Is it possible the recession will usher in a new era of unknown, more humble architects? According to the Chicago Tribune, "As the recession lingers and mega-buck, starchitect-designed buildings fall by the wayside, the example set by the Driehaus awards can only grow in importance."

One of the best, but least noticed, architectural honors programs in Chicago is the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Awards recognizing excellence in community design. Every year, these awards showcase projects in the neighborhoods that are not splashy or high-budget, but remind us that a city is only as good as the small buildings that make up the fabric of its streets and blocks.

First prize winner, the SOS Children's Villages Lavezzorio Community Center (photo above)...makes innovative use of donated concrete. Its facade consists of wavy layers of concrete, expressing the fact that donors gave materials to the building at different times as well as concrete's inherent plasticity. Its interior spaces are spatially dynamic and uplifting, enticing both children and their caregivers....

The second-prize winner, the headquarters of Access Living, was designed by LCM Architects and is a model for combining universal design and sustainable design. It's in River North. Third prize went to Kennedy King College, by Johnson & Lee Architects and VOA, which brings solid traditional design to the South Side's troubled, but trying-hard-to-recover, Englewood neighborhood.