A Texas A&M College of Architecture alumna, whose work has been repeatedly recognized by the Texas architectural community, earned national accolades Dec. 2003 when she received the 2004 American Institute of Architects Young Architect Award.

Donna Kacmar, BED ’88, M.Arch ’92, principal of Architect Works, Inc. in Houston, Texas earned the award for showing exceptional leadership and making significant contributions to the profession in the early stage of her architectural career.

Architect Works, Inc. specializes in developing solutions for residential and small-scale commercial projects. Many of Kacmar’s designs have won awards, including the 1999 AIA Houston Design Award for the Kacmar house, built for her parents and featured in Beth Dunlop’s book “A House for My Mother.”

“I am proud to have done a house for my parents, to have the opportunity to teach at several schools, and to have some great clients,” Kacmar said.

In 2000, the budding designer received the Young Architect Award from the Houston AIA Chapter, which she has served on the committee and board levels. Kacmar also volunteers her architectural services to Avenue CDC, a non-profit low-income housing development corporation that works to preserve economic and architectural diversity in inner city neighborhoods.

Kacmar’s work “suggests that speculative ventures need not be boring or conventional to be successful,” said Mark Oberholzer, a professor of architecture at Rice University, in a review of Kacmar’s Round Valley Texas Office Building and Garage in Bellaire, Texas that appeared in the Sept. 10, 2003 edition of Texas Architect magazine.

Kacmar currently teaches an architecture design studio at the University of Houston and has been a visiting assistant professor at A&M as well as a visiting faculty member at Rice University.

“I was very excited when I received notification of the award,” Kacmar said. “I have worked very hard and have had a lot of help and good luck.”

The award will be presented at the AIA’s 2004 national convention.