this isn't our design awards program, it's yours.

Source: residential architect Magazine
Publication date: 2004-05-01

This isn't our design awards program, it's yours. You enter your best work and your peers judge which shall rise above the rest. We editors stand back and watch, always fascinated to see what gets entered and what gets chosen. As flies on the wall, we can tell you this was an especially tough year. Our winners are always admirable but this year what ended up on the cutting room floor was stronger than ever. Gone were projects we've already happily published as well as those we'd like to get to know better. Ouch.

The fifth annual <i>residential architect</i> design awards received more than 780 entries in 10 categories: custom / 3,500 square feet or less; custom/more than 3,500 square feet; renovation; multifamily; single-family production/detached; single-family production/attached; affordable; kitchen; bath; architectural detail. All were eligible for selection as Project of the Year. We always give the judges discretion to eliminate, add, or combine categories, and to dispense as many or as few awards as they wish. This year, they made no awards in the architectural detail category, yet they created a judges' award for two projects they admired but thought didn't fit the categories entered. In all, they selected 24 projects for awards, including one Project of the Year, eight grand awards, 13 merit awards, and two judges' awards.

Courtesy Hurd Windows and Patio Doors

Your judges' panel comprised six accomplished residential architects: Adele Chang, AIA, Lim Chang Rohling & Associates, Pasadena, Calif.; David Hacin, AIA, Hacin + Associates, Boston; Frank Harmon, FAIA, Frank Harmon Architect, Raleigh, N.C.; Margaret I. McCurry, FAIA, Tigerman McCurry Architects, Chicago; Dale Mulfinger, FAIA, SALA Architects, Inc., Minneapolis; and Rebecca Swanston, AIA, Swanston Associates, Architects, Baltimore. Click through the pages and enjoy your awards.

project of the year

lake austin residence, austin, texas
lake/flato architects
san antonio, texas

Lake/Flato Architects knows something about making an entrance. At <i>residential architect</i>'s Project of the Year, a custom house by the firm in Austin, Texas, the sequence of steps leading to the front door rivals any Broadway choreography. Guests first pass through an opening in a fortress-like limestone wall, then proceed between a studio and a guest house. They follow a stone path down to a 30-foot-wide canal that's part of Lake Austin. Lake/Flato lined the canal with a boardwalk, which serves as the project's organizing spine. "It's like a zipper, with a series of little buildings unfolding along it," says principal Ted Flato, FAIA.

Hester + Hardaway

The boardwalk guides visitors past another guest cottage and the bedroom wing of the main house. It crosses over a pair of man-made water courts divided by a landscaped peninsula and runs smack into the last building in the series, a double-height screened-in porch jutting out above the water. Known within Lake/Flato as "the boathouse," the room serves as the home's main entry point. Its visibility gives the boardwalk a destination, and at the same time its transparency allows views of Lake Austin to flow right through it. Practically speaking, the boathouse's covered landing provides a protected waterside spot for the owners to store their kayaks.

By stringing the 6,000-square-foot home along its narrow site, Flato and project architect Bill Aylor, AIA, were able to weave water and land into the house's fabric. "Breaking the building into parts brings the scale down," Aylor says. "It helps the house embrace the land better. It's the same concept as the fishing camps you see on Texas lakes." Because of the canal's location between two dams, its water level stays constant, so the architects were free to place each little building as close to it as they wanted.

The project's carefully wrought relationship with its site didn't escape the judges' notice. "You can see the people who live here really want to participate with their environment," said one. "There are warm, interesting events that happen with regard to the landscape."

Hester + Hardaway

The judges also admired Lake/Flato's choice of siding material: Hardipanel, a fiber-cement board product. Selected for its ability to weather well with minimal maintenance, the siding was custom stained and sealed by a Dallas artist. Together with a healthy dose of metal and battens of sinker cypress, it provides a fresh variation on Lake/Flato's unpretentious, industrial style. "To break a big house into units and let the man-made parts and nature interact is just so relaxed," a judge added. "It has this informality about it that makes you want to live there."

principal in charge: Ted Flato, FAIA, Lake/Flato Architects; project architect: Bill Aylor, AIA, Lake/Flato Architects; general contractor: Lance Thompson, Thompson + Hanson, Houston, Texas; interior designer: Dawn Thompson, Denison & Denison Interiors, Houston; project size: 6,000 square feet; site size: 1.7 acres; construction cost: Withheld; photographer: Hester + Hardaway Photographers.

grand award

the point house, montana
bohlin cywinski jackson
seattle, wash.

This is a lovely house, set low, and doesn't make a statement," a judge said. But it has plenty to say about the landscape. Delicately sited on the rocky spine of a wetland peninsula, its low profile slips into the shorter vegetation at the water's edge. Rocks outside the windows reach almost to the sills. And a canted roofline lets in views of cedars, pines, and sky.

