Professor Elevated to Prestigious AIA College of Fellows
Associate Professor of Architecture Marc Manack has been elevated to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows.
The College of Fellows was established in 1952 and represents architects “who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession and made a significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level,” the AIA stated in a press release. Fellowship- status is the AIA’s highest membership honor, and fewer than 3% of AIA members hold the prestigious designation, FAIA.
Manack, who is the undergraduate program director for the David R. Ravin School of Architecture and founding principal of the architecture and design practice SILO AR+D, was nominated under Object 1, design, indicating that he has “promoted the aesthetic, scientific and practical efficiency of the profession.” His work has received more than 40 AIA design awards and has been exhibited nationally and internationally.
“Through SILO, Marc has built a body of work that fuses rigorous inquiry with architectural experimentation,” wrote Robert Maschke, FAIA, in his nomination letter. “His projects—whether the national award-winning North Presbyterian Church, a distinctive residence like Mood Ring or the inventive community space The People’s Porch—demonstrate how design excellence can serve both individuals and communities.”
Manack is the third Fellow currently on the faculty of the School of Architecture, joining Director Blaine Brownell and Professor David Thaddeus.
“I am thrilled to celebrate Associate Professor Marc Manack, FAIA, on his elevation to the AIA College of Fellows,” said Brownell. “As a practitioner, teacher and leader at the Ravin School of Architecture, he has dedicated his career to democratizing design and advocating for the role of excellence in shaping communities. In our classrooms, Marc serves as a transformative mentor, modeling the role of the citizen architect for a new generation of practitioners. By bridging his professional practice with his teaching, he creates a vital feedback loop where students and communities co-develop projects with real-world impact.”
Fellows are selected by a nine-member Jury of Fellows. This year, the AIA elevated 78 members.
Also elevated to FAIA was architecture alumnus Robby Johnston ’03, co-founder with his fellow alumnus, Craig Kerins ’04, of The Raleigh Architecture Co. Manack and Johnston were the only two architects from North Carolina to achieve FAIA status this year.
New Fellows will be honored at the 2026 AIA Conference on Architecture & Design in San Diego in June.