 AIA Award Winner, Dave Powell, is a dedicated pioneer in his firm and his community, spreading awareness of design’s significance and working relentlessly to promote the field of public architecture. He joined the AIA in 1992 and was recently inducted into their prestigious College of Fellows. He has been active in the Tennessee chapter of the AIA and its Committee on Design.

He has also been a leader in the Nashville design community, having served on the Board of Directors for the Civic Design Center from 2013 to 2021. In that position, he promoted projects like the middle school curriculum “Design Your Neighborhood” and the six-week public course “Socially Conscious Design 101”, both of which aim to teach people about the more substantial effects of design.