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October 24, 2001

AIA awards celebrate new school of simplicity

  • At this year's AIA Seattle annual awards, jurors applauded the regeneration of Northwest architecture that rejects a "consumptive attitude" and honors the fundamentals.
  • By SAM BENNETT
    Journal Staff Reporter

    Ray Johnston has finally found his voice. "It takes a long time," he said. "It takes opportunities. We're getting to that point."

    Jurors for the American Institute of Architects Seattle awards declared Johnston an "emerging voice" by giving his firm a Gold Award at Monday night's annual ceremony. Johnston, working with James Cutler Architects, won for the Maple Valley Library, applauded by juror Brian MacKay-Lyons for its "minimalist rigor."

    Also winning Gold Awards were Eggleston Farkas Architects for the Mathieson residence on Queen Anne and Patkau Architects for the Agosta residence on San Juan Island.

    This year, jurors scrapped the AIA's old rankings for a new system: Gold, Silver, Bronze and Steel.

    Juror Maryann Thompson of Thompson Architects, Boston, said the Seattle AIA's 189 submissions were the highest quality she had ever judged. Thompson found a theme running through many of the projects.

    "It's almost like a new school -- it has to do with a sophisticated sense of tectonics and craft," she said. "The sense of craft is much more contemporary and intellectual. The beauty and elegance of details is incredibly inspiring."

    "I saw a kind of renewed interest in simplicity and the fundamentals of architecture, which suggests to me the architecture scene here is being revitalized," said MacKay-Lyons. He believes the new design ethic focuses on simplicity as opposed to a "consumptive attitude."

    "Wealthy societies like ours have a tendency toward decadence, in terms of use of materials and resources," he said. "That can produce a vulgar, cluttered landscape. That's not what we saw here. Sept. 11 contributes to that return to basics and rejection of things trivial."

    Working with this year's "emerging voices" theme, chosen by AIA Seattle, jurors found less is sometimes more.

    One emerging voice was found on Lopez Island in the Collins-Thompson residence, which won a Bronze Award -- the highest for a not-yet-built project. The residence design shows an 1,800-square-foot, sod-roofed vacation retreat on a gently sloped waterfront meadow. From afar, a tower will stand out with "zen-like interest," according to the architects.

    "For us, it was in the realm of poetic, maybe spiritual," said juror Steven R. Ehrlich. "It gives primitive a modern voice. It's a really good example of an emerging voice project."

    Also commended for their emerging voice was Heliotrope, for WRA Advertising's new home in a renovated 1890 Spokane building. The design was meant to function well as office space, reflect the ideals of the firm and be as inexpensive as possible. A "lightscoop" was created to collect and redirect daylight from a new clearstory window to the workspaces below. It also defines a multi-story space used as a staff gathering and lobby space.

    Thompson said the space was highly crafted and tectonically oriented, and solves the problem in some commercial projects of not having light at the back of the office. "It's nice to see an emerging voice is a restrained voice," said Ehrlich.

    Architect John Eggleston was surprised to win a Gold Award for the Mathieson residence, which he designed and also owns. His firm is Eggleston Farkas Architects. The Queen Anne home was remodeled from a flower shop and "brought joy to our faces," according to Douglas Kelbaugh, an award facilitator.

    "There seems to be a new, calm voice emerging here, as Northwest regionalism reinvents itself," Kelbaugh said.

    Eggleston wanted an open, urban loft layout with a feeling of density at the street and a tranquil interior courtyard -- a program driven by a modest budget and the owners' unskilled labor. Portions of the structure were retained as a base for the two-story open loft structure. The house faces into the courtyard, with the solid walls acting as a buffer from the noisy streets and bus stop.

    "It works at an urban scale and at a detail scale, without being precious," said MacKay-Lyons.

    Added Ehrlich: "We marveled at the economic use of materials, and the near zen-craft aspect to the house."

    "That house had to have been toured by every young architect in the city," said Allan Farkas.

    Partner John Eggleston said the design reaffirms the urban fabric and idea of community, and said the structure avoids a "woodsy" solution to architectural problems. "It's a simple structure with rigor," he said.

    Keeping with the emerging voices theme, Kelbaugh said Miller/Hull Partnership's 1310 E. Union introduces the transparent, steel frame apartment building as a "fresh, new architectural type" to Seattle.

    Built on a 40-by-80 foot site, the project has eight loft-style units with an expressed steel frame, operable overhead doors, commercial storefront windows and concrete floors with corrugated metal decking at the ceilings. The building was designed to convey a sense of economy, efficiency, discipline and order, according to Miller/Hull.

    "It may be a harbinger of infill, dense housing to come," said Ehrlich. "It accepts the vernacular of industrial buildings."

    Otak's King Street Station platforms took a Silver Award, commended for their no-nonsense, muscular designs. Three simple steel and glass structures, acting as entrances to the commuter rail station, are distinctive and legible, said Otak architect David Clinkston.

