by Russell Boniface
Associate Editor

Summary: AIA Memphis announced its 2009 Design Awards for contributions to excellence in design, the profession, and the community. Memphis-based archimania garnered all three awards. An awards ceremony took place April 4 at the AIA Memphis’ annual “Celebration of Architecture” Gala.

Each year AIA Memphis selects a jury of award-winning architects from outside of Tennessee who have diverse backgrounds that include traditional practice, education, and criticism as well as patrons of architecture. The 2009 Design Awards Jury was composed of Chicago architects Daniel "Dan" Harding Wheeler, FAIA, principal, project architect, Wheeler Kearns Architects; Paul A. Harding, FAIA (Jury Chair), founding partner, Harding Partners; Jeanne Gang, FAIA, founder, Studio Gang Architects; John Eifler, FAIA, founding principle, Eifler & Associates Architects; and John Ronan, AIA, founding principal, John Ronan Architects. Awards are given in two categories: Design of Excellence and Design Award of Merit.

Design Award of Excellence—New Construction Category

Project: House in the Woods
Location: Smyrna, Tenn.
Owner/Client: Baker & Rhonda Raborn
Architect of Record: archimania
“One of the successes of this project is the attempt to keep the scale fitting with the setting,” the jury commented. “For example, by pulling the garage away, separating it from the volume of the house, it gives the architect two objects to work with in the site plan rather than of one large mass. There are three elements present, yet the materiality is consistent across the three. What is created is this great dialogue rather than attempting three to four languages together in a very small project. The project is compelling in the way the architect worked with vernacular forms and interpreted them in a modern manor. It looks like a great place to live with lots of daylight, natural ventilation, and great outdoor spaces created by the building masses.”
Photo: Jeffrey Jacobs Photography

Project Name: West Tennessee School for the Deaf (Recreation and Physical Therapy Building)
Project Location: Jackson, Tenn.
Owner/Client: State of Tennessee
Architect of Record: archimania
The building components are almost off-the-shelf, yet the architect has transformed them into something very new, the jury noted lauding the “smart planning in terms of orientation. The true benefit of this is that it created not only a building but a space. With the limitations of the budget, the architect did a fantastic job. The gymnasium two-story volume space is of note—the architect broke down the scale of the massing in a manner that was sensitive to the environment. It all worked very well with the orientation, and the courtyard works well with the existing building. The architect embraced limited materials—steel structure and concrete form—with color. The few architectural moves are purposeful and considerate, not gratuitous.”
Photo: Jeffrey Jacobs Photography

Design Award of Merit—Interiors Category

Project Name: Encore
Project Location: Memphis
Owner/Client: Encore Restaurant & Bar
Architect of Record: archimania
“The organization of the plan, with the primary dining on one side and the lounge bar on the other, creates a hierarchy in the space that is reinforced by material surfaces to gain contrast between the two while maintaining overall cohesiveness,” the jury said. “Materials and lighting create an ambiance that is an important part of restaurant design. It has some structure to it but is soft with notable response to acoustical challenges. Metal and fabric curtains are nice design elements, and functionally successful as well.”
Photo: Jeffrey Jacobs Photography