AIA Tennessee Announces 2015 Design Award Winners

The Tennessee Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Tennessee) announced the winners of their 2015 Design Awards on July 30. The 10 award recipients were chosen out of 73 submissions, and were commended for designs that were able to make an impact on their communities with the use of limited resources.

This year’s AIA Tennesse Design Awards jury was led by Karen Fairbanks, AIA, founding partner at Marble Fairbanks, who was selected by Design Awards Program chair Julie Beckman, Assoc. AIA, partner at KBAS Studio, and director of student services at the University of Tennessee College of Architecture and Design. The jury was completed by Karla Rothstein, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University; Joeb Moore, Joeb Moore + Partners, LLC in Greenwich, CT, and Adjunct Professor of Architecture at the Barnard/Columbia Architecture Department; and James Slade, AIA, founding partner at Slade Architecture in NYC.

For more images and information about each project, click on the project names below, or visit them all in ARCHITECT’s Project Gallery .

The Lay Low, Chattanooga, Tenn., by Hefferlin + Kronenberg Architects, Design Award of Excellence.
Jury Comment: “We thought this was an excellent example of smart, temporal programming. A longer term vision for accessible housing with a short term use. We saw the architects as activists in their neighborhood, contributing and helping to define a program of revitalization and renewal through their work.”

MEK House, Germantown, Tenn., by Archimania, Design Award of Excellence.
Jury Comment: “This is a great example of a super opportunistic project – one that embraced existing conditions and ran with them to transform the interiors. We were completely wowed by this stair- A beautiful recladding of the existing stair.”

Leadership Memphis, Memphis, Tenn., by Archimania, Design Award of Excellence.
Jury Comment: “This project was a favorite for many reasons – one of them being the powerful impact that the color and material choices in the interiors make on the exterior.”

Hicks Orthodontics, Lenoir City, Tenn., by BarberMcMurry architects, Design Award of Excellence.
Jury Comment: “We were impressed in the investment in design for a program in orthodontics – and we decided that this project makes you want to get braces. We awarded it for overall excellence and rigor in its design and detailed execution.”

Hattiloo Theater, Memphis, Tenn., by Archimania, Design Excellence Award.
Jury Comment: “We found this to be an exceptionally elegant composition and building strategy. Engaging the city; cantilevered entry canopy announcing the theaters in a dramatic way.”

Regional One Medical Courtyard, Memphis, Tenn., by Archimania, Design Merit Award.
Jury Comment: “We were impressed by the effect that this small-scale insertion within an unused courtyard could have on the day to day life of the hospital. Site: It has a significant transformative impact on the experience of arriving and being at the hospital.”

Story Booth, Memphis, Tenn., by Archimania, Design Merit Award.
Jury Comment: “Jury comments: Shelves: support projects that looked for inventive solutions repurposing materials – supporting a social activism and a sustainable agenda – This is the kind of architecture we want to support.”

Lankford Hardware Conversion, Nashville, Tenn., by Kennon|Calhoun Workshop, Design Merit Award.
Jury Comment: “Our jury was impressed with this conversion in many ways – the distinction of the upper and lower mass through different materials – even the simple line of light beneath the upper skin. This is a powerful urban transformation.”

Eastside Church of Christ, Columbia, Tenn., by Kennon|Calhoun Workshop, Design Merit Award.
Jury Comment: “We were interested in this merging of barn vernacular and metal sheds to create a church with a strong identity. Landscape plan: Impressed by the design intelligence of the site/landscape plan; especially to move parking out of view from the road – this is key to overall siting.”

Bellevue Library, Nashville, Tenn., by Hastings Architecture Associates, Design Merit Award.
Jury Comment: “To our jury, the massing of the building with the split between the two halves was the strongest spatial / organizational idea; the architects were also interested in integrating graphic patterns derived from books and text. Site plan talks about the identity of the building to the street, addresses sustainability, and engagement with the public through active outdoor spaces.”

For more images and information about each project, visit ARCHITECT ‘s Project Gallery.