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson devised a long, linear platform that treads lightly on the land. You enter the building on its north side though a wall of weathering steel. Once inside, the lakefront is revealed through a glass wall with sliding doors and a wood deck running the length of the house. The architects tucked the building behind a thicket for privacy from people on the lake, so the view looks down the water at an angle.

Nic Lehoux

The floor plan places the private rooms on the house's perimeter: Two cedar boxes attached to the north side define the edges of the covered entryway. They hold bathrooms and utilities, while the bedrooms anchor opposite ends of the house. The judges praised the "meaningful layering of public and private spaces" and the project's "serene understatement."

Nic Lehoux

principal in charge: Peter Q. Bohlin, FAIA, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson; project architect: Steve Mongillo, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson ; general contractor: Martel Construction, Bozeman, Mont.; landscape architect: Swift & Company, Seattle; interior designer: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson; project size: 2,200 square feet; site size: 10 acres; construction cost: Withheld; photographer: Nic Lehoux, except where noted.

grand award

hartmann residence, fairfield, conn.
roger ferris + partners
westport, conn.

As is so often the case on a difficult site, this narrow lot inspired a cleverly designed house that makes the most of its footprint. Responding to the 40-foot-wide parcel and federal requirements for building in a wave zone, architect Roger Ferris raised the house on a concrete plinth, and he angled the walls to better capture sunlight and views. The front evokes the abstracted prow of a ship that's slipped up from the sea. The roof is an inverted gable, a reference to all the gabled houses in the neighborhood. But from the water, it looks like a bird in flight. "There are an enormous number of seagulls on that part of Long Island Sound," Ferris says. "That's part of what cooked it up."

Woodruff/Brown Photography

The house's strong rhythms and geometries serve practical purposes. Glazed walls are layered with cypress louvers, which veil the street facade from sun and traffic. Those on the rear corners add privacy from close neighbors. Ferris treated the sides of the house as a solid, stained cypress box with just a few punched openings. "We wanted to have a house with enough going for it visually at both ends without having to have the sides articulated with fenestration," he says. The judges pronounced the project "gorgeous," noting that its form reacts to a great many challenges.

Woodruff/Brown Photography

principal in charge: Roger Ferris, AIA, Roger Ferris + Partners; project architect: Robert Marx, AIA, Roger Ferris + Partners; general contractor: The S.B.E. Company, Fairfield, Conn.; interior designer: Interior Design, Westport, Conn.; project size: 1,500 square feet; site size: 0.25 acre; construction cost: Withheld; photographer: Woodruff/Brown Photography.

merit award

eleventh street residence, santa monica, calif.
koning eizenberg architecture
santa monica

To meet their clients' slim budget for this Santa Monica, Calif., custom home, Koning Eizenberg Architecture decided to think of it as a "Crate and Barrel" house. "We wanted to do something with good spaces but that wasn't overly customized," explains principal Julie Eizenberg. "A house that would fit into Crate and Barrel's product line if they sold houses."

Benny Chan/Fotoworks

Eizenberg and project architect Oonagh Ryan graced the simple Modern box with a few big gestures. A pop-out master bedroom window and balcony adds texture and interest to the rear elevation while bringing extra light into the room. Downstairs, a rear wall of mostly glass brings indoors and outdoors together. Ingenious use of everyday products, such as painted MDF grooved by the contractor for a beadboard effect, cut costs while supplying the clients with the design quality they expected. "It's a very economical little house," noted a judge.

Benny Chan/Fotoworks

principal in charge: Julie Eizenberg, Koning Eizenberg Architecture; project architect: Oonagh Ryan, Koning Eizenberg Architecture; general contractor: William Gorton, William Kent Development, Tarzana, Calif.; project size: 2,940 square feet; site size: 0.17 acre; construction cost: $167 per square foot; photographer: Benny Chan/Fotoworks.

merit award

mckeough house, block island, r.i.
estes/twombly architects
newport, r.i.

This Block Island retreat keeps the island's architectural tradition of spare buildings intended to withstand harsh conditions. Architect Jim Estes started with two distinctly indigenous forms--sharply peaked dormers and a low-sloping porch--and designed basic building blocks that could be moved around like Monopoly pieces until he hit upon a winning combination. "We wanted the porch to become more than a tacked-on feature, and we hinged living spaces around that idea," says Estes.

Warren Jagger Photography

The jury applauded the home's modest scale and see-through middle created by the continuous porch that encompasses entry and living areas before capitulating as a covered terrace along the rear waterfront elevation. Painted exposed rafters support the gently sloped ceiling to maintain a porch feel inside as well as out. Carefully aligned, oversized windows in a footprint only one room deep add to the home's transparency, while an asymmetrical pulling apart of the dormered volumes helps diminish the apparent size of an already small house.

