Features
2025 Raphael Awards
At the elegant Tappan Hill Mansion in Sleepy Hollow, New York, the architectural community gathered for the third annual Raphael Awards Ceremony, a highlight of this year’s Traditional Building Conference. The event honors excellence in hand drawing and watercolor rendering, celebrating the timeless skills that continue to shape classical and traditional architecture.
Named after Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, the iconic Italian Renaissance painter, draftsman, and architect buried at the Pantheon in Rome, the Raphael Awards aim to foster the study of classical and neoclassical architecture through traditional artistic methods. The 2025 competition marked another year of growth and excellence, showcasing works from across the country and beyond.
A standout theme among many of this year’s winners—particularly those from Michael Imber Architects—is the firm’s dedication to traditional rendering techniques. As jurors noted, hand drawing and watercolor are not just stylistic choices but core to the design process. The firm even hosts group drawing sessions every Friday afternoon, underscoring a culture that prizes artistic development.
Congratulations to all the architects, designers, and artists who entered the 2025 Raphael Awards. Your work reminds us that in a digital world, there is still unmatched power in the human hand and the trained eye.
We want to thank this year’s esteemed professionals in architecture and publishing:
Christine Franck, AIA, ICAA, INTBAU – Principal, Christine Huckins Franck Architect LLC, based in Denver, with a national residential portfolio.
Steve Rugo, AIA – Principal, Rugo Raff LTD Architects of Chicago, known for his work in Los Angeles on residential, hospitality, and preservation projects.
Mary Connolly – Executive Art Director for Traditional Building and
Period Homes magazines and the Traditional Building Conference Series.
The jury evaluated submissions across nine categories, from on-site drawings to design renderings, selecting winners who demonstrated not only technical proficiency but also expressive storytelling through architecture.
On-Site Watercolor
Nathan Walz, Michael Imber Architects
Castel Sant’Angelo from Ponte Sant’Angelo
Walz—an emerging professional and former Notre Dame valedictorian candidate—presented a watercolor filled with warmth and vitality. The orange Roman brick harmonized with the sky to create what the jury called “a particularly interesting painting,” marked by a low vanishing point and a thoughtfully composed foreground.
Design Orthographic Rendering
Elizabeth Reay, Michael Imber Architects
Row House Building at Alys Beach
A fellow member of Michael Imber Architects team, Reay is a Notre Dame graduate with a concentration in furniture design. Her elevation drawing was described as “a very happy rendering,” where high-contrast white architecture and vibrant green shutters evoked a Wes Anderson-esque charm. “It makes me smile,” the jury added.
Design Presentation: Residential
J. Mark Nelson, Gambrels
Nelson’s winning presentation offered floor plans, elevations, and a perspective that brought the character of the home to life. The jury highlighted the clarity of vision and the charm added through hand sketching and lettering.
On-Site Line Drawing (Pencil or Pen)
Alexander J. Ford, Michael Imber Architects
Savannah Civil War Memorial
Representing Michael Imber Architects, Ford took home his second Raphael Award for this pencil drawing. The composition’s diagonal lines and richly varied linework impressed the jury, who noted how the lamppost and memorial sculpture balance the sweeping background of Savannah’s iconic trees.
Design Sketch
Wladyslaw Prosol and Robert Orr
State and George Market Square
In this category, the jury emphasized the importance of a sketch’s ability to “sell the vision.” The architects delivered a compelling scene in which architecture gracefully steps back to frame the life of a new public space. “The glimpse of space beyond is a nice touch,” the jury noted.
Architectural Watercolor
Thomas Wells Schaller
Afternoon in Rome
A New York-based architect and author, Schaller earns his second Raphael Award with a watercolor that the jury praised as “setting an extremely high bar.” The interplay of deep shadow and delicate frescoes, combined with a masterful use of light, captured the judges’ admiration. “Schaller excels at composing with light,” they noted.
Institutional Design Presentation
Pavel Zhurov
Student Center at Choate Rosemary Hall
Representing the DLR Group, Zhurov’s work was notable for its comprehensive approach—pairing perspectives with elevations, sections, and construction details. The jury called it “very convincing” in how it conveyed the character and composition of the building.
Detail Study
Matt McNicholos,
McNicholos Architects
Palais Garnier
From his Chicago-based firm, McNicholos offered a compelling study of one of Paris’s architectural jewels. His rendering of the ornate details of Garnier’s opera house was lauded for its lifelike textures and dramatic lighting, capturing not just form but also the spirit of the ornamentation.
Design Perspective Rendering
Alexander Ford, Michael Imber Architects
South Library Pavilion at Hillsdale College
For a conceptual design, Ford’s perspective rendering conveyed not just appearance but also the anticipated experience of the space. The jury praised his ability to “hint at mystery,” pulling the building’s entry just off-center to invite the viewer into the narrative
of the design.
The 2026 Raphael Awards will begin accepting submissions April 15, 2026.
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