Principal Arjun Mande has been elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA), a distinction to which only about 3% of architects are admitted. Fellowship honors architects whose work has made a significant and lasting contribution to the profession and to the communities it serves.
Arjun’s fellowship reflects more than two decades of leadership in higher education design, grounded in the belief that architecture plays a powerful role in how students learn, connect, and grow.
Over the course of his career, Arjun has helped institutions align ambitious sustainability goals with evolving models of teaching and research—demonstrating how design can be both mission-driven and technically rigorous. At Dartmouth’s Irving Institute for Energy and Society—a 2025 AIA COTE Top Ten Award recipient—Arjun led the design of a net-zero-ready addition and renovation that brings climate research, teaching, and daily campus life together under one roof. At UConn’s Gant Science Complex, he helped transform a mid-century science building into an open, collaborative environment organized around shared academic commons. At UVA’s Bond House, he shaped a new residence hall that integrates living and learning and advances the university’s decarbonization goals through high-performance, all-electric design.
Education shapes the future in profound ways. When we design environments that support curiosity, connection, and responsibility to the planet, we help institutions live their values.
Arjun’s election to the College of Fellows recognizes a body of work that demonstrates how thoughtful, human-centered design can strengthen campuses and empower the next generation of learners and leaders.
Read the official AIA announcement here.