Warren Jagger Photography

principal in charge/project architect: James Estes, Estes/Twombly Architects;general contractor: McLaughlin Housewrights, East Greenwich, R.I.;project size: 1,990 square feet; site size: 0.5 acre; construction cost: Withheld; photographer: Warren Jagger Photography.

grand award

misha/twaddell residence, san jose, calif.
burks toma architects
berkeley, calif.

Because one of the clients for this California project uses a wheelchair, the architects designed it with accessibility in mind. But they were careful not to make it feel institutional, an achievement the judges admired. "The accessible design doesn't overtake the aesthetic," said one judge. It is simply a beautiful house, said another.

Cesar Rubio

The house--a collaboration between Burks Toma Architects and Min/Day--sits on a hill overlooking San Jose's undulating landscape. Its shape, a long bar with three volumes all on one level, takes advantage of the site and answers the clients' need for light and undemanding circulation.

Cesar Rubio

The volumes also create courtyards, protected from the winds and the strong Western sun. "We kept the house open and easy for the client to move around," says Jeff L. Day. Instead of walls, they used cabinetry on legs to delineate space while permitting the flow of natural light. In the kitchen, a stainless steel countertop with no base cabinets accommodates a wheelchair and allows ceiling-to-floor windows.

Although an accessible project, the house has only one ramp on the property, used for access to the backyard, Day says. It's not conspicuous, however, thanks to careful grading and landscaping. According to one judge, "The ramp is a really nice way to engage the landscape."

Cesar Rubio

principal in charge: Marc Toma, Burks Toma Architects, Berkeley, Calif., in collaboration with Min/Day, San Francisco; project architect: Lisa Trujillo, Burks Toma Architects; general contractor: Tim McDonald, Praxis, St. Helena, Calif.; landscape architect: Eric & Silvina Blasen, Blasen Landscape Architecture, Sausolito, Calif.; interior designer: Marie Fisher, Marie Fisher Interior Design, San Francisco; project size: 4,000 square feet; site size: 5.0 acres; construction cost: $250 per square foot; photographer: Cesar Rubio.renovation

grand award

mankins-camp residence, san francisco
herbert lewis kruse blunck architecture
des moines, iowa

Architect Paul Mankins relished having carte blanche to renovate his twin brother's newly purchased home. The house enjoys a spectacular hilltop vista of San Francisco's skyline, but four decades of unfortunate remodels made it difficult to get past the bad taste to the great view. Hidden by haphazard changes were remnants of an original design by noted Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice Aaron Greene. Mankins says, "A lot of the solution was mainly getting rid of the bad stuff to get back to a more stylistic version of Greene's underlying order of strict 4-foot grids."

Assassi Productions

Two basic organizing boxes--one encased in brick and the other in yellow stucco--flank a glass entry zone. Mankins opened up the 44-foot-long interior along the rear of the building to create one continuous living area overlooking the view. Aluminum ceiling panels and pale area rugs atop the monolithic slate floor define zones within the large space. He also reoriented the stair and recessed upper kitchen cabinets into the walls to expose views from every corner. The jury felt the design strongly addressed renovation issues, saying, "It's an update different from, but in the spirit of, the original," and that the architect, "carried that idea all the way through--didn't miss a thing."

Assassi Productions

principal in charge: Paul Mankins, FAIA, Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck Architecture; project architect: Matt Rodenkamp, AIA, Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck Architecture; general contractor: Stroub Construction, Sausalito, Calif.; interior designer and landscape architect: Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck Architecture; project size: 2,800 square feet; construction cost: $300 per square foot; photographer: Assassi Productions.

merit award

waverly house, waverly, pa.
bohlin cywinski jackson
wilkes-barre, pa.

When Bohlin Cywinski Jackson renovated the house and guest cottage on Peter Bohlin's own rural Pennsylvania property, it preserved the compound's modest qualities but overlaid it with a Modernist's sense of space. Once a stop on the Underground Railroad, the main house was originally an African-American church, and an escaped slave built the guest cottage. In plan, the architects established an axial relationship between the house and guest quarters. Visitors enter a shared auto court bordered by a stone walkway that links the two structures and forms the edge to a new pond. The main house was gutted and reconfigured as a "living pavilion," says Bohlin, FAIA, with gridded bay windows and a new porch-like room overlooking a grove of tightly spaced birches. Dry-laid stone walls bracket the buildings, separating them from the road in front and a field in back. Judges praised the project's site plan and impeccable details. "I like the restraint you feel here," one said.

