AIA Chicago 2011 Awards: Restrained Interiors, Formally Experimental Buildings

AIA Chicago 2011 Awards: Restrained Interiors, Formally Experimental Buildings

From crisp, clean corporate interior projects to buildings that create wildly innovative formal motifs, AIA Chicago’s 2011 crop of awards run a wide gamut fit for this international capital of architectural innovation. These 10 Honor Award recipients are just the beginning of the chapter’s offerings, which total 42 awards. Honor Award for Distinguished Building: Nature Boardwalk and Education Pavilion at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, designed by Studio Gang Architects with Shaw Sustainable Solutions of Illinois, LLC. Jury Comments: All of the parts of it tie together quite beautifully. Image courtesy of Steve Hall, Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

Honor Award for Distinguished Building: One Hawthorn Center in Holland, Mich., designed by Perkins + Will. Jury Comments: “The new space elevates everything that was already there. This takes the green roof and really leverages it into something more meaningful than what everyone else is doing.” Image courtesy of Curt Clayton, Clayton Studio.

Honor Award for Distinguished Building: The James I Swenson Civil Engineering Building in Duluth, Minn., designed by Ross Barney Architects. Jury Comments: “It’s a stand out. Really fine work.” Image courtesy of Kate Joyce, Kate Joyce Studios.

Honor Award for Interior Architecture: Jenner and Block in Chicago, designed by Goettsch Partners. Jury Comments: “Yay for restraint! There is a very clear material logic and language.” Image courtesy of Steve Hall © Hedrich Blessing Photographers.

Honor Award for Interior Architecture: Confidential Law Firm Headquarters in Chicago, designed by SOM. Jury Comments: I love the regulating lines. It’s a different kind of refinement. Image courtesy of Tom Rossiter Photography.

Honor Award for Interior Architecture: World of Whirlpool in Chicago, designed by Valerio Dewalt Train Associates. Jury Comments: “It’s a strong, big idea--a well-crafted insertion inside a larger space.” Image courtesy of Barbara Karant, Karant + Associates, Inc.

Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design: Farming the Chicago Stockyards in Chicago, designed by UrbanLab. Jury Comments: “They are exploring a new typology. It’s an innovative idea for how to integrate agriculture uses in an urban setting.” Image courtesy of UrbanLab.

Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design: 4 Villages—Guangzhou University Town in Guangzhou, China, designed by SOM. Jury Comments: “It was drawing upon the existing context, while bringing in new ideas. There is a juxtaposition between somewhat historic buildings and new spaces.” Image courtesy of SOM.

Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design: Panama Government City Master Plan in Panama, designed by SOM. Jury Comments: It’s like a breath of fresh air. The sense of order is going to help the redevelopment of the adjacent communities. Image courtesy of SOM.

Honor Award for Unbuilt Design: King Abdullah Petroleum Studies Research Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. Jury Comments: “The outside form is just fantastic. It’s a stunning image.” Image courtesy of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.

Back to AIArchitect December 2, 2011

Go to the current issue of AIArchitect