APLA Professor Wins Housing Design Education Award

Moore, Gresham Associate Professor in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (APLA), was recently recognized by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Associated Colleges and Schools of Architecture (ACSA) for his work in teaching housing design. Moore received the 2026 Housing Design Education Award for adaptable housing design in Selma, Alabama,  showcasing projects produced by 32 undergraduate students in his courses over the last two years.

Moore, who teaches both Architecture and Interior Architecture design studios, Elements of Interior Architecture and a seminar on the intricacy of multi-use spaces, challenged his students to explore Selma’s endangered building stock as opportunities for innovative, adaptive reuse housing.

In addition to individual design projects, students across semesters produced a booklet on the history of and design proposals for Selma’s Good Samaritan Hospital and created a district plan for downtown Selma that identifies over 146,000 square feet of underutilized space that could be converted to housing.

The projects unveiled that existing conditions in historic buildings—like large windows and tall ceilings—provide space for modifications that can be reconfigured in the future. Moore helped his students to see that the future of their designs cannot be predicted, but that adaptability extends value by anticipating unexpected changes.

“The AIA/ACSA Housing Design Education Award recognizes years of thinking and writing about how to reconceive physical flexibility as social adaptability,” he said. “I hope students learn that adaptive reuse requires a ruthless precision that reflects a deep respect for a building, a place and its people.”

Moore accepted the award at the AIA/ASCA Conference in Chicago in March.