Washington, D.C. – The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) has selected five educational and cultural facilities for this year’s CAE Educational Facility Design Awards. The CAE Design Excellence Award honors educational facilities that the jury believes should serve as an example of a superb place in which to learn, furthering the client's mission, goals and educational program while demonstrating excellence in architectural design. These projects exemplify innovation through the client's educational goals through responsive and responsible programming, planning and design. Function and surrounding regional and community context are valued as part of the planning and design process.
California State University, Northridge Student Recreation Center; Northridge, California
LPA, Incorporated
The Student Recreation Center strategically creates a strong bookend to the east end of the campus, providing a dynamic, energetic approach to recreation. The design concept is clearly executed with a judicious use of colors and finishes. Upon entering the building natural lighting and material choices raise excitement and motivate movement. As an athletic building, it captures the energy and impetus of the various sporting activities inside. Strong transparency and interconnections between spaces inside the building are appealing, inviting and conducive to exercising. Compositionally it is assured and confident. Its community connection is highly apparent. Rainwater collection, natural ventilation, and day lighting are strong sustainable design features that are nicely integrated into the design. It was evident to the jury that students were involved in the conceptualization process and planning.
Sandy High School; Sandy, Oregon
Dull Olson Weekes – IBI Group Architects
Breathtakingly detailed as a public school, Sandy High School sets very high standards in terms of materials, finishes and aesthetics. Sitting lightly on the land, the building allows nature to penetrate the campus. It takes advantage of the hillside and creates panoramic views while nestling comfortably on the contours. Visible green roofs below adjacent classrooms add to hillside views while remaining roof areas are opportunities for power generation. Transparency between classrooms and common areas is executed boldly, with floor to ceiling glass suggesting a confidence with the user groups. Single loaded corridors were used to great effect by allowing natural light into both sides of learning spaces. Exterior treatments reflect the region in a wonderful and indigenous way and incorporate pleasant verandas with deep overhangs. The usable space per student and color combinations contribute to and promote student development.
Hinds Community College Jobie L. Martin Classroom Building; Jackson, Mississippi
Duvall Decker Architects
This simple and honest building with strong forms and an elegant façade shows that a few simple gestures can render a sense of identity to an otherwise nondescript campus. The rigorous use of materials, straightforward detailing, and clarity of concept elevates the modest program to a new level. The jury admired the light airy classrooms that combined the translucent, transparent, fixed, and operable glazing.
Mesa Community College Health Wellness Building; Mesa, Arizona
SmithGroupJJR
The transformation of this postindustrial concrete building into a light filled, translucent learning environment is exceptional. This project sets a high standard for reuse and repurposing of an existing building and demonstrates how constraints can benefit and strengthen a project. The conversion of leftover space between buildings creates dynamic and interactive circulation opportunities. The exterior is striking in its bold gestures, especially at night.
Cranbrook Kingswood Girls’ Middle School; Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Lake|Flato Architects
This design integrates form and function in ways reminiscent of the Crow Island School. The building is indicative of an independent language that fits well within the campus context. Cranbrook Kingswood Girls' Middle School is beautifully detailed, appropriately contextual in a place where expectations are very high, modest in scale, yet intimate. The variety of shared common learning spaces connects directly to the exterior while providing opportunities to integrate imaginative ideas into the educational environment. The scale of the interstitial spaces and classrooms give a very secure feeling to the learning environment. This school builds on great traditions but creates a quality and life of its own.
Jury
The 2013 CAE Educational Facility Design Awards jury includes: Steven M. Shiver, AIA, Chair, NAC Architecture; John R. Dale, FAIA, Harley Ellis Devereaux; Linda Nelson Keane, AIA; Victor Sidy, AIA, Taliesin School of Architecture and C. Kenneth Tanner, University of Georgia.
About the Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE)
The CAE is a large and active group of architects and allied professionals concerned with the quality and design of all types of educational, cultural, and recreational facilities. While a large portion of CAE members practice in the K-12 and post-secondary education markets, they look to serve the needs of those in the entire pre-K to 99 markets. CAE identifies national educational facility issues critical to architects and works to strengthen relationships with allied organizations, client groups, and the public.
