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Letter from the Chair The Small Project Practitioners Advisory Group is delighted to
present Journal No. 44, “The 2008 Small Project
Awards.” This issue is dedicated to exhibiting the wonderfully
fresh and creative examples submitted in our fourth year of
recognizing the outstanding contributions architects bring to
projects, regardless of size or scope. Winners were announced,
exhibited and celebrated at this year’s AIA National
Convention in Boston. From 158 submitted projects, our outstanding
jury selected 14 to receive Design Awards and 3 as Honorable
Mentions. As has been customary to the Small Project Awards
Program, this year’s call for entries included categories for
Small Project Objects and Small Project Structures, as well as a
“Wild Card” category, which this year looked for the best
in Flood Resistant Housing. Also customary to our program was the
selection of jury members taken primarily from a sister Knowledge
Community. We would like to express our sincere gratitude for their
unfailing assistance in what is rapidly becoming an increasingly
challenging task: filtering through mounds of deserving examples of
our craft, and identifying those few exemplary projects worthy of
such peer recognition. This year’s four person jury was
composed of three representing the AIA’s Center for Building
Science and Performance Knowledge Community: Janice Olshesky,
William Rakatansky, and Bradley Hall. Rounding off the selection
process, and adding a decidedly youthful vantage, was Edward
Gaskin, Regional Liaison for the Young Architects Forum. Acting as
jury moderator, and taken temporarily out of SPP retirement, was
our very own Lisa Stacholy, 2006 Chair of SPP. Thanks also go to
our sponsor for this year’s Awards, The Southern Forest
Products Association and their Raised Floor Living.com Program.
Without the generous support and efforts of our sponsor, our jury,
and of the entire SPP Advisory Group, such wonderful success of the
Small Project Awards would not be possible. A shout out and
heartfelt THANK YOU goes out to you all! Now please join me in
diving into the wonderful collection of imagery and commentary that
follows in this 44th issue of the Journal. And before any
of you forget, now is the time to begin collecting photos of your
best work. We want you to be ready to share your work with us when
the Small Project Awards “Call for Entries” goes out this
fall!
Kevin Harris, AIA
2008 Chair, Small Project Practitioners
2008 Small Project Awards AIA Small Project Practitioners presents the recipients of its
third annual Small Projects Awards program, which promotes
excellence in small-project design. The awards program emphasizes
the excellence of small-project design and strives to raise public
awareness of the value and design excellence that architects bring
to all projects, regardless of the size and scope. Please click here for a pdf of the presentation made at the
2008 AIA Convention by Kevin Harris, AIA, 2008 Chair of the Small
Project Practitioners Knowledge Community. Jury Comments: Bus Shelter Butterfly Window Jury Comments: Casa 218 Chandelier for the Hamilton Association Jury Comments: Connector Jury Comments: Elm Jury Comments: Hidden Cove Hobbit House Jury Comments: Marfa 10x10 Lightbox Nautilus House Peninsula Temple Sholom Entry Canopy Penmar Studio - Residence PINE/Cone PJ's Coffee Shop Spa in a Box Jury Comments: TEMPO Wedge House
Abod
Soshanguve, South Africa
BSB Design
BSB
Design’s founding vision, “Everyone deserves to live in a
home designed by an architect”, has guided the firm for the
past 40 years. After successfully making this dream a reality for
buyers in the United States and abroad, firm leaders challenged BSB
Design employees to develop a low-cost, functional solution to
address the worldwide housing crisis. Teams from the firm’s 15
offices nationwide embraced the challenge, and in the end,
Abôd rose to the forefront as the most viable option.
Specific program goals include community orientation, high quality
with low cost, and the ability to ship an entire
structually-sound, comfortable home in a single packing
crate.
Based on the Catenary Arch, Abôd utilizes arched supports and
structural steel to provide a safe and secure alternative to the
shacks and shanties of impoverished settlements. Each Abôd is
essentially a “house in a box”. All components can be
shipped in a single crate and assembled in one day by two to four
adults using only three tools: A screwdriver, an awl and a ladder,
all provided within the kit.
