2010 Brick in Architecture Awards Winners
Recognition awarded to projects from 22 states, Washington, DC and Canada
The Brick Industry Association (BIA) announced the recipients of its 2010 Brick in Architecture Awards, which honor innovative use of clay brick in eight categories: commercial, educational, health care facilities, houses of worship, multi-family residential, municipal/government/civic, paving and landscape architecture, and single family residential applications. In total, 51 projects from 22 different states, Washington, DC and Canada won awards in the Best In Class, Gold, Silver and Bronze categories.
“The quality and depth of submissions made judging intense and difficult. With winners coming from more than 20 states, the Brick In Architecture Awards Competition is truly national in scope,” exclaimed J. Gregg Borchelt, President & CEO of BIA. “The winning projects prove that brick is versatile, adaptable, and beautiful in just about any architectural style.”
Educational Category
© John P. Stopen Engineering Partnership
Meier Hall New Dormitory, Elmira College
Elmira, NYArchitect: QPK Design
Builder: Welliver McGuire, Inc.
Manufacturer: Glen-Gery Corporation
Distributor: Bock Brick, Inc.
Mason Contractor: Welliver McGuire, Inc.
Photographer: John P. Stopen Engineering Partnership
The project was to deliver 140 beds of modern student housing and designed to last 150 years in a historically significant campus setting. Besides complementing the college’s celebrated and traditional character of clay brick, limestone, and slate roofs, Meier Hall incorporates a thoroughly modern floor plan that facilitates shared social and instructional activities and competes favorably with dormitories found in other colleges’ campuses. A highlight is the 4,000 SF multi-use social space with a catering kitchen located on the first floor. To create the traditional fabric and character of collegiate gothic architecture in the late 19th century, the design uses a specially-finished and textured extruded brick as the primary exterior material, which is an affordable response to the hand-molded brick of the original buildings. The project utilizes an English bond pattern to match the brick bonding patterns on other campus buildings, while the soaring towers, steeply pitched gables, crenellated terminations, and ornamental entries, all complement the brick. The project also concealed masonry expansion joints by isolating and affixing windows and limestone quoins to the masonry backup. The designers incorporated environmentally-sound building practices, such as using previously developed land, increasing its density.
Health Care Facilities Category
© Bowie Gridley Architects; Prakash Patel Photography
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Chevy Chase, MDArchitect: Bowie Gridley Architects
Manufacturer: Redland Brick, Inc.
Distributor: Potomac Valley Brick and Supply Company
Mason Contractor: Manganaro Mid-Atlantic
Photographer: Bowie Gridley Architects; Prakash Patel Photography
Twenty years after establishing its headquarters on a 22 acre wooded campus, a private philanthropic organization wanted to implement workplace improvements with the design of a 150,000 square foot office addition. The project's primary aesthetic goal was to create an addition that was harmonious with both the existing structure and park-like campus. Brick masonry was selected to serve as the "thread" that would connect new and old. A rich vocabulary of masonry details, bonding patterns, and secondary materials was developed to create architecture respectful of the past yet clearly representing a step forward in the organization's evolution. The expansion gives a fresh interpretation of the on the original concept, providing staff with a more collegial and collaborative work environment. The project was designed to achieve, and is seeking, a LEED® Gold certification. Brick factored favorably into a strategy of assembling a building from regionally harvested and manufactured materials. The project features an energy efficient building envelope based upon a brick rain screen configuration. For example, stone sunshades, incorporated into the brick at each window along with interior light shelves and a sophisticated daylight harvesting system, limit reliance on artificial lighting.
