Top Honor For The Valiance.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Minneapolis awards The Valiance and UrbanWorks Architecture its highest honor. Learn why this award celebrates more than design and recognizes a new vision for shelter and housing.
UrbanWorks Architecture and The Valiance won the 2026 Michael L. Schrock Merit Award. This is the highest honor given by AIA Minneapolis. It recognizes projects that go beyond great design. These projects improve lives and serve their communities.
The Valiance opened in November 2025. It has 54 shelter beds and 50 affordable apartment homes. Agate Housing and Services and Trellis own it together.
Dignity drove the design. People with lived experience of homelessness helped shape the plans. UrbanWorks brought those ideas to life. The result is a place where shelter guests feel safe and respected from the moment they walk in. Apartment residents can find community and stability.
The Michael L. Schrock Merit Award honors projects that put people first. That is what makes this recognition meaningful.
An award is an honor. But what matters most is what happens inside. Guests and residents can take their next step toward a more stable future.
Congratulations to our partners at UrbanWorks!
