AIA Design Awards 2017: Here are the winners

Mark Reddington, FAIA, of LMN Architects, the chair of the Seattle based jury of architects who reviewed this year's crop of design award application explained in a conversational way why good design matters for society overall.

He noted that the jury he chaired paid much attention to equity and sustainability on the impact the work of architects has on real people. The way he explained it, he avoided the "archibabble" that so often characterizes the reasoning of juries when they explain their decisions. Reddington made the selection process understandable to the non-architects in the room, "real people" who were related to the award winning projects as clients, consultants,  contractors and friends and who as usual accompanied the award winners for the annual celebration.

The Behnisch - ASG designed University of Baltimore John and Frances Angelos Law Building is itself  a former award winner and a great example of how much a building influences daily activity and in this case, learning. Here the award winners:

For the second year in a row, the Grand Design Award went to Ziger/Snead Architects. SNF Parkway was the winning submission. The jury appreciated how the architects merged the present with the past and the clear contribution the theater makes to the Station North neighborhood.
he Grand Design Award (Given to the most exceptional project as deemed by the jury)
SNF Parkway; Ziger/Snead Architects; Baltimore, MD

Grand award winner: The Parkway Theatre

Other Excellence in Design Awards Winners are:
Open Works; Cho Benn Holback + Associates, a Quinn Evans Company; Baltimore, MD

Baltimore Center Stage; Cho Benn Holback + Associates, a Quinn Evans Company; Baltimore, MD

Excellence in Design: Center Stage renovation

R. House; PI.KL Design; Baltimore, MD

Excellence in Design: R-House

Unbuilt Project of the Year
NURTURE: Lehigh Living Cultural Center; Matthew Wieber, Assoc. AIA & Kurt Kimsey, Assoc. AIA; Bethlehem, PA (Unbuilt)

Unbuilt: Lehigh Living Cultural Center

Honorable mentions for Excellence in Design went to:
Linden Park Apartments Redevelopment, by Wiencek + Associates Architects + Planners

Nine East 33rd, by Design Collective, Inc.

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center by GWWO, Inc./Architects

The Salisbury University Patricia R. Guerrieri Academic Commons by Ayers Saint Gross

the Slate House, by Ziger, Snead Architects and

Chrysalis by the Everymany and Living Design Lab, LLC


In addition AIA has special awards for environmental design historic preservation and good business. Those are:

 Award for Excellence in Environmentally Sustainable Design
Wake Forest School of Medicine; Gaudreau, Inc.; Winston-Salem, NC

Open Works; Cho Benn Holback + Associates, a Quinn Evans Company; Baltimore, MD

 Award for Excellence in Environmentally Sustainable Design Open Works

NURTURE: Lehigh Living Cultural Center; Matthew Wieber, Assoc. AIA & Kurt Kimsey, Assoc. AIA; Bethlehem, PA (Unbuilt)

Michael F. Trostel, FAIA, Award for Excellence in a Historic Preservation Project
Sagamore Pendry Hotel; Beatty Harvey Coco Associates Architects; Baltimore, MD

Award for Excellence in a Historic Preservation Project: Pendry Hotel Fells Point

Good Design = Good Business Winner
R. House; PI.KL Design; Baltimore, MD

The Good Design = Good Business Award, honoring Maryland projects that utilize good design to help companies, organizations and communities achieve their goals, was recognized by a local jury including Suzanne Frazier, FAIA, Professor at the School of Architecture and Planning at Morgan State University, Charlie Duff, President of Jubilee Baltimore, and past BAF President, and Luis Cardona, Director of Economic Development at Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, and current BAF board member.

A honorable mention for Good Design = Good Business went to the Takoma Langley Transit Center by ArchPlan Inc., Renovations to South Cumberland Branch Library – Allegany County Library System by Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects and Linden Park Apartments Redevelopment by
Wiencek + Associates Architects + Planners.

Langley Park Transit Center

The Baltimore Architecture Foundation presented its distinguished Golden Griffin and Roger D. Redden awards. The awards recognize dedication to architecture and the furthering of its understanding in Baltimore. Winners are:

The Baltimore Arts Realty Corporation (BARCO)
Kathleen Kotarba, former director of CHAP

 For a complete list of all awards and winners see here.


Klaus Philipsen, FAIA