UNBUILT: Social Equity In Design Award

In Service to Refugees
Client: Hello Neighbor
Architecture Firm: Rothschild Doyno Collaborative

On a pro bono basis, our firm collaborated with Hello Neighbor, a local organization that serves refugee families, to support them in a programming, visioning, and stakeholder engagement process.

Their dream for a Clubhouse in which Pittsburghers and refugee families could build community together was envisioned in a series of collaborative workshops. Our volunteer efforts culminated in a 125-page design book that joined our two organizations to address social issues critical to the health of our city.

JURY COMMENTS: In Service of Refugees demonstrates a series of collaborative strategies for bringing varied constituencies together to vision, plan and fundraise for a common cause.

UNBUILT: Honor Award

Etna EcoDistrict Plan
Clients: Borough of Etna; Etna Community Organization; Etna Economic Development Corporation; Etna Neighborhood Association; Garden of Etna; Triboro Ecodistrict
Architecture Firm: evolveEA
Funding: Henry L. Hillman Foundation

The Borough of Etna has long held a vulnerable position – environmentally, economically, and in terms of social equity. The community faces food scarcity, under-investment, and serious environmental challenges, such as flooding and poor air quality, that limit positive outcomes. In response, the community came together to increase their resiliency with actions and architecture.

The Etna EcoDistrict focuses on six quality of life areas that are manifest in place: water, mobility, air, energy, food, and equity and through a series of catalytic projects, Etna has demonstrated their commitment to carbon neutrality by the year 2050.
The plan has already resulted in community cohesion that has proven durable during the covid pandemic.

The effort also yielded:
– a new non-profit to steward the plan,
– initiation of a Community Library in a historic building, and
– achievement of the world’s first EcoDistricts Certified Community.

JURY COMMENTS: The Etna EcoDistrict Plan provides a set of invaluable tools that educate and enable communities to strive for a clean and equitable future. The proposed interventions offer an invigorating vision for otherwise residual, underutilized urban spaces.

SMALL: Social Equity In Design 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.

JURY COMMENTS: Presley’s Place is a special place – one that reminds us that the spaces we inhabit help shape the way we see the world and designing for everyone makes our world bigger.

SMALL: Certificate of Merit

210 Indianola
Client: Michael & Renee Gwin
Architecture Firm: Rothschild Doyno Collaborative
Engineer: Capstone Structural Engineering
Others: Santico, Inc; Bryn Enterprises; Team Laminates; Wolfe Metal Fab; Temper+Grit
Photographer: Ed Massery Photography & Jesse Riesmeyer

Creating a living environment that is integrated with its’ natural setting requires a strong response to the unique conditions of place. The awareness of the senses to the natural surrounding and circadian rhythms promote human health and wellbeing. This is fundamental to the conceptual planning and follow through in the home design. A strong environment awareness and biophilic design response enhances the idea of living with nature as part of it. The design works to minimize impact on the surrounding environmental conditions demonstrating a respect for it. The experience is supported through a planned sequence that transitions you into a living environment elevated within an existing tree canopy. The resulting home is one with exceptional performance, promotes health and wellbeing for the occupants, is in balance with its’ natural setting, and provides continual discovery and connection to our natural environment.

JURY COMMENTS: 210 Indianola residence stands out with strong consideration for sustainability and thoughtful relationship to the natural site.

SMALL: Certificate of Merit

Carlow University – University Commons Terrace
Client: Carlow University
Architecture Firm: LGA Partners
Contractor: Facility Support Services, LLC
Engineer: Keystone Structural Solutions
Other: Oxford Development Company
Photographer: Maya Elaine Photography, LLC

Carlow University asked our team to investigate architectural modifications to the University Commons building’s 5th-floor terrace after a tragic incident in 2017. The recently renovated building serves as the hub of the campus, and the 5th-floor is home to the President’s office. As such, any alterations needed to be carefully considered. While the existing steel railing was code compliant, the University wanted to enhance both the safety and usage of the deck. Our team designed a 7′ tall screen wall that alternated between tempered glass panels and perforated aluminum panels. The glass panels preserve the expansive urban views, and the perforated aluminum panels allow shading and air movement to the deck occupants. LGA collaborated with students from the University’s Department of Art to design each of the 43 one-of-a-kind panels around the University’s history, life, and mission.