The first prototypes are 10’ x 12’, and newer designs at
12’ x 16’ will provide even more living space. Available
with a variety of upgrades, Abôd has garnered much interest
from governmental authorities and philanthropic
organizations.
Raleigh, NC
PBC + L Architecture
The bus
shelter is a prototype design constructed on the Main Campus of
Wake Tech Community College. As the College’s enrollment grows
and the subsequent demand for public transportation increases,
further variations of this prototype will be constructed.
The formal and structural expression of the bus shelter provides a
visual connection between the unique conditions of the disparate
campuses. Simultaneously, the materials of the prototype can be
altered to respond to the local building context.
The bus shelter is a simple yet refined architectural composition
of two materially contrasting elements. A heavy site cast concrete
wall serves as structure and bench, which complements and supports
a steel canopy fabricated off-site. The laminated polycarbonate
exterior skin, further expresses the lightness and translucency of
the canopy. The wall and canopy interlock to create a double
‘L’ composition.
The versatility of the concrete wall allows it to be sand blasted,
left natural, or clad with slate. The name and map of each campus
can be cast or applied directly to the concrete wall. A wooden
bench is inserted into the wall to provide a comfortable place to
sit.
The canopy structure and its associated skin provide shade and
shelter. Either translucent polycarbonate panels or patterned
laminated glass filter the light and animate the space with ever
changing patterns of shadow and light.
Jury Comments:
Chester County, PA
Archer & Buchanan Architecture, LTD
The
“butterfly window” was conceived for a private museum of
an avid J.R.R. Tolkein collector of books, manuscripts and
artifacts. The design derived from Tolkein’s sketches and
verbal descriptions of the Hobbits’ propensity to design
windows that frame beautiful views into the woods. The circular
window and the “eyebrow” were crafted to capture those
views while blending the materials and forms of wall, window and
roof into a balanced composition. The clay tile roof and supporting
stone wall visually envelope the circular window that dictates
their form. The window, crafted of solid mahogany, and the more
delicate forged iron hardware are custom-designed, based on
Tolkein’s imagery, and were then locally crafted. The
semicircular operable sashes are hinged in the center, and are,
like a butterfly’s wings, delicate yet strong; beautiful yet
functional.
San Antonio, TX
candid rogers architect
Casa 218 was
built in 1873. The original volume of the two room limestone
residence is little more than 500 sq. ft. The original residence
was restored using original regional materials. The project has two
aspects: that of historic preservation and the contextualizing the
new addition with the existing residence. An addition of 960 sq.
ft. was added, which includes a kitchen, two bathrooms and two
bedrooms. The new addition was set behind the existing residence,
connecting sensitively to the rear to allow for an uninterrupted
place and siting of the original residence. The scale and
proportions of the principal elements were respected and translated
into a new idiom in the new addition.
The connection of the roof between the existing residence and new
addition was resolved with two single sloping shed roofs joining in
a single valley, which facilitated the collection of
rainwater.
Conceptually the project aims to respect the scale of a modest
small architecture, while juxtaposing a new vocabulary of the
addition with that of the original.
Jury Comments:
San Francisco, CA
Patrick Carney, AIA
The Hamilton
Hotel was built in 1929 in the Art Deco style. In 1962 it became
the first condo conversion in California. At the time of the
conversion there evidently was little appreciation for Art Deco and
much of the deco charm (including the chandeliers) was removed from
the building. A concerted effort began to return the building to
its Art Deco roots. The lobby was restored by removing non-bearing
walls that chopped up the space, but something was still lacking.
It was time to remove the non-period, wide, spider-shaped lights
and replace them with Art Deco chandeliers that add grandeur, flair
and uniqueness to the lobby.
