AIA Chicago Debuts New Awards Program Honoring Small Firms and Small Projects

AIA Chicago Debuts New Awards Program Honoring Small Firms and Small Projects

AIA Chicago hosted its first-ever Small Project Awards in June. Projects with construction budgets of less than $500,000 were eligible to enter in the Small Project Structure category, and the Small Project Object category rewarded small installations with construction budgets under $50,000. Eligibility was limited to firms with nine or fewer licensed architects and architectural interns. Small Project Structure Honor Award: The Automobile Container in Evanston, Ill., designed by UrbanWorks, Ltd. The Automobile Container is an automotive greenhouse of polycarbonate and cedar, with natural and solar-power ventilation. The architects describe it as “a light-filled environment for nurturing and worshiping the automotive spirit.” Image courtesy of Anthony May Photography.

Small Project Structure Honor Award: The Retreat House in Michigan City, Ind., designed by John DeSalvo Design. A short walk from Lake Michigan, this compact and sustainable home is a peaceful getaway for a Chicago couple with very hectic schedules. The 1,200-square-foot home sits 14 feet above street level in a dune landscape, providing privacy and wooded views from the first level. Image courtesy of David Robert Elliott.

Small Project Structure Honor Award: The Glencoe Residence in Glencoe, Ill., designed by Suski Design, Inc. This modest home was expanded and updated while maintaining its most appealing original features. The house remains a contemporary structure that’s still rooted in its late 50’s origin, but refreshed, and more open and welcoming than before. Image courtesy of Anthony May Photography.

Small Project Structure Citation of Merit: The Goodsell Residence Addition in Chicago, designed by Florian Architects. This project is a “secret” addition to a charming rehabbed English brick cottage. To give this historic home a modern edge without producing contradictions, the architects created the illusion of the vernacular form on the outside, then eroded it with contemporary components. Image courtesy of Kate Roth Photography.

Small Project Structure Citation of Merit: The Yao Residence in Chicago, designed by Perimeter Architects. This house is 30 feet from a train platform, and thus required a focus on sound, views, and natural light solutions. The redesigned home buffers sound from passing trains, provides natural light and ventilation, and allows for privacy. Image courtesy of Ana Miyares Photography.

Small Project Structure Citation of Merit: The Erie on the Park Residence in Chicago, designed by Froelich Kim Architecture. The challenge of this project was to transform a 1,300-square-foot condo into one that felt larger and more tranquil, without losing any of its programmatic functions. To do this, the architects pursued a process of consolidation and reduction, paired with the opening up of rooms and spaces. Image courtesy of Bob Coscarelli Photographer.

Small Project Structure Citation of Merit: The Lincoln Park Residence in Chicago, designed by Florian Architects. The objective in the design of this addition was to create spaces that are simple and elegant, intertwine the interior and the exterior, and are sensitive to privacy and budget. Image courtesy of Kate Roth Photography.

Small Project Structure Citation of Merit: The Schiller Studios in Chicago, designed by SMNG-A Architects Ltd. This 3,000-square-foot, residential building in the Old Town neighborhood was renovated and expanded using new and recycled materials. The architects preserved a Bohemian 1930s look while upgrading the kitchen’s electrical, plumbing, and finishes. Image courtesy of John Faier Photography.

Small Project Structure Citation of Merit: The Lakeview Residence in Chicago, designed by Perimeter Architects. This house was designed for a photographer, an architect, and their growing family. It sits on a 1,950-square-foot triangular lot, but still meets all the demands of a much larger home while maintaining the client’s demands for outdoor space. Image courtesy of Ana Miyares Photography.

Small Project Structure Citation of Merit: The Streeterville Penthouse in Chicago, designed by Eastlake Studio. Located on one of the top floors of a new residential tower, this penthouse was transformed from the developer’s standard offering into a custom two bedroom unit that gives each family member a customized personal space. The entire design harnesses and enriches the unit’s multiple dramatic views of the city. Image courtesy of Hedrich Blessing.

Small Project Structure Citation of Merit: The Bucktown Loft in Chicago, designed by Suski Design, Inc. Devastated by fire, this loft was re-envisioned by Suski Design, Inc. into one more refined and better suited to the owner’s tastes and functional needs. The client’s objective was to create a minimalist environment, with an emphasis on views of downtown Chicago and Wicker Park, and improved access to a large rooftop terrace adjacent to the public spaces. Image courtesy of Suski Design, Inc.

Small Project Structure Citation of Merit: The Private Residence in Highland Park, Ill., designed by Myefski Architects. This ‘tree house’ was originally designed by famed Chicago architect Edward Dart after World War II. Myefski Architects, Inc. was commissioned to add a 1,545-square-foot addition to the rear of the home, creating a new master suite, roof terrace, stair, and a mother-in-law suite. This project needed to be sensitive to the original architecture, but still create the drama desired by the client for a space that reached for the sky. Image courtesy of Soluri Photography.

Small Project Object Citation of Merit: StillAction wall/desk in Chicago, designed by Brandon Pass Architect. The client for this project was an artist-in-residence at the Art Institute of Chicago who was influenced by anthropologist Nadia Seremetakis’s concept of the “still act”-- moments where a subject interrupts historical flow and practices. The concept was to find where the stasis of architecture could be modified by the user giving the object two lives: public/private, open/ closed, active/static. Image courtesy of Brandon Pass Architect.

Small Project Object Citation of Merit: For the Birds Birdhouse in Chicago, designed by Froelich Kim Architecture. This multi-family birdhouse was Froelich Kim Architects’ contribution to a fundraiser for the Pritzker Elementary School in Chicago. The designer’s challenge was to create a fully-functional, modern birdhouse that serves as a built homage to the canons of high Modernism. Image courtesy of Froelich Kim Architects.

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