Alumni Spotlight: Jeremy Cutts ’10

Auburn alum Jeremy Cutts is an architect, a devoted volunteer and a leader in his field. In 2021, the Alabama chapter of American Institute of Architects (AIA) named him the winner of its Young Architect Award, an honor that goes to individuals who have shown great leadership and made significant contributions to the field of architecture early in their careers. Cutts works days as an Associate Architect at Williams Blackstock Architects in Birmingham, Alabama, and spends his evenings and weekends volunteering in the community.

Cutts graduated from Auburn’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (APLA) with a Bachelor of Architecture in 2010 and has been with Williams Blackstock Architects ever since. As a volunteer, he has worked on various local and statewide committees including AIA Birmingham’s Emerging Professionals Committee, Design Alabama’s DesignPlace and the Alabama Center for Architecture Housing Task Force. He is currently serving on AIA Birmingham’s Executive Committee and is a member of the boards at DesignAlabama and Workshops Empowerment, Inc. Cutts says that the hours he spends working with these organizations are both enjoyable and worthwhile. “Volunteering is an opportunity to interact with the community in a different way and engage with people who don’t normally spend time with architects,” he stated. “Volunteering exposes others to our field, and I think it is very important to spend time with young people who might not even be aware of architecture as a potential career.”

The leadership at Williams Blackstock Architects say that Cutts’ work has transformed communities and college campuses throughout the Southeast. “He has been involved in daily design decisions and coordination of university projects, retail spaces, office buildings, mixed-use and housing authority projects,” the company said in a statement. “Jeremy excels at approaching each project from the client’s point of view and focuses on clearly and comprehensively understanding their expectations so that his design solutions can exceed them.”

Though he is currently busy with work and volunteering, Cutts’ goal for the future is to spend time in Mexico studying a project called “The Housing Laboratory,” a small campus of 32 affordable housing prototypes in the city of Apan. “The intent of the Housing Laboratory is to serve as a place that architects can visit, study and then apply the relevant aspects to affordable housing ideas in their home country,” Cutts explained. While he is most interested in adaptive re-use, affordable housing and mixed-use projects, he enjoys contributing to a wide range of projects. “In general, I enjoy creative problem solving and working with a team to achieve things that may not have been thought possible,” he stated. Cutts says he feels that regardless of the type of work he’s assigned to, he learns something new and finds value in every single project. “Sometimes it’s the relationships that were formed and other times there is a meaningful lesson learned or knowledge gained,” he stated. “It’s always incredible to see the result of hard work and the impact it can have on a person, a family or a community.”