Awards

2024

International Leonardo da Vinci Prize:
The Universal Artist

Maria Lorena Lehman is honored to accept the International Leonardo da Vinci Prize awarded at the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo Da Vinci in Milan, Italy. Thank you for recognizing Lehman's work, and for its inclusion in the 2024 Contemporary Celebrity Masters Art Book.

2023

Harmony for Humanity: The Global Consciousness Art Prize

It is a delight to announce Maria Lorena Lehman is a recipient of Harmony for Humanity: The Global Consciousness Art Prize: a groundbreaking initiative that celebrates the profound connection between art, harmony, and the advancement of humanity. This prestigious prize recognizes artists who leverage their creative brilliance to ignite a global shift in consciousness, fostering unity, understanding, and positive social change.

2023

Inducted as Fellow of the Professional Artist Association

The PAA is an international association for professional artists that brings together creatives through education, community, and global events.

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: 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

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

During architectural study at Virginia Tech, Maria Lorena Lehman was awarded the Michelle Currie Award for Excellence in Design.