The American Institute of Architects (AIA) St. Paul Chapter is thrilled to announce the results of the 2025 AIA St. Paul Prize design competition. A jury of Kyle Patneau, AIA*, Seann Ringwall, AIA, Ellen Stewart, Ross Altheimer, Assoc. AIA, Joe Spencer, Dave Higgins, and Andrew Sun reviewed the submissions and were impressed by the exceptional quality of work presented.
Recipient: “Unbound” by Alap Sunikumar Parikh, Assoc. AIA
The analysis of site context and the issues identified in the prompt is methodical and well-reasoned, effectively leveraging local precedents to inform both needs and potential solutions. The proposal establishes a strong connection to Downtown through visual and pedestrian extensions of Minnesota Street and Cedar Street. Adaptive reuse of the existing structures along Kellogg Boulevard into mixed-use towers thoughtfully embraces underutilized infrastructure to provide housing and community amenities. From a master planning perspective, the proposal successfully addresses the prompt and promotes a level of vibrancy not achieved by the other submissions. While the design and imagery are compelling, they may be somewhat overly ambitious; greater restraint could yield improved aesthetic consistency.
The AIA St. Paul Chapter highlights the finalists Teddy Gustafson, AIA and Jack Weiler, Assoc. AIA for sharing their time with the jury and they extend a heartfelt thanks to all participants for their thoughtful and creative contributions. Each submission reflected a deep understanding of the prompt and showcased the talent and vision of our design community.
Submission Gallery
To celebrate the exceptional talent showcased in the competition, all submissions are shared. This virtual exhibition allows a broader audience to appreciate the innovative ideas that came out of this two and a half week competition. View all submissions >>
About the St. Paul Prize
The St. Paul Prize Design Competition is an annual program focused on celebrating and recognizing innovative ideas by young design professionals. Architects and designers within 10 years of graduating from an accredited professional degree program are eligible to participate. Learn more
*Kyle Patneau, AIA, participated in finalist interviews but recused himself from the final vote due to a professional conflict of interest involving a firm colleague. Because the initial jury review was conducted blindly, Kyle was unaware of his colleague’s involvement until the finalist stage, at which point he withdrew from all deliberations regarding the final selection.
