Architect Errol Barron, FAIA, was awarded the prestigious American Institute of Architects (AIA) Louisiana Medal of Honor, the highest award given by AIA LA, at its annual Design Conference in Lafayette on September 28.
 
Barron is a principal of Barron/Toups Architects, an award-winning firm entering its fifth decade of business. He is widely recognized as a designer, painter, educator, preservationist, musician, photographer, critic, lecturer, author and civic leader.
 
The Medal of Honor is given by AIA LA to architects who have sustained a lifetime affecting the profession of architecture, and who have significantly advanced the profession and/or provided strong influence on fellow practitioners.
 
Barron/Toups Architects is recognized for its artful blend of modern sensibilities with historic vernacular, as in St. Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church in Gulfport, Mississippi; and the use of natural light in the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans. His designs are found both throughout the US and abroad. He has also served as the president of AIA New Orleans and board member of AIA Louisiana, and was elected to AIA Fellowship in 1996.
 
Barron is also a semi-professional (accomplished amateur) flutist, having performed and recorded classical works. His sketches, photographs and watercolors have been exhibited nationally and also published. He has taught architecture for more than 35 years and is currently the Favrot Professor of Architecture at Tulane University.
 
He received his bachelor’s degree in architecture from Tulane, and his master’s in architecture from Yale University, and has studied and practiced in London and New York.
 
“Errol is unwavering in his dedication to producing work of the highest design quality, no matter the challenges and obstacles,” noted architect Douglas Ashe, FAIA. Colleague William Brockway, FAIA, noted, “Errol has published insightful and scholarly essays in widely disseminated journals… has been a consistent winner of design awards… and his work has been featured in many design publications.”
Architect Allan Eskew, FAIA, noted, “Errol has been a motivating force at the Tulane School of Architecture… regarded by graduating students as one of their most stimulating and motivational instructors.”