AIA Seattle Celebrates High Tech and Simple, Natural Materials

AIA Seattle Celebrates High Tech and Simple, Natural Materials

AIA Seattle’s latest design awards honor projects that combine simple, natural materials that speak to the Pacific Northwest’s landscape diversity with contemporary expression of steel, glass, and sustainability; modern signifiers of the region’s technology and computer industry. Honor Award: Vancouver Community Library in Vancouver, Wash., designed by Miller Hull Partnership. Jury Comments: [The] atrium provides both identity and a living room for the community. [It’s] a monumental presence where public, semi-private, and private spaces work well together. Image courtesy of Nic Lehoux.

Honor Award: The Wood Block Residence in Mercer Island, Wash., designed by chadbourne + doss architects. Jury Comments: [A] beautiful mix of case study mid-century Modernism and new craftsmanship, creating something entirely new. Image courtesy of Benjamin Benschneider.

The Lott Clean Water Alliance Regional Services Center in Olympia, Wash., designed by Miller Hull Partnership. Jury Comments: Steeped in responsible environmental strategies, yet it shows restraint in illustrating sustainability. [It’s a] resolute work of architecture that transcends its functional requirements. Image courtesy of Nic Lehoux.

The Art Stable in Seattle, designed by Olson Kundig Architects. Jury Comments: A compelling example of the ability to transform a neighborhood in an iconic way. The façade is truly exquisite in its detail and proportion. It’s part of the language of the collective vision of Seattle architecture. Image courtesy of Benjamin Benschneider, Tim Bies, Point32.

Merit Award: The Rock Box in Seattle, designed by MW|Works Architecture+Design. Jury Comments: This project engages the street. One karaoke box allows the performers to be seen by passersby. Image courtesy of Tim Bies Photography, MW|Works.

Merit Award: The Foster School of Business’s Paccar Hall in Seattle, designed by LMN Architects. Jury Comments: With its clever integration of transparent group spaces, the building promotes genuine collaboration between students and faculty. There’s warmth and lightness you don’t often find in business schools. Image courtesy of Nic Lehoux and Doug Scott.

Merit Award: Eagle Ridge in Eastsound, Wash., designed by Gary Gladwish Architecture. Jury Comments: [The building exhibits] great sensitivity to the client and the site, and [showcases] a strong relationship to the landscape. Image courtesy of Will Austin Photography.

Merit Award: The SCCA Patient House in Seattle, designed by Weinstein A|U Architects + Urban Designers LLC. Jury Comments: The roof garden provides safety and a city connection. [The building offers] a user-centered, transformative experience to patients and caregivers. Image courtesy of Michael Burns.

Merit Award: The Sol Duc Cabin on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington, designed by Olson Kundig Architects. Jury Comments: A gem, with a restrained material palette. Image courtesy of Benjamin Benschneider.

Commendation: Starbucks Coffee Ohori Park in Fukuoka, Japan, designed by the Starbucks Coffee Company. Jury Comments: It’s thoughtfully situated in a park-like setting--a coffee shop that acts like a pavilion. It’s a restrained and welcome response to the use of form and material, bucking the tendency of global chains to emphasize the chain’s identity, not the site. Image courtesy of Shingo Saito.

Commendation: South Correctional Entity in Des Moines, Wash., designed by DLR Group. Jury Comments: Landscape and transparency [are given] careful consideration [in terms] of the surrounding suburban context. There is strong use of natural light, ventilation, and acoustics. This project transcends its humble building type. Image courtesy of Sam Van Fleet Photography.

Commendation: The Push/Pull Residence in Seattle, designed by MW|Works Architecture+Design. Jury Comments: Strong interior concepts and attention to detail. Reuse gives a distinctive character to the project. Image courtesy of Tim Bies Photography, MW|Works.

Commendation: Maier Hall in Port Angeles, Wash., designed by Schacht Aslani Architects. Jury Comments: Its narrow form maximizes the relationship with the landscape, and its façade is unified and animated. Image courtesy of Doug Scott.

Commendation: The Kenmore Library in Kenmore, Wash., designed by Weinstein A|U Architects + Urban Designers LLC. Jury Comments: Strong organization [offered a] respite from a really messy, chaotic context. Its open space plan was very smart. [We were] impressed with daylighting strategies that activated the space. Image courtesy of Lara Swimmer.

Commendation: Gray Middle School in Tacoma, Wash., designed by Mahlum. Jury Comments: Great exterior courtyards synchronize inside and outside spaces. [We were] impressed by the building’s sustainable features that were integrated, not flaunted. This is emblematic of an impressive level of school design in our region. Image courtesy of Benjamin Benschneider; Nic Lehoux.

Commendation: Admiral Live-Work in Seattle, designed by zimmerraystudios. Jury Comments: This project was about design flexibility. [We] appreciated the level of craft in the building. Image courtesy of Lara Swimmer Photography.

Ideas Category Citation: The Battery Street Tunnel Project in Seattle, designed by Mona Johnson. Jury Comments: A compelling, great opportunity for pedestrian public spaces. This project seeks to generate new conditions of urbanism and suggests a leadership position for architects and designers. Image courtesy of Mona Johnson.

Citation: 2026 E. Madison Mixed-Use Building in Seattle designed by Weinstein A|U Architects + Urban Designers LLC. Jury Comments: The courtyard was an effective strategy to connect the urban spaces and provide quasi-public space. An excellent model for infill development. Image courtesy of Kevin Tabari.

Citation: Samsung International Hospital in Seoul, South Korea, designed by NBBJ. Jury Comments: Organizing strategies of bridging, stacking, etc., went beyond the typical tower. It’s a dynamic civic structure with a powerful interface with the city. Image courtesy of NBBJ.

Back to AIArchitect December 16, 2011

Go to the current issue of AIArchitect