SmithGroup Architects Selected as AIA Fellows

Words: Margaret FosterSmithGroup – winners of a 2005 and 2006 Arizona Masonry Guild Excellence in Masonry Architectural Award, and a 2006 Masonry Institute of Michigan Masonry Honor Award, among others – is pleased to announce that architects Harold E. Davis Jr., William L. Diefenbach and Paul G. Johnson have been elevated to the prestigious College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

The announcement was made by AIA on Feb. 23 in Washington, D.C. The honor is awarded to members who have made significant contributions to architecture and society, and who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession.

Davis, Diefenbach and Johnson of SmithGroup will be among 76 members of the American Institute of Architects who will receive their Fellowship medal during the Investiture of Fellows Ceremony at the AIA 2007 National Convention and Design Expo in San Antonio on May 4, 2007.
The Behind-the-Wall Secrets Every Mason Already Knows (But Some Ignore)
March 2026

You’ve been around long enough to know this already: stone doesn’t fail on the face; it fails behind the wall. You can lay the prettiest veneer in the county, but if the prep is junk, that wall’s gonna start telling on you after a couple of winters. Manu

From the Mound to the Mortar: Jon Rauch’s Tall Order in the Masonry Industry
March 2026

In the record books of Major League Baseball, Jon Rauch is a literal giant. At 6 feet, 11 inches, he remains the tallest player to ever step onto a Big League mound. But today, the Olympic Gold Medalist and 11-season MLB veteran isn’t looking for a strike

Case Study: The Scoop
March 2026

Leading UK architecture firm, Corstorphine & Wright, has announced the completion of ‘The Scoop’, a unique concave office building in Southwark, London. The innovative design reuses an existing building and integrates a conical cut-out façade in white gla

Executing Color-Driven Designs Without Compromising Craftsmanship
March 2026

On today’s jobsites, masonry contractors are being asked to do more than install manufactured stone veneer (MSV). They’re being asked to interpret design trends and execute them with precision. Homeowners arrive with curated Pinterest boards. Designers r