About The American Institute of Architects
Founded in 1857, members of the American Institute of Architects consistently work to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings, neighborhoods, and communities. Through nearly 300 state and local chapters, the AIA advocates for public policies that promote economic vitality and public well being. Members adhere to a code of ethics and conduct to ensure the highest professional standards. The AIA provides members with tools and resources to assist them in their careers and business as well as engaging civic and government leaders, and the public to find solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation and world. Visit www.aia.org.
Related Stories
| Mar 11, 2011
Renovation energizes retirement community in Massachusetts
The 12-year-old Edgewood Retirement Community in Andover, Mass., underwent a major 40,000-sf expansion and renovation that added 60 patient care beds in the long-term care unit, a new 17,000-sf, 40-bed cognitive impairment unit, and an 80-seat informal dining bistro.
| Mar 11, 2011
Research facility added to Texas Medical Center
Situated on the Texas Medical Center’s North Campus in Houston, the new Methodist Hospital Research Institute is a 12-story, 440,000-sf facility dedicated to translational research. Designed by New York City-based Kohn Pedersen Fox, with healthcare, science, and technology firm WHR Architects, Houston, the building has open, flexible labs, offices, and amenities for use by 90 principal investigators and 800 post-doc trainees and staff.
| Mar 11, 2011
Blockbuster remodel transforms Omaha video store into a bank
A former Hollywood Video store in Omaha, Neb., was renovated and repurposed as the SAC Federal Credit Union, Ames Branch. Architects at Leo A Daly transformed the outdated 5,000-sf retail space into a modern facility by wrapping the exterior in poplar siding and adding a new glass storefront that floods the interior with natural light.
| Mar 11, 2011
Historic McKim Mead White facility restored at Columbia University
Faculty House, a 1923 McKim Mead White building on Columbia University’s East Campus, could no longer support the school’s needs, so the historic 38,000-sf building was transformed into a modern faculty dining room, graduate student meeting center, and event space for visiting lecturers, large banquets, and alumni organizations.
| Mar 11, 2011
Mixed-income retirement community in Maryland based on holistic care
The Green House Residences at Stadium Place in Waverly, Md., is a five-story, 40,600-sf, mixed-income retirement community based on a holistic continuum of care concept developed by Dr. Bill Thomas. Each of the four residential floors houses a self-contained home for 12 residents that includes 12 bedrooms/baths organized around a common living/social area called the “hearth,” which includes a kitchen, living room with fireplace, and dining area.
| Mar 11, 2011
Oregon childhood center designed at child-friendly scale
Design of the Early Childhood Center at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore., focused on a achieving a child-friendly scale and providing outdoor learning environments.
| Mar 11, 2011
Guests can check out hotel’s urban loft design, music selection
MODO, Advaya Hospitality’s affordable new lifestyle hotel brand, will have an urban Bauhaus loft design and target design-, music-, and tech-savvy guest who will have access to thousands of tracks in vinyl, CD, and MP3 formats through a partnership with Downtown Music. Guest can create their own playlists, and each guest room will feature iPod docks and large flat-screen TVs.
| Mar 11, 2011
Construction of helicopter hangars in South Carolina gets off the ground
Construction is under way on a $26 million aviation support facility for South Carolina National Guard helicopters. Hendrick Construction, the project’s Charlotte, N.C.-based GC, is building the 111,000-sf Donaldson Hangar facility on the 30-acre South Carolina Technology & Aviation Center, Greenville.
| Mar 11, 2011
Texas A&M mixed-use community will focus on green living
HOK, Realty Appreciation, and Texas A&M University are working on the Urban Living Laboratory, a 1.2-million-sf mixed-use project owned by the university. The five-phase, live-work-play project will include offices, retail, multifamily apartments, and two hotels.
| Mar 11, 2011
Chicago office building will serve tenants and historic church
The Alter Group is partnering with White Oak Realty Partners to develop a 490,000-sf high-performance office building in Chicago’s West Loop. The tower will be located on land owned by Old St. Patrick’s Church (a neighborhood landmark that survived the Chicago Fire of 1871) that’s currently being used as a parking lot.
