AIA Northern Virginia Honors 23 Projects

Summary: AIA Northern Virginia is pleased to announce the winners of the chapter’s 2008 Design Awards competition. The program, now in its 33rd year, recognizes design excellence achieved by the chapter’s members. American University’s Katzen Art Center in Washington, D.C., by Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Architecture, provided a splendid space for the gala, where 23 winning projects, selected from 170 entries, were presented. Projects in seven categories were chosen by the prestigious jury from Miami—Chad Oppenheim, AIA, Oppenheim Architecture+Design; Michael Kerwin, AIA, Spillis Candela DMJM; Max Strang, AIA, Max Strang Architecture; Rene Gonzalez, AIA, Rene Gonzales Architect; Jacqueline Gonzalez Touzet, AIA, Touzet Studio; and Roney Jorge Mateu, AIA, Mateu Architecture Inc.—who bestowed 7 Awards of Excellence, 15 Awards of Merit, and one special award for craftsmanship.

Awards of Excellence

Conceptual/Unbuilt Architecture
Project: 21st Century Student Housing
Architect: Little Diversified Architectural Consulting
The jury applauded this elegant solution to a very traditional and simple “brick” building parti. “The diagram holds its own all the way through the process; it’s a very thoroughly resolved and buildable concept,” they remarked.
Photo courtesy of the architect.

Historic Architecture
Project: Harvey Residence
Location: Washington, D.C.
Architect: Moore Architects PC
The jury called this project “an amazing transformation ... well-crafted and true to style ... great care apparent in the details.” They noted that the residence was not just historical restoration, but rather that the architect breathed new life into the building.
Photo © Prakash Patel and Bryan Becker.

Historic Architecture
Project: Parker Flats at Gage School
Location: Washington, D.C.
Architect: Bonstra | Haresign Architects LLP
“This is a miraculous save of a bombed-out building shell with good bones,” the jury noted. They admired the contrast between the old existing and the new more Modern details. “A notably liberal preservation ... truly adaptive reuse,” they remarked.
Photo © Hoachlander Davis Photography.

Institutional Architecture
Project: Washington National Cathedral Visitor Gateway
Location: Washington, D.C.
Architect: SmithGroup
“The quiet qualities of this solution are absolutely beautiful ... it addresses things in a very quiet way and doesn’t try to go out of its way to be formalistic,” the jury said. “This design unlocks the beauty of the place that was obscured by the previous conditions.”
Photo © Alan Karchmer.

Interiors Architecture
Project: Plaza East
Location: Chantilly, Va.
Architect: Hellmuth Obata + Kassabaum
The jury said that this is one of the nicest projects submitted. They characterized it as “understated and elegant, almost dreamy.” They noted further that the lighting is exquisitely done and that, overall, the project demonstrates “admirably restrained minimalism that is very effective.”
Photo © Jeff Wolfram.

Residential Architecture
Project: Black White
Location: Bethesda, Md.
Architect: David Jameson Architect Inc.
The jury called this project “a very sophisticated and striking composition.” They noted how the project is illusory in scale, as the house almost seems one story from the outside. They further admired the how the standard window wall system is deftly organized in a fresh and artistic way “The black/white contrast is brilliantly simplistic and very powerful,” they enthused.
Photo © Paul Warchol.

Residential Architecture
Project: Hooper’s Island House
Location: Church Creek, Md.
Architect: David Jameson Architect Inc.
“This house is the best at integrating with its surrounding environment. The hovering planes are soft ways of floating the house above the site,” the jury said. “Its many layers of architecture, including references to barn vernacular, are very well-edited and elegantly assembled. Undoubtedly it’s a beautiful house to live in and use ... this is the best of all that we’ve seen,” the jury said.
Photo © Paul Warchol.

Awards of Merit

Commercial Architecture

• Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard, Dickerson, Md., by Cunningham | Quill Architects PLLC
• Columbia Center, Washington, D.C., by Hickok Cole Architects

Conceptual/Unbuilt Architecture

• Orchid Skyscraper, Singapore, by Little Diversified Architectural Consulting

Historic Architecture

• Bethesda Theatre Restoration, Bethesda, Md., by Oehrlein & Associates Architects. Photo © Oehrlein & Associates Architects.

Institutional Architecture

• National Museum of the Marine Corps, Triangle, Va., by Fentress Architects

Interiors Architecture

• Suite 4511, Washington, D.C., by Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect
• SK Suite, Potomac, Md., by David Jameson Architect Inc.
• Town House, Washington, D.C., by Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect

Residential Architecture

• Wissioming Residence, Bethesda, Md., by Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect
• Rural Infill, Little Washington, Va., by Meditch Murphey Architects
• Matroyshka House, Bethesda, Md., by David Jameson Architect Inc.
• Yoga Studio, Boyce, Va., by Carter + Burton Architecture PLC
• Packard Komoriya Residence, Potomac, Md., by Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect
• Jigsaw, Bethesda, Md., by David Jameson Architect Inc.

Residential Architecture—Special Jurors’ Citation for Craftsmanship

• Le Baron Farm, Jeffersonton, Va., by Neumann Lewis Buchanan Architects

Kitten Herlong Award for Associates

• 510 East Howell Avenue, Alexandria, Va., by Heather Grutzius, Assoc. AIA,
  Photo © Homevisit Photography.