The Virginia Society of the AIA paid tribute November 4 to eight projects with Awards for Excellence in Architecture, ranging from an elegant, steel-and-glass row house addition in Washington, D.C., to an environmentally conscious elementary school on a sensitive site in suburban Henrico County, Va. Bostonians Kyu Sung Woo, FAIA, and Jonathan Levi, FAIA, joined Jury Chair William Rawn, FAIA, to make their selections from a pool of 130 submissions.

Honor Awards

Morgan Boulevard Station, Landover, Md., by Hayes Seay Mattern & Mattern/STV, a joint venture
The new transit station for the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority establishes a model for the design direction of future above-ground rail stations. Open design and transparent walls enhance passenger well-being, especially during dark winter rush hours and evening sporting events at the adjacent FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins. Circulation is orchestrated to manage passenger flow during busy travel times. The inclusion of Metro’s signature materials supports visual consistency for system patrons, aided by a thematic art installation. The jurors were impressed by the openness of the station, which they said is a rarity in mass-transit stations. “The airiness comes from the way the structure is used. It’s not just the shape and the expanse of the space, but it has to do with the way the structure is perforated. It is a rather complex structural form that’s been handled rigorously. The image is a very beautiful one for a public space.” Photo © Jeffrey G. Katz.

Belvedere Gardens at Sherwood Memorial Park, Salem, Va., by SMBW Architects
Spirituality is engendered at this 110-acre cemetery in Salem through two fundamental moves—a subtractive process of carving the main space from the existing ground plane and the additive use of the displaced earth to create an earthen platform. The result is a composition of three outdoor rooms—the Sunken Garden, the Grove, and the Allee—that form contemplative spaces. Concrete is the primary structural framework for the project, with a blend of regionally quarried stone providing a warm counterpoint. “Out of all the entries, this one stands out as a unique experience. It’s pretty remarkable that the building came out as it did,” the jury said. They complimented the craftsmanship and intellectual rigor of the project, noting that its significance lies in the way it develops the ground plane as a metaphor. “It has something that most projects do not have, which is true poetry,” they agreed. “It’s just breathtaking.” Photo © James West.

Merit Awards

Packard/Komoriya Residence, Potomac, Md., by Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect
This new residence is designed and sited to preserve the natural features of a sloping, wooded landscape and maximize views of horse fields and the rolling topography adjacent to the site. The 4,000-square-foot house is composed of three structures with simple shed roofs organized to fit unobtrusively into the landscape. These main elements are clad with cedar shingles and connected to one another with glass-walled bridges. Walls made of dry-stacked stone or board-formed concrete complement the rugged rock outcroppings found throughout the site. “There’s something appealing about the way the pitched roofs respond to one another and to the landscape at the same time,” the jury commented. “And there’s restraint on the interior—an idea carried elegantly to a logical extreme and not beyond.” Photo © Hoachlander/Davis Photography.

Canal Crossing, Richmond, Va., by Baskervill & Son
This project involved the renovation of two unrelated warehouses—one, a long, two-story tobacco curing shed, and the other, a five-story, concrete-framed warehouse. The shorter building was refinished with a new corrugated stainless steel skin and the taller one, which required structural reinforcement, was treated to exterior refinishing, painting, and window replacements. Both buildings were refitted on the inside for office use on the upper floors; restaurants occupy the lower levels. Joining the two buildings is a new atrium space formed by two towering window walls at each end. Splitting the center of the space is a row of steel columns that support a flat roof projecting high enough to allow daylight into the space from all directions. “They already had a rich palette of materials to work with, and they brought a contemporary spirit to it,” the jury observed. “And the connector introduces yet another vocabulary that seems fresh.” Photo © Jon Hood.

2941 Fairview Park Drive, Fairfax, by Boggs & Partners Architects
The requirement was for the construction of a 15-story, 324,000-square-foot office building in Fairfax. The design takes advantage of the open area created by the lake and the highway system surrounding the site by focusing on approaches to the building. After parking their cars, visitors enter across a bridge that spans over a tumbling water feature. Inside, a three-story lobby features a dramatic composition of wood and metal panels. Jurors admired the detailing in the building’s lobby and the pleasing proportions of the space. “We particularly like the elevation of the curtain wall, which features a lot of relief,” they said. “And we admire the pattern-making—the column line projections and the projecting mullions.” Photo © Maxwell MacKenzie.

Hampton Roads Convention Center, Hampton, Va., by Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum
The most prominent feature of this new convention facility is a tensile structure that suggests the form of a sail. The functional program for the center is tailored to a “middle market” of organizations such as social clubs, the military, universities, and fraternal organizations. By minimizing circulation space and focusing the most expensive detailing and materials on the front elevation and public spaces, the design team kept within the $59 million budget. The design complements the existing coliseum and draws inspiration from the nautical roots of the Hampton community. Jurors praised the straightforward organization of the floor plan and the truss-like supports beneath the main stair. “We quite like the trusses of the roof and we think it was a good strategy to tent the building.” Photo © Alan Karchmer.

Greenwood Elementary School, Henrico County, Va., by BCWH Architects
A site dominated by wetlands created the need for a compact, two-story school that offered opportunities to explore the design and distribution of the classrooms, and the synergies possible from the closer adjacencies in the plan for a 750-student enrollment that includes art, music, special education, and multipurpose rooms. The school was designed with the belief that occupants should share a connection to their environment through views, fresh air, natural light, operable windows, and accessible exterior spaces. This allows the building to orient and educate its inhabitants—strategies evident in the classrooms, the atrium corridor, the media center, the cafeteria, and the courtyard. “The classroom is the molecule of a good school, but classrooms are often banal spaces. This one has different heights. It has a wonderful clerestory window. And there’s the sense of a contemporary mode of instruction that involves a diversity of experiences,” the jury noted. Photo © Chris Cunningham.

Special Citation

Eastern Market Row House Renovation, Washington, D.C., by David Jameson Architect
Evoking the image of an illuminated Japanese lantern, a glass-and-steel volume is inserted into the body of an existing row house. In concept, it contrasts lightness and heaviness with acid-etched panels inserted into a self-supporting steel frame that cantilevers from the house and encloses the kitchen and the second-floor study. The frame not only supports the glass skin, but also provides a shelving solution inside. Vertical partitions placed selectively in the wall allow for clear glass panels that frame the trees and sky. Said the jury, “The invention of that corner is worth acknowledging—it is really quite beautiful. There’s also a trick here. What makes it so magical is that there is nothing in this wall that tells us about the bearing of weight.” Photo © Hoachlander/Davis Photography.

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