Architecture Showcase & Awards

In the event a free event is “sold out,” please register for a Lobby Pass to get into Dr. Phillips Center. A line for stand by patrons will form outside the DeVos Family Room prior to the event starting. 

• Networking & Cocktail Hour | 5:30 p.m.
• Student showcase begins | 7 p.m.
• A featured architecture presentation by Ellen Mitchell, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, SEED, Director of Sustainability and Applied Research at LPA Design Studios
• Outstanding student work from UCF, UF and Valencia College
• Awarding of student scholarships
• A curated gallery of fine artwork by students and local architects

About Ellen Mitchell, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, SEED:

Ellen is a recognized leader in the industry’s move to create more energy efficient, equitable and resilient built environment. Ellen guides LPA’s Sustainability and Applied Research team focused on developing actionable research to support the firm’s informed design process. She also leads initiatives across the firm to advance sustainability and high-performance design, building a culture of education, accountability and innovation.

A trained and licensed architect, Ellen has spent the overwhelming majority of her career focused on integrating sustainability and high-performance design, achieving results across a diverse range of project types, budgets and cultures. She has overseen more than $4 billion worth of construction through LEED and other third-party certifications. On every project, she advocates for a holistic approach to sustainability, focused on performance, experience, wellness and community. She stresses the value proposition of high-performance design and the impact on market share, positive industry and community visibility, and occupant satisfaction and well-being.

Throughout her career, Ellen has championed an expanded awareness of the industry’s social impact and the connection to environmental issues. A tireless advocate for public interest design, she previously founded and directed an initiative dedicated to providing reduced fee or gratis design work to communities and non-profits, working on projects ranging from a net zero energy maternity ward in Uganda to an urban food studio in Washington D.C.

Ellen is a frequent speaker and panelist at industry events discussing design culture, carbon reduction and public interest design. She volunteers with several groups focused on promoting best practices, including the AIA National Framework for Design Excellence Task Group, AIA National COTE Sub-Committee on Climate Action & Climate Justice and Large Firm Round Table Sustainability Group Executive Committee.

About LPA: 

LPA is an integrated firm working out of seven studios in California and Texas, with more than 550 architects, engineers, landscape architects, interior designers and planners working as one team. The firm has developed as an industry prototype for a diverse, inclusive organization that supports the growth of young talent and encourages a collaborative, research-based approach to design.

Early in our history, we embraced performance and sustainability as core values, and committed to defining goals and measure outcomes in concrete, openly shared ways. We were an early supporter of LEED; in 1998 LPA designed the nation’s first LEED NC-certified building.

In 2004, the firm committed to an internal goal of making projects perform 25% better than California’s Title 24 energy code. In 2010, we set a goal of a 100% LEED AP-certified staff to kickstart awareness of performance across the firm; today, more than 80% are LEED APs, including our HR Director.

As a firm, we concluded that the best responses to the challenges of the built environment are integration and collaboration. After adding interior design and landscape architecture, we brought in structural engineering in 2007 and by 2010 all the engineering disciplines were in house. We embraced the best evaluative tools available — from EUI calculations to the Fitwel Standard — and committed to publishing our results. In 2016, we added a research team, LPAred, to improve the evaluation of performance, develop actionable research and complete the feedback loop to enable evidence-based innovation.

The collective vision and shared process have profoundly changed the firm. On a fundamental level, we tackle projects differently than other firms. Our approach emphasizes collaboration, communication and research to find the best answers for our clients. We never settle for the status quo. We don’t use templates. We believe an informed, research-driven approach results in environments that work better, do more with less and improve people’s lives.

Presented in partnership with the University of Florida, Valencia College and the Orlando Foundation for Architecture (OFA).