The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has selected 17 recipients for the 2023 AIA Young Architects Award from across the nation. Among them is one honoree from Pennsylvania, Efrie Escott, AIA, currently a Sustainability Transformation Leader with Schneider Electric.
Escott was previously a principal with Philadelphia’s KieranTimberlake, where she began her career as a research intern and created the prototype database for Tally, the first BIM-integrated life cycle assessment software. After completing her graduate studies at the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, she returned to KieranTimberlake as a full-time researcher and Tally’s most public advocate, delivering hundreds of talks on integrating life cycle thinking into design. She has also published multiple peer-reviewed articles and presented at major conferences, including as the keynote at the International Living Future Institute’s (ILFI) Zero Carbon Conference.
Design-based research and experiential learning have been the hallmarks of Escott’s courses at Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania. A natural mentor, she focuses on environmental ethics, imbuing the next generation of design professionals with a passion for interweaving environmental performance and design intuition.
An avid volunteer, Escott focuses on creating new relationships that support equity and climate activism. In 2017, she created a community for computational design, becoming the first female founder of a digital design user group with Philadelphia’s Dynamo User Group. That work led her to Rwanda, where she worked with MASS Design Group to learn visual scripting, supply chain equity analysis, and embodied environmental impact measurement. She is also a leader in her local community, serving as co-chair of AIA Philadelphia’s Women in Architecture Committee.
Read Efrie’s complete profile over on aia.org.
About the AIA Young Architects Award
The AIA Young Architects Award honors individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the architecture profession early in their careers.
The Jury
- Ann Marie Baranowski, FAIA, Chair, Ann Marie Baranowski Architect PLLC (AMBA), New York
- Sarah Broughton, FAIA, Rowland+Broughton Architecture / Urban Design / Interior Design (R+B), Aspen, Colo.
- Christian Joosse, AIA, Moody Nolan, Columbus, Ohio
- Greg Luhan, FAIA, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
- Virginia Marquardt, AIA, HMC Architects, Los Angeles
- Danielle Tillman, AIA, NOMA, BKL Arch, Chicago