Adam Yaracs, AIA

Adam Yaracs, AIA, has devoted much of his career to public outreach and has nurtured a more vibrant community though his efforts with AIA Cleveland, his practice, and as a Kent State University faculty member. An excellent communicator with a penchant for collaboration, Yaracs has continuously increased the relevancy of chapter programs while attracting new members and elevating the profile of architects.

As a project manager at Cleveland’s Perspectus Architecture, Yaracs focuses on community-based projects in higher education, performing arts, healthcare facilities, and other multiuse spaces. His process involves building awareness around the value of well-designed spaces that, in turn, strengthens the overall quality of each project. Most recently he led the design of the new clubhouse and community center for Gleneagles Golf Club in Twinsburg, Ohio. The 20,000-square-foot building functions as a community hub and revenue generator that boosts the quality of life for Twinsburg residents. In addition to the clubhouse, the facility has a 250-seat banquet hall and full-service restaurant that enable it to operate all year.

For more than a decade, Yaracs has been an active member of AIA Cleveland and has occupied a number of leadership roles. In 2017, at age 34, he became one of the youngest presidents in the chapter’s 125-year history. Throughout his years of service, he has stressed the importance of educating others about the role architects play in the built environment. As director of chapter communications, he developed and implemented a public outreach action plan applicable for chapters of similar size across the country. As a pro bono service, Yaracs designed a new website for the chapter featuring bold imagery and streamlined content that, since its launch, has dramatically increased web traffic.

As co-chair of the annual AIA Cleveland Design Awards, the chapter’s signature event, Yaracs established the goals of growing the program and increasing attention to the work performed by the city’s architects. Through direct outreach and the development of a robust program book, project submissions nearly doubled. He also established a student awards program that encompasses four graduate studios each year and garners about 40 projects for consideration.

Committed to the next generation of design professionals, Yaracs has fostered his students’ creative strategies as a studio faculty member of Kent State’s College of Architecture & Environmental Design. To uncover solutions to complex design problems, he encourages his students to work collaboratively, reinforcing the importance of creating a design community. Last year Yaracs was named faculty advisor for the university’s AIAS chapter, making him one of the few adjunct faculty members to assume an advising role at the school.

With an unquenchable passion for engagement, Yaracs has demonstrated the many ways that active outreach can benefit the AIA and its members. Through his leadership and commitment, he has created new avenues for architects to connect more deeply with their communities.