2022
Boutique Design Firm of the Year for North America
THA Innovation and Design Award
MLL Atelier is honored to receive the 2022 THA Innovation and Design Award as Boutique Design Firm of the Year for North America. It is a great pleasure to receive this award, and I am encouraged to continue working toward the art of design innovation for architecture. Thank you for the nomination and for the award. It is very meaningful!
2021
3D Design Firm of the Year for United States
THA Innovation and Design Award
MLL Atelier (formerly known as MLL Design Lab) is honored to receive the 2021 THA Innovation and Design Award as 3D Design Firm of the Year for the United States. It is wonderful knowing that THA Awards celebrates forward-thinking design practices, and I am encouraged to know that this design research studio is valued. Thank you for the nomination and for the award. I am delighted!
2019
International Research Builds the Case for 'Interaction Narratives' Based on the Work of Maria Lorena Lehman
Buildings: Peer-Review Journal
Within the
Buildings peer-review journal edited by Dusan Katunsky and Jeffrey Huang, grant-funded research by Professor Henri Achten argues that
"interaction narratives" (as based on my work)
"provide a better fit of the interactive building with user, and lead to a more profound understanding of such systems. [...] Such a logical development of interaction events is a narrative, as recognized in the work of Maria Lorena Lehman, [and] interaction narratives currently are the best viewpoint from which to develop responsive and interactive architecture". It is an honor to know that my work contributed to this important research and publication, and I look forward to more collaborative opportunities as this research continues to unfold.
2018
HP Mars Home Planet Competition Finalist
Hewlett Packard: Urbanization of Mars Rendering Challenge
The submitted concept design film by MLL Atelier, entitled "Montsechia: The First City on Mars", imagines a unique planetary urbanization design as presented through different habitation phases over time. It is a pleasure knowing that this short film has impact.
2017
Silver Medal Nautilus Book Award Winner
Nautilus Book Awards: Creative Process
Adaptive Sensory Environments by Maria Lorena Lehman won a Silver Medal Nautilus Book Award in the Creative Process category. The book presents a cutting-edge methodology for adaptive sensory design by fostering an inter-disciplinary approach in which aspects of neuroscience, biophilia, captology, nanotechnology, kinetics, and sensemaking all play critical roles in helping adaptive architecture ‘tune’ to occupants. Established in the United States in 1998, the annual Nautilus Book Awards recognize books that are conscious catalysts for positive change toward a better world. Previous winners include Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Eckhart Tolle, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
2016
Routledge Featured Author
Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group
Maria Lorena Lehman is delighted to be a Featured Author with Routledge: Taylor & Francis publishers. It was an exciting process to share behind-the-scenes insights behind the making of the book,
Adaptive Sensory Environments, for this feature.
2015
JDR Industry Award Nominee for Best Blog in Architecture
JDR Industry Blogger Awards
Thank you to all readers of the MLL Atelier blog, and the MLL StudioWorks Newsletter. Without you, this nomination would not have been possible. Thank you for supporting this important work! I love hearing from each one of you, as you pose intriguing insights and questions about the multitude of topics I explore as I aim to unlock new possibility for architectural design. I sincerely appreciate the nomination!
2004
Digital Design Prize
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Harvard University Graduate School of Design awarded the Digital Design Prize to Maria Lorena Lehman for
"the most creative use of digital media in relation to the design professions". To this day, the Digital Design Prize award is a driving "north star" as Maria Lorena Lehman continues to evolve her research-driven design studio.
1998
Juris Jansens Memorial Award: Excellence in Design
Virginia Tech: College of Architecture and Urban Studies
During architectural study at Virginia Tech, Maria Lorena Lehman was awarded the Juris Jansens Memorial Award for Excellence in Design.
1997
Michelle Currie Memorial Scholarship: Excellence in Design
Virginia Tech: College of Architecture and Urban Studies
During architectural study at Virginia Tech, Maria Lorena Lehman was awarded the Michelle Currie Award for Excellence in Design.
