

UNBUILT: Certificate of Merit

Paradise Long-Term Recovery Community Plan

Client: Town of Paradise, California

Architecture Firm: Urban Design Associates, Ltd.

Photographer: Urban Design Associates, Ltd.

On the morning of November 8th, the town of Paradise and the unincorporated communities of Concow and Magalia were forever changed by the Camp Fire. It was the most destructive and deadliest wildfire in California history. The town and county immediately affirmed their commitment to rebuild. A generous gift of Urban Design Associates planning services was given to the town of Paradise by the Butte Strong Fund. We feel privileged to be assisting the residents and stakeholders as they create a vision for rebuilding their town and their lives. The town-led process resulted in a long-term community recovery plan. The planning process had four steps: Relieving Pressure, Listening, Testing, and Deciding.

JURY COMMENTS: While community planning efforts may be common, the town of Paradise, California and the design team faced an unprecedented challenge and urgency. The Recovery Plan reminds us, in a most profound way, that architects can change lives. The team’s ability to mobilize the community, build consensus and guide immediate implementation, six months after the disaster, is nothing but remarkable.

SMALL: Honor Award



Reduction Residence

Client: Confidential

Architecture Firm: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

Contractor: Cummings Construction, Inc.

Engineers: DiVito Electric, LLC, McManus Heating and Cooling

Photographer: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

Consultants: Dinesen Pine Floors, PORCELANOSA, Kolbe Vistalux

This residential up-cycle employs a subtractive design process that emphasizes the elemental quality of space and light over extraneous details. A close collaboration with engaged and design-savvy clients, the original modest post-war brick house had a beloved location but lacked the movement, light, and clarity that the owners desired. The process: a simple removal, refinish, and reduction distilled the space to its essence providing the young couple and their three children a modest, thoughtful, and distinctive home.

JURY COMMENTS: This is a beautifully executed adaptive re-use project. The jury appreciated the seemingly simplistic carving of the existing structure to introduce light, and movement that emphasized the enhanced forms within the residence. Clean, simple and thoughtful.



SMALL: Honor Award

Carnegie Street Residence

Client: Michael Boyle

Architecture Firm: mossArchitects

Contractor: Essig Renovation & Design

Engineers: House & Building Engineering

Photographer: Erin Kelly Photography

Situated within a dense line of rowhomes in Pittsburgh’s Upper Lawrenceville neighborhood, the Carnegie Residence was a complete renovation of a 13-foot-wide traditional rowhome into a modern, light-filled efficient residence. The overall design priority was to create open space, while maximizing natural daylight to the narrow house.

JURY COMMENTS: The Carnegie Residence was a pleasant surprise in many ways. A classic, simple nondescript row house façade unexpectedly opening up into a wonderfully executed modern interior. The transformation is remarkable. This small house now lives large with simple clean detailing translated to comfortable, open, beautiful space inside and out.

SMALL: Certificate of Merit



The River House

Client: Robert Bergren and Cyd Stackhouse

Architecture Firm: Fisher ARCHitecture

Contractor: Cummings Construction, Inc.

Engineers: House & Building Engineering

Photographer: Eric Fisher, Robert Bergren, and “Fly Over Properties”

Consultants: Lauren Levant Interior

The problem: A decrepit home with a block base once used as a bootleg distillery did not have a usable driveway. The solution: Demolish and rebuild all but the base so that the owners can park on their third floor and drive to the street via a vehicular bridge. Accessing the building this way has allowed us to preserve the existing site all around while creating a novel upside down house experience in which one enters from the roof and descends down into the living spaces below. “Let new be new and old be old,” is our motto. By preserving the ground floor block base as precisely as possible, we were able to maintain something of the interior-focused old home experience. Upstairs however, we have opened the new construction as much as possible to the river view. The new construction, with its emphasis on place, craft, and community, is functional and buildable, yet uniquely local to Pittsburgh.

JURY COMMENTS: Adaptive reuse is a key way to design sustainably. This project both responds to and respects the site and is what drew the jury to it. The clarity of parti through material, color, and form made this project easily understandable and recognizable.

SMALL: Certificate of Merit

Module Latham Street

Client: Annabelle Javier and Jason Wilburn

Architecture Firm: Module

Contractor: Nelcon Inc.

Engineers: Climatech, Bensonwood

Photographer: Ed Massery Photography

Affiliated Architect: NK Architects

Consultants: Bensonwood, Kelly Custom Furniture & Cabinetry, Hardwood Artworks

Latham House, an urban infill project, is an 880 square foot, single-story, one-bedroom, one-bath home that sits across from an eclectic community garden. Latham House was designed to support the aging in place of the owner’s parents and prioritizes the attributes of a healthy home. The home’s high-performance envelope was manufactured off-site and the building has been Zero Energy Ready Home certified.