Commercial Category
© Good, Fulton & Farrell
Old Parkland Hospital Renovation for Corporate Headquarters
Dallas, TXArchitect: Good Fulton & Farrell
Builder: Andres Construction
Manufacturer: Interstate Brick
Distributor: Blackson Brick
Mason Contractor: ROC Construction; Metro Masonry Construction
Photographer: Good Fulton & Farrell Architects
This ambitious project transformed a collection of derelict, historic medical buildings into an energy-efficient and eclectic campus with a historic feel. The project retained and rehabilitated several abandoned structures, which enabled the project to retain much of the embodied energy originally expended in the buildings’ original construction. The campus also included construction of new office buildings, campus amenities, and an underground parking structure that complemented the style of the locally designated landmarks. While landmark regulations required that the appearance of the historic structures not be changed during renovation, the new buildings are constructed using modern energy technology with the brick and cast stone exteriors contributing to LEED® credits for both Regional Materials and Recycled Materials as well to the overall efficiency of the respective building envelopes. Besides its environmental attributes, brick played several other critical roles in this project, including unifying the campus, differentiating the individual structures with subtle variations in bonding patterns and mortar colors, and serving as a sound barrier in landscape and sound walls that isolate the campus from an adjacent highway.
Multi-Family Residential Category
© Roger Foley Photography; Gregory Staley Photography
Beauregard Condominiums
Washington, DCArchitect: Sorg Architects
Builder: Tompkins Builders
Manufacturer: Carolina Ceramics Brick Company; Endicott Clay Products Company
Distributor: Potomac Valley Brick and Supply Company
Mason Contractor: Tompkins Builders
Photographer: Roger Foley Photography; Gregory Staley Photography
The project is located in a historic industrial area of the city where small factories and warehouses are interspersed with residential use. The 43 condominiums are designed to serve a younger urban clientele. As one of the few industrial zoned areas in the northwest quadrant of the city, the area surrounding the neighborhood has long been at the core of artistic innovation in the city. To integrate the building into its context, black and iron spot brick were used to hearken back the old factories of the early 20th century as well as ground the building within the interplay of industrial and residential uses found in the neighborhood. The subtle contrast of the two colors of brick emphasizes the forms of the building by differentiating the projecting planes from each other. Brick was in important choice to temper the large expanses of glass and give the building a residential feel. Brick was also chosen as the primary cladding material of the building because of its durability and insulation value. Brick helped contribute to the application of LEED® certification, and the material is used as a passive mode of heat absorption and a fire barrier between houses, providing a means of energy conservation and fire protection.
Houses of Worship Category
© Paul Warchol Photography
Westchester Reform Temple
Scarsdale, NYArchitect: Rogers Marvel Architects, PLLC
Manufacturer: Endicott Clay Products Company
Mason Contractor: Hull Construction & Restoration, Inc.
Photographer: Paul Warchol Photography
The master plan design for the project includes a new sanctuary complex, with a new Religious School and Study Center within renovated existing structures on a suburban site. The client’s objectives included providing new classroom space for their Religious School program, reorganizing spaces to improve functionality, and improving both interior and exterior security, safety, and accessibility. The design for the new Sanctuary employs economic building materials and natural light to create a worship space that is at once grand and intimate. A visual connection to an exterior garden to the East, behind the Bimah, is a thematic component of the plan. Landscape and the development of pedestrian connections are used to enhance the spirit of place and unify the diverse buildings on the campus. Brick was selected for its inherent beauty, timely relationship to the building and its occupants, and its ability to bolster the architectural ideas while maintaining the historical context of the campus. The architects collaborated with sustainability consultant Buro Happold to achieve LEED® certification. Besides benefitting from clay brick’s strong, durable exterior shell and regional sourcing, the Sanctuary uses a solar powered Eternal Flame specifically designed for this project.
Municipal/Government/Civic Category
© Daniel Cunningham
Prince William Adult Detention Center
Manassas, VAArchitect: HOK Architects
Builder: Thompkins Builders
Manufacturer: Endicott Clay Products Company
Distributor: Potomac Valley Brick and Supply Company
Mason Contractor: JD Long Masonry, Inc.
