Architecture Firm: KieranTimberlake
Project Location: London, UK
Client: US Department of State
Photography credit: Richard Bryant/Arcaidimages.com
Category: Architecture
Juror Comments: Amazing project. Rotating the simple, cubic volume of the building so that it is at an angle to the context, makes it stand out as a landmark along the Thames River. The designers worked very hard to minimize the security requirements of the project. The site is cleverly organized to provide the community with a park-like setting while still ensuring the security of the building’s occupants. This all glass building is open and transparent, yet each face of the structure is designed to respond to its unique solar orientation. This project proves that security and openness do not have to be mutually exclusive.

Architecture Firm: DIGSAU
Project Location: Swarthmore, PA
Client: Swarthmore College
Photography credit: Todd Mason
Category: Architecture
Juror Comments: This project is exceptional. Using a contemporary design vocabulary, the architects have created a building that is wholly of its time, but that fits into a historic campus in a way that is timeless. The building not only creates a well-framed courtyard with the adjacent buildings, but it also provides an amazing edge to the ball field—which appears to have reanimated the sport there. The organization, scale, and clarity of the building’s form creates a lot of intimately scaled spaces that are perfect for university life and give the students alternatives when studying, running into friends or just hanging out.

Architecture Firm: ISA (Interface Studio Architects, LLC)
Project Location: Philadelphia, PA
Client: Callahan Ward
Photography credit: Sam Oberter
Category: Architecture
Juror Comments: This jewel box residence has real clarity. By consolidating all of the water-dependent spaces in the home, the architects created a highly efficient core that maximizes the living space on the perimeter of the building—so that the residents can take maximum advantage of the daylight. The clever use of plywood to clad the core and make it a distinct volume added clarity and interest to the organization of the building.

Architecture Firm: ISA (Interface Studio Architects, LLC)
Project Location: Philadelphia, PA
Client: Callahan Ward
Photography credit: Sam Oberter
Category: Architecture
Juror Comments: This project was ingenious—in many ways. It forces you to rethink the American preference for living horizontally versus vertically. The architects carefully studied the building code and zoning to maximize the volume of the building. By placing the vertical circulation on the perimeter, they were able to free up the rest of the small footprint for well-lit living space.The “infrastructure” for the house (kitchen, etc.) is consolidated on the ground floor of the building where it is easy to access. The result is a nice section through the building, where upper level rooms are open with great access to natural light.

Architecture Firm: Moto Designshop
Project Location: Philadelphia, PA
Client: Anonymous
Photography credit: Todd Mason
Category: Architecture
Juror Comments: Using the device of the full-height brick screen across the main façade, the architects created a very nice transition between a mid-rise apartment building on one side and traditional, urban row homes on the other. The thoughtful design and detailing of the wavy brick curtains helped to dematerialize the massing and give the exterior a sense of something handcrafted. The brick screen provides the only privacy for these predominantly glazed buildings. The detailing of the steps, which seem to spill out onto the street and create small, covered vestibules behind the brick screens, was particularly nice.

Architecture Firm: DIGSAU
Project Location: Philadelphia, PA
Client: Hospitality 3
Photography credit: Todd Mason
Category: Architecture
Juror Comments: This boutique hotel fits into its environment nicely. The building has clear massing, with a solid base topped by an open plinth from which to view the city and a block of hotel rooms above. Rotating the building on a tight urban site helped to heighten its significance and identify it as a landmark in the area. Clever variation in the brick-faced window panels and how they are organized on the façade gives the exterior character.

Architecture Firm: Margittai Architects
Project Location: Scenery Hill, PA
Client: Megin Harrington
Photography credit: Breanna Kristian
Category: Historic Preservation
Juror Comments: Great job restoring this badly damaged building to its original condition. The project is so well executed, it is hard to believe that it is new. The architects were sensitive to the original intentions of the building and the authenticity of the structure was preserved.

Architecture Firm: Kautter & Kelley Architects
Project Location: Berks County, PA
Client: Peter and Pam Barbey
Photography credit: Jeffrey Totaro
Category: Historic Preservation
Juror Comments: What a jewel box—this project really gets it right. The character of the finished space is so complete it was hard to tell what the architects had actually done. Jane Jacobs famously observed that “New ideas need old buildings.” The rawness and utilitarian nature of this structure allow everyone to see the value of traditional construction techniques and how a building actually gets assembled.

Architecture Firm: PORT
Project Location: Philadelphia, PA
Client: Fairmount Park Conservancy
Category: Impact Design
Juror Comments: Every city should have an Oval. The photos are so impressive and vibrant that they almost looked like a photoshop collage. Cities need to be places of interaction, and the Oval provides an exciting opportunity for people to come together and celebrate their community in an interesting way. The use of colorful graphics to animate the ground plane creates a highly dynamic, artificial environment that is fun from the moment someone sets foot in it. Some cities use food or music to create large-scale social events. Philadelphia uses design.

Architecture Firm: Urban Design Build Studio (UDBS)
Project Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Client: Computer Reach and The Carnegie Public Library of Pittsburgh
Category: Impact Design
Juror Comments: This is a very efficient, smart system with great graphics. The act of setting up and breaking down the mobile training lab turns this design object into a social event, allowing participants to fully engage with the object. We are eager to see the next iteration – one incorporating chairs and a generator.

Architecture Firm: MGA Partners
Project Location: Philadelphia, PA
Photography credit: Barry Halkin
Category: Interior Architecture
Juror Comments: An elegant solution that feels absolutely right in the space. This project is the definition of interior architecture. It proves that you can insert a freestanding, modern use into a historic space in a way that is appropriate and authentic. The meticulous detail with which the architect created this room within a room shows the respect they had for the original space. Their design creates a reverse amphitheater, where instead of walking down into the space, you walk up.

