The Brick Industry Association’s 2012 Brick in Architecture Awards put the spotlight on new projects that make creative use of one of humankind’s oldest and most beloved building materials. On these pages are several of the “Best in Class Winners” from this year’s BIA competition.
Wylie Civic Complex
The Wylie (Texas) Civic Complex weaves three public uses—city hall, recreation center, and public library—within a single tight design concept. The 137,000-sf complex, best in the municipal/government/civic category, attained LEED Silver certification. Architect: Holzman Moss Bottino Architecture, in association with Architexas. Mason contractor: DMG Masonry Ltd.
Bud Clark Commons
In the multifamily category, the award goes to Bud Clark Commons, which is described as a “centerpiece of the Portland’s plan to end homelessness.” The LEED Platinum apartment complex provides housing and comprehensive social services to the Oregon city’s homeless population. Architect: Holst Architecture. Mason contractor: J&S Masonry.
VIP Community Services, Men’s Residences
Honors in healthcare facilities go to the Men’s Residences facility in the East Tremont section of the Bronx, N.Y., a project of the Bronx-based nonprofit housing group VIP Community Services. This five-story, 30,000-sf facility provides housing, dining facilitiies, vocational training, and therapy for 80 men in addiction recovery. Architect/landscape architect: WASA/Studio A. Mason contractor: Procida Construction.
DuPage A.M.E. Chapel and Administrative Wing
The DuPage A.M.E. Chapel, the winner among houses of worship, provides a second chapel for this fast-growing congregation in Lisle, Ill., as well as a children’s church, classrooms, administrative offices, and a fellowship room. Architect: Harding Partners. Contractor: Moreton Construction. Mason contractor: J and E Duff.
Ogden International School of Chicago
Located on the site of an aging and overcrowded Chicago Public Schools building, the 110,000-sf K-8 school varies in design from the CPS prototype to reflect the uniqueness of Ogden’s international baccalaureate program. Architect: Nagle Hartray Architecture. Associate architect: Schroeder Murchie Niemiec Gazda-Auskalnis. Landscape architect: Terry Guen Design Associates. Contractor: Turner Construction Co. Mason contractor: Illinois Masonry Corp. +
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
AIA hires Worthen, Fitzgerald for sustainability, young architects initiatives
As part of an ongoing effort to bolster its education and outreach on sustainability, the American Institute of Architects has hired William J. Worthen, AIA, LEED AP, vice president of Simon & Associates (a green consulting firm) as Director and Resource Architect for Sustainability. The AIA has also hired Kevin A. Fitzgerald, AIA, a former associate with Robert AM Stern Architects, as a staff coordinator/team leader for several AIA committees devoted to young architects.
| Aug 11, 2010
Perkins+Will acquires Canadian firm Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners
Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners of Toronto, Ont., Canada, has been acquired by Perkins+Will, a global integrated design firm headquartered in Chicago. The merger marks Perkins+Will's 19th office in North America and its second in Canada.
| Aug 11, 2010
NBBJ and C.T. Hsu associates join forces for Florida healthcare market
NBBJ has entered into an exclusive alliance agreement with C.T. Hsu + Associates P.A. (CTHA) to provide world-class design/planning services for Florida's emerging healthcare and science facilities market. The alliance combines NBBJ's international reputation for the design and planning of healthcare and science & research facilities with CTHA's knowledge of community needs and established reputation for planning and design expertise in Central Florida.
| Aug 11, 2010
Minneapolis Public Housing authority, Honeywell launch energy retrofit program
Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and Honeywell today announced a $33.6-million energy efficiency and facility renewal program that will help the housing authority improve its infrastructure, reduce its impact on the environment, and save more than $3.7 million in utility costs per year. Local contractors will also complete a majority of the work for the program, one of the largest of its kind for a public housing authority, helping boost the Twin Cities job market.
| Aug 11, 2010
Shepley Bulfinch announces merger of Merzproject
National architecture firm Shepley Bulfinch of Boston and Merzproject of Phoenix today announced their merger. The merger unites Shepley Bulfinch, one of the country’s leading design firms, and Merzproject.
| Aug 11, 2010
Skanska Promotes Richard Kennedy to COO for NY/NJ Metro Area
Skanska USA Building Inc., headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., has announced that Richard Kennedy was promoted to Chief Operating Officer from his previous role as Senior Vice President – General Counsel. Kennedy’s promotion marks the latest addition to Skanska’s national leadership team.
| Aug 11, 2010
The New Yorker's David Owen: Why Manhattan is America's greenest community
David Owen is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of 14 books, most recently Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less Are the Keys to Sustainability, in which he argues that Manhattan is the greenest community in America. He graduated from Harvard and lives in Washington, Conn., where he chairs the town planning commission.
| Aug 11, 2010
Brown Craig Turner opens senior living studio
Baltimore-based architecture and design firm Brown Craig Turner has significantly expanded its housing design capabilities and expertise with the launch of its new senior living studio.
| Aug 11, 2010
George H. Miller, FAIA, inaugurated as 2010 AIA President
George H. Miller, FAIA, partner at Pei Cobb Freed & Partners LLP, was inaugurated as the 86th president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) during ceremonies held on December 4th.