JURY COMMENTS: The Carlow University Commons Terrace railing design is elevated by the successful collaboration with university art students who capture the spirit of their academic community.

SMALL: Certificate of Merit

Winterton Street Residence
Architecture Firm: evolveEA
Photographer: Rosanne Martin

The Winterton Residence began as a small (1380 sf) house with cramped spaces, narrow doorways, and no functional entry. The modest 450sf addition and garage enabled a series of indoor and outdoor rooms, each with a distinct character and connection to the site.

An existing sunroom was rebuilt as a family room and expanded entry. The new room quietly supports a master suite addition that celebrates the simple roofline of the original house. The light-filled spaces integrate corner-free windows, expansive glass, and french doors that capture the morning sun and peer into the treetops. The original brick structure is creatively revealed in each renovated space, anchoring the new to the old.
The two-car garage carves into the hillside, shaping a protected outdoor room. The garage is designed as a family pavilion, with generous natural light and french doors that connect indoor and outdoor activities. The roof is accessible from the upper yard for a future deck, celebrating and using every part of the small property.

JURY COMMENTS: The Winterton Street Residence presents a thoughtful design approach and commitment to quality execution as evidences by the intimate, cared-for indoor and outdoor spaces.

MEDIUM: Social Equity In Design Award

University of Pittsburgh, Community Engagement Center – Homewood
Client: University of Pittsburgh
Architecture Firm: Strada
Contractor: Waller Corporation
Engineers: Atlantic Engineering
Photographer: Craig Thompson

In response to the University of Pittsburgh’s desire to make an even greater impact in the community, they are opening five urban Community Engagement Centers (CEC) aimed at building alliances within urban neighborhoods to collaboratively create stronger communities. Each center will be designed to focus on the specific needs, interests, and input of the neighboring communities that are aligned with the work of Pitt researchers, staff, and students. Strada recently completed Phase 1 of the Homewood CEC. What was once a vacant grocery store is now a 20,000 sq. ft. space that includes a science lab, a computer lab, first floor and lower level conference rooms, a seminar room, a classroom and an art gallery featuring work by local artists. These rooms are available for community and Pitt members to rent out.

JURY COMMENTS: Homewood Community Engagement Center models a bridge between academic institutions and the communities that surround them – an invaluable stream for sharing resource towards more equitable communities.

MEDIUM: Certificate of Merit

Center for Urban Education
Client: University of Pittsburgh
Architecture Firm: Rothschild Doyno Collaborative
Engineers: Claitman Engineering Associates, Inc.; Atlantic Engineering Services
Other: Workscape, Inc.
Photographer: Ed Massery Photography

The Center for Urban Education sought to extend the useful life of a large, antiquated building on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus by becoming a model for the feasible adaptive reuse of an office suite located inside. Constructed in an era where human health and wellness weren’t considered, Posvar Hall offered dark, disconnected, and disorienting interior spaces that didn’t reflect the evolving and nurturing culture of the University of Pittsburgh.

Working within the challenging parameters of an existing concrete structure, the Design Team aimed to make physical enhancements to the space that would boost the health & wellness of users. Natural light, warmth and activity were invited into the building, and spaces were reconfigured to reflect the open and diverse culture of the Center for Urban Education.

JURY COMMENTS: Center for Urban Education breaks away from the rigid geometry of the existing building and boldly resets its rules on spatial interaction within the academic setting.

MEDIUM: Certificate of Merit

Sunnyhill Unitarian Universalist Church of the South Hills
Client: Unitarian Universalist Church of the South Hills
Architecture Firm: Rothschild Doyno Collaborative
Contractor: Tedco Construction Corporation
Engineers: PVE Sheffler; Taylor Structural Engineers, Inc.; BDA Engineering
Other: Clear Story; Seech Industries
Photographer: Ed Massery Photography

The Congregation previously converted this single-family hilltop home into their place of worship. Due to suburban housing growth around the originally expansive English-cottage style estate, the site area had been reduced and constrained over time, which limited the options for expansion. The thriving Congregation needed an expanded facility that better represented their spirituality, beliefs, and community.