Much research went into studying Art Deco Chandeliers; it was
decided that multi-tiered “bronze and etched glass
torpedoes” would be best for the room. Though they combine
ideas from a handful of my favorite Art Deco pendants, these are
unique, one-of-a-kind custom fixtures. At nearly 5 ft long, their
narrow proportions fit nicely in the lobby. There are ten interior
chandeliers, one exterior chandelier and one wall sconce. The goal
to transform the lobby back to 1929 was significantly realized;
residents say the lobby is more attractive, plus the building has
developed caché as a very rare venue.
Omaha, NE
Randy Brown Architect
The project
was designed and constructed from May to August in 2006. The
challenge was to create a space to connect two existing buildings
(with different floor heights). The solution became a
“Connector:” a bridge and interior stairwell sculpted
from Polycarbonate, rusted metal, wood, and glass. Lightness,
transparency, and folding drove the design.
Omaha, NE
Randy Brown Architect
Hidden Creek
house 8, located at 135th and Fort Streets, was named
‘Elm’ after the existing elm tree in the side yard. This
house is a modern design built with many ecologically friendly
materials such as Bamboo flooring, Hardi-plank cement siding and a
green roof. The home is located in a treed area with dramatic views
of the Standing Bear Nature Preserve.
Austin, TX
alterstudio LLP
Our design for
the Hidden Cove residence is a phased renovation of a home on an
extraordinary site nestled into a private inlet on Lake Austin. Our
renovation turns the building inside-out by opening it to near and
far views, breezes, and connections to the out-of-doors. Making the
most of the existing building’s envelope, this project began
with a renovation of the master bathroom, and grew to incorporate
the design of the master bedroom, kitchen, living and dining
rooms.
The renovation begins in the master bathroom by replacing a
formerly solid wall with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass. Seemingly
thrust into the canopy of trees that shade the water, the bathroom
contains a purpose made stainless steel sink atop a delicate cherry
vanity, and an ipe bench in the shower. A radiant Leuders limestone
floor and wall define the extent of the room, and together with a
river stone filled gutter lend a sense of serene stillness to the
ensemble.
Small in scope, this project posed the opportunity to design custom
made stainless steel fittings, hardwood built-in furniture,
limestone walls and floors, careful cabinetry, and meticulous
details. It was an opportunity for us to design a refined interior
landscape with subtlety and grace, while always nodding to the more
extraordinary characteristics of the natural landscape in which
this home is situated.
Jury Comments:
Chester County, PA
Archer & Buchanan Architecture, Ltd.
An avid and
serious collector of J.R.R. Tolkien books, manuscripts and
artifacts desired a cottage-like setting based on Tolkien’s
writings and imagery of a home for a Hobbit. Located in the
countryside near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this 600 SF private
museum was built to display and archive the owner’s collection
in an environment that will protect the material while providing a
quiet sanctuary for solitude and contemplation. The front facade
utilizes stone from a derelict portion of an existing 18th century
fieldstone dry stacked wall which had been buried in the woods. The
concept in design was to create a building that would foster a
feeling of history and tradition of both the site and the housed
collection.
Principal features and materials include hand-made clay roof tiles,
a 54” diameter Spanish cedar door with hand-forged single
pivot hinge, custom “butterfly window,” Douglas fir
timber framing, custom designed antique light fixtures, and painted
traditional casework. The structure is located a short walk from
the main house and is used as a place to enjoy and experience the
collection in a setting appropriate to the art and history it
holds.
Marfa, TX
candid rogers architect
The Marfa 10 x
10 Lightbox serves as a retreat for thoughtful repose, embracing
the site and landscape
of west Texas, offering unique connections to the local landscape
and the landscapes beyond.
The project gains inspiration from the surrounding context, the
west Texas landscape and
the interaction with light and time. The corrugated metal cladding
reflects the local building traditions of
small buildings in town, as well as the ranch structures so common
in the rural surrounding landscape.
The patina of the corten steel siding which clads the building will
rust over time
reflecting the aging utility of buildings so prominent in Marfa and
other small Texas towns.