Architecture Firm: evolve environment :: architecture
Project Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Client: Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group
Category: Regional and Urban Design
Juror Comments: This masterplan presents a skillful resolution to a complicated urban intersection. The team is to be commended for the care and attention that went into making the human experience of moving through the plaza and into the station itself rewarding for both the casual passerby and the determined traveler. The project reinstates Penn Station’s role as an important and gracious transportation center for both the city and the community.

Architecture Firm: PORT
Project Location: New York
Client: New York Regional Plan Association
Category: Regional and Urban Design
Juror Comments: Both massive and visionary, this plan provides an exceptional roadmap for future development of the entire northeast corridor. It took us quite a while to examine the plan and understand the full impact of what the team was proposing. Stitching together all of the green assets in a region is so critical today, as more and more natural space is at risk and endanger of being taken over for development. This plan provides for the thoughtful development of every place along the spectrum—from highly urbanized to deeply rural.

Architecture Firm: DIGSAU
Project Location: Bentonville, AR
Client: University of Arksansas, Faye School of Design
Category: Un-built
Juror Comments: This project grapples with how to make mid-size American cities denser while not trading away the benefits of open space. Superblock projects like this usually fail because they become impenetrable, and present a hostile edge to the city. Far from presenting a defensive edge, this design seeks to draw people in and connect them to a network of existing greenways through the city. This project stitches together a number of elements in the neighborhood and proposes a new kind of park that will be an amenity.

Architecture Firm: Ballinger
Project Location: College Park, MD
Client: University of Maryland, College Park
Photography credit: James Ewing
Category: Interior Architecture
Juror Comments: The Student Innovation Lab, which serves as the building’s “Working Commons,” stole the show. The character of 210-foot long high bay, which is a result of the exposed ductwork and the electrical systems, created a technical yet transparent environment for learning that captured our imagination.

Architecture Firm: Stanev Potts Architects
Project Location: Philadelphia, PA
Client: MANNA / the Steven Korman nutrition center
Category: Interior Architecture
Juror Comments: This is well executed project is a good example of how architecture can align with and reinforce a client’s mission. The clean lines, simple materials, well-mannered forms and straightforward graphics created a highly flexible, welcoming space for visitors that could accommodate a range of uses. Organizing the main programmatic elements into a series of “boxes” around the main lobby enabled the reception area to serve as a public square, onto which all of the major spaces were given a clear address.

Architecture Firm: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Project Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Client: Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and City of Pittsburgh
Category: Architecture
Juror Comments: The Environmental Education Center’s careful placement along a ridge in the landscape allowed the building to serve as a transition between a very formally organized plateau where visitors arrive and the natural beauty of the forest beyond. The design of the building, which presents a well-mannered, planar façade at the entry level, transitions effectively to a more informally organized structure on the other side as it opens up to the forest. The incorporation of eco-inspired teaching elements into the building and the surrounding landscape made this LEED Platinum, living laboratory a model for understanding the environment.

Architecture Firm: KieranTimberlake
Project Location: Willits, CA
Client: Clive McCarthy and Tricia Bell
Photography credit: Kyle Jeffers
Category: Architecture
Juror Comments: This project is nestled seamlessly into the site and takes maximum advantage of the views. The use of modular construction in such a remote location was captivating: it minimized both construction waste and disruption to the site. The beautiful use of materials – corten steel, reclaimed redwood, stone flooring, and large expanses of glass – is complemented by the minimalist detailing.

Architecture Firm: Timothy Haahs & Associates
Project Location: Miami, FL
Client: Miami Design District & Associates
Category: Architecture
Juror Comments: This project was executed with whimsy. Parking garages are usually utilitarian structures that don’t often contribute much to the public realm. This garage, which is a collaboration between architects and artists from all over the world, has a vibrancy that animates the neighborhood. The design team created a landmark destination for the City of Miami.

The Architecture Firm Award is given to any firm or successor firms, whether an individual or an organization of architects, in which the continuing collaboration among individuals of the firm has been the principle force in consistently producing distinguished architecture for a period of at least ten (10) years.

The Medal of Distinction honors contributions to architecture that transcend local boundaries and have been of benefit to the profession and citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

The 50 Year Timeless Award recognizes a building that has endured the test of time and still resonates with the design community and the public. The building must be in Pennsylvania and the parent firm must have been a Pennsylvania firm at the time of construction.

The Associate Award recognizes exceptional contributions to the profession by an AIA Pennsylvania Associate member who has demonstrated both professional and civic leadership.

The Emerging Professional Award recognizes  the exceptional achievements and future promise of a licensed architect and to promote their continuing development. The recipient’s contribution to the profession can be through one or more of the following: design excellence, leadership in practice, leadership in education, or service to the profession or society.

The recipient of the Contribution to the Profession by a Non-Architect Award is cited for their direct contributions to the profession such as a building program, a public works project, publications, theoretical or applied research in zoning, urban design, interiors, planning, energy conservation, preservation, restoration transportation, industrial design, artistic endeavors, or other significant disciplines which have had a strong influence on the field of architecture.

The Government Award recognizes significant contributions to, or particular support of, the profession and business of architecture and/or the built environment. Anyone working in state or local government, such as a legislator, state or township official, etc., is eligible for this award as an individual or as a specified group.

The Allied Trades Award honors contribution to the built environment by a contractor, developer, civil engineer, or other allied professional who collaborate to bring architecture into reality and uphold the tenets of design, sustainability and collaboration.

The Impact Designer Award is bestowed on organizations that utilize design and create a better world through innovative, scalable and measurable solutions. Impact design is rooted in the core belief that design can be used to create positive social, environmental and economic change, and focuses on actively measuring impact to inform and direct the design process.