CLEVELAND, OHIO (June 5, 2026)— Learning By Design magazine, in partnership with Tarkett North America, is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 ICON in Education Design Awards, recognizing five professionals whose vision and conviction have challenged the status quo to transform educational environments and positively impacted learners, educators, and communities across North America.
The ICON in Education Design Awards celebrate individuals whose leadership, innovation, and commitment to excellence have elevated the role of the built environment in supporting educational outcomes and human well-being. Following a nomination-to-rigorous peer-review process conducted by a five-member, cross-disciplinary jury representing architecture, educational leadership, design research, construction oversight, and industry expertise, five exceptional professionals were selected for this year's recognition.
The 2026 ICON in Education Design Award recipients are:
Gary Armbruster, FAIA, ALEP
Principal Architect | MA+ Architecture
A nationally recognized leader in educational design, Gary Armbruster has spent more than three decades advancing trauma-informed, safety-focused learning environments. His work integrates architecture, public policy, and advocacy to create equitable and resilient schools while influencing legislation and school safety standards nationwide. His leadership on projects such as Positive Tomorrows in Oklahoma City demonstrates how thoughtful design can improve educational outcomes while serving vulnerable student populations.
Irene Nigaglioni, FAIA, ALEP, LEED AP, LE Fellow
President | IN2 Architecture
An internationally respected educational planner and designer, Irene Nigaglioni has dedicated her career to evidence-based educational design and leadership. Through her work, research, and service to the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE), she has advanced educational planning practices globally while mentoring the next generation of school planners and designers. Her projects consistently demonstrate how research-informed design can improve student achievement, well-being, and community resilience.
Sean O'Donnell, FAIA, LEED AP
Principal, K–12 Practice Leader | Perkins Eastman
For more than thirty years, Sean O'Donnell has championed educational environments that support equity, resilience, sustainability, and student success. As a globally recognized educational design leader, his work combines educational planning, high-performance design, and evidence-based research to create schools that serve as both learning environments and community assets. His portfolio includes pioneering net-zero and WELL-certified educational facilities and influential post-occupancy research linking design decisions to measurable student outcomes.
Robin Randall, FAIA, ALEP, LEED AP BD+C
Director of Learning | Legat Architects
Robin Randall has built a national reputation for advancing the connection between architecture, student success, and social-emotional learning. Through her research framework, "How Buildings Teach," and her leadership on transformative educational projects, she has demonstrated that thoughtfully designed environments can positively influence behavior, engagement, well-being, and learning. Her collaborative planning processes and commitment to evidence-based design have helped secure billions of dollars in educational investments while improving learning environments for hundreds of thousands of students.
David Reid, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, ALEP, ECLPS
Principal | Multistudio
A visionary architect, strategist, and advocate for inclusive learning environments, David Reid has spent four decades redefining the relationship between space and learning. His leadership in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), co-development of the award-winning Deck of Spaces™ toolkit, and creation of the STEAM Studio educational initiative have influenced educational design practices nationwide. Reid's work demonstrates how innovative, learner-centered environments can advance equity, creativity, and student engagement while empowering future generations.
Recognizing Leadership That Shapes the Future
Collectively, the 2026 honorees represent a remarkable breadth of impact across architecture, planning, research, educational leadership, advocacy, mentorship, and community engagement. Their careers exemplify the principles upon which the ICON in Education Design Awards were founded: challenging convention, advancing innovation, elevating professional practice, mentoring future leaders, and improving lives through the thoughtful design of educational environments.
The 2026 jury noted that each recipient has demonstrated a sustained commitment to transforming learning environments while creating measurable and lasting benefits for students, educators, and communities.
Distinguished Jury
The 2026 ICON in Education Design Awards jury included Shannon Dowling, MA, AIA, LEED AP; Jeanne Jackson, FAIA, LEED AP; Dr. Traci Rose Rider; Roy Sprague, AIA, NCARB, ALEP, LE Fellow; and Jonathan Stanley of Tarkett North America. Together, the jurors brought expertise spanning educational architecture, design research, higher education, construction oversight, and learning-environment innovation.
About the ICON in Education Design Awards
The ICON in Education Design Awards honors individuals who are "change agents", who "go beyond the norm", and who "step out of the box" for their body-of-work that was influenced and shaped by the learning environments they have created. Nominees are individuals with a strong record of leadership and change-maker demonstration specifically for improving the PK-12 or post-secondary educational experience despite obstacles perceived unsurmountable to others. Recipients are recognized for demonstrating how they positively impacting the cultural, social, emotional, economic, academic, and well-being outcomes for the communities they serve that were spurred or influenced by the improvement of the built environment.
About Learning By Design
Learning By Design is the leading source of information and inspiration focused on the planning, design, construction, and operation of educational facilities. Serving architects, planners, educators, school district leaders, higher education institutions, and industry partners, Learning By Design highlights exemplary projects, innovative ideas, and the people shaping the future of learning environments.
For additional information, visit the Summer (June 2026) edition of Learning By Design.
Media Contact:
Mark Goodman
Publisher
Learning By Design Magazine
