04/2003 | 2003 AIA/HUD Secretary’s Awards Program Honors Three Facets of Good Design |
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The 2003 AIA/HUD Secretary's Housing and Design Awards program chose three projects as this year’s exemplary models of residential, community, and accessible-housing design. The joint program, created by the AIA Center for Livable Communities and the AIA Housing Professional Interest Area in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, honored a mixed-use space supporting 322 rental units, an outdoor classroom on a freshwater pond, and an accessible independent living complex for people with spinal injuries. The program reflects the ongoing collaboration between the Institute and federal government agencies to highlight the best in residential design and call attention to the importance of architecture in cities and communities across America. The winners will be honored at the AIA National Convention in San Diego May 10. Residential design Even at this high density, more than 100 of the project units can be accessed directly from the outside. Although upper units are entered via elevator-served corridors, “the corridors become single-loaded loggias at intervals to orient residents and provide visual connection to the mid-block courtyards,” according to the architects. “Using clever techniques to separate public and private spaces, this project demonstrates a successful integration of the numerous demands placed on mixed-use and mixed-income sites,” the jury commented. “The project weaves in retail, mixed residential, and shared amenities in ways that enhances its urban context rather than isolate or detract from it.” (Photos © Russell Abraham.) Community
Building The outdoor classroom, built of recycled plastic lumber and redwood from a sustainable forest by AmeriCorps volunteers, is an open structure—complete with a pier and a variety of seating options—on a 17-acre freshwater wetland park adjacent to a low-income community. It offers many ecology-teaching opportunities to PS 57 students, who can reach the structure via a five-minute walk on the project’s accessible path. The structure’s flexible layout means it can be enjoyed by more than one group at a time. “This is a jewel of a project with a compelling narrative about public process communication,” the jury said. “There is a quiet Zen to its simplicity and appropriateness.” (Photos © Mark LaRocca.) Alan
J. Rothman Housing Accessibility Award Built in a formerly blighted area, the project now is a proud component of a thriving, historically rehabilitated neighborhood. The challenge, the architects say, “was to blend the historic neighborhood with residential qualities such as front porches and stoops with mobility impaired accessibility. Designed in Craftsman Bungalow style, the houses reflect the surrounding neighborhood character and encourage the addition of small courtyards and individualized railed porches that encourage interaction. The jury deemed the community “beautifully designed to fit into its environment” and in particular lauded how it “provides accessibility without self-consciousness, a place where architecture is part of healing.” (Photos © Smith Dalia Architects LLC.) Copyright 2003 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved. Home Page |
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