AIA Announces the 2026 Honorary Fellows: Eleven Architects Elevated
Summer in Copenhagen’s Nordhavn district and the tip of Nordø by COBE / Dan Stubbergaard; Denmark, July 2024. Photo by Dan Hogman
AIA Announces the 2026 Honorary Fellows: Eleven Architects Whose Work Extends the Discipline’s Civic Reach
The American Institute of Architects has issued the 2026 list of Honorary Fellows (Hon. FAIA), recognizing eleven international architects. As Chair of the Honorary Fellows Committee within the AIA Committee on Design, I am honored to acknowledge this cohort and congratulate them.
Fernanda Canales – Mexico City, Mexico
Minsuk Cho – Seoul, South Korea
Alex Ely – London, United Kingdom
Frida Escobedo – Mexico City, Mexico
Lina Ghotmeh – Paris, France
Rossana Ju-Shan Hu – Shanghai, China
Ma Yansong – Beijing, China
Dorte Mandrup – Copenhagen, Denmark
Carlo Ratti – Cambridge, Massachusetts / Turin, Italy
Dan Stubbergaard – Frederiksberg, Denmark
Takaharu Tezuka – Setagaya, Japan
This year’s group is notable not only for geographic breadth—from Mexico City to Copenhagen, Tokyo to Shanghai- but also for the variety in typologies, engaging institutions, landscapes, housing, and public space. I hesitate to generalize across practices, which are built so differently across the board - but in all cases, the social mandate remains central to the work presented.
The Honorary Fellowship process itself is deliberately accessible. Candidates are nominated and guided by the HFAIA Committee through a clear, supportive application framework. Eligibility centers on demonstrated advancement of architecture’s art and science, evidenced by significant built or theoretical contributions, peer recognition through major awards and publications, and the dissemination of knowledge via public lectures, exhibitions, or academic teaching.
On behalf of the AIA Committee on Design and the Honorary Fellows Committee, I extend my congratulations to the 2026 Honorary Fellows.
-dh