    "They're elegant and muscular -- a balance we tried to achieve in a really gritty environment," said Clinkston. "It's really an infill project in a complex outdoor landscape." Thompson added that the design does not shout for attention.

    Such minimal designs that reject the trivial and frivolous were hallmarks of this year's entries, according to MacKay-Lyons. "I'm happily surprised at this trend," he said. "It's a reconfirmation of high design standards. Some of the work is quite humbling in its clarity and rigor."

    For Johnston, his so-called emergence was 20 years in the making. "Emerging, to me, doesn't mean coming out of nowhere, but rising from a body of work," he said. "Each project teaches us something that we can carry forward to the next project."




    The AIA Seattle jury this year threw out the old system of Honor Awards, Merit Awards, Commendations and Citations. They replaced it with Gold, Silver, Bronze and Steel awards.

    Gold Awards

    Mathieson residence
    Stan Eichwald
    Mathieson residence

    Project: Mathieson residence
    Architect: Eggleston Farkas Architects
    General contractor: RMG Construction
    Structural engineer: Skilling Ward Magnusson Barkshire
    Photography: Stan Eichwald
    Description: A remodeled Queen Anne flower shop, the Mathieson residence has an urban loft layout, with a tranquil interior courtyard. The project was driven by a modest budget, and the willingness of the contractor to use the owners as the construction crew.
    Juror's comments: "We marvel at the imaginative transformation of a former flower shop at the edge of a historic cemetery into a reductivist and thoroughly modern cubic expression."

    Maple Valley Library
    Maple Valley Library

    Project: Maple Valley Library
    Architect: Johnston Architects & James Cutler Architects
    General contractor: R. Miller Construction
    Structural engineer: Swenson Say Faget
    Photography: Art Grice Photographer
    Description: A 12,000-square-foot public library with a u-shaped shed roof designed to minimize visual impact, and a unique roof downspout releasing 300 gallons of water a minute into a central gravel pool.
    Jurors comments: "Just a stud wall, elevating craft. We see acceptance of a simple planning strategy that, doing much with very little, amounts to a haiku."

     Agosta House
    Agosta House

    Project: Agosta House, San Juan Island
    Architect: Patkau Architects General contractor: Raven Hill Construction
    Structural engineer: Fast + Epp Structural Engineers
    Photography: James Dow
    Description: A 2,775-square-foot residence stretched across the ridge of a meadow, with an enclosed forecourt and "spatial reservoir" opening to a sea of picturesque fields and waterways.
    Juror's comments: "The design creates a threshold entered from an open meadow. It feels as if, after a long walk through the woods, one might come upon this house as if it had grown out of the ground, an elementary poetic structure."

    Silver Awards



     WRA Advertising
    WRA Advertising

    Project: WRA Advertising, Spokane
    Architect: Heliotrope
    General contractor: S.G. Morin and Son, Inc.
    Structural engineer: Golden, Graper and Burton, Inc.
    Photography: Julie Marquart Photography
    Description: A renovation of a former shoe store, the project addresses the critical issue of daylighting with a "lightscope." Economies were achieved through minimizing new wall construction, leaving the structure exposed and designing low cost custom furnishings.
    Juror's comments: "The design shows a good instinct for strategic focus, to clarify the existing fabric of the building with newly integrated architectural elements."

     Seattle University School of Law
    Seattle University School of Law

    Project: Seattle University School of Law
    Architect: Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects, with associate architects Yost Grube Hall
    General contractor: Robert E. Bayley Construction, Inc.
    Structural engineer: Chalker Putnam Collins & Scott
    Photraphy: Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects
    Description: The 136,000-square-foot school features a central atrium with southern exposure, and workstations wired with data communication capabilities.
    Juror's comments: "One senses the lineage of Alvar Aalto in this elegant building. In cross section, it reveals a multi-level dynamic space filled with light that clearly brings people together."

    1310 E. Union
    1310 E. Union

    Project: 1310 E. Union
    Architect: Miller/Hull Partnership
    General contractor: Turner Construction
    Structural engineer: Swenson Say Faget
    Photography: James F. Housel
    Description: A mid-rise, mixed-use building with eight loft-style units with an expressed structural steel frame, operable overhead doors, commercial storefront windows and concrete floors.
    Juror's comments: "On a very difficult building site, the design creates a variety of living units that accept the vernacular of an industrial/commercial building. We see this project as a bright harbinger of the future of dense infill housing."

    Bronze Awards

    Collins-Thompson residence
    Collins-Thompson residence

    Project: Collins-Thompson residence, Lopez Island
    Architect: David Coleman Architecture
    Structural engineer: Gary E. Gill
    Photography: Under the Light
    Description: The overall scheme includes a garden wall, green roof shelter and tower for contemplation. The design features a light-framed steel bridge decked in steel grate to allow transparency.
    Juror's comments: "An elemental economy of means leaves little to add or subtract without detracting from the whole. This sparse residence 'gives the primitive a modern voice,' and earns the highest award for a not-yet-built project."

