Two years ago, I launched my own practice, Primary Projects, to address unmet housing needs by cultivating the radical potential in housing outliers: multi-generational housing, cohousing communities, accessory dwelling units, and all the misfits in-between. This focus has helped me identify additional areas for growth; specifically, a better understanding of building science, embodied carbon, and regenerative design. I’m interested in work that wrings the most out of its limited means. Work that leverages the core elements of architecture to shape experience: structure that doubles as expression, light & shadow that punctuate key moments, and so on. When I’m successful, this culling of excess clarifies concept, lowers cost, simplifies construction, and reduces carbon.

Kyle Barker AIA, 2023 Award Recipient

This award is named for Earl R. Flansburgh FAIA, a distinguished Boston architect and founder of Flansburgh Associates, who completed more than 200 diverse educational facilities projects during a career spanning more than 45 years. Flansburgh, the 1981 BSA president and 1999 BSA Award of Honor winner, generously supported emerging professionals and advocated for women architects. The firm he founded has been guided by the philosophy that a well-designed building improves the quality of our lives. This award is co-sponsored by the Flansburgh family.

The 2023 Flansburgh Young Designers Award is juried by the BSA Honors and Awards Committee each fall. The prize includes an online exhibition of the winner’s work hosted through the BSA website, a lecture, and a one-year membership to the Boston Society for Architecture. The winner is recognized at the subsequent annual BSA Awards Gala.

Eligibility, Submission Requirements, and Deadline

Applications for the Flansburgh Award are currently closed. When the application period opens, a call for entries will appear on this page, with a link to detailed information on eligibility, submission requirements, and deadlines.

2023 Recipient

Kyle Barker AIA

Founder
Primary Projects

Kyle Barker, AIA is the founder of Primary Projects, an architecture firm with a commitment to more communal, affordable, and sustainable housing. As a recipient of the Rotch Traveling Scholarship, he traveled across Europe, Australia, and Japan to study collective housing models. He's a member of the Design Advisory Council for the Cohousing Association of the United States, and has taught several housing studios at Northeastern University. Over the past few years he's designed nearly a dozen projects with Croft, a Maine-based prefabricated panel manufacturer, furthering the use of straw as a building material. He's an active member of the Boston Society of Architects and a co-chair of the Small Practices Network Knowledge Community.