News
Dec 3, 2025 _ news
Four Recognitions for GBBN at the Cincinnati Design Awards
GBBN took home four recognitions at the 2025 Cincinnati Design Awards (CDA). Dedicated to “celebrating the best built environment designs by Cincinnati-area creative firms,” this year’s jurors singled out GBBN for:
The renovation of Olin Hall at Case Western Reserve University won an AIA Honor Award for Building Architecture, Large Scale. This project enlivens the original 1960s building through a significant re-conception of entry, public space, and vertical connectivity. Located on the edge of the recently renovated Case Quad, the building is given a completely reoriented main entry with an active public space that opens directly to the primary academic thoroughfare of campus. A sculpted wood and metal entry vestibule breaks from the repetitive geometry of the original structure, drawing students around the existing mature trees in front of the building, and into a new double-height lobby and student lounge. This light-filled and wood-clad space visually connects the new entry lobby to new computer engineering labs and collaboration spaces on two floors of the building, creating a hub of bustling activity.
The new house for Ronald McDonald House Charities Dayton also received an AIA Honor Award for Building Architecture, Large Scale. This project creates a haven for families during life’s most challenging moments. A familiar form, with unexpected, scale-shifting moves, elevates the most basic building archetype—the house, as a child might draw it—into a landmark of care. The new, all-electric and net-zero ready building triples capacity by increasing the number of guest rooms from 14 to 42 rooms. The house’s form, window and wall design, and highly efficient, renewable geothermal heating and cooling system minimize energy use. This results in an anticipated energy savings of approximately 64% over similar buildings and 20% more than required by code.
GBBN’s Environmental Graphic Design (EGD) work on two projects were also recognized:
The Richard King Mellon Foundation Headquarters renovation received a Merit Award. Tasked with integrating the foundation’s newly updated branding and colors throughout the space, the EGD approach included custom illustrated wall coverings, a history timeline, and a tone-on-tone room naming strategy. EGD was also used to honor the foundation’s more than 2,500 grantee organizations through a striking mosaic of 5,000 engraved wood tiles, each uniquely painted in Richard King Mellon Foundation’s signature greens. The piece is designed to accommodate future growth, with space for more than 15 years of additions, while incurring minimal cost to the client.
School Outfitters’ workplace renovation received a Mention Award. Working in concert with an interior renovation effort, GBBN’s EGD team developed a storytelling-driven entry sequence to tour visitors through the culture, creativity, and purpose of School Outfitters. The experience begins at the front desk, where a minimalist treatment of their refreshed brand assets allows their new brand mark to shine. From there, visitors are drawn into the main corridor, once a dark, narrow hallway, now transformed into a light-filled gallery of culture and history.
Thank you to the 2025 CDA jury for recognizing our work!
Learn more about the CDAs and see the full gallery of winners here.
Learn more about our environmental graphic design approach here.
See more of our work in workplace, residential, non-profit, and higher education.
