The AIA Potomac Valley Annual Design Award Competition is held each year in November. The 2001 competition was juried by three architects from the AIA Central Pennsylvania Chapter: John A. Boecker, AIA (Chair); Frank E. Dittenhafer, AIA; and Kenneth D. Hammel, AIA. We sincerely appreciate the commitment of time and energy that these gentlemen unselfishly donated to their fellow members.

Awards (1 Grand Honor Award, 3 Honor Awards, 5 Merit Awards, and 4 Citations) were presented at the Chapter's Year-End Party and Design Awards Banquet in College Park, Maryland on Saturday, December 8, 2001.

NOTE: Click on Thumbnails to see an enlargement of the project.

Grand Honor Award St. David's Episcopal Church Architect: Uekman / Architects Contractor: Kfoury Construction Group Jury Comments: "The Jury unanimously gave this project the highest marks. We found the scheme's spatial composition extraordinary in it's ability to modulate space and light with a very simple, elegant language, creating a wonderfully spiritual place. The thoughtful placement and proportioning of its pieces are highly responsive to site conditions, and along with careful detailing, provide powerful experiences for occupants - in short, an exciting, yet elegant choreography of spaces that invites reflection."

Honor Award Frostburg Library Architect: Grimm and Parker, PC Architects Contractor: Charles E. Smith Jury Comments: "The jury found this library a very strong urban infill solution, particularly in terms of its contribution to the existing streetscape and its response to a difficult sloping condition. The façade's composition of elements appears highly contextual, well detailed and beautifully scaled, without resorting to replication of any obvious style. Similarly, we found much of the interior detailing unique and applauded the strong utilization of natural lighting."

Honor Award Mirza O'Keefe Residence Architect: McInturff Architects Contractor: Foster Herz, Inc. Jury Comments: "The jury admired the simplified sculptural forms and the designer's approach to this project's beautiful proportions, describing its interior integration with exterior space as artfully executed. Clearly, the architect helped this owner in terms of both functional and visual delight, and the result easily could have been overdone; instead, we found that this project displays beautiful restraint with a very rich and sophisticated intertwining of textures, materials, colors, and new components with existing."

Honor Award Tasker House Architect: McInturff Architects Contractor: Rappahannock Design & Construction Co. Jury Comments: "The jury remarked upon this project's very strong conceptual notions, ideas that take full advantage of a wonderful site by developing elements that foster a powerful sense of place. Specifically, it formally references vernacular architecture without copying vernacular architecture, while its skillfully proportioned and organized interior spaces take tremendous advantage of natural lighting to provide the owner with a playful, yet relaxing vacation house."

Merit Award Bufton House Architect: Miche Booz Architect Contractor: Oak Grove Restoration Jury Comments: "The jury admired the restraint exercised by the architect here, praising the result as quite elegant and modestly composed. Derived from a rich historical context, this project appears to have resulted from a well-conceived desire to respect the existing building by not overwhelming it. We also enjoyed the architect's presentation."

Merit Award Carlin Springs Elementary School Architect: Grimm and Parker, PC Architects Contractor: Meridian Construction Co., Inc. Jury Comments: "The jury was impressed with the playful character of this school, particularly the powerful theme expressed in its organizing central main street spine that seemingly connects well with its site. Detailing of components appears consistent and skillful from the macro level down to the very small-scale level. One juror remarked, 'This public school facility is one of the best I've seen.' "

Merit Award Fresh Fields Whole Foods Market Architect: Mushinsky Associates/MR+A Contractor: L.F. Jennings Jury Comments: "Jurors loved this project's response to its context, and found its strong exterior detailing quite evocative of traditional open markets from a bygone era, yet clearly expressive of our time as well. The resulting imagery is executed in a way that contributes to its streetscape as if this place has been there for decades, yet without resorting to 'retro' devices. The architect's execution here transforms the day-to-day public function of food shopping from ordinary necessity into a rich spatial experience."

Merit Award Metro Escalator Canopy Architect: Shorieh Talaat Architects Jury Comments: "Jurors commented that this very strong response to a very straightforward problem goes far beyond the ostensible one-liner of a glass pavilion; it carefully captures and modulates natural breezes and light, thereby creating a wonderful ambiguity between enclosure and open shelter. The jury also imagined one's experience of emerging from darkness below and ascending into this urban, lighted pavilion as potentially quite poetic."

Merit Award Woodland Drive Residence Architect: Studio 27 Architecture PLLC Contractor: Kingston Construction Co. Jury Comments: "Jurors described this solution as a bold piece of artwork, particularly with regard to the rear exterior additive components, and described the result as a very successful knitting- together of new with existing elements. One juror found this project conceptually quite brilliant in terms of how it transitions an existing traditional character into a strong contemporary language. We enjoyed the skillful details inside and out, finding the result a rich experience."

Citation Bartholomew House Architect: Bennett Frank McCarthy Architects, Inc. Contractor: Tobin Builders, Inc. Jury Comments: "The jury responded very positively to this solution; it utilizes a strong composition of wonderfully scaled elements, a strong contextual response, and beautifully integrated materials choices to overcome the institutional character typically associated with this difficult project type. In short, we found its execution consistently well done with both interior and exterior elements handled quite skillfully."

Citation Capital View Bungalows Architect: GTM Architects, Inc. Contractor: Design Homes Jury Comments: "Jurors were very impressed with the restrained and consistent vocabulary that serves to integrate this delightful grouping of dwellings by carefully referencing the existing bungalow. The site plan's organization also creates strong relationships that further integrate these buildings, particularly the common entrance to this mini-development. The architect's repertoire of materials and attention to proportion also add strength to this scheme."

Citation Harrison Commons Architect: Torti Gallas and Partners-CHK, Inc. Jury Comments: "Jurors found a strong sense of urban place developed with this scheme, particularly with regard to the designer's acknowledgement of existing context. Clear attention was given to the creation of quality urban spaces, while sensitively integrated parking and the recognition of relationships to the existing transit line are handled extremely well. The jury also praised this project for its environmentally sensitive solutions to issues of Smart Growth, transportation, and brownfield development."

Citation The Majestic Cafe Architect: McInturff Architects Contractor: Bonitt Builders Jury Comments: "The jury described this project in simple terms as a really nice, restrained approach to a small commercial interior renovation. In short, it creates a pleasant, inviting, and warm environment. From its imaginative intertwining of original historical context with contemporary detailing, to its thoughtful selection of materials and daylighting, this sequence of 'spaces within spaces' clearly was conceived by a sophisticated designer."

The Potomac Valley Chapter of AIA would like to thank the following sponsors, who provided financial support for the 2001 Design Awards Program:

GOLD SPONSOR:


Medi Falsafi of ABC Imaging, Inc.

SILVER SPONSOR:
James Lee, Esq. & Terry McShane, Esq. of Lee & McShane, P.C.

BRONZE SPONSORS:
Art Ebersberger of CBIZ Benefits & Insurance

Sunny Kim of Kim Engineering, Inc.

Tom Mitchell of Potomac Valley Brick & Supply

The 2001 AIA Potomac Valley Design Awards Jury
(l to r): Frank E. Dittenhafer, AIA, John A. Boecker, AIA (Chairman),
and Kenneth D. Hammel, AIA

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