Photographer: Daniel Cunningham
The new public face of the detention center expresses respect for its unique, historic community and the progressive philosophy that manages inmates, visitors, and staff. A key aesthetic goal of the design was to create a formal expression for the facility that clearly identifies the new public entry, the importance of its civic function and its openness to the visiting public. The clay brick facades of a neighboring school and old court house gave inspiration to the exterior design and detailing of the detention center expansion. Accommodation of public visitors is an important functional aspect of this detention center, and the openness of the public entry, lobby, and video visiting is enhanced by extending the visitor friendly brick patterns inside the building. At the same time, because of the nature of this project, the community that hosts this regional facility was concerned with the potentially intrusive and disquieting nature of an expansion of the detention center. Additionally, the project, by necessity, incorporates security criteria such as the detention cell windows designed to prevent escape.
Paving & Landscape Architecture Category
© obs landscape architects; Town of Cary
Walnut Street Park Imaginary Garden Walk
Cary, NCLandscape Architect: obs landscape architects
Builder: Fred Adams Paving Company
Sculptor: Barbara Grygutis Sculpture, LLC
Manufacturer: Pine Hall Brick Company, Inc.
Photographer: obs landscape architects; Town of Cary
This public work of art installation, located within an 11-acre infill neighborhood park, is specifically intended to protect and exhibit the environment. The purpose of the walk is to connect one end of the park to the other and the elements in between by providing an organizational spine. The park is divided roughly along its centerline between a grassy area which has a small playground and a natural area of woods and wetlands. In between, to define the two spaces, a promenade that is roughly 15 feet wide and 800 feet long has been installed. The sculptural design depicts a long, twisting vine that enters a large circular plaza, where it bursts into bloom and holds attention through the changing of the seasons. Aesthetically, the brick and the patterns bring a level of detail that evokes movement and nature. The brick patterns enhance the pedestrian experience and provide interest for children who follow the bands of color as they walk -- colors which are permanent today and in the future. In addition, since the park is intended for everyone to enjoy, the smooth surface provides access for families who use strollers and individuals who use wheelchairs. The ease of future maintenance makes the choice of clay brick pavers fiscally responsible as well. The clay pavers themselves represent a green building material, as they are made of clay and water, which are the most abundant raw materials for construction on the planet. Clay pavers also last for centuries and can be recycled in countless ways, making them truly sustainable.
Single Family Residential Category
© Alan Karchmer: Architectural Photography
Restoration/Renovation and Addition to a 1930s Residence
Washington, DCArchitect: Muse Architects
Builder: Horizon Builders, Inc.
Manufacturer: Lawrenceville Brick, Inc.
Distributor: Potomac Valley Brick and Supply Company
Mason Contractor: B&B Masonry
Photographer: Alan Karchmer: Architectural Photographer
The owner of this existing 2-story, historic residence sought to expand and fully renovate it by restoring the original 1930s building and then extending its Art Moderne character throughout the project. To achieve this transformation, the project was driven by four goals: To extend the order of the existing building to provide a clear organization for the expanded residence; To transition from the house to the lawn and garden through a new central space; To restore the existing lawn, garden, and building; And to implement energy efficient and sustainable design measures. White painted brick, which is the primary material of the existing house and emblematic of the original house designs, became the primary material of the new construction. Not only does the project fit comfortably into the neighborhood, but the white-painted brick is also the perfect primary material to introduce other exterior materials, such as patterned-concrete block, without conflict. Additionally, the house incorporates several sustainable strategies, including a geo-thermal heating system, roof-mounted photovoltaic panels and underground tanks that capture rainwater run-off from impervious surfaces.
The winning projects will be recognized nationally through publication in a special issue of Brick In Architecture, which will be included as an insert in the November issue of Architectural Record. More information on all 51 winners is available upon request. Additionally, visuals of all of the entries from the last two competitions can be viewed on Brick Gallery at www.gobrick.com/brickgallery.
About the Author
Stephen Sears, Vice President of Marketing and Member Services at the Brick Industry Association, is a strategic marketing executive with a proven track record in blue-chip, private sector and nonprofit organizations.