Architect Stanford R. Britt, FAIA, won the Whitney Young Award in recognition of his work to ensure that architecture benefits all people and that the profession remains open to anyone who wants to design better communities.

 

Britt’s professional commitment to socially-minded projects began as an undergraduate architecture student at Drexel University, where he helped redevelop vacant lots for affordable housing. As a graduate architecture student at Columbia University, he worked with the Architects Renewal Committee of Harlem to introduce high school students to the architecture profession. After completing his education, he would organize an urban planning charrette that brought together two communities—one predominantly Jewish, the other predominantly African American—to design one of the largest urban revitalization projects in Maryland.

 

In 1975, Britt joined the practice cofounded by 1980 Whitney Young Award-winner Leroy Campbell, AIA, and eventually became a partner and president. Believing a diverse profession is created by encouraging diverse people to join, Britt worked to bring more people of color into the field. He has been a leader of the National Organization of Minority Architects for more than 40 years, serving as treasurer, vice president, and president. An active AIA member, he has chaired the AIA Minority Resource Committee and led countess diversity programs.