Design firm RMJM honored with 14 Awards in 2008, including American Architecture award

January 9, 2009

New York, NY — Peter Schubert, AIA, North America Design Director of RMJM, announces that the firm has received a total of 14 awards in 2008, including the prestigious American Architecture award and four design awards from various AIA chapters. Founded in 1956, RMJM has won 400 awards for its projects around the world.

“Designing innovative and unique buildings that create value for our clients and the environment is at the heart of what we do, so we are thrilled to be recognized for these outstanding projects around the globe,” said Mr. Schubert. “In today’s world, we must be aware of how we use natural resources and the impact new buildings have on the environment, so sustainable design and preservation projects like these are the key to building green and healthy communities.”

The award-winning projects for 2008 are:

ARCHITECTURE

 
 
 Becton Dickinson Co. Campus Center, Franklin Lakes, NJ (American Architecture Award): The Campus Center at BD, a medical technology company, is a 38,500-square-foot facility that bridges and blurs the boundaries between building and landscape and the two business cultures of management and production. Site design focused on sustainability and the sanctity of the open space between the main buildings known as the “Great Lawn.”

 
 Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, Irving, Texas, (AIA New Jersey Merit Award) The convention center’s distinctly urban stacked design, which resembles a cake whose layers have shifted off-center, allows for different uses simultaneously, such as a corporate conference, shareholders’ meeting or sporting event. (Design Principal: Eric Jaffe)

 
 
 “Urban Insertion,” Princeton, NJ (Builder’s Choice Award): Though a modern insertion on an architecturally eclectic street, the duplex maintains the scale and rhythm of the neighborhood while fulfilling a serious need for in-town housing. (Design Principal: J. Robert Hillier)

 Evian Town, Suzhou, China (AIA Northwest and Pacific Region Merit Award): Evian Town, a residential and mixed-use development designed by RMJM Hong Kong Ltd, was lauded as “a contemporary design (that) is executed with great respect for the historical and cultural context, climate and scale of this city,” according to the jury.

 
 
HISTORIC PRESERVATION

 
 Virginia Capitol Restoration/Extension, Richmond, VA (AIA Virginia Chapter Excellence in Architecture Award; Virginia AIA Richmond Honor Award; Virginia Architects Society Design Award; National Trust for Historic Preservation Honor Award;  National Construction Management Association of America Project Achievement Award; Build America Award in Construction Management, Renovation; Greater Richmond Association for Commercial Real Estate Best Institutional Award and Palladio Award): Completed in May 2007, the restoration and extension of the Virginia Capitol challenged the designers to restore the integrity of Jefferson’s structure while integrating a new visitors’ entrance. (Design Principal: George C. Skarmeas)

 
 Lincoln Cottage, Washington, D.C. (Washington D.C., Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation, Mid-Atlantic Construction Magazine’s Restoration Project of the Year): RMJM’s phased project involved exterior renovations and interior renovations combined with a complete modernization of the building systems to create both exhibit use as well as a venue for special events. An adjacent building, which once housed the Home's administrative offices, has been transformed into the state-of-the-art Robert H. Smith Visitor Education Center. (Design Principal: George C. Skarmeas)

RMJM is a UK-based international firm of architects with offices throughout the UK, Asia, the Middle East and the USA.  Founded in 1956 by renowned British architects Robert Matthew and Stirrat Johnson-Marshall, today RMJM is one of the world’s largest architectural practices and employs approximately 1,200 people in 14 international offices in Cambridge, Dubai, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hong Kong, London, Moscow, New York, Philadelphia, Princeton, Shanghai, Singapore, St Petersburg and Washington D.C.  RMJM’s expertise and design-led approach is successfully demonstrated in on-going projects in more than 20 countries spanning a wide range of key sectors, from corporate headquarters and waterfront residential developments to major public buildings, university campuses and large-scale regeneration programmes. The company currently has over $15 billion worth of construction projects on its drawing boards, including some of the world’s most high profile and ambitious projects.

For further information:

Neill Coleman, Communications Manager, US: T 212 330 7430 E n.coleman@rmjm.com

Jennifer Potash, Communications Manager: T 609 580 4003 E j.potash@rmjm.com

Images and press release available for download from www.rmjmpress.com

JENNIFER POTASH
Communications Manager, Princeton

RMJM
500 Alexander Park, Princeton, NJ 08543-6395 | T 609 580 4003 | F 609 452 8332 | rmjm.com

Press releases and images are available at www.rmjmpress.com