From the loft, views are offered over the Chihuahuan desert into
the Chinati mountains; the opposing view
north is over the town into the Fort Davis mountains. Sited at an
elevation of approximately
4800 feet, the vertical view embraces the night sky, while solar
shading to the south is provided by steel grate.
The interior living / dining space takes advantage of the exterior
court by two flap doors, in which the night time interior lighting
of the retreat serves as a lantern via polycarbonate panels for the
shared exterior court.
The size of the project is minimal, in an effort to keep the costs
down and as an experiment to see how
economically a complete self sufficient dwelling can be
realized.
Jury Comments:
Mount Pleasant, SC
Gordon A Nicholson, AIA
The Nautilus
House is a 4 bedroom 2200 square foot residence located on a narrow
lot in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (Flood Zone A) .
The project is a speculative ‘collaboration’ between
builder and architect, focusing on introducing sustainable design.
Building orientation/context, natural light/ventilation, and
sustainable materials inform the residence.
The long narrow lot suggested a vernacular “Charleston single
house” as a departure point. Natural light is externally
controlled via an entry porch with awning extension, a sun shade,
and deep roof overhangs. Prevailing southeast breezes are captured
by casement/awning windows and the rear porch and elevated deck.
Sustainable materials include radiant barrier sheathing/decking,
recycled aluminum siding, galvalume roofing, composite decking, and
energy efficient fixtures and appliances.
The owner required that flexibility and efficiency could be offered
in a linear floor plan. Thus the open living spaces of the Nautilus
House allow for endless reconfiguration of the public areas. The
first floor study with adjacent bath provides a future bedroom if
one is needed. Cost was reduced by the use of "off the shelf"
sustainable materials. Parking was provided underneath the
structure. Each room of the house was provided with natural light
and large rooms can be cross ventilated.
Jury Comments:
Burlingame, CA
Herman & Coliver: Architecture
Making evident
the passage of time through the day, week and year defines this new
entry to a suburban synagogue. Evocatively, Abraham Joshua Heschel,
a famous mid 20th century rabbi, spoke of Judaism as a religion
which sanctifies time rather than space. Consequently, the design
team’s attempted to make time into place.
Heschel spoke of how “every hour is unique, and it is the only
one given at the moment, exclusive and endlessly precious”,
like a gift. He spoke of “how the Sabbaths are our great
cathedrals”. He taught that to be Jewish is to be attached to
holiness in time, which is the idea at the root of The Sabbath. As
most people come to a synagogue on the Sabbath, the entry
experience features the varied play of light as a signifier of
time.
Made of laser cut aluminum panels supported on slender, birch-like
trunks, the Canopy casts dappled light onto the ground and
surrounding walls. Due to the changing patterns of leaf-like
shadows throughout the passage of the day, time and the seasons are
made evident in a nearly visceral way.
Jury Comments:
Venice, CA
Dean Nota Architect AIA
This project
is located in Venice, California, a diverse, coastal community on
the western edge of Los Angeles. The site is situated at the
intersection of two suburban street grids that form a triangular
edge to the property. The parcel includes an existing,
single-story, 1,200 square feet house that will remain and coexist
with the new structure. An existing garage will be removed. The
neighborhood, currently in transition, is an eclectic mix of old
and new and large and small residential structures.
The client, a professional photographer, requested a program of
21,000 square feet for a live-work studio/residence. The program is
organized on two levels, with enclosed parking and photography
studio on the ground level, and office and living space on the
upper floor.
The plan geometry and formal massing of this building evolved from
the interaction of the two street grids that interface and form the
triangular shape of the site. The building is conceived as an
abstraction of the expansion of the old garage, which is organized
on the grid of neighboring structures, with the addition of a new
dwelling unit above, that is rotated to the geometry of the
adjacent street grid. A folded, metal clad roof plane opens to the
north for light and to further articulate and contrast the old with
the new.
