The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has announced the 2015 recipients of its Institute Honor Awards, which it describes as “the profession’s highest recognition of works that exemplify excellence in architecture, interior architecture and urban design.” This year’s 23 recipients were selected from out of about 500 submissions and will be honored at the AIA’s upcoming National Convention and Design Exposition in Atlanta. Here are the winners in the interior architecture category.
Arent Fox. (Eric Laignel)
Arent Fox; Washington, D.C.
STUDIOS Architecture
According to the AIA:
The Barbarian Group. (Michael Moran)Key elements of this office building include a formal reception space with a physical and visual connection to the building lobby, a conference center, an auditorium with tiered seating, break-out areas for receptions, and slab openings on typical office floors for visual connection to other floors. The building has two primary street-facing sides and two sides that face an alley. To create parity between the two, the design places key elements on the alley side of the building to draw people from the front to the back for collaboration and support functions. Glass was used to shape offices and conference rooms and to blur the line between circulation and enclosed spaces.
The Barbarian Group; New York City
Clive Wilkinson Architects; Design Republic Partners Architects
According to the AIA:
Beats By Dre. (Jasper Sanidad)A 1,100-foot long table connecting as many as 175 employees—snaking up and down and through the 20,000-square-foot office space provides a digital marketing firm a medium for collaborating employees. To maintain surface continuity and facilitate movement through the space, the table arches up and over pathways, creating grotto-like spaces underneath for meetings, private work space, and storage. Dubbed the Superdesk, this table encourages connection and collaboration, makes conventional office furniture seem redundant, and challenges traditional ideas about what a modern office space should look and feel like.
Beats By Dre; Culver City, California
Bestor Architecture
According to the AIA:
Crystal Bridges Museum Store. (Timothy Hursley)The Beats By Dre campus was designed to reflect the diverse and innovative work undertaken in the music and technological fields. The main building is carved by a, two-story lobby that forms an axis and two courtyards to orient the work spaces. Courtyards connect to the varied working environments and include offices, open workstations, flexible work zones, and interactive conference rooms. The office plan encourages interaction and contact across departments by establishing a variety of calculated environments that exist within the larger workspace: peaceful, activated, elegant or minimal.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Museum Store; Bentonville, Arkansas
Marlon Blackwell Architect
According to the AIA:
Illinois State Capitol West Wing Restoration. (Tom Rossiter)The work of a local Arkansas basket maker, Leon Niehues, known for his sculpturally ribbed baskets made from young white oak trees from the Ozarks, provided the design inspiration for the museum store, located at the heart of the Moshe Safdie, FAIA, designed museum (2011) in Bentonville, Arkansas. A series of 224 parallel ribs, made of locally harvested cherry plywood, were digitally fabricated directly from the firm’s Building Information Modeling delivery process. Beginning at the top of the exterior glass wall, the ribs extend across the ceiling and down the long rear wall of the store.
Illinois State Capitol West Wing Restoration; Springfield, Illinois
Vinci Hamp Architects
According to the AIA:
Louisiana State Museum and Sports Hall of Fame. (Tim Hursley)The West Wing of the Illinois State Capitol is the second phase of a comprehensive renovation program of this 293,000-square-foot National Historic Landmark. Designed by French émigré architect Alfred Piquenard between 1868 and 1888, the Capitol represents the apogee of Second Empire design in Illinois. Over the years inappropriate changes were made through insensitive modifications and fires. The project mandate was to restore the exuberant architecture of the West Wing’s four floors and basement, while simultaneously making necessary life safety, accessibility, security and energy efficient mechanical, electrical, & plumbing system upgrades.
Louisiana State Sports Hall of Fame and Regional History Museum; Natchitoches, Louisiana
Trahan Architects
According to the AIA:
9-11 Museum. (James Ewing Photography)The Louisiana State Museum merges historical and sports collections, elevating the experience for both. Set in the oldest settlement in the Louisiana Purchase on the banks of the Cane River Lake, the quiet yet innovative design reinterprets the geometry of the nearby plantation houses and the topography of the riverfront; between past and future. Spaces flow together to accommodate exhibits, education, event and support functions. The hand-folded copper container contrasts with the digitally carved cast-stone entry and foyer within, highlighting the dialogue between the manmade and the natural.
National September 11 Memorial Museum; New York City
Davis Brody Bond
According to the AIA:
Newport Beach Civic Center. (Nic Lehoux)The 9/11 Memorial Museum is built upon the foundations of the Twin Towers, 70 feet below street level. Visitors reach the museum via a gently sloped descent, a journey providing time and space for reflection and remembrance. Iconic features of the site, such as the surviving Slurry Wall, are progressively revealed. This quiet procession allows visitors to connect to their own memories of 9/11 as part of the experience. Located at the site of the event, the museum provides an opportunity to link the act of memorialization with the stories, artifacts and history of that day.
Newport Beach Civic Center and Park; Newport Beach, California
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
According to the AIA:
The Newport Beach Civic Center and Park creates a center for civic life in this Southern California beachside community. Nestled within a new 17-acre park, the City Hall is designed for clarity and openness. A long, thin building supporting a rhythmic, wave-shaped roof provides a light and airy interior, complemented by connections to outdoor program elements, a maritime palette, and commanding views of the Pacific Ocean. The project’s form and expression are generated by place and sustainability, as well as the City’s democratic values of transparency and collaboration.
