Quality design matters, no matter the size of the project. At the Small Projects Awards party on Friday, May 1, AIA Chicago will recognize the year’s best architecture for small-scale residential and commercial projects. Held at Architectural Artifacts, 4325 N. Ravenswood in Chicago, the Small Projects Awards and exhibit is a “big party” that will show off kitchen remodeling projects, home additions, architectural design objects, weekend retreats, and office renovations by Chicago-area architects. 

“With the improved economy, home and business owners are getting back to expansions or thinking about tackling improvement projects—and it pays to hire an architect,” said Zurich Esposito, executive vice president of AIA Chicago. For homeowners in particular, an increasing concern to incorporate sustainable measures that promote energy-efficiency and water conservation—as evidenced by findings in the latest AIA’s Home Design Trends survey—can be accommodated most successfully by using the services of a licensed architect, said Esposito. 

The Small Projects event, held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., is an excellent opportunity for those looking to find design inspiration in seeing projects and meeting architects who specialize in residential architecture and small-scale commercial projects. See below for a full listing of Small Projects Awards sponsors

The Small Projects Awards program is free. The public and media may RSVP at www.aiachicago.org. The venue, Architectural Artifacts, is located in Chicago’s historic Ravenswood neighborhood, just one block east of the Montrose stop of the CTA Brown line and four blocks south of the Lawrence Avenue stop on the Metra line.

To learn more about Architectural Artifacts, visit the Web site at www.architecturalartifacts.com.