LINCOLN, NE — Doug Wignall, FAIA, President of HDR’s architecture practice, has received the 2025 Harry F. Cunningham Gold Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the Nebraska chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) upon an individual. It is awarded for distinguished achievement in architecture or service to the profession of architecture.
With a career that spans nearly 35 years, Wignall’s influence on project work locally, across the U.S., and globally has been far-reaching. His early years were focused on successfully building HDR’s global health care design practice. In 2012, he was promoted to President of HDR’s architecture group. In 2017, Wignall was elevated to AIA’s College of Fellows in recognition of his commitment to design excellence, which has been his lifelong compass to elevate architects and the profession. Today, Wignall champions the tenet that with the rapid rise in technology, architects’ roles as critical thinkers and empathetic designers are more important than ever before.
Professor and Dean Emeritus Kathy Ankerson, of University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Architecture, commended Wignall for the Cunningham Gold Medal, writing that he “embodies not only the fostering of design excellence in all its aspects, but the work ethic, leadership, generosity, and care for humans we expect (and wish to continue to foster in our students) of Nebraskans.”
Jim Cramer, Co-Chair of the Cramer Center for Design and Innovation at Northern State University and CEO Emeritus of the American Institute of Architects, offered this endorsement of Wignall’s nomination: “I am impressed by Doug’s careful consideration of his words and advocacy as well as Doug’s keen sense of direction not only for his firm but also for the future of our profession. He very intentionally works to make architecture more valuable, and thus more valued, in this ever-changing world.”
