AIA College of Fellows Awards Grant for Air-Purifying Building Facade Research

WASHINGTON – October 23, 2025 – The American Institute of Architects College of Fellows Fund, Inc. awarded the 2025 Latrobe Prize—a $150,000 grant—to a nine-person research team to explore how building facades can enhance human health by functioning as air purifiers.

The AIA College of Fellows sought research proposals that: 1) connect the built environment to human health both theoretically and practically, and 2) emphasize architects' vital role in improving community health through design.

Outdoor air pollution is increasing in cities, causing health issues in disadvantaged populations. Led by Doris Sung, AIA, the research team aims to combat this by transforming building envelopes into smog filters. Their pilot project focuses on creating affordable, locally made panels for bus shelters in polluted Los Angeles areas, benefiting vulnerable groups like children and the elderly.

The research team focused on two primary goals: identifying the optimal filter for the system through iterative testing and fabricating a proof-of-concept fresh-air bus shelter. The first phase involves testing various filtration methods including High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, hydrophobic adsorbents (e.g., activated carbon), and biological/living systems (e.g., fungi, lichen), as identified in prior research. The second phase has two parts: optimizing surface striations or contours to enhance airflow into the tubes, and designing the overall shape of a partially enclosed curbside shelter to maximize airflow.

2025 Latrobe Prize Research Team:

•    Principal Investigator: Doris Sung, AIA, Associate Professor in the USC School of Architecture 
•    Ivan Bermejo-Moreno (Co-Principal Investigator), Associate Professor in the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department at USC
•    Mitul Luhar (Co-Principal Investigator), Director Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) Lab and Associate Professor in the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at USC
•    Jiachen Zhang (Co-Principal Investigator), Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering
•    Virginia San Fratello (Consultant), Professor at San Jose State University in the Department of Design
•    Edward Avol (Consultant), Emeritus Professor at the USC Keck School of Medicine
•    David Sloane (Consultant), Professor at the USC Price School of Public Policy
•    Sigrid Andriaenssens (Consultant), Professor of Structural Engineering at Princeton University
•    Russell Fortmeyer (Consultant), Sustainability Engineer at Arup Engineering

Learn more about the College of Fellows Latrobe Prize.

About the College of Fellows
AIA Fellows are recognized for their exceptional work and contributions to architecture and society. Founded in 1952, the AIA College of Fellows seeks to stimulate a sharing of interests among Fellows, promote the purposes of AIA, advance the profession of architecture, mentor young architects, and be of ever-increasing service to society. Less than 3% of AIA members hold the prestigious FAIA designation.

The AIA College of Fellows Fund, Inc is dedicated to executing giving exclusively for charitable, scientific, and educational purposes. This includes soliciting and accepting contributions to the fund, which are used to provide scholarships, stipends, endowments, and other financial support to students and individuals pursuing the study of architecture and related educational fields. Furthermore, the fund actively supports and engages in research related to architecture and associated disciplines, ensuring full compliance with the requirements of 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3) and related provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.