Recognizing the year’s outstanding architectural achievements and marking the culmination of
Design Pittsburgh 2008,
AIA's local chapter announced its annual awards on Oct 30.
Sixteen awards, selected from 93 submissions by an out-of-town jury, were presented in the following categories:
Architectural Detail/Craftsmanship; Open Plan; Regional & Urban Design; Interior Architecture; Landscape Architecture; and Architecture.
The Silver Medal—AIA Pittsburgh’s highest accolade and last given in 2005—was awarded to
Pfaffmann + Associates for designing the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania’s
Meadowcroft Rockshelter. “The Silver Medal is given only at the discretion of the jury. It’s for something considered to be the building of a decade,” says Anne Swager, with AIA Pittsburgh. “Meadowcroft was built with a sense of reverence for the site. One of the most compelling juror comments was that in essence, this project created a cave without mimicking a cave.”
Honor awards went to
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson/
LZT/
Larson Design Group for the University of Illinois'
Thomas M. Siebel Center for Computer Science, and to
Rothschild Doyno Collaborative for The Excavation of Mellon Hall at
Chatham University.
The Design Alliance Architects received an award for the
Eastside Phase 2 Master Plan. “The jury felt the architecture of Eastside was of merit, not just the plan,” adds Swager. “The buildings are friendly on a pedestrian level and relate to the parking and a variety of purposes.”
David J. Roth won the Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania People’s Choice Award for designing the
Animal Friends Water Garden & Shelter. “There’s such a wide range of project sizes and clients,” adds Swager. “I really like the jewel-box effect of this year's smaller projects.”
To view a complete list of AIA Design Awards, go
here.
To receive Pop City free every week, click here. Writer:
Jennifer BaronSource: Anne Swager, executive director, AIA Pittsburgh
Image courtesy Massery Photography, Inc.