AIArchitect, September 20, 2004 - GSA Celebrates a Decade of Design Excellence

09/2004

GSA Celebrates a Decade of Design Excellence
Agency issues call for entries for 2004 program

The James A. Byrne U.S. Courthouse, Philadelphia, by MGA Partners, received a 2002 GSA Design Award in the First Impressions category. (Credit, Alan Greenberger, MGA Partners) The U.S. General Services Administration is calling for entries for its 2004 Design Awards program to honor the outstanding projects that result from partnerships among the country’s finest architects, artists, and engineers and the federal government. All submissions must be received by November 1 at noon.

Criteria
Entries will be judged by nationally recognized, private-sector design professionals, artists, and construction managers. They will judge the awards based on:

Success in meeting GSA project objectives and requirements
Innovation in devising solutions or meeting specific needs
Technical and functional proficiency
Aesthetic sensibility
Consistency with GSA environmental goals and policies
Cost efficiency on a life-cycle basis
Extent to which the project can serve as a model for others.

The Environmental Protection Agency Research and Administration Facility, Research Triangle Park, N.C., by Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum Inc., received a 2002 GSA Design Award in the Sustainability category. Categories
The GSA Design Awards program encompasses a broad number of categories:

Architecture, completed projects
Architecture, on the boards new construction
Art in architecture
Child-care centers
Conservation and restoration (including art conservation)
Construction excellence
Craft
Engineering and technology
Energy conservation
First impressions
Graphic design (including signage and wayfinding)
Interior design
Landscape architecture
Lease construction
Modernizations
Preservation design
Security and openness
Sustainability
Urban design and planning
Workplace environment.

The Pacific Highway, U.S. Port of Entry, Blaine, Wash., by Thomas Hacker Architects Inc., received a 2002 GSA Design Award in the Architecture category. Photo © James Housel. Eligibility
Submissions must be for projects authorized by GSA and completed between January 1, 1999, and August 1, 2004; in architecture only. On-the-boards design concepts for new construction approved by the GSA Commission of Public Buildings Service but not yet completed during this period are also eligible. The design awards program is open to:

Contract design professionals, artists, and/or firms and organizations that have completed or are working on projects for GSA or under GSA authority and GSA employees or former employees who have or had professional responsibility for a GSA-authorized project.

For more information on the 2004 GSA Design Awards 2004 and entry forms, contact Lois Carroll or Thomas Walton, Office of the Chief Architect, 202-501-1888.
Recognizing its contributions to design that enhances the quality of life and community identity, the American Architectural Foundation selected GSA’s Public Buildings Service as the 2004 AAF Keystone Award recipient.