The new outward-focused sanctuary is a beacon atop Sunnyhill. The constrained site boundaries are overlapping and reconciled, like the Unitarian and Universalist religions had come together to create a unified whole. The resulting new site axis creates a dynamic space that unifies the geometry of the existing building and the site, harmonizes the manufactured steel and natural wood materials, and focuses the dual outward and inward unity of the Congregation. Additionally, the original inward-focused sanctuary was converted into a new Social Hall. These meaningful design drivers culminate in the uplifting and inspirational new Sanctuary.

JURY COMMENTS: Sunnyhill Unitarian Universalist Church presents a thoughtful juxtaposition between old and new, inside and outside. The modest material palette combined with elegant form are a breath of fresh air.

MEDIUM: Honor Award

Argo AI Palo Alto Office
Client: Argo AI
Architecture Firm: mossArchitects
Contractor: XL Construction
Engineers: Therma; Redwood Electric; Structural Engineers, Inc.; Eco Fire; Babich Acoustic
Other: McFarland Kistler & Associates, Inc.
Photographers: Marco Zecchin & Architecture Firm

Located in Palo Alto, California, the design for Pittsburgh technology company, Argo AI’s new west coast office focused on creating a beautiful, flexible, and highly collaborative space for employees, while providing connections from within the office to the building’s exterior landscaping and natural light. The challenge was to integrate the company’s various engineering, laboratory, and vehicle testing teams with highly specialized technical requirements alongside a variety of gathering and collaboration spaces while maintaining natural light and views.

JURY COMMENTS: Argo AI shines with its elegant utility and fluid yet clearly defined spatial logic. The steel armature performs on several levels and complements the project’s light, open and welcoming space. Social and work areas connect seamlessly and extend into the landscape unencumbered by peripheral offices. The resulting experience exemplifies an equitable workspace designed with people in mind.

LARGE: Certificate of Merit

Sandstone Quarry Apartments
Client: Trek Development & Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh
Architecture Firm: Rothschild Doyno Collaborative
Contractor: Mistick Construction
Engineers: Hope Furrer Associates; Iams Consulting; Langan; AWK Consulting Engineers
Landscape Architect: LaQuatra Bonci
Other: Jackson Clark Partners
Photographer: Ed Massery Photography

Seeking to improve the quality of life for their residents, the Housing Authority engaged the development team to re-envision the Allegheny Dwellings Community on multiple sites over time with the goal of connecting to the surrounding community with a mixed-income development over multiple phases.

Sandstone Quarry, the first phase of development, transforms the isolated “barracks” style housing into a connected site with apartment and townhomes that take advantage of the spectacular city
views opening up the site with a central park space.

JURY COMMENTS: Sandstone Quarry Apartments design presents a fresh vision for the mixed-income site. The reconfigured building orientation helps establish new connections and potential for vibrant community development.

LARGE: Certificate of Merit

TechMill 41
Architecture Firm: Rothschild Doyno Collaborative
Contractor: PJ Dick
Engineers: PVE; Atlantic Engineering Services; Allen & Shariff Engineering
Photographer: Ed Massery Photography

TechMill 41 is a speculative office building that relates strongly to the unique contexts that surround the building and connects to the rich industrial heritage of the former steel mill site. The project combines new construction with the renovation and adaptive reuse of a former industrial Machine Shop. The site is a former brownfield, adjacent to the 40th Street Bridge and Allegheny River. The site is also adjacent to the iconic structural frame of the Bay 41 Public Plaza. The building rises from the ashes of Pittsburgh’s gritty industrial past. The memory of the industrial heritage of the site became a powerful inspiration for the design. Forms and materials relate to the former steel mill buildings and connects history with the present.

JURY COMMENTS: TechMill 41 Office Building relishes in the industrial past along the Alleghany River while introducing a contemporary building language and new density of use for the site. Efforts to integrate textures, artifacts and parts of old buildings with new interventions recontextualize the entire development.