JURY COMMENTS: The Latham House exemplifies beauty in simplicity. Careful restraint in design and attention to detail makes this project outstanding, without standing out. The use of modular construction and the care toward energy efficiency in one of the smallest projects was admirable.



SMALL: Certificate of Merit

SECOND COURSE: MILLVALE MOOSE

Client: New Sun Rising; 412 Food Rescue; Sprezzatura

Architecture Firm: Urban Design Build Studio (UDBS)

Contractor: PROJECT RE_

Photographer: Urban Design Build Studio (UDBS)

Consultants: Construction Junction, Trade Institute of Pittsburgh (TIP), Laser Lab

SECOND COURSE: MILLVALE MOOSE is a new community space and cafe for regional non-profit New Sun Rising in Millvale, PA. The cafe features modular, reconfigurable furniture built from waste material, helping the space to serve as a multi-functional community center. A CNC-milled supergraphic depicting a moose in a field of wheat under a rising sun is applied across the cafe elements to create an authentic, place-specific identity to the space and speak to the ethos, heritage, and aspirations of the new Food + Energy Hub.

JURY COMMENTS: The distilled mission statement both to reuse materials and rebuild communities resonated with the jury. The creative reuse of materials shows that budget does not limit imagination. The end result is a combination of craft, technology, process, fabrication, material reuse and attention to detail while creating a flexible solution to serve the community.

SMALL: Certificate of Merit

RE_TOLD + HOME INCUBATOR

Client: Public

Architecture Firm: Urban Design Build Studio (UDBS)

Contractor: Urban Design Build Studio (UDBS)

Photographer: Urban Design Build Studio (UDBS)

Consultants: Ford Motor Company

RE_TOLD and the HOME INCUBATOR is a mobile outreach tool intended to raise awareness about diverse narratives related to housing in the US by facilitating discussions and community events, giving a voice to neighborhood residents whose opinion have often been overlooked. The project also aims to serve as a bilateral educational tool by exposing the public to information and opportunities, and by educating the members of the project about issues close to home for these neighborhoods.

JURY COMMENTS: “What is it?”, we asked. “Is it architecture?”….fair question. However, we found, from concept to execution, RE_TOLD + HOME INCUBATOR checked all the boxes. Its innovation, ingenuity, functionality, structural integrity and beauty demonstrated how architects can put our unique skills and artistry toward non-traditional creations to engage communities and solve problems.



MEDIUM: Honor Award

Tree Pittsburgh Headquarters

Client: Tree Pittsburgh

Architecture Firm: GBBN

Contractor: Jendoco Construction

Engineers: Civil & Environmental Consultants, Gateway Engineers, Iams Consulting, E2/Jendoco Construction

Photographer: Feinknopf

Landscape Architect: Pashek + MTR

Consultants: Ecocraft Homes, Independent Mechanical, Tudi, D. Dennis & Son, Inc.

Employing modular prefabricated construction techniques to minimize contaminant disturbance along with other highly sustainable practices, the project captures a contaminated former industrial site along the Allegheny River for office, education, and event use. The net-positive energy project utilizes a tight thermal envelope and is powered by a photovoltaic array that offsets energy use. The use of wood throughout welcomes visitors from the community porch into the building and reveals the modular assembly.

JURY COMMENTS: The Tree Pittsburgh Headquarters presents a textbook in sustainable and energy-efficient design. The pre-manufactured modules were a nice surprise, enhancing the design rather than constraining it. The project is beautifully restrained, yielding nothing more and nothing less than its unique programmatic needs. Its light touch on the landscape and siting on the river speaks to its purpose and the client’s mission.

MEDIUM: Certificate of Merit

Baldwin Borough Public Library Renovation

Client: Baldwin Borough Public Library

Architecture Firm: GBBN

Contractor: Caliber Contracting Services

Engineers: Sci-Tek Consultants, Inc.; Whitney, Bailey, Cox & Magnani; Tower Engineering

Photographer: Ed Massery Photography

This project sought to replace the existing library, which was buried in several rooms of a larger school complex, with a new, contiguous space for the library to house their collection in. The volume accentuated by wood trusses, the design intent was to thoughtfully insert elements that create defining spaces for adults, teens, children and staff while maintaining the integrity of the dramatic volume. The existing and new natural light into the space, create an inviting, welcoming space to house programs that are essential to the community.

JURY COMMENTS: After a second look, the jury was delighted to discover that this was a renovation project and not a new build. The simple design decisions to open up the space and adding warmth to the exterior created a massive transformation to the library.

