AIA Central NJ Design Awards Night

Join us on October 6, at the Cherry Valley Country Club in Skillman, NJ for the 2026 AIA Central New Jersey Design & Service Awards Night, with a special presentation by Sal Forgione, AIA, PMP, Associate Federal Principal, Design Lead at HDR.

This special evening will celebrate outstanding design, professional achievement, leadership, and service throughout Central New Jersey’s architectural community.

Guests will enjoy live presentations honoring this year’s award recipients, along with an opportunity to connect with colleagues and celebrate the people and projects making a meaningful impact on the profession.

Designing for Purpose: Shaping Civic and Public Architecture Through Planning, Programming, and Collaboration (1 LU)

Public architecture serves a unique responsibility: creating places that support communities, enable critical missions, and stand as lasting civic assets. From campus environments and historic districts to government and institutional facilities, successful projects require balancing visionary design with practical considerations including site constraints, historical significance, stakeholder needs, long-term resilience, sustainability goals, operational requirements, and evolving community expectations.

Through a series of project case studies, participants will explore how thoughtful programming, collaborative planning, and interdisciplinary design processes can transform complex challenges into viable opportunities. The presentation highlights lessons learned from several projects, illustrating how teams can collaborate with their clients in delivering inspiring, functional, and enduring environments that support both mission objectives and the public good.

Attendees will gain insights into approaches for navigating historic contexts, adaptive reuse, sustainability strategies, resilience planning, stakeholder engagement, and project delivery considerations that contribute to successful outcomes throughout the project lifecycle.

Sal Forgione, AIA, PMP

A registered architect and certified project management professional with 15 years of diverse project, Sal has led and managed the delivery of signature facilities for Federal, State, and local agencies in support of national security, training, and mission readiness.

He has led diverse project teams supporting master planning, programming, planning, conceptual design, construction documentation, and construction administration. Most recently at HDR as Architecture Practice Leader, Sal’s clients include the US Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Homeland Security, Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. A central New Jersey native, Sal also supports local clients including the County of Ocean, the New Jersey State Police, and Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst. Sal started his career at Michael Graves & Associates where he worked for over six years and currently has an adjunct faculty position at the Michael Graves College at Kean University.

Sal holds a BFA and MBA and is an active member of AIA, ULI, and the Society of American Military Engineers.

Awards Night Sponsors