The AIA James River (Va.) Chapter is pleased to announce the winners of its 2002 awards recognizing projects deemed to have achieved excellence in architecture. All the projects (except one in Shanghai) and all the winning firms are located in Richmond.

Merit Awards for Excellence in Architecture

Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies, by BCWH. Opened in a working class African American neighborhood in 1937, Maggie L. Walker High School suffered mightily at the hands of vandals after it was closed in 1989. Architect BCWH came to the rescue, transforming the existing 141,000-square-foot building and adding an additional 9,000 square feet. Today the Maggie L. Walker School for Government and International Studies functions as a regional magnet school for gifted students from Richmond's 13 school districts, its former double-loaded corridor strategically renovated to provide a rich variety of spaces in an open and flexible environment. The school retains its historic lobby and octagonal stairways while blending in new lighting, glass block windows, and exposed steel structure. Students have their own data center, a multimedia content studio, and a tiered computer lab for group instruction. The awards jury indicated that they were particularly impressed by the way the architects tackled an extremely rundown structure and brought it back to life. It's terrific to see successful adaptive reuse, they said, admiring how it is difficult to tell where the new addition begins and the existing school leaves off. Photo © James West.

Play by Baskervill & Son. "Given the company's name, it was critical to create a fun, energetic, surprising office space to encourage creative free-flow thinking for staff and clients alike," said architect Baskervill & Son about their corporate client Play, a Richmond marketing agency. When designing Play's new corporate headquarters in an existing 10,000-square-foot loft space, the architect needed to craft architecture that blended with "elements of psychology, multimedia, and industrial design." The awards jury was especially fond of the playful development of the interiors and the "nice repetition of color." Special features include chalkboards placed along the interior stairwells, a foursquare playing court in the reception areas, ladders that lead to secluded reading lofts, and a freestanding garage that functions as a conference space. The building also boasts plug-and-play laptop ports and mobile furniture throughout the space for increased flexibility. Photo courtesy of the architect.

Shanghai Lujazui Central Area High Rise Building Concept Design, Shanghai, People's Republic of China, by Gresham, Smith and Partners. The jury dubbed the Shanghai Lujazui high rise a "well-thought-out urban design statement" and an "inventively developed tower that meets the ground in an interesting way." Gresham, Smith and Partners developed the unusual shape of the building to maximize views of the nearby Yangtze River. The tower's triangular form bows out in evocation of a tall sailing ship in full flight and allows fully two-thirds of the building area to enjoy views of the river. The 800,000 square feet of space house offices and retail, with underground parking for both. The client is the ZhongRong Development Company Ltd. Drawing courtesy of the architect

Shed, by Chris Rea, Assoc. AIA, is a simple, 160-square-foot structure designed both to provide protection from the elements for its contents and offer a sheltered workplace for its owner. The shed rests high on built-up pressure-treated framing and concrete piers, and extends its eaves on all four sides to further resist wind, rain, and sun. Its drawbridge door allows access to yard and garden equipment, and corrugated PVC siding placed directly under the roof allows access to natural light. Designer Chris Rea simplified assembly by using standard western platform frame detailing and selecting easily available materials, including B-C plywood and economy-grade corrugated sheet metal, for a final build-out cost of $10 per foot. "The shed is clearly recognizable as an architect-designed structure," the jury opined. "It is lovingly put together and refreshing in its carefully thought through simplicity." Photos courtesy of the designer.

Honor Awards for Excellence in Architecture

In Your Ear Music & Recording Studio, by B.O.B. Architecture. In citing the In Your Ear Music and Recording Studio, the jury particularly admired B.O.B. Architecture's "clear diagram and logical plan" and "were thrilled to see row houses preserved." The row houses in question are four structures in a historic neighborhood that were in imminent danger of collapse until the architect persuaded the owner to save the facades and tuck 18,700 square feet of state-of-the-art recording studio and administrative offices behind them. The old and the new are delineated by a new entryway, which houses a brick elevator shaft, glass atrium, and open stair.

The Center for Education and Outreach, by Glave & Homes Associates. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts made a fine choice when it hired Glave & Homes Associates to transform the landmark 1933 Home for Needy Confederate Women into the museum's new Center for Education and Outreach. Adjacent to the museum proper, the building had its limestone exterior restored while the inside was renovated. "The design solution called for a new formal entry and patio on the east side of the building to reorient public access and tie the facility more directly to the main building," reports the architect. The structure now provides state-of-the-art technological and audiovisual services, studio classrooms, and a new resource library. "The rigor with which the firm restored the project makes it look easy to build a new addition," said the jury. They commended the architect's research; level of authenticity, thoughtfulness, and care of detailing; and success in melding old and new. Photo © Maxwell MacKenzie.

Other awards

The chapter also presented the following awards:
• Marcellus Wright Jr. Award to Willard M. Schribner, AIA, for his "many years of thoughtful and dedicated service as a board member of AIA James River and president of the Virginia Society AIA"
• Chapter Citation to the Hon. Viola O. Baskerville, for "her many years of thoughtful and dedicated service to the architectural community as a member of the Richmond City Council and the Virginia General Assembly of Delegates"
• Sunday Prizes (open to Associate members and unlicensed members of AIA James River Chapter firms)
—Sketch Category Honor Award to Shawn Van Tiem
—Presentation Category Honor Award to Fouad Khalil
—Presentation Category Merit Award to Andrew D. Smith, Assoc. AIA
—Construction Document Category Merit Award to Jason Hendricks.

Copyright 2002 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.