Edward McGraw Receives AIA CNY's Lifetime Achievement Award

On November 17th, 2023, Edward McGraw, Founding Partner/Partner Emeritus, received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) CNY’s Celebration of Architecture. The ceremony, which was held at Syracuse’s Landmark Theatre, was a celebration of all facets of architecture within the Central New York region. The Lifetime Achievement Award “recognizes a lifetime of notable and impactful contributions by an architect to the profession, the professional society, and the community.”

McGraw founded Ashley McGraw alongside the late David Ashley over 30 years ago. Since its inception, Ashley McGraw has flourished under his leadership and direction, growing a large award-winning portfolio as well as developing an expertise in high-performance and sustainable design.

Matthew Broderick, President & CEO of Ashley McGraw Architects remarked on Ed’s impact to the design community and beyond, "In his work, Ed has always believed in architecture's power to positively impact our society's health and the vibrancy of our natural ecosystems. The first is reflected in his immersion in K-12 school design, seeing the powerful impact of well-designed, inspiring learning environments on student success. For the second, under his leadership, Ashley McGraw embarked on a foundational shift toward design that understands and participates in the relationship between our built and natural environments."

It was McGraw’s belief that projects are more likely to succeed when they are recognized as necessary for contributing to the success of the community, the economy, and the environment. For McGraw, the ambition was to bring all these principles, a healthy society, and planet, together in a project. This is evident throughout Ashley McGraw Architects’ history and portfolio in the educational, civic, residential, and science/tech sectors. The AIA-award-winning and LEED Platinum MacArthur Elementary School in Binghamton, NY, sought to help rebuild the community after a devastating flood while creating a welcoming, resilient community school that re-envisioned its relationship to the ecosystem and adjacent river. McGraw reinvented learning spaces for Bethlehem, Binghamton, LaFayette, Skaneateles, and Westhill school districts to reflect how new technologies have shaped pedagogy. 

Within the Central New York Community, McGraw helped lead the design of several noteworthy buildings. The LEED Platinum Syracuse Center of Excellence was a great challenge and a first of its kind in the City of Syracuse. It incorporates an array of sustainable technologies while providing a vibrant context for research and community connections.   

In doing this work, McGraw always sought out each project and client's unique character and needs. For the new firehouse on the Onondaga Nation, this led to the idea of a community-built, net zero energy building built with this criteria: It will be built by the people, a work of the Nation; It will walk gently on Mother Earth; It will be a vital part of the community and draw the community closer; It will be a showpiece and destination for others to see and use; and People will learn from the building and the experience of building it. 

From day one at Ashley McGraw, McGraw’s personal mission statement was to strive to make each project the best project ever done, which meant embarking on a process of collaboration with other respected design professionals and those influenced by the collective outcome, which should be the fusion of design ideas and technology into functional and timelessly beautiful architecture. This goal of McGraw’s, like many others, has evolved over time to become not just an individual belief but a firm-wide mission statement that has inspired all of our employees.

Congratulations Ed and thank you for the many years of leadership, strategic direction, and mentorship!