Late last year, AIA Vermont presented six Excellence in Architecture awards at the chapter’s annual meeting and design awards presentations. Among them, the projects received three Honor Awards, one Citation, and two Honorable Mentions. Gossens Bachman Architects of Montpelier pulled off a hat trick this year: The firm captured one award in each category. The distinguished jury—Rab McClure, AIA; Lori Garrett, AIA; and John Adam Hugo III, AIA—hail from Richmond, Va.

Honor Awards

Weedon Gazebo, Central Vermont, by Gossens Bachman Architects
The jury was won over by the completeness of the conception and execution of this project. They thought that “there is a directness and attention to detail that is appropriate” and “for all its complexity and ‘fussiness’ up close, it does sit peacefully in the landscape.”
Photo courtesy of the architect.

Private Residence additions and renovations, undisclosed location, by Birdseye Design
The jury noted that the existing building seemed so dated, but with some pretty simple moves and a lot of new materials, the architect was able to totally transform it. The jury applauded the owners for not opting out and moving to a new lot or totally tearing down the existing building. “The project is stronger as a transformation than it would have been as new construction,” they said.
Photo © Jeff Clarke.

Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Center for Elderly Services, Middlebury, Vt., by Bread Loaf Corporation
The jury thought that this project “has a timeless quality; that is, you can’t tell if it was built a year ago or 100 years ago, which is a very hard thing to achieve. It is hard to keep a balance without tripping into nostalgia, and the project holds the line well.”
Photo © Jim Westphalen.

Citation

Riverstation Offices, Montpelier, by Gossens Bachman Architects
The jury commented that there was “honesty and directness of the massing and materials. It has a train shed quality, which seems appropriate for its site . . . The form itself is very simple—the architects seemed to have accepted that so that more emphasis could go into the detailing and facade.”
Photo © Jim Westphalen.

Honorable Mentions

Niederhoffer Capital Management Inc. Offices, New York City, by LineSync Architecture
The jury liked the emphasis on the ceilings as they reinforced the space and the fluidity of the plan. “The circulation did have a path-like feel in a unique way,” they said. “There was an appreciation of the skill in making both path and place in a way that you don’t often see when you have such a formal system of proportioning.”
Photo © Gary Hall.

Waterfront Housing, Burlington, Vt., by Gossens Bachman Architects
The jury thought that the architects were “very successful in breaking down the scale of a five-story building” and the “play of materials and forms adds great visual interest.”
Photo © Gary Hall.

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