On the last day of the 2026 Environments for Aging Conference + Expo in Phoenix, the annual EFA Magazine Awards Luncheon celebrated the architectural achievements and interior design milestones pushing the industry forward.
Presented by Anne DiNardo, editor-in-chief of Environments for Aging magazine, this year’s ceremony recognized trailblazers across three distinct programs: the Next Wave Awards, EFA Remodel/Renovation Competition, and the EFA Design Showcase.
EFA celebrates rising stars in senior living
Before diving into the magazine’s core awards, the event recognized two recipients of the Ageless Living Collaborative’s Senior Living Design Scholarship: Aatika Hayat, interior design student at Parsons School of Design (New York), and Ericka Anderson, interior design student at Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia). Also recognized were the recipients of the David A. Green Memorial Award, presented by the Society for the Advancement of Gerontological Environments (SAGE). The awardees included Heather Button, senior associate architect at Kearns Mancini Architects (Toronto), and Wenjin (Summer) Wang, Ph.D. candidate at Texas A&M University (College Station, Texas).
The spotlight then turned to the 2025 Next Wave Awards, a program dedicated to rising stars with fewer than 10 years of experience who are already making a profound impact on senior living environments, including Matthew Funk Barley, interior designer, RLPS Architects (Lancaster, Pa.), Carolina Grandelle Steckley, design manager, Curated by Sunrise (McLean, Va.), Morgan Pinch, project architect, associate, HKS (Dallas), and Joe Ijjas, senior associate, Soto Architecture & Urban Design (Washington, D.C.).
During her acceptance speech, Pinch said, “What makes senior living so special is that it sits at the intersection of design, empathy, and purpose. The spaces we’re entrusted to create are where people build community, form new connections, and live some of the most meaningful years of their lives.”
“This industry is a team sport,” Ijjas added. “It’s critical that we work together and no one person carries the load on their own.”
Celebrating leading projects in senior living
As part of the annual Magazine Awards luncheon, the winners of the Remodel/Renovation Competition were celebrated for enhancing the quality of life for residents by reimagining existing spaces.
The winners included the Bronze Award, The Osborn – Social Lounge in Rye, N.Y., submitted by KDA Architects (Cherry Hill, N.J.); Silver Award winner Willow Valley Manor Community – Lobby in Lancaster, Pa., submitted by RLPS Interiors and CCS Building Group (Willow Street, Pa.); and top Gold Award project, Battery Park by Sunrise – Multipurpose/Social Space in New York, submitted by HKS and Curated by Sunrise.
During her acceptance speech, Tina Ruiz-Ellen, senior design director at Curated by Sunrise, credited the project’s success to a strong team. “The partnership between the three stakeholders along with the community team members, the residents, and the families has been what made the success of our project,” she said.
Closing out the luncheon, the annual Design Showcase awards were highlighted on stage. (For more on the 2026 Design Showcase winners, check out EFA’s spring issue.)
Opus Newton in Newton, Mass., submitted by Perkins Eastman (Pittsburgh), received the top Award of Merit in the 2026 competition for delivering a cost-effective, inclusive middle-market model for senior living.
Reflecting on the project team’s achievement and the broader industry, Shannon Kobistek, senior associate at Perkins Eastman, said, “I’m blown away by the number of people that are involved in this industry that are so like-minded and passionate about serving our seniors to make sure that they have the dignity and the respect that they so deserve, no matter what walk of life they’re from.”
Nominations for the 2026 Design Champion Awards will open in June. For more information, go to here.
