Donna Kacmar, FAIA, was educated at Texas A+M University and graduated with a Bachelor of Environmental Design in 1988 and a Master of Architecture in 1992. Donna is a National American Institute of Architects 2004 Young Architects Award recipient and was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects in 2009. Donna has served on multiple boards including the Houston AIA, Avenue CDC, Rice Design Alliance, Architecture Center Houston Foundation, Texas Society of Architects, and AIA Strategic Council. Donna has taught at Rice University, Texas A&M University, and is currently a Professor at the University of Houston where she teaches architecture design studio. She also founded the Materials Research Collaborative (MRC) in 2010.
Her work is dedicated to developing well designed solutions for residential and small-scale commercial projects that are straightforward, cost effective, and environmentally responsible. Her work has received several awards and has been nationally published. The Fisher Street House, a small 544 square foot dwelling, received a 2013 AIA Houston Design Award, and led to her first book, titled BIG Little House, published by Routledge, released in 2015. Her most recent book, Victor Lundy Artist Architect, was published in 2018 by Princeton Architectural Press.