M. Thomas Architectural Photography

principal in charge: Peter Q. Bohlin, FAIA, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson; project architect: Peter Q. Bohlin; general contractors: James Vipond Inc., Dalton, Pa. (main house); Bragg Brothers, Dalton, Pa. (guest house); landscape architect: Kalinosky Landscaping, Wyoming, Pa.; project size: 2,340 square feet (main house); 1,050 square feet (guest cottage); site size: 10 acres; construction cost: Withheld; photographer: M. Thomas Architectural Photography.

merit award

houghton residence, omaha, neb.
randy brown architects
omaha

One programmatic move transformed the kitchen of a traditional builder house into an urbane space that works as well for intimate dinners as it does for large parties. "There isn't a flaw in there," a judge said. "It's a perfect execution of intent." By relocating a powder room, Randy Brown opened up the kitchen and living areas, making room for a sleek glass bar that seats four. The stools are centered under an up-lit, cone-shaped ceiling, formerly an octagonal dining niche. When the owners entertain in a big way, the bar is a buffet for serving food and a buffer between the cooks and their guests.

Assassi

Brown added warm cherry wood cabinets on skinny legs, black granite countertops, and a wall of shiny stainless steel appliances. To finish the transformation, he wrapped the opposite family room wall in the same materials to contain a fireplace and entertainment center. The strong concept impressed the judges, who called it "a very smart renovation."

Assassi

principal in charge: Randy Brown, AIA, Randy Brown Architects; project architect: Steve Mielke, Randy Brown Architects; general contractor: Randy Brown Architects; project size: 1,430 square feet; construction cost: $76.92 per square foot; photographer: Assassi.

merit award

wheatland farms log cabin, waterford, va.
reader & swartz architects
winchester, va.

The jury liked that this sensitive addition to a nearly 200-year-old cabin "grew organically around the original structure." And they felt a contemporary glass catwalk gave the design "that extra oomph." The judges' comments reflected faithfully the intentions of architects Charles Swartz and Beth Reader. "We wanted to make it about the cabin and not our architecture," says Swartz, "but we did allow ourselves the architectural wink of the glass floor since space and light were so restricted."

Ron Blunt Photography

Existing walls were stripped and exposed with wiring, ductwork, and insulation added above round pole rafters and metal roofing. The kitchen and baths are relegated to the addition, leaving the 14-by-18-foot cabin intact as the living room. A perimeter of hidden overhead light fixtures helps mitigate the room's 7-foot-high ceiling. "Basically," Swartz says, "we wanted to turn the original building into an antique art piece and let it stand as a pure object."

Ron Blunt Photography

principals in charge / project architects: Beth Reader and Charles Swartz, Reader & Swartz Architects; general contractor: Douglass C. Reed, Preservation Associates, Hagerstown, Md.; project size: 880 square feet; site size: 550 acres; construction cost: Withheld; photographer: Ron Blunt Photography.

grand award

the titan, san diego, calif.
jonathan segal, faia
la jolla, calif.

Art and architecture intersect at the Titan, a 22-unit apartment building in San Diego. Jonathan Segal, FAIA, conceived the building's two-part facade after viewing the abstract planes of a Richard Diebenkorn painting. "It's incredibly brilliant," said a judge. "The scale, proportions, and materials are beautiful."

Jimmy Fluker

Segal, also the project's developer and general contractor, was operating on a limited budget. He used simple, straightforward floor plans and minimal detailing to keep costs down, focusing his funding on the front of the four-story building. Sheets of rusted steel cover the horizontal portion, and the vertical component consists mainly of laminated glass. "The intention was to collage the two boxes, which are sitting on a stucco base," he says. "The forms are very simple; there was nothing elaborate about it."

Further cost-control measures include on-grade parking, as well as the absence of elevators and double-loaded corridors. The open-plan, 18-foot-ceilinged apartments, all with mezzanine levels except for one four-story unit, are renting to 25-to-35-year-old singles and couples. Not only do the two-story volumes provide a quality-of-life advantage, but they also help distort noise from the freeway directly opposite the building.

Jimmy Fluker

principal in charge/project architect/land planner/developer/general contractor/interior designer: Jonathan Segal, FAIA; project size: 600 to 1,000 square feet per unit; site size: 0.2 acre; construction cost: $87 per square foot; rental price: $900 to $1900 per month; units in project: 22; photographer: Jimmy Fluker, except where noted.

merit award

norton towers-on-the-court, west hollywood, calif.
lehrer architects la
los angeles

West Hollywood, Calif., has a legacy of courtyard housing, so the city encourages developers to build within the tradition. This project, however, is the first one to implement the standard on such a narrow lot--and to do it successfully. "Nicely executed," said our judges.

Architect Michael B. Lehrer says the project's master stroke is the west-facing aluminum and glass tower. It enlivens the modern facade of the six-unit building while also controlling natural light and ventilation. "On the ground floor of a typical unit, it would be dark," he says. "But here all the light is captured and you experience it on all floors." The tower acts as a thermal chimney, pulling hot air from the four floors and forcing it out through operable doors.

