AIA PA Members win big at QUAD

AIA Pennsylvania Members win big at QUAD

Recipients of the  2017 QUAD (Quality Unites Architectural Design) Design Awards were honored at a ceremony on November 9 at the New York State Museum ceremony in Albany, New York. The program was part of a four-day conference hosted by four chapters of the American Institute of Architects (AIA): AIA Connecticut, AIA New Jersey, AIA New York, and AIA Pennsylvania. Jurors for the award program were Tom Liebel, FAIA,  Marks Thomas Architects, Baltimore, Maryland; Jon Penndorf, FAIA, Perkins Will, Washington, DC; and Heather Cass, FAIA, Cass Associates Architects, Washington, DC. Jurors selected 29 Honor awards, four with distinction, from almost 250 submissions.

*Juror comments in italics

In the category Built Commercial, Educational projects, eleven awards were given. Two AIA Pennsylvania firms took home awards in this category.

Basecamp Delta, Glen Jean, West Virginia by DIGSAU, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This delightful project does a lot with little, lies lightly on the land. It went well beyond what one would expect a scout camp to be.

Frick Environmental Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Nice integration into the site topography.

 

In the Interiors category, there were three recipients, one award went to Philadelphia firm, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson:

Blue Bottle Coffee, Georgetown, Washington, DC by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This gem of a coffee shop uses simple materials, elegantly detailed, in its celebration of the craft of coffee making.  The result is also a delightful celebration of the craft of building.

 

In the category Preservation, Adaptation, Restoration, there were five awards, one award went to Philadelphia firm, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson:

Building 37, Baltimore, Maryland by Bohlin Cywinski JacksonPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania

The architects transformed a space into a place.  The jury applauded the inventive re-use of big box store.

In the Residential category, there were five awards, one award went to Philadelphia firm, Ambit Architecture and Interior Design:

River Retreat, Kennedyville, Maryland by Ambit Architecture and Interior Design, Philadelphia

Classic material palette used to root the project to the site. Nice use of reclaimed and new woods, rough and hewn stone. Nice transitions to outdoor spaces.

 

Three awards were granted for the category Regional and Urban Design, the following two recipients hailed from Pennsylvania:

Design Guidelines for the Vieux Carré Historic District, New Orleans, Louisiana, by the Preservation Design Partnership, Philadelphia

The jury liked the clear and legible guidelines, the flowcharts, and the attention to the local needs. Meticulous attention to detail in the drawings.

Millvale Ecodistrict Pivot Plan, Millvale, Pennsylvania by evolve environment::architecture, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

This is a comprehensive ecodistrict planning with interesting community engagement techniques. Diagrams were easy to understand and communicate to those without technical expertise.