Harvard GSD Dean Sarah Whiting Wins Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education

In a Chicago ceremony this spring, Sarah M. Whiting, dean and Josep Lluís Sert Professor of Architecture at Harvard GSD, accepted the 2026 AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education. The highest honor for an architectural educator in North America, the Topaz Medallion recognizes Whiting’s transformative leadership, scholarship, mentorship, and lasting impact on architectural education. In his support for her nomination, Michael Maltzan FAIA (MArch ’88) observed that Whiting has “made all of us better off in architectural education, and in architecture.” Through her work as dean, educator, scholar, and practicing architect, Whiting has helped advance a more inclusive, interdisciplinary, and civically engaged vision for design—one that prepares future architects to address the complex challenges shaping our built environment. Congratulations, Dean Whiting!