Outstanding projects from Oregon and beyond were honored by a nationally recognized jury and Portland’s mayor at the 2003 AIA Portland Design Awards Gala, the centerpiece of Architecture Week, the chapter’s annual civic celebration of the built environment. The entries spanned the globe from downtown Portland to Istanbul and Kazakhstan, highlighting the reach of Oregon’s architecture practices.

The 2003 Design Awards jury included Marsha Maytum, FAIA, Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects, San Francisco; Lawrence Scarpa, AIA, Pugh + Scarpa Architecture, Santa Monica, Calif.; and Robert Silver, FAIA, Schwartz/Silver Architects Inc., Boston.

Awards of Honor

Ode to Roses, Portland, Ore., by Fletcher Farr Ayotte, PC
Ode to Roses, a mixed-use infill project, will receive a LEED™ Silver certification for its sustainable practices. “This building exemplifies what you can do with limited means. Small budgets and good design are not mutually exclusive,” the jury remarked. “It is a simple box, accentuated by the graphic patterning of plywood. It’s a very rich building with a sidewalk courtyard that enlivens the street. We loved the sustainability!” Photo © Brian Foulkes.

Migrant Daycare and Head Start, Cornelius, Ore., by Scott|Edwards Architecture, LLP
This daycare center provides year-round Head Start childcare services for migrant farm-worker and low-income families. “We loved the detailing in its traditional form with elements that represent contemporary society. The spaces work with a scale that’s appropriate for the children, down to the column bases. There is a lot of innovation in this project, and the architect does it without becoming kitschy,” the jury said. “References to the buildings in the surrounding landscape have been abstracted. The use of color recalls the ‘Little Red Schoolhouse.’ It was clear that the children enjoy the space and the photography showed it.” Photo © Sally Painter.

Loyola Jesuit Center, Portland, Ore., by Hennebery Eddy Architects, Inc.
This four-building campus serves as the new headquarters for the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus. “This is a very clean and elegant building that is detailed extremely well. It is an incredibly simple idea with a straightforward use of materials. The plan is clear with interplay between solids and voids,” the jury noted. “Traditional hip-roof forms contrast with completely modern detailing. What is so nice is the dialogue between interior volumes and the exterior fabric. It could be named the Loyola Jesuit Pavilion, as it also serves as a shelter in the landscape. There is wonderful spiritual feel about it.” The center also won this year’s Craftsmanship Award. Photo © Pete Eckert, Eckert and Eckert.

Robert & Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, Davis, Calif., by BOORA Architects, Inc.
One of the most sustainable performance halls in the country, the Mondavi Center employs recycled materials, solar screening, and an unusual displacement ventilation system. “The theme of sustainability is evident in this project. It is great to see it in an institutional building. We loved the grand scale of the porch that greets you. It’s transparency—the light feeling,” according to the jury. “It accomplishes a goal of the institution by creating a bridge to the greater community—a cultural gateway.” Photo © Jeff Goldberg / Esto.

Awards Of Merit—Built

Sokol Blosser Winery Barrel Aging Center, Dundee, Ore., by SERA Architects, Inc.
The design concept for this barrel-aging center features three underground chambers that take advantage of the natural cooling properties of the soil. “In fact, this is a non-building. The program works for this use. It is not a space about human occupancy, but thermal characteristics in an environment where an industrial shed would do significant harm to the landscape,” the jury said. “This type of building should be buried. The agrarian landscape is what people are drawn to, making preservation important in avoiding overdevelopment, as in the case of Napa Valley. It’s an environmental building, appropriately sighted for its climatic region.” Photo © Charlie Johnson.

Adidas Village, Portland, Ore., by BOORA Architects
This project adapted an existing 10.5-acre hospital complex into the North American headquarters for this company. Designed before LEED certification became the standard, the project won certification through the Earth Advantage program. The “client should get an award for making the choice to stay in an urban area and give back to its neighbors. It is a great example of creative thinking, and should be especially commended for its use of existing resources,” the jury noted. “Wrapping the buildings with an ‘active skin’ provides a simple strategy to tie old and new buildings together. The humor and vividness of the graphic colors and patterns are very engaging.” Photo © David Papazian.

Whitman College Penrose Memorial Library, Walla Walla, Wash., by Thomas Hacker Architects, Inc.
This project is a 67,000-square-foot renovation and a 24,000-square-foot addition that restores the intentions set forth by the southeast Washington campus’ original master plan. With a fairly simple gesture, the architects were able to transform the building and create a new edge to the campus. The renovation and expansion turned a Brutalist, inwardly focused building outward,” the jury explained. “The library’s connection to the exterior is wonderful. The building becomes part of its surrounding landscape. This elegant building is well detailed and built with care.”
Photo © Timothy Hursley.

Pacific Artists Dance Center, Portland, Ore., by Richard Brown Architects, AIA
This conversion of an auto-repair shop into a dance-and-movement class center provides two dance studios and support space. “This is a fine example of a structure where it seemed easier to tear it down instead of rehab. It is incredible what was done with such a low budget,” remarked the jury. “The architects put some energy into the steel canopy, providing a gesture to the building’s original use as a gas station. However, it’s not overdone. Taking the existing building and creating transparency gives passersby the opportunity to see the dancers within the space, making the interior part of the street.” Photo © Bruce Forster /Michael Mathers.

Awards Of Merit—Unbuilt

The Sliver, Sacramento, Calif., by Fletcher Farr Ayotte PC
This incredibly narrow (35-foot-by-100-foot) downtown lot, bordered on both sides by buildings that come right to the lot line, barely is big enough to be a driveway. Although the developer thought the lot unbuildable, the architect created a sliver of a building, a minimalist mini-tower containing narrow lofts made of concrete, steel, and glass. “This is an excellent example of what good infill can do within a city perceived to be lacking in urban intensity. With few opportunities for housing within the urban area, this project accomplishes it in a sophisticated and thoughtful way,” the jury said. “The transparency of the building blends well with the urban fabric. The openness of the façade engages the street instead of turning its back on it. There is clarity in the plan and in the execution of the drawings.” Rendering courtesy of the architect.

Belmont Street Lofts, Portland, Ore., by Holst Architecture
Belmont Street Lofts, a four-story mixed-use development, features 4,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and 27 loft/condominium residences. “This is the kind of building that you have to study to appreciate. At first glance it appears overly simplistic, but if you look closer at the way it’s articulated, the transparency and depth are quite interesting. It almost becomes three dimensional,” the jury explained. “This project has an appropriate scale for the neighborhood. The more typical way of mediating between small-scale residential and larger-scale commercial could result in a more formulaic solution. In this case, it serves as a sophisticated bridge between commercial and residential.” Rendering courtesy of the architect.

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