Glass is Signature Material of Boston Society of Architects 2011 Design Awards

Glass is Signature Material of Boston Society of Architects 2011 Design Awards

Whether inside looking out or outside looking in, the use of glass elicits a performative response whenever it is used in buildings, putting users on stage to communicate their space’s program and worth for the world to see. Many of the projects selected as Honor Award recipients (just 20 of <a href='http://awards.architects.org/2011/'>62 total winners</a>) by the Boston Society of Architects acknowledge this tradition, building visual links with transparency. Honor Award for Design Excellence: Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, Mass., designed by William Rawn Associates. Jury comments: Seen from the street, the building has dignified massing and an uncommonly well composed elevation. This building is a joy to enter, exuding warmth and welcome. Image courtesy of Bruce T. Martin Photography.

Honor Award for Design Excellence: Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion in Boston, designed by Utile. Jury comments: The design is a wonderful example of how a simple issue (in this case, providing shelter and dispersing rainwater) can lead to a poetic solution. The two roof forms, basically flat, are subtly curved and molded to divert rainwater to a tidal pool. The result is a functional and beautifully sculptural form. Image courtesy of Chuck Choi.

Honor Award for Design Excellence: The Frick Chemistry Laboratory at Princeton University in Princeton, N.J., designed by Hopkins Architects with Payette. Jury comments: Tightly organized and carefully resolved, there is not a gesture out of place in this disarmingly simple, yet complex building. Many of the spaces in the building are welcoming and friendly, which are unusual attributes in a high-performance environment. Image courtesy of Warren Jagger Photography.

Honor Award for Design Excellence: The Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World at Brown University in Providence, designed by Anmahian Winton Architects. Jury comments: The jury was most impressed with the architect’s conceptual strategy, making a set of strategic insertions into the fabric of a historic building. These insertions are clearly modern, yet they complement the historic character of the original spaces. Image courtesy of Peter Vanderwarker.

Honor Award for Design Excellence: Housing Tower at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Stockbridge, Mass., designed by Pete Rose + Partners. Jury comments: The way the project addresses its site—in quiet repose on a hillside—drew the jury's attention. Materials are handled beautifully: Concrete, wood and glass lend an air of permanence and warmth, simply and expertly executed. The jury especially admired the wood cladding and sliding sunscreens, which permit many combinations of daylight and shade, privacy and cross-ventilation. The project seems very much in keeping with the poise, strength, and serenity of yoga. Image courtesy of Matthew Synder.

Harelston Parker Medal for the Most Beautiful Building in Boston: Harvard University Graduate Student Housing in Cambridge, Mass., designed by Kyu Sung Woo Architects. Jury comments: [At] a prominent and controversial site, intense public scrutiny influenced the design solution, and resulted in massing and building frontage being designed with careful consideration to scale and adjacent context. The building’s various scales and courtyard space mediate between the river and the city of Cambridge. Image courtesy of Timothy Hursley.

Honor Award for Accessible Design for Private Residences: Barrier-Free Housing in Arlington, Mass., designed by Abacus Architects + Planners. Jury comments: The rehab of this 176-unit public housing development includes 10 barrier-free apartments that provide thoughtful access solutions to apartments on a congested site. Each design is unique, and the beautiful ramps connect the massing and facades to create very pleasant spaces. At each building, these new ramps are integrated into architectural additions that enhance both program and appearance by converging into shaded porches and egress stairways. Image courtesy of David Pollak.

Honor Award for Accessible Design William D. Smith Memorial Award: North Parish Church, Unitarian Universalist in North Andover, Mass., designed by Menders, Torrey and Spencer. Jury comments: The work done to make the place more accessible actually enhanced the overall design. Comprehensive and respectful, this project attacked issues inside and outside the building. It provided an excellent solution to often-encountered historic entrances with stairs outside and inside. Image courtesy of Menders, Torrey and Spencer.

Honor Award for Accessible Design for Public Architecture: Greenfield Community College in Greenfield, Mass., designed by Gensler. Jury comments: Existing conditions on the campus were challenging, but the architects were able to thoughtfully leverage the site and building design to overcome the sins of the past. A 20-foot “wall of land” with a steep grade that led from the parking area to the entrance was completely re-graded to provide one entrance for all. Had this not been done, a long ramp would’ve been required, not only presenting a steep grade for wheelchair users to manage, but also creating a segregated system of entry. Image courtesy of Gensler.

Honor Award for K-12 Education Facilities Design: The Pritzker Science Center and Milton Academy in Milton, Mass., designed by William Rawn Associates, Architects. Jury comments: Elegant and simple, this new science center offers a transparent, monumental entrance that brings daylight to the very back of the building while showcasing two classrooms. One of us remarked that it must be impossible to walk along the corridors without feeling a buzz. Image courtesy of Robert Benson Photography.

