The AIA Treasure Coast of Florida’s Excellence in Design Awards Program showcases—to clients and the public—local award-winning architects dedicated to providing outstanding architectural services. The program also serves as a public outreach effort, with opportunities for the awards recipients to exhibit their work at public, city, and county venues.

Excellence in Architecture

Jupiter Island Beach Residence, Jupiter Island, Fla., by SH_Arc
This residence is on the beach and of the beach, the architect says. The house unites three materials—coral, aluminum, and glass—to create shelter. The “coral”/stucco to the north encloses the sleeping area, aluminum encloses the kitchen and entertaining area, and glass to the south offers unobstructed views as it surrounds the contemplative/living space. The house celebrates the ocean as a backdrop and creates a setting for preparation of gourmet cuisine. The jury praised the “spectacular use of light and shade in a Florida environment. The architecture does not try to upstage nature in any way.”
Photo © Ken Hayden.

Lawnwood Stadium Administrative Building (Unbuilt), St. Lucie County, Fla., by Edlund, Dritenbas, Binkley Architects & Associates PA
For this major renovation and addition to a stadium ticket office, the architects plan to construct administration offices above the existing structure. This “air-right” approach eliminates the need for stormwater engineering that would have been required for a new, freestanding building on this impervious site. In addition, the design adds a vertical and visual gateway identity for the stadium entry and an elevated view of the 85-acre park for management staff. It also offers a skybox stadium view from the conference room area. “The addition is a very creative and sensitive solution that adds to the whole facility while segregating the private office areas,” the jury enthused. “The overall design is well sited and properly scaled. It adds elegance to a really simple stadium.”
Rendering courtesy Huddleston Art Studio.

Troxell House, Pacific Palisades, Calif., by Scott Hughes Architects, SH_Arc
Originally built in 1956, Richard Neutra’s Troxell residence is perched high above the Pacific Coast Highway. The project remains true to Neutra’s intent, maintaining the Modernist integrity in restoration while updating the residence, resulting in a sensitive synthesis of past with present. The architects renovated and expanded the home, and added a hillside pool, which was part of the original design but never built. Following the cues of the original post-and-beam structure, the designers incorporated interior and exterior finishes of wood, stone, plaster, and glass that they refinished true to the precise and simple Neutra detailing that enhance the play of space, light, and views. The jury called the project a “seamless addition to an historic building” and “an elegant piece of architecture. The design enhances the original building that is important in its own right.”
Photo © Nick Springett.

Honor in Architecture

Franco Residence, Windsor, Fla., by Moulton Layne PA
This traditional design creates a Modern parti with historical timeless references. Guest suites top his-and-her garages that are completely separate from the house. The owner, who is a doctor, required a separate entrance and garage adjacent to the master bedroom to make it easy to leave during odd hours. The breakfast room integrates an old glazed-in porch with a very modern kitchen “The scale and the proportion of the carriage houses create a wonderful entry sequence. Nice mass/void relationships,” the jury said.
Photo © Sargent Architectural Photography.

Granfield Residence (Unbuilt), Jensen Beach, Fla., by Granfield Granfield Architects
The owner desired expansive panoramic and sunset views across Savannah State Park Fresh Water Lagoon. To capture these views as well as breezes on the setback, restrictive site, the architect placed the main living spaces on the third level. Three-story wall planes of 12-inch masonry units with a shell-tabby texture anchor the 24-foot “double-wide” structure. “Pop-outs” of operable glass and lapped siding provide views to the south and east, while the stair tower floods the center of the residence with light and offers views during one’s vertical journey. The jury called the project, “A unique concept. Very simple plan with wonderful spatial sequences and orientation of the interior spaces to the surrounding environment.”
Photo © Greg Gardner.

South Village Residence, Vero Beach, Fla., by Moor & Associates Architects PA
This project’s pedestrian entry axis runs through the foyer, breezeway, living room, dining room, and family kitchen space, terminating with a view of the lake beyond the rear garden. The formal living and dining space “cam shaft” off the axis provides courtyard views and circulation to the less formal area. The two-story garage–guesthouse and the two-story portion of the main house bracket the east and west side of the courtyard while the living room, with its hip roof and reflecting swimming pool, takes center stage. The jury praised the authentic vernacular, clean lines, and simplicity of detailing that give the project a “dynamic feeling and a quality of light inside that is just incredible.”
Photo © Moor & Associates Architects P.A.

Waterfront Residence, Vero Beach, Fla., by Clemens Schaub Architect
The architects maximized indoor/outdoor flow with a front door that opens to an exterior courtyard; an interior incorporating details similar to those of the exterior; interior plaster with the same finish as the exterior stucco; and the expressed timber lintels on the exterior that are mirrored over the interior doors and windows. To further soften the edges, the architects used travertine on the floor surfaces inside and out. The residence maximizes two water views and is oriented to create an intimate courtyard as a principle room of the home. The jury praised the materials and colors. “The detailing pulled it all together. The unadorned front entrance belies the very exciting interior beyond the door. Rather than two houses facing each other across a canal, the focus is on the courtyard.”
Photo © Alan Karchmer.

Merit in Architecture

McKinley Residence, Vero Beach, Fla., by L.M. Silkworth Architect
The private client asked for established proportions, tranquil spaces, and subdued elegant detailing for a residence overlooking the Indian River. The architects delivered with a two-story program depicting regional design and lifestyle. The first floor includes a large main living room on a center axis with the entrance gallery and lagoon pool. The “day side” of the residence sports a country kitchen with a breakfast nook that opens to a river verandah. On the “evening side” is a lower-floor master bedroom and bath, paneled library, powder room, and guest bedroom. The free-form, spacious pool and detached pavilion, reminiscent of a Pacific Islanders’ native home, provides shelter and comfort. The large exterior verandah offers space for entertaining overlooking the lagoon pool and Indian River. The jury noted the architect’s “good solution to the client’s desires to separate more active day-side spaces from more restful evening-side spaces. The indoor/outdoor room has a tropical feeling, while the residence has a romantic feel to it.”
Photo © Ted Yarwood.

Edwards Residence, Vero Beach, Fla., by Moor & Associates Architects PA
The architects created a program with a series of connected vignettes and garden spaces for the riverfront residence sited on a suburban lot off a cul-de-sac. It addresses the river as a boulevard with porches, verandas, and balconies across both stories of the entire elevation, facilitating participation in the coming and goings of river life. The architects placed the public spaces, living, dining, and kitchen areas on the second level to take advantage of river and garden views. “There is a nice mix of indoor and outdoor space, which really is what Florida is all about,” the jury noted.
Photo © Moor & Associates Architects PA

Copyright 2006 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved. Home Page