Tom Bonner

The exterior of each unit is delineated by bold colors, an inexpensive way to achieve richness and identity. And on the interior, Lehrer carried through the Modern aesthetic with such spare detailing as 1/4-inch reveals at wall bases, bamboo cabinetry and flooring, and synthetic concrete countertops.

principal in charge: Michael B. Lehrer, FAIA, Lehrer Architects LA; project architect: Christian Arndt, Lehrer Architects LA; developer: Jonathan Lehrer-Graiwer & Leo Moore, Los Angeles; general contractor: Leo Moore, Leo Moore & Associates, Los Angeles; landscape architect: Mia Lehrer, Mia Lehrer + Associates, Los Angeles; project size: 1,700 to 2,200 square feet per unit; site size: 0.17 acre; construction cost: $185 per square foot; sales price: $650,000 to $740,000 per unit; units in project: 6; photographer: Tom Bonner.

merit award

north beach malt house, san francisco
mbh architects
alameda, calif.

In a previous life, the North Beach Malt House was home to several family-owned brewing companies. Today, the renovated building is the anchor of a four-building condo project that blends both old and new aesthetics.

The program called for conversion of the malt house into condo units and the addition of three new, Modern-style buildings. To that end, MBH Architects left the interior concrete walls of the malt house exposed, preserving its industrial roots. And the firm speced painted steel and aluminum windows to unify the old building with the new ones. "The fenestration and the width of the bays drew off the old building," says Mark Blunck, marketing coordinator.

Farshid Assassi

The courtyard also exalts the project's industrial pedigree: The architects pulled the entry back and incorporated two existing grain silos--with one functioning as a lobby/courtyard entry. And the exterior is lit by red column fixtures that were once part of the plant's roasting drums. Our judges praised the "creative adaptive reuse" and lauded the "clearly delineated old and new sections."

principal in charge: F. Clay Fry, MBH Architects; project architect: Ken Lidicker, MBH Architects; developer: Marc Fracio, Chestnut Street Partners, San Francisco; general contractor: John Kugler, Nibbi Brothers, San Francisco; landscape architect: Clifton Lowe, Cliff Lowe Associates, San Francisco; interior designer: F. Clay Fry, MBH Architects; project size: 800 to 1,600 square feet per unit; site size: 1.26 acres; construction cost: $215 per square foot; sales price: $580,000 to $2.9 million per unit; units in project: 88; photographer: Farshid Assassi.

grand award

row homes on f, san diego, calif.
kevin defreitas architects
san diego

What started out as a series of defensive moves became selling points in the design of this speculative infill project. Architect Kevin DeFreitas wanted to avoid a condo project in downtown San Diego, fraught with lawsuits brought by homeowner associations, yet maximize the number of dwellings on this pricey piece of land. The solution: walls of tilt-up, 5-inch-thick concrete panels. They have 3 inches of airspace between them, qualifying the project for single-family status. At 16 feet, 4 inches wide, three row houses were shoehorned onto each 50-foot-wide parcel, achieving a density of 42 units per acre.

Carol Peerce

The industrial aesthetic slips easily into this urban neighborhood.

Carol Peerce

DeFreitas enlivened the street by painting some of the bays in primary colors and designing large overhangs and elevated stoops. A flex room on the ground level provides the option for a home-based business. On the top floor, clerestory windows and a thermal chimney draw in light and fresh air. "If you live in a high-rise condo, homeowner association fees can run $500 a month," DeFreitas says. "This project is meant to appeal to first-time buyers."

The homes' low energy costs also appeal to such buyers. The thick, maintenance-free concrete is thermally efficient and won't harbor mold. It also creates a superior sound barrier. The result is a litigation-proof package that's easy to live in and maintain. The judges were impressed with the smart materials and design. "It's all about multifamily living," they agreed.

Carol Peerce

principal in charge/project architect/land planner: Kevin deFreitas, AIA, Kevin deFreitas Architects; developer: Sebastian+deFreitas, Pauma Valley, Calif.; general contractor: Lusardi Construction, San Marcos, Calif.; landscape architect: Aerea, San Diego; interior designer: Kevin deFreitas; project size: 960 to 1,980 square feet per unit; site size: 0.40 acre; construction cost: $142 per square foot; sales price: $307,200 to $633,600; units in project: 17; photographer: Carol Peerce.

merit award

the state, san diego, calif.
jonathan segal, faia
la jolla, calif.

Architect-developer Jonathan Segal, FAIA, wanted to build himself a house in San Diego's Little Italy neighborhood. But he needed to find a way to finance it. So instead of designing just one house for his modestly sized corner lot, he shoehorned in three, selling the two smaller units to friends.

