The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has announced the winners of its 2008 Institute Honor Awards for architecture, interior architecture, and urban design. More than 800 projects were submitted, but only 28 were chosen for recognition.

The 2008 Institute Honor Awards for Architecture recognize 13 projects, four residential and nine commercial. Among them:

Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, by Pfeiffer Partners Architects—Renovation of this Hollywood Hills landmark restored and preserved its blend of Art Deco, Beaux Arts, and Neoclassical details while more than doubling its size in the addition of exhibition spaces, a theater, and a café. View the design board in PDF

Heifer International World Headquarters, Little Rock, Ark., by Polk Stanley Rowland Curzon Porter Architects—Built on a former brownfield site, the curved building has narrow corridors that allow all offices access to natural sunlight. Previously existing structures were reclaimed for the project or otherwise recycled. View the design board in PDF

Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle, by Weiss/Manfredi Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism—Located on the city's last undeveloped waterfront (an industrial brownfield), the sculptural Z-shaped platform design connects three separate sites and reconnects the urban core to the waterfront. View the design board in PDF

Shaw Center for the Arts, Baton Rouge, La., by Schwartz/Silver Architects—The project combines a university's museum of art with spaces for its studio arts programs as well as performing arts theaters. The single structure cantilevers over the neighboring historic Auto Hotel. View the design board in PDF

Liberty Memorial Restoration and Museum, Kansas City, Mo., by ASAI Architecture—Restoration of this World War I memorial and National Historic Landmark included adding 160,000 square feet including an auditorium, educational and research centers, and more exhibit space to show a greater portion of the museum's extensive archive of war artifacts. View the design board in PDF

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Mo., by Steven Holl Architects—Expansion of the museum added five glass boxes along the eastern edge of its campus, fusing architecture with the existing landscape and sculpture garden and preserving the original structure. View the design board in PDF

Thomas L. Wells Public School, Toronto, Ontario, by Baird Sampson Neuert Architects—Conceived as a "system of systems," the school will serve as a model of high-performance, sustainable design and is the first public school to receive a silver rating under the Canadian Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system. View the design board in PDF

Trutec Building, Seoul, Korea, by Barkow Leibinger Architects—Light and images are refracted and fragmented by the building's exterior cladding of articulated, mirrored glass. Its 11 stories of office and showroom spaces rest atop a five-level underground parking garage. View the design board in PDF

Unilver House (100 VE), London, UK, by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates—Important parts of this historic building were retained while transforming the work spaces and creating more interactive circulation areas. The building's footprint was reduced by 11,000 square feet, but useable area has increased by about 6,000 square feet. View the design board in PDF

Ten projects were recognized with 2008 Institute Honor Awards for Interior Architecture, four residential and six spanning various industries. Among them:

Anthony Nak Flagship Store, Austin, Texas, by M.J. Neal Architects—This 800-square-foot minimalist showroom for designer jewelry, completed in just 12 weeks, features a single band of display cases wrapping the room set against white surfaces with subtly varying textures. View the design board in PDF

Architects' Office, Los Angeles, by Lehrer Architects—A multipurpose space for architectural work incorporates vast work surfaces, abundant natural light, generous storage, individual workstations, and seamless connections to the outdoors and fresh air. View the design board in PDF

Center for Theater and Dance, Williamstown, Mass., by William Rawn Associates, Architects—Williams College's performance enter brings together the theater and dance departments for the first time and offers four distinctive venues. The building's narrow face maintains the established architectural pattern on a campus of narrow façades. View the design board in PDF

Hotel Boutique La Purificadora, Puebla, Mexico, by Legorreta + Legorreta—A former water purification and bottling factory was renovated into a 32,000-square-foot hotel, encompassing the original building's aesthetic in the hotel's contemporary design. View the design board in PDF

Illinois State Capitol Chamber Restoration, Springfield, Ill., by Vinci | Hamp Architects—Restoring this 120-year-old Second Empire-style building entailed re-establishing period architectural details that had been lost while implementing modern building systems to enhance functionality. View the design board in PDF

Novelty Hill Januik Winery, Woodinville, Wash., by Mithun—The 31,000-square-foot suburban Seattle winery is infused with an industrial aesthetic, reflecting the owner's love of modern architecture, advanced technology, and winemaking. View the design board in PDF

Tehama Grasshopper, San Francisco, by Fougeron Architecture—A three-story warehouse transformed into an office, residence, and rooftop penthouse blending indoor and outdoor spaces. Each space has a distinct personality and function but maintains a cohesive aesthetic through the use of industrial materials and color palettes. View the design board in PDF

The 2008 Institute Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design was given to five projects, three of which (including one residential project not detailed here) were completed by the University of Arkansas Community Design Center.

Campus Hydroscapes, Fayetteville, Ark., by University of Arkansas Community Design Center—A 20,000-foot corridor improvement plan for the university's overstressed and dysfunctional College Branch stream, illustrating how the ecological footprint of campus infrastructure can be controlled to improve the health of the stream, avoiding structural damage to the state highway bridge and campus infrastructure itself. View the design board in PDF

Los Angeles River Rehabilitation Master Plan, Los Angeles, by Civitas—This master plan illustrates how to rehabilitate the 32-mile-long concrete channel of the Los Angeles River to reinvigorate it and transform it into a green amenity and economic engine. View the design board in PDF

Visioning Rail Transit in Northwest Arkansas: Lifestyles and Ecologies, by University of Arkansas Community Design Center—This plan for transit and development in a fast-growing region takes the first step in introducing smart growth opportunities to residents, emphasizing rail transit. View the design board in PDF

Zuccotti Park, New York City, by Cooper, Robinson & Partners—Severely damaged during the events of Sept. 11, 2001, the original park was also used as a staging area for World Trade Center cleanup. The simple design of the transformed park accommodates the flow of pedestrian traffic and incorporates light panels into the paving. View the design board in PDF