LARGE: Honor Award

Yale Science Building
Client: Yale University
Architecture Firm: Stantec
Affiliated Architect: Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects
Contractor: Dimeo Construction Company
Engineers: Stantec; LeMessurier; Haley & Aldrich; Green House Engineering
Other: Reed Hilderbrand; Acentech; RWDI; Genesys Entering
Photographer: Jeff Goldberg/Esto

Yale Science Building (YSB), a new 282,000 SF science facility, brings revitalization, connectivity, and a true sense of community to Science Hill. Through this project, once scattered science programs are consolidated under one roof and re-imagines the former Gibbs Laboratory site. The science building’s aesthetic blends with the existing context while enhancing connections to neighboring facilities. Inside, the building’s design facilitates a collaborative atmosphere through contiguity and accessibility. Modular, flexible, and reconfigurable by design, the labs and supporting infrastructure allow for future modification with minimal downtime. Utilizing off-site prefabrication as a design tool, the team improved safety, sustainability, and the overall building quality while also reducing maintenance requirements and providing for future flexibility as research needs change. Utilizing data driven energy design strategies the team was able to meet Yale’s goal of creating the most energy efficient lab building on campus. The design successfully meets Yale’s goals for an interdisciplinary science facility that creates communities, plans for change, and saves energy.

JURY COMMENTS: The Yale Science Building design demonstrates high degree of integration in addressing the project’s communal, operational and environmental goals. The elegant, understated aesthetics of the exterior envelope and interior spaces reflect the seemingly effortless weaving of function and performance. The project presents a holistic approach and a higher standard when addressing the needs of the scientific community.

LARGE: Silver Award

MuseumLab at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
Client: Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
Architecture Firm: Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel (PWWG Architects)
Affiliate Architect: Koning Eizenberg Architecture
Contractor: Mascaro Construction
Engineering: Iams Consulting, LLC; Atlantic Engineering Services; Babich Acoustics; Langan
Other: BranchPattern; Clio Consulting
Photographer: Eric Staudenmaier

MuseumLab reincarnates a historic Carnegie Library as a testing ground for teen learning. The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh developed the ambitious project with Manchester Academic Charter School to exchange ideas between the informal world of museum learning and the formal world of classroom education. MuseumLab inspires discovery and immersive learning with studios, maker labs, and gallery spaces offering access to cutting edge art, tech, and making for 8-14 year olds. Second and third floors house the charter middle school and venues for community events, and the ground floor has incubator space for non-profits.

The re-use applies the hybrid design approach of a “beautiful ruin,” blending old and new to honor the building’s history and importance to the community. The result is a striking architectural montage of crisp, fully modernized spaces, and spaces incorporating historic features. The project set a new standard for Universal Design, achieved LEED Gold v4 Certification, and exceeded Architecture 2030 goals.

JURY COMMENTS: The MuseumLab stands out for its unusual approach to celebrating found architecture. The project leaves the patina of the existing building edifice exposed, which sets the stage for creating a world of discovery and imagination. The playful integration of artistic and functional elements conveys the resourcefulness and creativity of the project team, which in turn translates into the distinct ethos of the project overall.

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD WINNER

Allegheny Health Network – AGH Academic Cancer Institute
Client: Allegheny Health Network
Architecture Firm: IKM Incorporated
Contributors: Massaro Construction; FMRW Engineering; Gateway Engineers; Oxford Development
Photographer: Ed Massery

The AHN Cancer Institute has become the new home for its academic cancer program. A home that embraces and supports a world-class clinical program in a patient focused, caring setting at its historic Northside location. The new cancer center streamlines and enhances cutting edge patient care by consolidating cancer services in a singular location, dedicated to providing an unparalleled patient experience in a welcoming, hopeful, and healing environment.

Cancer treatment can be a physically exhausting, emotionally draining trial. Subsequently, the primary design challenge is to house technologically complex spaces dedicated to advanced care in a compassionate and calming building designed to support the patient and family through this trial.

The caregivers who work in the facility are passionate about their work and the service that they provide their patients. Their desire was for the building to be an energetic symbol of hope: a dynamic reminder that there is a life above and beyond this illness. They wanted this facility to speak of hope and joy.

YOUNG ARCHITECTS STUDIO COMPETITION AWARD

Ars Moriendi
Architect: Jason Andrews

View the project summary here.

2019 Award Winners

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

YOUNG ARCHITECTS STUDIO COMPETITION AWARD

The Dolce Vita
Architect: Bea Spolidoro, AIA