Benjamin Rand

The judges approved, remarking on the arrangement's versatility. "It's very interesting, because the smaller units could be mother-in-law apartments, et cetera," commented one. Such flexibility exists even within each residence. "The bottom floor could be rented out as a studio or used as an office," says Segal. "It's meant to be convertible housing that can grow and shrink as you need it to." With his budget in mind, he used only the most basic materials, such as stucco and mostly stock windows for the exteriors and plywood and concrete inside.

Marvin Rand

principal in charge/project architect/land planner/developer/general contractor/interior designer: Jonathan Segal, FAIA; landscape architect: Spurlock Poirier Landscape Architects, San Diego; project size: 1,450 to 5,800 square feet; site size: 0.1 acre; construction cost: $95 per square foot; sales price: $300,000 to $850,000; units in project: 3; photographer: Benjamin Rand, except where noted.

grand award

tesoro grove family housing, san diego, calif.
studio e architects
san diego

Jim Brady

It's hard to imagine a less desirable site than the one Studio E Architects faced in designing Tesoro Grove Family Housing, south of San Diego. Not only did it border Interstate 5, the heavily traveled freeway that leads from Southern California to Mexico, but it was shaped like two irregular triangles and surrounded by a built context with little or no architectural character. "The way they dealt with a leftover site was very interesting," said a judge.

Principal Eric Naslund, FAIA, and his staff decided that if thousands of cars would be passing by each day, they might as well have something pleasant to look at. "We wanted to design a project that works at 65 miles per hour," he says. Bold forms and colors did the trick. The firm then carved out open space within each triangle, giving residents a sense of community and ownership. Parking was pulled to the perimeters to create a truly walkable neighborhood.

The units along the freeway face the interior of the project, and the few windows that do face outward are rated to cut down on noise. And the project's mix of colorful stucco walls and white-painted board-and-batten celebrates San Diego's dual Latino and Anglo-Saxon heritage.

Jim Brady

principal in charge/land planner: Eric Naslund, FAIA, Studio E Architects; project architect: Mike Burnett, Studio E Architects; developer: Jim Silverwood, Affirmed Housing Group, Escondido, Calif.; general contractor: Allgire General Contractors, Carlsbad, Calif.; landscape architects: Marty Poirier, Spurlock Poirier Landscape Architects, San Diego, and Mohamed Zaki, DeLorenzo, San Diego; project size: 584 to 1,310 square feet per unit; site size: 5.9 acres; construction cost: $75 per square foot; rental price: $309 to $857 per month; units in project: 106; photographer: Jim Brady.

merit award

homesafe, san jose, calif.
studio e architects
san diego, calif.

The judges called HomeSafe "a friendly, welcoming place"--exactly the type of reaction Studio E Architects hoped to evoke. "The goal from the outset was to make it feel uplifting," says principal John Sheehan. The 25-unit co-housing project serves as a transitional residence for battered women and children, a place for them to regroup and stabilize their lives before moving on to a more permanent situation.

Vantage Point Photography

Although the families share kitchens and some living space, the units do provide a measure of privacy. Sheehan managed to give most of the mothers their own sleeping alcove, and every family gets a bedroom area exclusively for them. The site plan handles security concerns thoroughly but subtly. "The courtyard is a key part of the project," he says. "You can look across it and see your neighbor. Also, putting the manager's unit toward the entrance gives an opportunity for surveillance without being overt."

principal in charge/land planner: John Sheehan, Studio E Architects; project architect: Jeana Kim, Studio E Architects; developer: Charities Housing Development Corporation/InVision/HomeSafe Collaborative, San Jose, Calif.; general contractor: Francis Ouelette, F/D Ouelette and Sons, San Jose; landscape architect: Spurlock Poirier Landscape Architects, San Diego, Calif.; project size: 360 to 560 square feet per unit (sleeping area plus one-quarter of common living area); site size: 1.1 acre; construction cost: $185 per square foot; rental price: $390 to $410 per month; units in project: 25; photographer: Vantage Point Photography.

merit award

harold way apartments, hollywood, calif.
koning eizenberg architecture
santa monica, calif.

Benny Chan/Fotoworks

The judges admired the way this Hollywood, Calif., affordable housing engages the street. "There's energy in it," said one. "It's very urban." This effect results from much wrangling by Koning Eizenberg Architecture, which won several plan exceptions from the local zoning board. "There were some facade modulation and stepback requirements that didn't make a lot of sense here," says project architect Brian Lane. So instead of stepping back from the street as the codes dictate, the four-story project's density is concentrated at the edges of the site, with groupings of two-bedroom flats and three-bedroom townhouses. The strategy leaves interior space for two pedestrian courtyards and a smaller building of one-bedroom flats.

