AIA Memphis is proud to honor Josh Flowers, FAIA with the 2019 Francis Gassner Award. As architects, we have a responsibility to our work, our profession, and society to seek solutions through design that enhance the spaces that we live, learn, work, play and heal – for all. The role of architects in service to society continues to expand. How we as architects ensure that the impact made by our profession in communities across the country aligns with that responsibility, is as diverse as the work itself. The youngest architect to receive this honor, Josh takes on this responsibility with grace and steadfastness.

Josh is known across the country for being a tireless champion for the profession and the communities they serve. As an advocate, he works with state leaders to ensure that legislation impacting the built environment in Tennessee protects the health, safety and welfare of all Tennesseans. As a role model, he challenges students across the country who will be entering practice to see their futures as architects in an expanded role, placing equal priority on design, advocacy and leadership. As a citizen and architect, he recognizes that our city will continue to seek solutions to the many challenges we face and that architects are uniquely positioned to bring expertise as partners in finding those solutions. With that knowledge, his partnership with AIA Memphis to identify and provide advanced leadership training to the next generation of citizen architects in our own community is critical as we prepare them to become the leaders our city needs for years to come. Although the practice has changed since Gassner’s time, one thing has not – architecture is for and about communities. This is at the heart of Josh’s service.

An attorney and licensed architect with HBG Design, Josh was honored with Fellowship in The American Institute of Architects in 2018 – one of the youngest architects in Memphis to receive this honor at 40 years of age. Just in the past decade of his career he has served as 2016 Chair of the AIA National Young Architects Forum (YAF), a program of the AIA organized to address issues of particular importance to recently licensed architects. As Knowledge Director of the National YAF, Josh launched programs such as the YAF Mini MBA: Mastering the Business of Architecture, a workshop presented at seven consecutive AIA National Conferences in partnership with the AIA Large Firm Roundtable to enable emerging professionals to develop business leadership skills through active learning sessions led by CEOs of leading firms.

In this role he also served on the AIA Practice Innovation Lab Steering Committee, an industry disruption event held in conjunction with the YAF 25th anniversary that brought together 60 emerging architects and designers to develop new models of working within the profession with outcomes focused on networking, data, and philanthropic architecture.

Josh served as the 2012 President of AIA Memphis at which point he
launched the AIA Memphis Leadership Program, connecting emerging professionals with Memphis Fellows to better prepare them for their role as citizen architects. He served on the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards (NCARB) Architect Registration Exam (ARE) 5.0 Item Development Subcommittee; and was the 2011-2012 Young Architect Regional Director for the AIA Gulf States Region where he launched “Emerging Gulf States,” a regional symposium for emerging professionals.

Josh currently serves as the 2019 President of AIA Tennessee; and is a member of the AIA National Documents Committee, which is responsible for drafting and revising AIA Contract Documents; and is a national speaker and writer on legal issues related to architectural practice and career development for design professionals.

Josh is a recipient of the AIA National Young Architects Award, the Building Design and Construction Magazine 40 Under 40 Award, the Engineering News-Record 20 Under 40 Award, the Memphis Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40 Award, and the University of Tennessee Alumni Promise Award.

For more information about the Francis Gassner award and previous recipients, visit the Gassner Award page.