The ICAA Announces Torti Gallas + Partners as the 2026 Recipient of the Gindroz Award for Excellence in Affordable Housing

The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art (ICAA) is proud to announce that Torti Gallas + Partners, a firm that specializes in architecture, urban design, sustainability, and community engagement, is the distinguished recipient of the 2026 Gindroz Award for Excellence in Affordable Housing. Torti Gallas + Partners will be recognized at the 2026 Gindroz Symposium on Affordable Housing, hosted by the ICAA at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, October 17th, 2026.

The Gindroz Award recognizes excellence in the design and implementation of affordable housing in the classical tradition. The award panel considers the unique challenges of working in affordable housing today, including responding to the context, engaging the community, achieving social impact, and a commitment to building neighborhoods for all. The Gindroz Award Committee includes Eric Osth (Chair), Melissa Delvecchio, Rebecca Lefkowitz, Michael Mesko, Whitney McKnight, Lyn Muse, Delma Palma, Donald Powers, and David Rinehart.

Originally founded in 1953, Torti Gallas + Partners have engaged with affordable housing projects for over 50 years, winning their first AIA Award for Sibley Plaza affordable housing in 1968. In 1994 the firm embarked on its first HOPE VI project, Lafayette Courts, establishing a reputation for affordable housing that embodies urbanist principles and reflects regional architectural vernacular. An acknowledged leader in the industry, Torti Gallas has designed and built over 40,000 units of affordable and workforce housing across the United States, and has received numerous awards for their affordable projects.

Lawrence “Murphy” Antoine, President and Board Chair of Torti Gallas + Partners, remarked “Torti Gallas + Partners is honored to receive the ICAA’s 2026 Gindroz Award for Excellence in Affordable Housing. We thank the ICAA and the award jury for this distinguished recognition, made especially meaningful by its association with Ray Gindroz. For more than 35 years, Ray’s pioneering work at the intersection of affordable housing policy, neighborhood design, and the home has inspired our firm and me personally. The ICAA’s commitment to excellence highlights the strongest ideas and best practices in the field, and we are proud to join this distinguished group of recipients. The importance of the Gindroz Award reflects the growing urgency of a housing affordability crisis. Torti Gallas + Partners’ long-standing commitment to affordable housing and accessible urbanism represents a variety of scales and in a range of contexts. Everyone deserves a beautiful, walkable neighborhood, and we are committed to advancing affordable housing and urbanism through enduring, high-impact solutions that foster pride of place and pride of home.”

Eric Osth, ICAA Board Member and Chair of the Gindroz Award panel, remarked, “In so many ways, Torti Gallas + Partners demonstrates the core principles of the Gindroz Award. Starting with HOPE VI projects decades ago, the firm has demonstrated a commitment to thoughtful design, creating communities with strong character where residents take pride in their homes and their connection to the city around them. Torti Gallas has set a high standard for making beautiful, dignified, walkable, and contextual affordable housing a reality.”

The ICAA is grateful for the longstanding support of the Muse Family Foundation for making the Gindroz Award for Excellence in Affordable Housing possible.

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