Benny Chan/Fotoworks

Open-air circulation via external walkways bolsters security and offers every unit cross-ventilation. And the mix of unit types lends the community a pleasing variety. "There are layers of scale," says principal Julie Eizenberg. "Like a Sara Lee cake."

principals in charge: Hank Koning, FAIA, and Julie Eizenberg, Koning Eizenberg Architecture; project architect: Brian Lane, Koning Eizenberg Architecture; developer: Jason Barrios/Bill Harris, Hollywood Community Housing Corporation, Hollywood, Calif.; general contractor: Ben Osteen, Fassberg Construction, Encino, Calif.; landscape architect: Sasha Tarnapolsky, DRY Design, Los Angeles; project size: 500 to 1,200 square feet per unit; site size: 0.6 acre; construction cost: $106 per square foot; rental price: $210 to $410 per month; units in project: 51; photographer: Benny Chan/Fotoworks.

merit award

hannah's house, memphis, tenn.
archimania
memphis

Jeffrey Jacobs

Architect Todd Walker is a Modernist, but he realizes that for some people the style has an ascetic quality to it. So when he set about designing this kitchen for his small family, he wanted to achieve a space that was softer and gentler and, most important, didn't take itself too seriously.

To accomplish this, Walker specified light-colored, warm materials such as birch plywood and white laminate--choices that also helped the room appear more spacious. Although relatively inexpensive materials, they were upscaled with custom touches. For instance, angled cutouts for door handles mimic the adjacent window's abstract framing. And a birch plywood pantry is set on casters for mobility and to hide an electrical panel. One splurge: the warm, Brazilian cherry floors, which distinguish the kitchen area from nearby rooms.

Jeffrey Jacobs

The house is still serious, Walker says, "but it's serious about design." The judges agreed. They enjoyed the kitchen's whimsical quality and complimented the way it is "really integrated into the house."

principal in charge/project architect/general contractor: Todd Walker, Archimania; project size: 12 by 14 feet; construction cost: $88 per square foot; photographer: Jeffrey Jacobs.

Cameron Campbell

grand award

logsdon restroom, des moines, iowa
herbert lewis kruse blunck architecture
des moines

The wet spaces become a piece of sculpture ... something completely different ... it speaks to a broader view of what you can do in a bath," were some of the praises showered on the renovated bath (the only bathroom) in this 1,500-square-foot home. The clients asked architect Paul Mankins to create a room that lived larger than the rest of the house. And that's just what he did. By grabbing space from a rarely used sun porch, he generated 180 square feet of uninterrupted space marked by a single "cleansing object" in the center.

He used a closet to compartmentalize the toilet and trimmed the larger room to match its "meticulously maintained 1924 Craftsman bungalow" setting. Lowering the vanity to window sill height keeps the solid forms close to the floor, accentuating the unit's illusion of floating. "It changes your sense of scale," says Mankins. "Plus, you can actually sit comfortably on the counter."

Builder Chaden Halfhill managed to squeeze pipes and vent lines into the 2-inch-by-4-inch stainless tubes that support the open shower's glass partitions. An extra piece of drywall drops the ceiling height just enough to define the cleansing object. Says Mankins, "You have this minimalist piece of art that you wash yourself in every day."

Cameron Campbell

principal in charge/project architect: Paul Mankins, FAIA, Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck Architecture; general contractor: Chaden Halfhill, Silent Rivers, Des Moines, Iowa; project size: 180 square feet; construction cost: $200 per square foot; photographer: Cameron Campbell.

Cesar Rubio

merit award

jackson street bathroom suite remodel, san francisco
lundberg design
san francisco

Lustrous materials and ruthless editing transformed this Edwardian attic into an ultra-Modern master suite. With its view of the Golden Gate Bridge, the top floor of the Victorian was a prime spot for private quarters, but the quirky angles of several rooflines created oddly shaped spaces beneath. Architect Olle Lundberg made a clean sweep by removing all the interior walls and covering the outer walls and ceiling in white Venetian plaster. Within that large volume, translucent glass defines areas for bathing, dressing, and sleeping. "With three or four rooflines colliding, you wanted to do a wall that didn't go up to the ceiling," Lundberg says. "Everything needed to float, and we intentionally let this crazy peaked ceiling run wild over what we did underneath."

The judges praised the theatrical approach. "It has an ethereal quality, like ghosts," one said of the remodel. "It treats the storage of clothes as an artistic composition rather than closing it off."

Cesar Rubio

principal in charge: Olle Lundberg, Lundberg Design; project architect: Michelle Kriebel, Lundberg Design; general contractor: O'Neil Construction, San Rafael, Calif.; project size: 1,300 square feet; construction cost: Withheld; photographer: Cesar Rubio.

