Two NBBJ Projects Recognized Among Nation’s Best with AIA Honor Awards
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) celebrates two NBBJ projects with prestigious National Honor Awards—the highest recognition for design excellence in architecture and interiors in the United States.
The Montage Health Ohana Center for Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health in Monterey, California, receives the Interior Architecture Honor Award, while the Seattle Ferry Terminal in Washington State is recognized with the Architecture Honor Award. You can read more about each project below.
These accolades further reinforce NBBJ’s position as a global design leader and build on a growing list of achievements, including being named one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies” for the 5th time in 2025, a Modern Healthcare “Best in Business” winner, and the designer of a TIME Magazine “Best Invention” award.
Montage Health Ohana Center: AIA Interior Architecture Honor Award
The Montage Health Ohana Center for Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health redefines healing through a deep connection to nature. Set on a scenic hillside in Monterey, CA, the design celebrates the landscape while supporting wellness, privacy and safety. The design draws on cutting-edge neuroscience to reduce staff fatigue, boost cognitive function, support immune health and promote personal agency. Spaces are tiered by patient acuity, placing public areas near the top and more private, residential areas at the base.
As one of the largest healthcare projects to use prefabricated mass timber, Ohana’s design not only minimizes construction waste compared to steel or concrete but also reduces build time and site disruption. Curved facades, created with rectangular prefab panels, provide enclosure and privacy while blending into the natural surroundings.
Fixtures, finishes, and furnishings echo the atmosphere of hospitality with light-toned, anti-ligature casework and other welcoming details. Art plays a critical role as well; more than 160 artists contributed to an expansive arts program—including young patients from Montage Health. Guests can even choose a photograph to hang in their room during their stay, helping create a sense of personal refuge.
Seattle Ferry Terminal: AIA Architecture Honor Award
Designed as a welcoming space for its more than 10 million commuters each year, the new flagship The Seattle Ferry Terminal reconnects the region to its cherished Seattle waterfront, Bainbridge Island and Bremerton, and serves as a gateway to the Olympic Peninsula.
The terminal replaces the decades-old Colman Dock, reconnecting to the urban fabric and creating a seamless, inclusive experience organized around three key portals: a welcoming entry building, an elevated plaza and a terminal with a ferry waiting room. In collaboration with the Lighthouse for the Blind, the design integrates inclusive wayfinding features—such as brightly lit, yellow-colored entry walls, in-ground tactile pavers, and an intuitive auditory and visual system—to support travelers of all abilities.
The terminal also honors the cultural heritage of the region through Native American art installations from the Muckleshoot and Suquamish tribes, displayed in the waiting area. Sustainability was also a guiding principle throughout the design, with passive heating and cooling strategies, no mechanical cooling system, a large shading roof, automated windows and ceiling fans to reduce energy use.