The street elevation is a symmetrical, static composition of
stucco, glass and metal, that is relatively closed for privacy,
while the entry and primary glazed openings are oriented inward to
a courtyard that is created by the juxtaposition of the new
structure with the existing residence.
Jury Comments:
Chaska, MN
Sala Architects
PINE/Cone
is part of a juried exhibition called “Art to A-Maze”
located along a trail from the Arboretum’s visitor center to a
new maze garden. The exhibit theme “Human/Nature” asked
artists to explore the relationships between people and the natural
environment.
Located among pine trees near the trail’s edge,
PINE/Cone beckons visitors to explore. An unmarked forest
floor allows individuals to define their own pathway through the
trees. Portals in opposite sides of the box lead to the discovery
of a habitable space within.
Inside, an inverted, cone-like volume frames the tree canopy above,
while benches encourage visitors to lean back and gaze skyward. A
central stone basin reflects images of visitors, pine boughs, and
sky; collecting “human” and “nature” together
in one view.
PINE/Cone uses cantilevered beams to carry its corners
above the forest floor touching ground only at the portals and
seats, thereby minimizing disturbance to surrounding tree
roots
PINE/Cone is constructed of Minnesota-grown tamarack
cribbing over a frame of FSC-certified lumber. Doorways and seats
are sheathed with formaldehyde-free Extira MDO. The reflecting
basin is made from granite quarried in northern Minnesota. Donated
materials and volunteer labor kept the project budget under
$2,000.
Jury Comments:
New Orleans, LA
Wayne Troyer Architects
Tulane
University’s Stern Hall spreads itself across the
school’s main pedestrian axis, parallel to Freret Street; it
would break the travel path but for a large breezeway allowing
unhindered traffic flow. Usable covered space of 6240 square feet
and a clear height of 16’-4” provide an ideal place for a
small architectural installation in the form of a PJ’s Coffee
Company shop.
Programmatic arrangement within the breezeway is governed by
utilization of the existing space: A constant flow of pedestrians,
bicyclists and wind moves along an east-west route, with
concentration to the south. The project is anchored between four
existing columns of Stern Hall [only directly touching two], biased
to the north. This preserves the generous thru-way, while light,
modern materials make an elegant contrast to the weighty structure
of the existing building. Physical separation of the new and old
structures emphasizes the transitory nature of the
architecture.
The south facade is the public edge: A full height, curving glass
storefront runs past the columns, reinforcing and reacting to the
physical element of movement that characterizes the breezeway.
Interior and exterior connected visually, and linear staging of the
shop ensures that movement within the building emulates the flow
without. Translucent glass and zinc panels on the north
façade provide privacy for the office and storage areas of
the program.
Jury Comments:
Washington, DC
Gardner Mohr Architects LLC
Large or
small, a bathroom should be relaxing and inviting. It is where we
refresh, renew and spend hours of our time while at home. This 55
square foot co-op bathroom (c. 1930) could not be expanded due to
space and budget limitations, so we created the illusion of
expansion.
The 10’ high ceiling, usually considered a luxury, became a
liability as the largest dimension in this tiny 6 foot by 9 foot
room. By attaching off-the-rack hardwood shelves (IKEA, $6 psf,) to
the ceiling and placing a mirror at the far end of the room we
changed the perception of the size and proportion of the room
without moving any walls. The pebbled shower pays homage to water
as the essential element in the room and the suspended shower
curtain serves double duty by keeping the floor dry and providing a
privacy screen for the toilet area. The old radiator doubles as a
towel warmer, and six dimmable 150w light bulbs in porcelain
utility fixtures (hardware store, $1.79) provide lighting for any
mood. Continuous wall and floor tile make the whole affair
splash-friendly and durable.
Husnes, Norway
Laboratory for Environments, Architecture & Design
Inc.
The challenge
for this micro-architecture was simple. Our client,
Sør-Norge Aluminium AS, wanted to give a gift to its
community, Husnes, Kvinnherad, which for 40 years has supported and
contributed to its success. They wanted for this
‘architectural monument’, as they called it, to symbolize
their symbiotic relationship with the community, which had helped
them prosper.