Honor Award for K-12 Education Facilities Design: Education and Community Center, Korean Church of Boston in Brookline, Mass., designed by Brian Healy Architects. Jury comments: Warm wood and great interior detailing define this intelligent, restrained, and thoughtfully executed project, which represents the completion of Phase 1 construction in a sequenced campus plan. Light floats from a small fold in the wall, the climax in a series of quiet gestures. Image courtesy of Brian Healy Architects.

Honor Award for Higher Education: The Julliard School Renovation and Expansion in New York City, designed by FXFOWLE Architects and Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Jury comments: This project represents minimalism on a grand scale, adding more than 39,000 square feet of classrooms, musical practice rooms, rehearsal space, and new performance venues to an existing building. The exterior looks like a sideways tower, with illuminated sheer glass walls and facades that provide a kinetic, transparent quality that is constantly changing with the motion of the students and faculty inside. Image courtesy of Chris Cooper.

John M. Clancy Award for Socially Responsible Housing Honor Award: Casa Feliz in San Jose, Calif., designed by Rob Wellington Quigley, FAIA. Jury comments: This project replaces an aging residential hotel near downtown San Jose with 60 new efficiency apartments. The units serve extremely low-income residents with developmental disabilities. The design breaks down the massing to meet the street in a very humane fashion that is rhythmic and appealing, creating four faces instead of two. It is very contextually sensitive, creating a real community feel. Image courtesy of Bernard Andre.

John M. Clancy Award for Socially Responsible Housing Honor Award: Castle Gardens in New York City, designed by Curtis + Ginsburg Architects. Jury comments: This supportive and affordable housing [development] that provides 63 units for formerly incarcerated individuals and their families, plus 50 units for low-income families. Good community rooms and a very light interior contribute to the sense that this is a place where people might enjoy a good quality of life and feel respected. Image courtesy of F. Charles Photography.

John M. Clancy Award for Socially Responsible Housing Honor Award: The Schermerhorn, Common Ground Community in Brooklyn, New York, designed by Ennead Architects. Jury comments: The program for this 217-unit building seeks to provide subsidized housing for single adults transitioning out of homelessness, persons living with HIV/AIDs, and low-income community residents with preference accorded to those employed in the performing arts and entertainment industry. It’s designed to look just like any other market-rate multimillion-dollar Modernist/minimalist development built today in Manhattan. The quality of this project is undoubtedly superb. Very transit oriented, the building has steel trusses that cantilever over the subway tunnels that cross directly beneath the site. Image courtesy of Esto Photography.

Sustainable Design Honor Award: Kroon Hall School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University in New Haven, designed by Hopkins Architects with Centerbrook Architects and Planners. Jury comments: This building sits beautifully on a difficult former brownfield site, and works well within the context of the existing campus. It’s a tight, meticulously detailed, high-performance package that looks lovely, and is highly controllable. It is a powerful integration of sustainability and excellent design. Image courtesy of Morley von Sternberg.

Sustainable Building Enclosure Design Award: The Cambridge Public Library in Cambridge, Mass., designed by William Rawn Associates, Architects with Ann Beha Architects. Jury comments: The facade brings into the library a significant amount of natural light that is carefully controlled by fixed and movable sunshades. Operable windows in the skin allow for fresh air throughout the year without the need for insect screens or the fear of stolen books. The transparent aspect of the building enclosure connects its users to the park surrounding the library, while offering long-term high performance. Image courtesy of Robert Benson.

Unbuilt Architecture and Design Honor Award: The Cottages at Fallingwater in Bear Run, Penn., designed by Marlon Blackwell Architect. Jury comments: While respectful of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, it maintains its own rigor and language. The project is quiet, elemental and exquisite. Image courtesy of Marlon Blackwell Architect.

Unbuilt Architecture and Design Honor Award: Island of Water, designed by SsD. Jury comments: This project was defined by the jury as an aquatic Central Park, reclaiming a wetland area that has been lost over time. It brings cultural life back to the area by restoring the relevance of an historic island, and populates the perimeter with a variety of sustainable elements. Image courtesy of SsD.

Unbuilt Architecture and Design Honor Award: King Faisal Cancer Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, designed by Cannon Design. Jury comments: This project’s technical achievements are high—an elegant solution to facade design in a hot climate. Glass is not typically considered the best method for cladding buildings in hot climates, but this design mitigates solar gain while maintaining views and exposure to natural light. Image courtesy of Cannon Design.

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