    King Street Station platforms and canopies
    King Street Station platforms and canopies

    Project: King Street Station platforms and canopies
    Architect: Otak, Inc.
    General contractor: C.A. Cary Corp.
    Structural engineer: Swenson Say Faget
    Photography: Art Grice
    Description: A glass station that affords rail commuters views of historic and new Seattle, featuring glass structures that are distinctive and legible.
    Juror's comments: "A series of canopies and stairway enclosures for mass transit provide a refreshing, minimalist expression that supports people in motion through space. The project elevates the status and meaning of infrastructure as a welcome addition to the public realm."

    NewHolly
    NewHolly

    Project: Holly Park redevelopment phase I
    Architect: Weinstein Copeland Architects
    General contractor: Absher-Pacific Co.
    Structural engineer: Skilling Ward Magnusson Barkshire
    Photography: Michael Shopenn, Ed Weinstein
    Description: Redevelopment of 48-acre site including new infrastructure, streets, parks and community facilities. Project includes 305 rental and 153 for-sale units.
    Juror's comments: "A brilliant plan transforms a dysfunctional and out-of-date housing project into a vibrant street-oriented neighborhood with a wide array of architectural types and user groups. We admire the skilled ... mixing (of) subsidized housing with market-rate units."

    Steel

    Methow cabin
    Methow cabin

    Project: Methow cabin, Winthrop
    Architect: Eggleston Farkas Architects
    General contractor: Hall Construction
    Structural engineer: Skilling Ward Magnusson Barkshire
    Photography: Jim Van Gundy, Eggleston Farkas Architects
    Description: A small retreat serving as a base for cross-country skiing and mountain biking. The building is aligned with the valley, opening at the ends to focus on the views. The shed roof echoes the slope of the surrounding hills.
    Juror's comments: "Here the architects start all over with the Northwest vernacular, going back to the roots with a simple distilled language, in a beautifully stripped-down version. We see a true emerging voice here, a 'lone rider on the prairie.'"

    Semiahmoo residence
    Semiahmoo residence

    Project: Semiahmoo residence, Blaine
    Architect: FINNE Architects
    General contractor: Emerald Builders
    Structural engineer: Monte Clark
    Description: Taking advantage of westerly views, the residence explores several themes: a site-specific design methodology; an investigation into the emotive qualities of materials such as stone and wood; and a concern for natural light as a generator of architectural form.
    Juror's comments: "This lavish and highly crafted residence exemplifies perhaps 'the Northwest style,' when the simple has become elevated to the end of the line for this distinct type, about as far as one can go."

    Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion
    Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion

    Project: Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion
    Architect: Miller/Hull Partnership
    General contractor: Howard S. Wright Construction
    Structural/civil engineer: AKB Engineers
    Photography: Miller/Hull Partnership
    Description: Replacing the Flag Pavilion, this new facility will have more than 14,000 square feet of flat-floor exhibition space, with 20 feet clear height for a variety of festivals, conferences and exhibitions. The design includes a 19,000-square-foot rooftop plaza.
    Juror's comments: "This sensitive project exemplifies architecture as civic infrastructure. The building steps back from the site to provide forefront to the International Fountain and to the human activities that make this area a true 'center' of civic life."

     Vashon Island Transfer and Recycling Station
    Vashon Island Transfer and Recycling Station

    Project: Vashon Island Transfer and Recycling Station
    Architect: Miller/Hull Partnership
    General contractor: Pease Construction, Inc.
    Photography: James F. Housel
    Description: A 10,000-square-foot solid waste and recycling transfer station built to replace and close an existing Vashon Island landfill. The project is a model of sustainable design and construction, maximizing resource efficiency and minimizing environmental impact.
    Juror's comments: "The architects achieved elegance and friendliness in this utilitarian project, accomplishing much with a low budget and lots of community involvement. The structure graciously accepts the industrial vernacular and remains true to its nature."

    The Stable Building
    The Stable Building

    Project: The Stable Building, Seattle
    Architect: Adams/Mohler Architects
    General contractor: Reihl Construction Services, Inc.
    Structural engineer: Swenson Say Faget
    Photography: James Frederick Housel
    Description: Renovation of a one-story commercial structure for studios and offices, featuring huge timber trusses under a hat roof.
    Juror's comments: "This seemingly humble project expertly exerts a sustainability strategy by recycling an existing building for office and showroom use. It manifests its tenants' businesses in form, integrating stone detailing and simple crafts products in application of a distinctly modest and muscular palate."

    Project: Virtually A Sketchbook: A Three-Dimensional Design Program for the Computer
    Submitter: Todd A. Smith
    Description: A three-dimensional computer design program that gives the designer "comfort in a virtual world," allowing for ultimate freedom in making design decisions.
    Juror's comments: "This entry offers an appetizer of something that has long cried for such an execution. We hope that someone will commit the years and years it might take to fulfill the promise we see here."



    
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