Fire stations in Dallas and Iowa, a renovated cultural center, an Iowa sports complex, a Sarasota, Fla., residence and the School of the Art Institute in Chicago took top honors at the Association of Licensed Architects (ALA) 17th Annual Design Awards, which recognized projects in 13 states for design and construction achievement.
A total of 30 Presidential, Gold, Silver and Merit awards were presented in commercial, institutional, residential, renovation, religious, interior and unbuilt categories.
The highest honor, the Don Erickson Presidential Award, went to Dallas Fire Station #37, designed by Dewberry, Elgin, Ill. The project also won a Silver Award in the institutional category. Judges lauded the project for its beautiful exterior, open, functioning plan and level of detail.
“This year’s winning projects featured noteworthy use of space, new aesthetics and an attractive simplicity,” says Joanne Sullivan, ALA executive director.
Gold Award winners included: Muscatine Fire Station, Muscatine, Iowa; INVISION Architecture; School of the Art Institute, Chicago; JGMA; Spring Creek Sports Complex, Altoona, Iowa; ASK Studio; Verandah House, Sarasota; Halflants + Pichette Architects and Warren Cultural Center, Greenfield, Iowa; INVISION Architecture.
Architects, contractors, owners/developers and guests attended the recent award presentation at Medinah Country Club, which was emceed by Geoffrey Baer, WTTW Emmy-winning producer recognized for numerous programs on Chicago architecture.
ALA 2015 Design Awards entries were evaluated by a panel of judges, including James J. Belli, FALA, LEED AP, president of Belli & Belli Architects Inc.; Robert F. Bleck, principal in charge at Bleck & Bleck Architects; David Kuhlman, ALA, president and director of design at Jaeger Nickola Kuhlman & Associates (JNKA); Robin Randall, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, head of Legat Architects’ K-12 Education practice and Marc Swackhamer associate professor and Head of the School of Architecture at the University of Minnesota.
The Presidential Award is named for the founder and first president of ALA, Don Erickson (1929 to 2006), who formed the association in 1998, and was a student and protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright.
The ALA Awards reception and program sponsor was Andersen Windows. Reception sponsors included Moen Inc., USI and a/e ProNet and WaterFurnace.