Recognizing outstanding achievement in architectural design.
Established in 2015, the Texas Society of Architects’ O’Neil Ford Medal for Design Achievement recognizes outstanding achievement in architectural design as exemplified in a body of work produced by an individual architect over a period of at least 20 years.
Visionary architect, urban designer, planner, educator, and author Sinclair Black, FAIA, is principal of Black + Motal, formerly Black + Vernooy, and professor emeritus at the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture. For more than 50 years, Black has contributed significantly to the breadth of the built environment in Central Texas through a body of work that collectively blurs the boundaries between architecture and urban design. Among his many notable projects are: the Great Streets Master Plan, Cedar Street Courtyard, State Theatre renovation, Texas Commission for the Blind, and Nature Center in Austin; work on San Antonio’s River North Master Plan; and his founding and leadership of Reconnect Austin. Black has been a relentless advocate for the public good throughout his career, always working to educate residents, developers, and city councils about the bigger picture. As a collaborator with other architects on the urban scale, he has promoted the “big ideas” that ultimately provide a framework for placemaking: buildings, outdoor spaces, and connections for people celebrating and preserving the particulars of the region.
Black was recognized at TxA’s 85th Annual Conference & Design Expo, held in Houston in October 2024. View a video about his contributions to the profession.
2023
Carolyn Peterson, FAIA
San Antonio
2022
Not Awarded
2021
Mark T. Wellen, FAIA
Midland
2020
Mell Lawrence, FAIA
Austin
2019
Gary Cunningham, FAIA
Dallas
2018
David Lake, FAIA, and Ted Flato, FAIA
San Antonio
2017
Max Levy, FAIA
Dallas
2016
Chris Carson, FAIA, and Boone Powell, FAIA
San Antonio
2015
Frank D. Welch, FAIA
Dallas