AIA Design Awards

On Friday night the Portland chapter of the American Institute of Architects held its annual Design Awards gala as part of Architecture Week 2005. The top prize, the Honor Award, went to two projects: the Niemeyer Arts Center at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City, designed by Opsis Architecture; and the Temporary Arts Complex at MachineWorks, designed by BOORA Architects for the Time-Based Art festival.

It’s hard to argue with the Niemeyer Center. It’s a poetically simple modern building of concrete and glass that’s also admirably sustainable. I can only assume that Opsis will continue to emerge as one of the region's best designers of public buildings.

I can completely understand the jury’s affection for the TBA festival space; it was very compelling and ingenious. But should it be favored over complete lasting buildings? Much as I admire what BOORA did, I’d have found it difficult to choose that project over, say, the Belmont Street Lofts by Holst or the Hillsdale Branch Library by Thomas Hacker, both of which won People Choice Awards but didn’t garner any recognition from the jury. (Hacker did win a Merit Award for another project, the US Port of Entry in Blaine, Washington.)

Another award, the Unbuilt Merit Award, went to a new firm, Works Partnership Architecture, for the Yamhill Insustrial WORKspace Buidling. Works Partnership is comprised in part of two former architects from Opsis (one of whom, Bill Neburka, was project designer for the Niemeyer Center and also co-designed the unbuilt Albina Arts Center, which won a previous AIA award, with the ultra-talented Rick Potestio) and one from DiLoreto Architects. The firm has assisted developer Brad Malsin with the Eastbank Commerce Center, Water Avenue Commerce Center, and a restoration of the B&O Warehouse in the Central Eastside. I would love to see this new building get built.

The South Waterfront Discovery Center, which played host to the ceremony, itself was honored for its architecture, courtesy of GBD Architects and Ziba Design. Watch out for Ziba in the future. Although the company is has been known in the past for its industrial design (everything from an ergonomic keyboard to a new squeegee), Ziba is now orienting itself more toward experiential design, where architecture and marketing meet to, ideally, form something greater than the sum of their parts. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ziba again partner with GBD on the in-progress Armory project at the Brewery Blocks (although that’s definitely a bizarre drama in and of itself).

Still another award, the Built Citation Award, went to Skylab Architecture for Doug Fir restaurant. I unabashedly adore both the interior architecture and the crispy hash browns at Doug Fir, so the only question left is, who is going to hire Skylab next? Hopefully some developer is reading this. Or, failing that, the owner of the Galaxy restaurant across from Doug Fir, which is crying out for a Jeff Kovel-santioned makeover.

One of the three People’s Choice Awards went to a house on the Oregon Coast designed by architect Nathan Good that achieves “net zero” energy use. (In other words, it generates as much as it uses.) Good’s home follows the Rose House by SERA Architects, which I believe achieves the same goal. Hopefully these projects are just the first of many.

And the first Mayor’s Design Award to be given out by Tom Potter was bestowed upon Richard Brown Architects’ design for a New Seasons grocery store at Arbor Lodge. As a loyal patron of another New Seasons (on Southeast Division), I appreciate how the architecture contributes to a much more favorable shopping experience. But I also think Potter’s selection adds increasing credibility to many people’s fear that the mayor is simply not that interested in architecture. With all due respect to Brown, an excellent architect, or to the mayor himself, do you think Vera Katz would have chosen a grocery store as the best architecture in Portland over the last year?

Comments

[Agustin]

I think you might be misreading Mayor Potter's choice. It is in an area with little "architecture" and is a popular addition to the neighborhood. Maybe it was simply a shrewd political move. But its also entirely possible that for him it overtly embodies a sense of community pride that he preaches about and, who knows, he could honestly like the building--I do. Of course, its hard to say what Vera would have chosen this year, but 3 years ago (2002) she gave Brewery Block 1 the Mayor's Award. Block 1 has a lot of things (cooling towers for the brewery block complex, exposed structural framing, a nod to historic preservation) but its most salient and identifying aspect is Whole Foods--a grocery store.

[Brian]

Augustin, I'm sure the mayor honestly does like the New Seasons building. And I completely agree it seems like a symbolic move - that's precisely what I was saying. Although it's a very nice project, the fact that it makes such a perfect tie-in to Mr. Potter's community-building and "visioning" is precisely what wrangled me a bit. It didn't seem as much like an architectural decision as I would have liked it to be. But I'll be the first to admit I may be acting too puritanical about it.

The mayor is obviously free to select whichever project he feels fit for the award, and he is not bound to any particular way of reasoning when he makes that choice. And maybe I'm just too biased towards architecture with a capital 'A'. But, based on what I've seen so far in Potter's admittedly short tenure, and had confirmed in my mind with this year's Mayor's Design Award recipient, I think Vera Katz seems to have been more sophisticated in her appreciation of architecture.

Yes, as you say, Katz also chose for the award a building that included a grocery store. But as one of the Brewery Blocks, it was a much higher-density mixed-use building, which is a far more complex building program (especially when you figure in the underground parking) than -- however good it may be -- a single-story grocery store with a surface parking lot.

Besides, another year Katz chose Allied Works' 2281 Glisan building. Now that was a great choice.

Again, though, that New Seasons of Richard Brown's is terrific.

And I still think overall Tom Potter is doing a good job as mayor. I just hope he will come to think of design beyond the other, however-noble mantras he preaches of community consensus.

[Ryan]

Wow. I am shocked and bewildered that the Holst project did not win an award. The project's sophisticated facade is amazing - especially for a project built in Portland. Who was on the jury?

Thanks for the tip on Works Partnership - I think it's particularly exciting to see a new architecture firm with what looks like a very serious interest in urbanism as well.

[stuart]

This year's Jury included Bruce Fowle, FAIA of NYC (I'm not sure if this will hyperlink, but his website is http://www.fxfowle.com/ ); Eddie Jones, AIA of Phoenix ( http://www.jonesstudioinc.com/ ); and Randall Stout, FAIA of Los Angeles ( http://www.stoutarc.com/ ).

From an AIA staff perspective, it's always interesting to see how much a jury's design sensibilities and social dynamics will vary from one year to the next. I've seen numerous projects leave one jury unmoved and then be resubmitted the next year and receive the highest awards (and then of course that can go both ways).

Neither here nor there, but as an inner-eastsider it was nice to see so many projects from my 'hood recognized this year...

[angie]

Maybe it's just me, but I find it incredibly odd that the Portland AIA web site lists the name of the award, the name of the project, BUT NOT THE NAME OF THE ARCHITECTURE FIRM WHO DESIGNED IT! Just plain wierd.

[stuart]

Click on the title (it changes color when you run your cursor over it) and an info page opens that lists firm, contractor, owner, etc. I'll try and add the firm field to the main menu bar if it doesn't require dropping the point size any further.

[angie]

Aahhhh. Thanks Stuart!

[Jimmy G]

You forgot to mention the Bear Wallows Pavillion in Bend, which won the Craftmanship Award from Bolighus Architecture.