Photo by Eric Mueller
For the second time in its history, Minneapolis-based architecture firm Alliiance has received the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Minnesota Firm Award, one of the organization’s highest honors. Presented biennially, the award recognizes firms whose collective work has made outstanding contributions to the advancement of architecture.
With a 55-year legacy and more than 250 design awards to its name, Alliiance has become an industry leader in aviation design and science and technology environments. Its long-standing partnerships with clients such as the Metropolitan Airports Commission and the University of Minnesota illustrate the firm’s reputation for collaboration and design excellence.
“Alliiance has been one of the university’s most successful design firms—with good reason,” wrote Marc Partridge, AIA, University of Minnesota architect emeritus, in a letter supporting the nomination. “They are a supremely collaborative team that consistently finds the design ‘sweet spot’—surprisingly creative solutions that fit our campus fabric, future-proof our programmatic needs, and are welcoming to our students and faculty.”
Photo by Paul Crosby
Among Alliiance’s notable university projects are the Cargill Building for Microbial and Plant Genomics, the Cancer and Cardiovascular Research Building, the Bee and Pollinator Research Lab, and more.
Likewise, the firm’s decades of work at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP)—from concourse design to its award-winning restrooms—has positioned it as a trusted partner in aviation design worldwide.
Sustainability has also long been at the core of Alliiance’s practice. As a signatory to the 2030 Challenge, the firm has achieved significant energy reductions across multiple projects. Its Hennepin County Public Works Facility, completed in 1999, received the 2024 AIA Minnesota 25 Year Award for its pioneering sustainable performance—a project that helped develop the state’s B3 Sustainable Building Guidelines.
Photo by Farm Kid Studios
“We’re honored to be the first firm to receive the AIA Minnesota Firm Award twice,” says Mamie Harvey, president of Alliiance, in a prepared statement. “This recognition reflects our focus on what matters most: our clients, our staff, and our profession, as well as the balance of stability and renewal that propels us forward.”
Alliiance will be formally honored at the AIA Minnesota Conference on Architecture on Nov. 3.
