Design Awards for 2013 Announced

Across five award categories — Architecture, Contextual Design, Historic Preservation, Interior Design, and Residential Design — 29 projects were recognized for design excellence in 2013. Five separate juries identified 16 Honor Awards, 12 Merit Awards, and one special citation from a pool of 139 submissions. The awards recognize the very best work by designers working from Virginia. Held annually, the Awards for Excellence (also known as the Design Awards) celebrate projects no older than seven years that contribute to the built environment as clear examples of thoughtful and engaging design.

The 2013 Virginia Society AIA Awards for Excellence in Architecture presented by IMAGINiT Technologies, are sponsored by IMAGINiT Technologies, Donley’s, First Light VA, Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Company, GeoEnvironmental Resources, Inc., Williams Mullen, and McPherson Design Group.

The winning projects will be the subject of an exhibition at the Virginia Center for Architecture called Design 2013: A Retrospective of Winning Work running Oct. 24, 2013–Jan. 5, 2014. The Opening Reception is Oct. 24 from 5:30–7:30 p.m.

Western Carolina University Health & Human Services by Clark Nexsen. Photo by Mark Herboth Photography.
Western Carolina University Health & Human Services by Clark Nexsen. Photo by Mark Herboth Photography.

In the ARCHITECTURE category

In deliberations, the jury—chaired by Thompson E. Penney, FAIA—considered aesthetics, adherence to the client program, proven and projected building performance, and concept development.

The three Architecture Honor Award recipients for 2013 are:

Western Carolina University Health & Human Sciences by Clark Nexsen
“A successful contrast to the natural setting out of which it grows, the building carefully pushes in the hillside contours, preserving a sensitive environment and gracefully stepping down the site,” noted the jury.

RdV Vineyards Winery by Neumann Lewis Buchanan Architects. Photo by Gordon Beall.
RdV Vineyards Winery by Neumann Lewis Buchanan Architects. Photo by Gordon Beall.

RdV Vineyards Winery by Neumann Lewis Buchanan Architects
“The structure is beautifully integrated with its spectacular site,” the jury said. “The interiors are quite bold and very well detailed and executed.

Buckingham County Public School by VMDO
“The masterful stitching together of two outdated mid-century schools into a new elementary school is very sophisticated, yet, at the same time, is very approachable for children,” said the jury.

The Architecture Jury also recognized four projects with Merit Awards:

Park Shops by Clark Nexsen

Buckingham County Primary and Elementary Schools by VMDO Architects. Photo by Alan Karchmer.
Buckingham County Primary and Elementary Schools by VMDO Architects. Photo by Alan Karchmer.

Tred Avon River House by Robert Gurney, FAIA

Verde Dining Facility by Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas, and

Barcode House by David Jameson, FAIA

 

In the CONTEXTUAL DESIGN category

The awards for contextual design recognize outstanding architecture that perceptibly reflects the history, culture, and physical environment of the place in which it stands and that, in turn, contributes to the function, beauty, and meaning of its larger context.

The Context Jury, chaired by R. Randall Vosbeck, FAIA, awarded three projects with Honor Awards:

Holaday Athletic Center, U.S. Air Force Academy by Cannon Design
The project is notable“for its sustainable, contemporary design, which is most respectful of its well-known mid-century surroundings,” stated the jury.

Becherer House by Robert Gurney, FAIA, Architect
The jury noted the exquisite detailing and overall design as the deciding elements in convincing them that this project is relevant to its wooded setting.

Headquarters for Ruppert Nurseries by  Muse Architects
“This complex of new and remodeled buildings respects the 1898 Queen Anne Victorian farmhouse on the site,” said the jury of the nursery’s “overall agrarian character.”

The jury also awarded four projects with Merit Awards:

Duncan, McMurty, Baker & Will Rice Colleges of Rice University by Hopkins Architects, design architect, and Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas, executive architect

E. Claiborne Robins Stadium, University of Richmond by BCWH, architect of record, and McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture, associated architect

Bedford Hall Visual Arts Building, Longwood University by Moseley Architects, architect, and HGA, consulting visual arts design architect

University of Mary Washington Residence Halls Renovation by Bowie Gridley Architects

Additionally, the jury recognized The One Nest by McGraw Bagnoli Architects, with a special citation as a clever interpretation of a rural farmhouse related to its countryside site.

 

In the RESIDENTIAL DESIGN category

Aesthetic appeal and functionality are two long-established criteria for home design as are affordability and resource efficiency. The jury—chaired by 2014 national AIA Custom Residential Architecture Network Chair David Andreozzi, AIA—looked at each submission in its totality toward meeting those goals.

The Residential Design jury selected four projects for Honor Awards:

Three of those are by Robert Gurney, FAIA, Architect:

308 Mulberry, which the jury called “absolutely brilliant, a truly spectacular example of a minimally and expertly detailed project that respects the context of a site as well as the history of an existing structure.”

Difficult Run Residence which was called “a remarkable renovation,” by the jury. “Like the rolling landscape, the roof gracefully folds and rolls, thus unifying the house. It is quite an honor to the original architect.”

and

WISSIOMING2. “The lines of the house form a myriad of squares and volumes,” observed the jury. “Its connection to its vernacular is spellbinding from every direction.”

The jury also honored A Move to the City by Muse Architects. “This project’s exterior skin was restored from the last century, and its interior is transformed for the next century.”

The jury recognized Ocean Walk, by Studio Twenty-Seven Architecture, with a Merit Award.

