2024 Honor Awards Recipients
The Turquoise Medal
OSCAR PALACIOS AIA
There are few living architects in the Northern New Mexico region who have been more dedicated to their profession than Oscar B. Palacios, AIA.
Since starting his practice in 1981, Oscar has been designing innovative and aesthetically beautiful spaces and structures for well over forty years. Inspired by local historic building styles, his work to date blends form and function with an eye toward the movement of light, the smooth, rounded transitions of traditional earthen buildings, and the natural environment in which they rest.
Oscar is a true designer and artist, who’s hand-drafted sketches are fit for the frame. Some of his more prominent projects in Taos include Cid’s Food Market, Centinel Bank (multiple locations), an innovative display “shed” for “Rosie” a 1943 For Cab-Over-Engine mobile machine shop that served in the Pacific Theatre of WWII, and numerous commercial and residential projects throughout the Rocky Mountain West region.
Additionally, Oscar has served as an important mentor to generations of younger architects, designers, and fabricators throughout the Northern New Mexico region.
The Architecture Firm Award
SPEARS HORN ARCHITECTS
Spears Horn Architects, led by Beverley Spears and James Horn, is a cornerstone of Santa Fe's architectural identity, and is celebrated for its dedication to innovative, sustainable, and contextually sensitive design.
Since its establishment, the firm has been instrumental in shaping spaces that resonate with the region's unique cultural and historical essence. Notable projects include the award-winning Santa Fe Community Convention Center, a LEED-certified facility seamlessly integrated into the historic downtown district, and the Taos County Judicial Complex, recognized for its thoughtful design and civic importance.
The firm’s work also spans residential, educational, and commercial sectors, exemplified by their contributions to the Lannan Foundation and the Rio Grande School.
Their expertise in historic preservation and contemporary innovation has garnered numerous accolades, including AIA awards at both state and national levels.
In addition to their architectural contributions, Spears Horn Architects has been an active supporter of the AIA Santa Fe Chapter, with impactful collaborations that include the programming, organizing and securing of funding for tours and lectures.
The Associate Award
STEPHANIE DEUTSCH
Associate AIA
Stephanie Deutsch has demonstrated an awareness of the importance of nurturing upcoming generations within the context of planning for a robust future of our profession.
Through her ongoing service to targeted planning initiatives, she continues to help our chapter explore possible strategies for creating more supportive pathways for emerging professionals within our field, as well as for those who might not have yet realized their potential future in architecture and allied disciplines. Her work towards these efforts include her enthusiastic contributions to the planning efforts of the Chapter’s Task Force for Associates and Emerging Professionals Engagement.
Through this work, she has assisted the Task Force in exploring the ways in which architecture might be introduced to young audiences in Santa Fe schools through engaging and age-appropriate activities. She has also supported that committee’s brainstorming sessions focussed on delivering continued chapter support for associates undergoing the licensure process.
Additionally, Stephanie has spearheaded the task of resuscitating the Chapter’s Firm Tour initiative as a means to exposing our associates and emerging professionals to the various modes of practice exhibited by our members at their numerous firms.
The Architectural Service Award
KE VAUGHN HARDING, AIA
The Architectural Service Award is in recognition of individuals or groups who have demonstrated significant accomplishments in stimulating public understanding and appreciation of architecture.
This year’s recipient is Ke Vaughn Harding, AIA.
​
Although Ke Vaughn has not been in New Mexico for very long, he has made a profound difference in our architectural community. Raised in Falmouth, Jamaica, Ke Vaughn graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies from the University of Technology, Jamaica in 2010 and immediately joined the staff of Falmouth Heritage Renewal as an intern. In less than five years he was named Director. In his six years at this organization, he directed a series of profound preservation initiatives focused on the unique heritage of his hometown, with a particularly nuanced understanding of its colonial history and the vernacular buildings of the enslaved Africans and their descendants. Following a brief but fruitful collaboration with John Quale in Jamaica,
Ke Vaughn moved to the United States to study at UNM, where he received his Master of Architecture and Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation and Regionalism. Ke Vaughn joined AOS Architects in 2019 and MASS Design Group in 2022, where he has contributed to a number of award-winning projects. Ke Vaughn’s personal work has also received a number of AIA Design Awards as he was recognized with the AIA NM Associate Award in 2023. Ke Vaughn participated as a scholar of the Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program from 2021-2022 and is the 2024-2025 Committee Chair of the program.
Ke Vaughn has continuously demonstrated the values of our profession and has worked to expand its reach. For a number of years he has participated in the UNM Architecture + Design Summer Academy, introducing the architecture profession to high school students from around the state. Over the last year, he has worked tirelessly to help establish the New Mexico chapter of NOMA, the National Organization of Minority Architects, for which he now serves as Vice-President, while also serving as the Treasurer of AIA Santa Fe. Thank you Ke Vaughn for everything you do. Congratulations!