Architecture firm named best in state

A Sarasota architecture firm took home top honors at a statewide design awards program Saturday.
Guy Peterson Office Architecture (OFA) received the Firm of the Year Award at the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architect’s (AIA Florida) annual design awards program held in Orlando.

“This is a very high honor,” said Peterson, a fellow in the AIA and the firm's founder and principal architect. “This award represents the hard work of both past and present members of our team. We also share this honor with the wonderful clients we’ve had the privilege to work with.”

The Firm of the Year Award recognizes outstanding achievement in design, community services, education and service to the profession and the AIA by an architecture firm.

The Sarasota-based design studio also received this year’s only merit award for unbuilt work, chosen from more than 200 entries, for the design of a bay front residence.

“This firm consistently exhibits a level of commitment to the profession and to education,” said Peter W. Jones, AIA, chair of the AIA Florida Awards Program in a prepared statement. “They have a long history of fostering young talent and providing outstanding design.”

Another key member of Guy Peterson OFA’s staff was awarded the highest honor given by AIA Florida to a non-architect. Cynthia Peterson, a certified archivist, earned the Bob Graham, Honorary AIA, Architectural Awareness Award in recognition of her efforts to bring the first graduate program in architecture to Sarasota.

“I'm honored by this award,” said Peterson, who was the first-ever curator of the University of Florida Smather’s Libraries Architecture Archives. “More importantly, I'm so pleased that this award will draw even more attention to the importance of the efforts to preserve the architectural heritage of our community.”

The firm has more than 70 awards and honors to its name, 45 of which were awarded by the AIA.