Northern Stars: AIA Minnesota Announces 2006 Honor, Divine Detail Awards
AIA Minnesota announced 10 honor awards and one Divine Detail award at the 72nd AIA Minnesota Annual Convention and Exhibition, held in November. The jury reviewed the 130 honor and 17 divine detail project submissions from Minnesota architecture firms in five categories: Architecture, Housing, Interiors, Restoration & Renovation, and Urban Design and Master Planning.

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People-centered Design Means Fun and Sustainability
New corporate campus focuses on needs of employees
Mortgage Lenders Network (MLN), a rapidly growing finance company specializing in non-conforming mortgages, has begun construction on a 305,000-square-foot corporate headquarters in Wallingford, Conn. Designed by Integrated Architecture, with interiors by Gensler, the new showcase headquarters is the result of MLN’s effort to consolidate three locations under one roof. Says Linda Jacobs, senior project manager with Gensler, MLN’s new building was designed to “meet the needs of their people right on the facility grounds.”

California Residences Awarded 2006 AIA East Bay Design Awards
The Exceptional Residential: Bay Area Regional Design Awards recognizes and encourages excellence in residential design in the San Francisco Bay area. Members of the general public, in addition to architects and design professionals, are encouraged to enter submissions. The projects received awards in two categories: five received Honor Awards; nine were selected as Merit Award recipients.