Leers Weinzapfel and JGE Architecture + Design designed Davis Center at Williams College earns 2026 AIA award

Williamstown, MA According to JGE Architecture + Design, the Davis Center at Williams College has been recognized with a 2026 AIA Architecture Award, a national award program celebrating the best in contemporary architecture.

Located within the Williams College community, the Davis Center was designed by Leers Weinzapfel Associates in association with JGE Architecture + Design. The 25,770 s/f multicultural hub was completed in 2024 and reflects Williams’ longstanding commitment to social justice, inclusive community, sustainability, and ecological responsibility.

“The Davis Center is a powerful example of how architecture can honor history, respond to the needs of a campus community, and advance a more sustainable future,” said Jonathan Garland, president and founder of JGE. “We are honored to have contributed to a project that is not only deeply meaningful to Williams College, but now nationally recognized by the AIA for its design excellence and profound impact.”

The Davis Center reimagines and expands Williams existing Rice and Jenness Houses, creating a unified complex that supports student advocacy, cultural engagement, and community-building. The project features a major new addition woven between the two historic houses, bringing together old and new in a way that is both respectful of the campus fabric and bold in its expression of the college’s values.

Designed as a net-zero operational and embodied carbon project, the Davis Center incorporates fossil-fuel-free systems, deep-energy retrofit strategies, a low-carbon wood structure, and healthy material choices. The project has also received Living Building Challenge Petal Certification further underscoring its commitment to sustainable, resilient, and inclusive design.

For JGE Architecture + Design, the national recognition reflects the firm’s continued focus on thoughtful, mission-driven architecture that strengthens communities and creates lasting impact.

The Davis Center project team included Leers Weinzapfel Associates , JGE Architecture + Design, BVH Integrated Services, now Salas O’Brien, RSE Associates, Nitsch Engineering, GZA, Stimson, WB Engineering, Jigsaw Life Safety, LAM Partners, Cavanaugh Tocci, KMA, Vermulens, Integrated Eco Strategy, Kalin Associates, and Consigli Construction.