AIA Honor Awards

The AIA announced its 2005 Honor Awards, in three categories: Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Regional and Urban Design.

A couple local projects and other highlights.

Architecture:

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Contemporaine in Chicago by Perkins + Will
A great mid-rise residential project in the River North area of the city. The generous glazing, exposed concrete (rare in the city that loves to paint the stuff) and the articulation of the two materials make for a bold expression for where the city's residential architecture might head.

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Holy Rosary Church Complex in Amant, LA, by Trahan Architects
Featured on my weekly page in July last year, this complex is simple yet poetic, focused inward to its chapel and its beautiful interior.

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Mill City Museum in Minneapolis by Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle
A renovation of a landmarked - though gutted by fire in 1991 - flour mill that is amazing for its addition as much for the existing structures.

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Mountain Tree House in Dillard, GA, by Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects
Another simple design, this time sensitively sited in a dense forest of Northern Georgia.

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Somis Hay Barn in Somis, CA, by SPF:a
A contemporary steel structure is clothed in hay, for insulation, as a wind break, and sometimes as food for the horses housed within!

Interior Architecture:

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Boys Club in Sioux City, IA, by Randy Brown Architects
Again the Midwest is home to some creative design, as always on a shoestring budget.

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L.A. Eyeworks in Los Angeles by Neil Denari
Denari deserves this award for finally getting one of his designs built. His undulating and folding curves are perfect for the short-term, stylish world of retail design.

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Hyde Park Bank Building Hall by Florian Architects
Another local project, this time a renovation on the South Side of Chicago. The design effectively contrasts the old with the new without being confrontational or reactionary.

Regional and Urban Design:

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Jackson Meadow in St. Croix, MN, by Salmela Architect & Coen + Partners
Maybe I'm seduced by the Edward Hopper-like quality of this photo, though I think the reduced vernacular style of the houses is a welcome change from today's pompous and stylish housing design.

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Riparian Meadows in Warren, AR, by University of Arkansas Community Design Center
A public greenway along a creek, this project adds exciting architectural events along its length, like pearls on a string.

Comments

  1. [Moved by web page administrator from original HaloScan comment box]:Bravo Ralph Johnson, one of the finest works of late in chicago is the Contemporaine.

    As for Danari, I find it most trendy, yet a slendid atmosphere is created. Trendy is esspecially fine in the retail markets. One must use far greater depth in projects of public civic nature and within specific landscape context. This brings me to the work of Salmela, supurb use of proportion, a deep thoughtful use of tradition and materials make for a timeless blend of landscape and architecture.

    My favorite project is the holy rosary church for it's overall rigor that provides simplicity of form and space.

    Perhaps mr. george could be a little more detailed in his critiques.

    Thank you John forthis all.

    ReplyDelete

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