MEDIUM: Certificate of Merit

Market Street Residences

Client: Anonymous

Architecture Firm: Margittai Architects

Engineers: Conway Engineering

Photographer: Ed Massery Photography & Haritan Photography

Consultants: Atas International, Staab and Sons, Mckamish, Allegheny Millwork, Emerald Art Glass

After Pittsburgh’s Great Fire of 1845 destroyed 1,200 homes, the City rebuilt immediately. In 1847, 103 Market Street warehouse was built using local brick and American Chestnut timbers. Instead of proposing its demolition, the Architect repurposed the existing structure to be 3 luxury townhomes that now serve as a fine example of the period’s architecture while once again contributing to Pittsburgh’s thriving Downtown.

JURY COMMENTS: This is a great adaptation of a historic building. The re-use of the existing timber construction and the roof-top addition that allowed light to penetrate through the residence creates a unique experience. The jury appreciated the lengths that the architect accomplished in preserving and enhancing the existing structure.

MEDIUM: Certificate of Merit

The Detective Building

Client: Schoolhouse Electric Company

Architecture Firm: mossArchitects

Contractor: Nelcon Inc.

Engineers: Tower Engineering, Atlantic Engineering Services, Langan, Owen Gabbert

Photographer: Jason Snyder Photographs & Schoolhouse Electric Company

Landscape Architect: Langan

Consultants: Bones and All

The extensive building renovation project for client, Schoolhouse Electric Company, was to transform a former Pittsburgh Police Bureau known as The Detective Building into a new showroom, coffee shop, and co-working space. The overall design vision was to uncover the building’s potential, focusing on how best to honor and respect the original building design and allow its existing character to shine through, while breathing new life into it. Vital to the success of the project was using the building’s transformation as a catalyst of change for its neighborhood block, as well as an anchor for the greater East Liberty community.

JURY COMMENTS: It did not take much investigation to see the beauty in The Detective Building. A great example of preservation and reuse, this project respects the existing structure’s bones and let’s the new complement the old without competing. The refined interior design gives a nod to the building’s original era.



MEDIUM: Certificate of Merit

Roxian Theatre Adaptive Reuse

Client: McKees Rocks LLC / McKees Rocks Community Development Corporation

Architecture Firm: Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel (PWWG Architects)

Contractor: Lyco Construction

Engineers: CJL Engineering, Gateway Engineers

Photographer: Lofty Views, PWWG Architects

Consultants: Levitt Electrical Contractors, Climatech, MTMI (Mark Torgent Mechanical, Inc.), Virgin Flooring, Andrew Rastelli Drywall, Hollowood Music & Sound

The revival of the Roxian Theatre as a live music venue establishes McKees Rocks as a home for culture and entertainment. Thousands of people come to the borough each week to experience music in a state-of-the-art theatre that seamlessly blends the revitalization of the old with the rock and roll vibe of the new.

JURY COMMENTS: The renovation of the Roxian Theater combines the celebration of this community icon with its careful modernization. The respect of the original architecture with a mingling of modern amenities of today was appropriate and not overbearing. The detailing for both the new and original architecture was nicely integrated and executed.



LARGE: Honor Award

Tepper Quad Project

Client: Carnegie Mellon University, Campus Design & Facilities Development

Architecture Firm: Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners

Contractor: PJ Dick Corporation

Engineers: Langan, BuroHappold Engineering, The Capital Projects Group, Kolar Design

Photographer: ESTO Photographics, Carnegie Mellon University, Rombout Photography

Affiliated Architect: Renaissance 3 Architects

Landscape Architect: Sasaki Associates

Consultants: PJD SPG2, DM Products, Specified Systems, Old Castle, Belden Brick, Giffin Interior & Fixture

The Tepper Quad Project is an interconnected HUB for creativity, collaboration, & innovation that represents Carnegie Mellon University’s future vision as: (1) a place of confluence, (2) an ecology of active learning, research, & resources, and (3) a 3-dimensional network of community-building spaces.

JURY COMMENTS: The building is engaging and active at all levels by creating volumes of space flooded with light, which become visually and physically connected. The building plays with solid and void to break down the composition of the building while creating a connection from interior to exterior. From the building siting on the campus to the high-level integration of creative sustainable design strategies, the Tepper Quad Project was a unanimous jury favorite.

