Emerging Professional Awardees

This award recognizes and supports emerging, graduate architects who have made outstanding,
innovative contributions to the discipline and/or profession and have rendered exemplary service in the public realm.
Candidates can be nominated by peers, mentors, allied professionals, or employers.

2022 Emerging Professional Awardees

Andrew Barnett Assoc. AIA, LEED GA
Pickard Chilton

As a highly respected member of our studio, Andrew has eagerly worn many hats, including leading recruitment efforts. In recognition of his design ability and thoughtful leadership, he was named an Associate earlier this year.

Within the studio, Andrew brings intelligence and passion to his work, team, and clients. He has made significant contributions to many of our projects and is currently the project manager for AstraZeneca’s new laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Passionate about sustainable design, Andrew has been a key designer for nearly 1.5 million gsf of mass timber campuses, further honing our design expertise.

Since 2018, Andrew has been a dedicated mentor at ACE Mentor Program at both the local and state levels. Prior to the pandemic, he personally mentored over 30 students. He was instrumental in transitioning the organization from in-person to virtual, and led a team of professionals statewide in mentoring 110 students. He is currently a Group Leader and an ACE Board Member for both New Haven and Connecticut.

Since 2020, Andrew has been active in the Penn State Architecture Alumni Mentor Program. He is a member of NOMAct’s K-12 Committee and is the liaison between ACE and NOMAct. Most recently, Andrew participated in the local Junior Achievement Program to address Middle and High School students about careers in architecture.

Nominated by Jon Pickard, FAIA

Misha Semënov-Leiva, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, CPHC
Centerbrook Architects

After graduating from the Yale Schools of Architecture and the Environment with a dual Master’s degree, I knew I wanted to make an impact on sustainable design. I was lucky to find a true home at Centerbrook Architects. Now a Senior Architect and the Sustainability Coordinator for the firm, I split my time between project work and organizing the firm’s sustainability efforts. At Centerbrook, I have worked on a nature center, a library, a stadium, and a master plan. Concurrently, I overhauled the firm’s sustainability workflows, introducing energy modeling as a requirement for every project and committing our firm to reporting for the 2030 Challenge, in addition to launching in-house air quality monitoring experiments and a sustainability education series. I am committed to sharing my passion and knowledge with the profession, and together with colleagues present on sustainable design at AIA state and national conferences, as well as Greenbuild. I served on the 2021 organizational committee for the New England Summit for a Sustainable Built Environment, and am a CTGBC member. I volunteer as an appointee to the Gateway Commission, a body that reviews proposed development along the Connecticut River. Together with my partner, I won a competition to design and build a parklet in Fair Haven, an underserved community of New Haven. The Urban Canopy Parklet, a public space built over two parking spots that celebrated urban trees, embodied my commitment to using design to address inequalities and connect people with the natural world and each other.