Greg Hursley

merit award

san francisco state university: village at centennial square
sasaki associates
san francisco

This campus infill project was designed to "seem more like a village rather than just mass housing." Lauded by the jury for its interesting sequence of spaces and well-handled density, the mixed-use complex encompasses 762 student beds, a student service center, and retail. Principal John Coons and his team focused on trying to connect the buildings with their surroundings in ways that would encourage human interaction. Three courtyards--each with a distinct purpose and feel--make up the core of their plan. Coons says, "We put equal value on the open spaces as much as the built structures."

Patrick Carney

Located on prominent corners and glazed in curtain walls, common rooms become glowing beacons of gathering. The two-story spaces with interior stairwells and mezzanines also act as vertical bridges between floors in the six-story towers. Placing the laundry room on a high floor draws students up through the building to places they might otherwise never visit, and an outdoor terrace keeps them lingering.

principal in charge: John Coons, Sasaki Associates; project designer: Tim Stevens, Sasaki Associates; general contractor: Kim Diamond, Catellus Residential Group, Oakland; structural engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers, San Francisco; civil engineer: Olivia Chen Consultants, San Francisco; mechanical and electrical engineer: C&B Consulting Engineers, San Francisco; landscape architect: Tim Deacon, Sasaki Associates; interior designer: Diana Kissil, Sasaki Associates; project size: 395,000 square feet; site size: 3.64 acres; construction cost: $149.99 per square foot; rental rate: $785 to $895 monthly; units in project: 191 apartments; photographer: Greg Hursley, except where noted.

Alan Karchmer (C) 2002

merit award

edward t. lewis quadrangle, st. mary's city, md.
muse architects
washington, d.c.

For years, Muse Architects concentrated nearly exclusively on custom homes and remodels. Now the firm takes on some institutional projects as well, but it hasn't forgotten the lessons that house design taught. "You learn a lot from residential work," says principal Stephen Muse, FAIA. "It's that idea of wanting to make something a meaningful, memorable place." This desire played into the design of a campus housing project at St. Mary's College in southern Maryland, and the judges noticed. "They made a place out of nowhere," said one.

Alan Karchmer (C) 2002

Another judge called the site plan "ingenious." Muse and his staff broke down the dormitory into four buildings, all opening onto a central lawn. A covered walkway links the structures, which hold mostly six-, 10-, and 14-bed suites. The plan effectively creates a small community within the larger campus. And the project's residential scale and traditional materials treat its historical context respectfully.

principal in charge: Stephen Muse, FAIA, Muse Architects; project architect: William Kirwan, AIA, Muse Architects; developer: St. Mary's College of Maryland, St. Mary's City, Md.; general contractor: Wayne Davis, W.M. Davis, Leonardtown, Md.; landscape architect: Pearse O'Doherty, O'Doherty Graham Landscape Architects, Annapolis, Md.; project size: 420 to 2,000 square feet per unit; site size: 2.5 acres; construction cost: $130 per square foot; units in project: 25; photographer: Alan Karchmer (C)2002.

Jeff Herbert

merit award

warwick grove, the warwick, warwick, n.y.
donald powers architects
providence, r.i.

Our judges gave this project an award both for what it is--a modest production house model that exemplifies quality over quantity--and for what it isn't. "It's not McMansiony," said one judge. "In the world of traditionally styled production housing, this really stands out."

This was precisely the point, says architect Donald Powers. The client, Warwick Grove Co., he explains, is committed to redefining the suburban model. For this traditional neighborhood design community, Warwick sought a series of homes that encourage interaction with neighbors while also embracing unique design and quality materials. Because the homes target older adults, Powers located main living areas on the first floor and relegated guest rooms and secondary spaces to the upper level. A combination of defined but overlapping spaces and open areas makes the compact houses feel spacious.

Jeff Herbert

The community plan calls for 150 homes sited close together on small lots, so the homes needed to have better than average exterior detailing, says Powers. "We couldn't get away with vinyl when the house is close to the street," he says. Instead, Western red cedar, fiber cement, and cedar doors greet the street. "The restraint of detail--the trim, molding, the use of color--is masterful," one judge said.

principal in charge: Donald Powers, Donald Powers Architects, Providence, R.I., in collaboration with Jeff Degraw, Degraw & Dehaan, Middletown, N.Y.; land planner: Michael Watkins, Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co., Gaithersburg, Md.; developer: Warwick Grove Co., Tuxedo, N.Y.; general contractor: Warwick Grove Co., Tuxedo; landscape architect: Karen Arent, Karen Arent Landscape Architect, Goshen, N.Y.; interior designer: Patricia Stadel, Patricia Stadel Interior Design, East Petersburg, Pa.; project size: 2,400 square feet; site size: 38 acres; construction cost: $100 per square foot; sales price: $475,000; photographer: Jeff Herbert.