LARGE: Honor Award

Cincinnati Music Hall Revitalization

Client: Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC)

Architecture Firm: Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel (PWWG Architects)

Contractor: Messer Construction

Engineers: THP Limited, Pennoni Associates

Photographer: T. Whitney Cox & GLINTStudios

Affiliated Architect: Martinez + Johnson Architecture

Consultants: Akustiks, Schuler Shook, Bayer Becker, Evergreene Architectural Arts, Judith B. Williams, FRCH

The project skillfully balanced restoration and modernization of one of the most architecturally acclaimed multi-function performance venues in the world, recently on the National Trust’s “11 Most Endangered Historic Places.” Lasting structural improvements have secured its legacy for generations to come, and the range of outcomes includes enhanced experiences for performers and audiences; state-of-the-art amenities; unique accessibility enhancements designed with a large stakeholder group; and fresh, flexible administrative offices. The project revitalizes a civic landmark inside and out and restores it as the cultural hub of a burgeoning downtown neighborhood.

JURY COMMENTS: In today’s all too disposable world, the Jury was easily compelled to award such a successfully executed undertaking of this magnitude. The team should be congratulated on bringing back Cincinnati Music Hall’s elegance and original splendor while appropriately integrating fresh, modern technologies, amenities and work spaces. The detailing alone is deserving of a design award. In some cases it was difficult to tell what was original and what was new. Clearly a labor of love, the design was crafted with the care and attention that any National Landmark deserves. “Encore!”



LARGE: Honor Award

Ollie at Baumhaus

Client: Vitmore Baum Holdings, LP

Architecture Firm: Stantec

Contractor: Rycon Construction, Inc.

Engineers: RA Smith Nation, Atlantic Engineering Services, CJL Engineering

Photographer: Tom Holdsworth Photography

Affiliated Architect: Workshop APD

Landscape Architect: Pashek + MTR

Baumhaus is a 7-story mixed use high-rise that includes 127 units, including a mix of 31 micro units, shared suites, and traditional one-, two-, and three–bed luxury apartments lofted atop of amenities, commercial retail space and two underground levels of secure and exhausted parking. Stantec guided the developer through the fast-track process so that the excavation and foundations could be constructed in tandem with final building design.

JURY COMMENTS: The Ollie at BaumHaus is an exceptional and thoughtful take on a multi-family residence. The horizontal and vertical light wells connecting the inside with the outside while creating tiered interstitial social spaces within the building provides active spaces rarely seen in residential projects. The jury appreciated that the project achieved LEED Gold.



LARGE: Certificate of Merit

TRYP by Wyndham Pittsburgh/Lawrenceville

Client: Century Hospitality

Architecture Firm: Desmone Architects

Contractor: Franjo Construction

Engineers: Gateway Engineers, Keystone Structural Solutions, Pyramid Engineering

Photographer: Ed Massery Photography

Consultants: CDCP (Casey Droege Cultural Productions), Monmade

The TRYP team has brought back to life an over 100-year-old former vocational school in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood. By preserving many of the original details and working with local designers and artisans, the 108-room hotel features two distinctive original restaurant spaces, panoramic rooftop views, a lobby lounge, coffee bar and wine shop, and event space.

JURY COMMENTS: This is a thoughtful and respectful adaptive re-use project. The jury appreciated the historic details that were kept, re-purposed, or re-created, and that give guests a unique experience to capture glimpses into the building’s history.

LARGE: Certificate of Merit

Marian Spencer Hall

Client: University of Cincinnati

Architecture Firm: GBBN

Contractor: Messer Construction

Engineers: Schaefer, CMTA, VLA

Photographer: Feinknopf

Landscape Architect: VLA

If engaging with peers sets students up for success, then residence life is where lifelong memories and friends are made. Marian Spencer Hall not only fosters a sense of belonging by providing a variety of types of spaces (allowing students to engage one another in the manner of their choice), it also capitalizes on the University of Cincinnati’s unique setting, connecting its residents to the energy and joy of city living.

JURY COMMENTS: Literally and (the jury found) whimsically, Marian Spencer Hall peels away the dread of the traditional student housing block to reveal today’s dynamic collegiate experience and to expose student life to the active urban campus. Subtle and understated, we took a closer look to discover the project’s deliberate thoughtfulness in its beautifully executed details.



LARGE: Certificate of Merit

UBER Advanced Technology Group

Client: UBER

Architecture Firm: NEXT architecture

Contractor: Franjo Construction

Engineers: BDA Engineering, Langan Engineering, Brace Engineering, ACA Engineering

Consultants: LaFace & McGovern, Anderson Interiors

The intent of UBER ATG’s expansion into The Crucible Building was to provide a cutting edge workplace environment that celebrated the history of the building they occupied and their own connection to the Pittsburgh region.