Our first step as architects was to construct a conceptual program
for this urban structure. We narrowed the focus to ideas regarding:
industry, technology, materiality, natural and built environments,
site, and context.
Researching the relationship between our client as an industrious
leading aluminum manufacturer and the natural and human resources
necessary for their growth and development was a natural next step.
We were interested to know why Sør-Norge Aluminium AS had
settled in Husnes and what they did for the region subsequently.
The natural environment was ripe for their growth: access to the
ocean for easy transport of raw material and manufactured goods,
inexpensive hydro-electric energy abundant in the region due to
high precipitation and magnificent topography, and finally a
relatively flat landscape for future growth in a pristine natural
setting. The human resources necessary for starting a manufacturing
plant of this scale has had a tremendous consequence on that which
happened since.
We set out to design a high-tech, forward-looking structure that is
both engaged and engaging. The outcome engages the diurnal and
seasonal changes of the natural environment, while engaging the
cultural life of the community. It is meant to bring pride and
energy to the place. At 60° north in winters, there are only a
few hours of daylight while in summers there are only a few dark
hours. The appearance of the structure changes dramatically by the
changes in light and its coloration, making it very dynamic and
curious.
Standing at ten meters tall, the structure is six meters wide at
its base and top. The structure is a combination of a hyperboloid
of revolution in 32mm outside diameter welded aluminum pipes and a
structural fabric funnel made of Gore-Tex. The structural fabric
takes its shape from being stretched between the hyperboloid and
the base in all directions, and in turn puts the hyperboloid in
compression hence anchoring it. This fabric was chosen for its
ability to be a magical foil for the light. The funnel also
collects the rainwater and brings it to a small basin at the center
of the base. The hyperboloid of revolution is an appropriate symbol
for the collective effect of a community. Seventy-two straight
aluminum pipes with a 140° rotation give the structure its
sensuous appearance. The structure includes 306 LEDs in a lighting
system that is programmed to respond to the environmental light
conditions as well as major cultural events.
Jury Comments:
Bethesda, MD
Donald Lococo Architects, LLC
Built on a
small residual lot between 2 subdivisions, the original 70s home
was a byproduct of triangular building restrictions. Small window
openings defended its privacy. Later, the third subdivision became
a forested, public park. The home now faces this land & the
addition responds to the newfound views. The design overlays
elements in 4 distinct layers on the brick façade, using
wood brick and siding: materials and colors familiar to the
existing 70’s home, which increase the interior by 366 square
feet.
A first layer is a band of rooms conscious of the scale of the
house’s existing spaces. A second layer of transparency
addresses the newly found views: a 2 storey glass bay and glass
walls. A third layer of decks and raised terraces accesses all
levels and bedrooms, which allows for on-level connection to
outdoor living. A fourth final layer of railings and vertical stud
curtains provides privacy and creates outdoor rooms.
The distinct layers are not continuous, and peel away to show
deeper layers; at times, going back to the original brick walls.
The visitor is first made aware of the layers slipping between them
upon entering. The facade bends to address the visitor with
terraces and balconies adding scale and balancing the
building’s original curb view.
Jury Comments:
Overview of the Awards Program Recognition Judging Criteria Criteria for judging include Jury Award Categories Sponsorship
Award recipients are recognized at the SPP Small Project
Awards program and reception at the AIA national convention. The
award-winning projects are displayed at the reception, acknowledged
in AIA publications and electronic media, and featured on the SPP
Web site. Each award-winning project receives a citation for
excellence.
Each entry is judged for the success with which the
project meets its individual intent and requirements. Entries are
weighed individually, not in competition with each other.
Entries are to be projects of the built environment within the
following categories:
This awards
program would not be possible without help from our generous
sponsor, the Southern Pine Council's Raised Floor Living
program.
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