AIA Tennessee held its annual gala last month to salute built works of distinction—including a domestic violence intervention center, a Lutheran church, and a tree house—all designed by chapter members. Program Chair Thomas K. Davis, AIA, University of Tennessee College of Architecture, presented the awards in conjunction with the chapter's 2002 annual meeting and convention in Nashville.

The jury convened at OWP&P Consultants headquarters in downtown Chicago, courtesy of jury chair and AIA Vice President-elect Robin Ellerthorpe, FAIA. Chicago-based architects Thomas Beeby, FAIA; Martin Wolf, FAIA; Margaret McCurry, FAIA; and David Brinistool, AIA, rounded out the panel.

The 2002 Awards of Excellence program marked the first time the chapter accepted submissions in electronic format. And the winners are:

Awards of Excellence

• Domestic Violence Intervention Center in rural mid-Tennessee, by BAUER Architecture, Nashville
Jury comments: "The organization of the site to form a courtyard with porches is very potent and will benefit considerably from the future growth of a tree canopy and other anticipated landscaping to further develop the courtyard as a garden. Clearly, the budget was modest and the jury makes a strong advocacy for the future completion of the chapel as the fourth corner of the courtyard. There is a humility and abstraction to the project that seems very appropriate, somewhat in the architectural spirit of the late Aldo Rossi."

• Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Franklin, by BAUER Architecture
The jury chose to honor a second BAUER project. Noting how challenging it is to work with a diverse congregation as a client, the jurors commented: "This is a remarkable project. Its site plan is clear as a path through a knoll of trees and it is very well drawn. The plan composition is rigorously layered to produce memorable spaces. In three dimensions the building's Modernist language somewhat evokes the sensibility of the great Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. The gathering space outside the sanctuary through its layering of columns, beams, wall panels, and clerestories is very successful. The sanctuary space is intimate yet soaring; the altar, and its tilted backdrop layering have a real power with light discreetly introduced to great effect."

Award of Merit

• Joyce Signs, by Archimania Architects, Memphis
Jury comments: "This renovation for an architectural signage office is an amazing project, particularly at only $19 per square foot. A vocabulary of planes, including plywood, exposed studs and translucent acrylics, as well as vibrant colors, succeed in evoking the world of architectural signage. This is a project whose modest means are maximized to produce a place with real presence. The project is also well photographed."

• The Seed House, Nashville, by Brandon Pace and Ashley Beals, Assoc. AIA, Nashville
Jury comments: "The Seed House is a strong concept skillfully executed. It is a delightful piece of sculpture. Its true clients are children, who clearly enjoy its playfulness. This is a tree house, as well as a jungle gym, that has descended from above, with its seed canisters evoking counterweights."

Award of Commendation

• Lipscomb University Allen Arena, Nashville, by Tuck Hinton Architects, Nashville
Jury comments: "Placing an arena in the middle of a campus raises special challenges of scale and density. Here, the plans are skillfully developed to define the corners of the arena, while maximizing transparency on the faces of the building. The section is handled well, with the arena carved down into the site so that entry from above is an unexpected overlook into a clearly defined volume of space. The other virtue of the section is that the potential bulk of the building is minimized. The scale of the building is further moderated through double-height glazing and expressive metal canopies. The arena tower, marking the box office, establishes a dialogue with a preexisting campanile nearby."

• FedEx Express World Headquarters, Memphis, by Hnedak Bobo Group, Inc., Memphis
Jury comments: "The size of the project alone introduces unique challenges . . . By integrating the landscape with the buildings very carefully, and then developing a rigorous vocabulary of building forms, the necessary balance has been struck."

• McGhee Tyson Airport, Knoxville, by McCarty Holsaple McCarty, Knoxville, with HNTB Architecture
Jury comments: "This project is as much a renovation as it is a new building. The contrast of the before and after photographs is remarkable. There is a simplicity and directness to the detailing of the building that is admirable. The stone, aluminum, and glass vocabulary of the project references the Smoky Mountains as well as the nearby Alcoa plant and its aluminum tower, both of which are visible from the site. The new terminal façade succeeds in becoming an evocative gateway, appropriately reflecting both the technology and nature to the Knoxville region."

• Development Resource Center, Chattanooga, by Artech Croxton Joint Venture, Chattanooga
Jury comments: "The building's low-energy agenda is quite admirable, with numerous ideas on how that can be accomplished. The attempt to get light penetrating deep into the building is quite effective. The office interiors also have a wonderful light quality, in part because of the louvers that bounce light back onto the sloped ceilings. The client should also receive an award. Every ambitious city should have a facility like this to consolidate and promote excellence in design and building."

• Independent Bank, Memphis, by Looney Ricks Kiss Architects, Memphis/Nashville
Jury comments: "This project is a gem, taking a very familiar program type—a modest freestanding branch bank building—and seeking to maximize its potential. Horizontal and vertical planes establish a spatial interaction here that is very interesting. The building's quality as an abstract composition also avoids all the usual stereotypes that come with its program."

• Bullock, Smith & Partners office, by Bullock, Smith & Partners, Inc., Nashville/Knoxville
Jury comments: "This interior renovation develops a sequence of spatial episodes through its clear, analytic, and three-dimensional layering. The drawings reflect the rigor of the architects' thinking. In a future phase, exterior enhancements are anticipated. The jury advocates that these enhancements might include more windows and skylighting, which could reinforce the project significantly."

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