JURY COMMENTS: The jury applauds this project for showing that design is a thoughtful process of uncovering the history of place and drawing inspiration from that history. Exposing the existing structure and cranes does this dramatically. Simultaneously, the use of materials for warmth in communal spaces harkens back to the crucible melting pots.

LARGE: Certificate of Merit

Carnegie Mellon University at Mill 19

Client: Carnegie Mellon University

Architecture Firm: Renaissance 3 Architects

Contractor: Jendoco Construction

Engineers: Bala Consulting Engineers, BuroHappold Engineering

Photographer: Rombout Photography & Renaissance 3 Architects

Consultants: Studio i Lighting, vizzAcoustics

Located within the Hazelwood Green Development, Carnegie Mellon University at Mill 19 is a multi-disciplinary approach to the future of manufacturing. The facility exists at the intersection of industry, research and education. Ultimately, the project aims to build inter-connectivity between people, spaces, and technology; and to foster collaboration and partnerships to create innovative eco-friendly solutions for manufacturing in the fourth industrial revolution.

JURY COMMENTS: The simple material palette and thoughtful details come together in a finely crafted execution of the concept. The connection of many unique program elements and the inclusion of biophilic and sustainable design create a dynamic work environment.



SOCIAL EQUITY IN DESIGN AWARD

Oakland Affordable Living

Client: Oakland Planning and Development Corporation (OPDC) operating as Quippa LP

Architecture Firm: Loysen + Kreuthmeier Architects

Contractor: Sota Construction Services, Inc.

Engineers: Common Ground, Whitney Bailey Cox and Magnani, Fortier Engineering, Hornfeck Engineering

Photographer: Tom Little Photography

Consultants: Pecora Flooring, Forbo, Lumberjack’s Kitchen and Bath

Oakland Affordable Living provided 49 new, renovated, and much needed affordable housing apartment units in Oakland. The sites are located within a one mile radius of at least 30 different amenities including hospitals, universities, schools, community centers, markets, public parks and transportation connecting residents to opportunities and enhancing their ability to work and thrive in their community.

JURY COMMENTS: The project is an example of highly successful affordable housing in a gentrifying neighborhood. Gentrification is an issue many cities across the country are struggling to address, and we feel this project could be replicable in other locations, thereby having even greater impact.

Designing for a socio-economic group – low income – cuts across gender, race, ethnicity, age and ability, and addresses a core human right: shelter. We appreciated the approach of stakeholder engagement and well-realized people-centered design.

The project demonstrates a broad base of inclusivity for all marginalized populations – historically speaking, people who need affordable housing have been people of color – but this project integrates multiple socio-economic factors.



SOCIAL EQUITY IN DESIGN AWARD

Women’s Center and Shelter – A Sanctuary from Domestic Violence

Client: Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh

Architecture Firm: Rothschild Doyno Collaborative

Contractor: Rycon Construction, Inc.

Engineers: Gateway Engineers, Taylor Structural Engineers, Iams Consulting, Dunham reGroup

Photographer: Ed Massery Photography & Rothschild Doyno Collaborative

Landscape Architect: Gateway Engineers

Consultants: McFarland Kistler & Associates, Kolano Design, Clear Story

More than one in three women have experienced domestic violence in the US. The Women’s Center and Shelter is a leader in the community, caring for the victims. The renovation of the building transformed the institutional Shelter into a Sanctuary for victims. Both guests and Staff can now recover from the trauma, finding hope in every room. The goal was to help victims in finding their dignity, and the courage to start a new life.

JURY COMMENTS: We appreciate the process the firm went through to deeply understand the specific needs of this vulnerable and underserved population and integrating those needs into the sanctuary-like design.

The shelter is equitable and accessible for women – and their children – of any background or circumstance. The project was executed with great sensitivity to the full spectrum of needs, with safety and building trusting relationships at the forefront.

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

Presley’s Place

Client: Allegheny County Airport Authority

Architecture Firm: Hayes Design Group – Architects

Contractor: Allegheny County Airport Authority

Engineers: A&F Engineering

Photographer: Matthew O’Haren Photography & Allegheny County Airport Authority

Consultants: The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, XYZ Custom, Inc., American Airlines, Magee Plastics, TFH – Special Needs Toys, Autism Connection of Pennsylvania

Air travel can be overwhelming and overstimulating. Our client wanted to support passengers who may be in need of calming or destressing at any point in their travel experience. Presenting ‘Presley’s Place’: a quiet, sensory-friendly space that provides an environment and equipment to help travelers with neurodevelopmental challenges, along with their travel companions, to re-group and transition peacefully to the next stage of their journey.

YOUNG ARCHITECTS STUDIO COMPETITION AWARD

The Dolce Vita

Architect: Bea Spolidoro, AIA