 

In the HISTORIC PRESERVATION category

The historic preservation category focuses specifically on excellence in strategies, tactics, and technologies that advance the art, craft, and science of preserving historically significant buildings and sites. The jury took into consideration adherence to local, state, and national criteria for historic preservation.

The Historic Preservation jury—chaired by Associate Dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Gaines B. Hall, FAIA—recognized one with an Honor Award.

For the Honor Award, the jury recognized the National Academy of Sciences restoration by Quinn Evans Architects, which they called “beautifully executed. It followed the best of preservation practice in an exemplary way. This is a first-rate renovation of a landmark building.”

They recognized three projects with Merit Awards:

The Restoration of the 1917 Chesterfield Courthouse by Davis Buckley Architects & Planners

The State Theatre Restoration by Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas, and

The Pierce Mill Complex by Quinn Evans

 

In the INTERIOR DESIGN category

Interior design project of distinction evince mastery of composition, functionality, material and color palettes, and well-integrated adherence to the highest levels of accessibility, health and safety, environmental, and occupant-comfort considerations, standards, and regulations.

The Interior Design Jury—chaired by Jose Castillo, cofounder of arquitectura 911sc in Mexico City—recognized five projects with Honor Awards; three by Robert Gurney, FAIA, Architect:

Lorber Tarler Residence, with its “clean palette of materials, finishes, and colors as well as the specific role the stair plays in organizing space and bringing in natural light.

Watergate Apartment, as “a clever use of geometry to achieve a better integration for what otherwise would feel like a small apartment. This space honors the legacy of Moretti’s 1960s masterpiece.”

and

5110-½ Offices, was lauded by the jury for how it draws light “into the deepest parts of the office. The organization in plan is warm, clean, and professionally formal.”

The jury also recognized the North Avenue Dining Hall at Georgia Tech by Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas for “the way the project establishes a relationship between interior and exterior and between existing and new.

and

The Allsteel Showroom by Hickok Cole for its “sensitive integration of brand into physical space. The relationship between different ceilings, floorings, and lighting achieves an unmistakable identity and character.”

 

Member Thomas K. McLaughlin, Jr., AIA, Dies

Virginia member Thomas McLaughlin died Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012. He had been treated for non-Hodgkins lymphoma for the past two years.

A native of Tarboro, N.C., McLaughlin graduated from N.C. State and went on to Harvard where he earned his MArch. He began his career in Boston, designing the city’s Children’s Museum and a transportation museum, and came to Richmond, Va., in 1989. He worked with Moseley McClintock Group, Rose Architects and was a principal with Odell Associates, before finishing his career with his own firm. He is well known for his work on the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, the Richmond Newspapers Inc. production building, the former Heilig-Meyers headquarters, the St. Francis Cancer Center, the Oliver Hill Courts Building, and courts facilities in Spotsylvania County, Henry County and Hopewell.

A memorial service will be held at the Virginia Center for Architecture on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, at 4:30 p.m.

Bleam, Dunn Recognized with Society Honors

Gregg Bleam, FASLA, and Bryna Dunn, LEED AP, will be recognized with Society Honors at the Visions for Architecture gala on Friday, Nov. 4 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Society Honors are bestowed on organizations or citizens who have inspired, influenced, or complemented architecture or the architecture profession in Virginia through an allied profession, research, education, planning, legislation, journalism, the arts, or crafts.

Gregg Bleam, FASLA
Gregg Bleam, FASLA

For more than 21 years, Gregg Bleam, and his firm Gregg Bleam Landscape Architect, have produced exemplary work in landscape architecture. “His site-specific minimalism combines familiar raw materials in unexpected ways. He is a value-adding collaborator whom the best architects of his generation seek out for his ability to make building and landscape one interlocking, interdependent system,” said the American Society of Landscape Architects when announcing his elevation to Fellowship in October of this year. From private residences and gardens, to public campuses and master plans, his projects emphasize the sustainable use of indigenous and natural materials to enhance the built environment.  Particularly noted by the Honors Committee was the high quality of his work, marked by his extraordinary ability to integrate contemporary architecture into the landscape.

 

Bryna Dunn, LEED AP
Bryna Dunn, LEED AP

Bryna Dunn, though not an architect or engineer, has impacted the design of dozens of sites and buildings through her work to advise the design community and its clients about environmentally-friendly practices and materials. Recognized with awards for her leadership by the green-building community, Dunn has been a driving force through her involvement with the United States Green Building Council, James River Green Building Council, and Virginia Sustainable Building Network. Many LEED Accredited Professionals in Virginia have benefited from her seminars on sustainable practices. Her work with the USGBC has helped to propel and transform the LEED rating system into the industry standard for green building certification. Her sustained influence and remarkable contributions to the built environment and its means and methods of construction were particularly noted by the Honors Committee. Dunn is Vice President, Director of Environmental Planning & Research at Moseley Architects.

In the Firms: September 2011

Clint Good, AIA, was appointed to the APELSCIDLA Board.

 

Marjory W. (Jody) Gibson, AIA joined Wiley|Wilson’s Alexandria Office as a Senior Architect.

 

Allied Member SGO Designer Glass opened a new showroom in Leesburg, Va. in August.

 

Stewart D. Roberson is taking over as Moseley’s chairman of the board and president/chief executive officer.

 

David S. Harder was promoted to office director of Dewberry’s Fairfax, Virginia, architectural practice. In his new role, he will be responsible for management of the department’s daily operations.