3.12 AIAVT News

Vermont to Host 2012 AIANE Conference & Awards

This year's AIA New England Conference & Awards Program will be hosted by AIA Vermont at the Hilton Hotel in Burlington on October 19-21. More...

Structures From Cottages To Public Housing Receive Aiavt Design Awards

AIA Vermont held its 2011 Annual Excellence in Architecture Awards Ceremony and Annual Meeting on December 8 More...

Gossens Bachman Honored with National-Scale Socially Responsible Housing Award

Gossens Bachman Architects of Montpelier and its clients, Housing Vermont and Rockingham Community Area Land Trust, were recent recipients of the John M. Clancy Award for Socially Responsible Housing.  More...

Vermont to Host 2012 AIANE Conference & Awards

This year's AIA New England Conference & Awards Program will be hosted by AIA Vermont at the Hilton Hotel in Burlington on October 19-21. The theme is “Design of Place,” which refers to a place-oriented design response to site, climate, culture and program. Efficiency Vermont is already on board as underwriter of the event.

A major highlight of the conference is keynote presenter Patricia Patkau, AIBC, OAA, FRAIC, RCA, HFAIA, HFRIBA, CM, a recipient of the Tau Sigma Delta Gold medal for exemplary commitment to architectural education and the practice of architecture. Patkau, a partner in the firm of Patkau Architects, Vancouver, British Columbia, has for over 30 years integrated architectural, urban, social, environmental and cultural concerns in her practice. The firm's projects range in type from private residences, libraries and schools to community and academic buildings; the work focuses on the intricacies of local cultures, the specificities of places, and the material imaginations of construction.

The conference will also feature several interactive workshops, including “Introduction to Burlington” and “Design of Place” as well as several building tours, one taking place on the University of Vermont campus, a second on the Champlain College campus, a third of historic Burlington, a fourth of recent development along the city waterfront, and a fifth of energy-efficient houses in Greater Burlington.

Entertainment will also be plentiful during the event.  Activities include a “People's Choice Award” cocktail reception on Friday, where project submissions for that award may be viewed; the Design Awards Reception and Dinner on Saturday evening, where the AIANE winners will be announced, and possible leisure opportunities including playing golf. 

Participants may earn approximately 12 learning units by attending the full educational program, but may also  choose Friday-, Saturday-, or Sunday-only options. Attendance solely at the Design Awards Reception and Dinner on Saturday evening is also an option.

Conference materials, a call-for-entries brochure, and email updates will be forwarded to AIA New England members in the months to come. Visit www.aiavt.org/aiane/ for continuing updates about the conference program, how to register, and how to make hotel reservations. Out-of-towners are urged to make their hotel reservations now as October is a busy season in Vermont.

Over 30 AIA members and their staff, serving on four distinct committees, are hard at work to make this event rewarding and productive for all who attend. Members and their colleagues are urged to participate in October.

Besides Efficiency Vermont, committed sponsors for the event are Engineering Ventures, PC Construction Company, Marvin Windows and Doors, Naylor & Breen Builders, and Sherwin Williams. There are multiple opportunities for additional sponsorships; contact AIAVT's Executive Director Carol Miklos at cmiklos@ aiavt.org for details.  

AIAVT President Harry Hunt, Harry Hunt Architects, Stowe, presented nine design awards, chosen from 33 project entries received from AIA member architects throughout Vermont. Eight of the nine were cited for recognition in the Honor, Merit and Honorable Mention categories by a jury of architects from AIA Connecticut; the ninth won a People’s Choice Award.

Two southern Vermont firms received recognition at the most prestigious level: Honor Award. The first was awarded to LineSync Architecture of Wilmington for the renovation of “Cattail Cottage,” a 987 sq. ft. project on Lake Bomoseen in Hubbarton. The jury noted “There were few opportunities given the site and setting: the end result is quite wonderful.” Jurors also commended the attention to detail and sustainability.

The second Honor Award went to Centerline Architects & Planners, PC of Bennington for Cricket Hill Barn, a 700 sq. ft. renovation project on the Bennington College campus. The jury said, “The project team demonstrated confident design throughout” in creating a multipurpose space from the previously neglected structure. “While giving fine attention to detail, the team resisted the temptation toward unnecessary embellishment,” jurors added.

McLoed Kredell Architects of Middlebury received a Merit Award for “Nature Preserve House,” a private residence in Middlebury. The jury noted that “the residence sits well in the landscape” and commended its center building, fireplace element, and circular stair used for airflow. The “living roof” with well designed scuppers also drew positive comments.

A Merit Award went to TruexCullins Architecture of Burlington for a three-part residence in Jericho composed of a main residence, apartment and office. The jury liked the well-proportioned and organized floor plan. “The project is pleasant with flowing spaces, comfortable interiors and good connection to the landscape,” jurors added.

Birdseye Design of Richmond received a Merit Award for a private residence in Shelburne. The jury praised the “good proportions and excellent use of materials,” including western red cedar siding that was felt to “integrate well with the outdoors” and custom metal and wood used to construct a passive solar shading pergola.

Honorable Mention Awards were given to Gossens Bachman Architects of Montpelier for “Gile Hill,” a mixed income housing project that made use of wood harvested on-site in Hanover, NH; Birdseye Design for its “Musician's Retreat” in Waitsfield (below left), adapted from a disassembled and relocated barn; and Duncan Wisneiwski Architecture of Burlington for “Hickory Street," a public housing-urban planning project in Rutland that redeveloped a distressed housing site and reconnected it to the surrounding neighborhood.

Gossens Bachman Honored with National-Scale Socially Responsible Housing Award

Gossens Bachman Architects of Montpelier and its clients, Housing Vermont and Rockingham Community Area Land Trust, were recent recipients of the John M. Clancy Award for Socially Responsible Housing.  The recognition was awarded for the transformation of the historical NAMCO Block in Windsor.    

“Obviously, GBA is very excited about being recognized by the Boston Society of Architects and specifically for receiving the Clancy Award,” said Tom Bachman, AIA, principal, Gossens Bachman Architects. “However, the real credit goes to Housing Vermont and Rockingham Area Community Land Trust. These two groups had the vision to remake the NAMCO Block, which helped revitalize the surrounding neighborhood as well as the town of Windsor. They deserve most of the credit.”

The Clancy Award for Socially Responsible Housing was established in 2004 by the Boston Society of Architects in recognition of John M. Clancy, FAIA, of Goody Clancy Architects. The intent of the award is to recognize and encourage excellence in the planning,  design, construction and maintenance of socially responsible urban housing by honoring an organization, a group, or an individual who has been a major force behind one or more built housing developments characterized by excellence in planning, design and construction.

The jury, comprised of Rob Chandler, AIA, principal, Goody Clancy, Boston; David Block, AIA, director of planning, The Community Builders, Chicago; Deborah Goddard, chief counsel, Department of Housing and Community Development, Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Rob Chandler, AIA, principal, Goody Clancy, Boston; David Hacin, FAIA, principal, Hacin + Associates, Boston; and Jeff Stein, AIA, dean, Boston Architectural College reviewed submissions from across the United States.

About its selection process, the jurors said, "In the end, we honored six projects…In every instance the work was excellently handled from plan to completion. We recognized work that represents a mix of scales and is the result of fine contemporary thinking that elevates design beyond a basic reaction to a site’s past problems. These projects are evidence that affordable housing can be done well and can represent the urban form while bringing lovely, well-lit space to people who need it most."  

About the NAMCO Block project, specifically, the jurors said, "The entire neighborhood is revitalized by the renovation of this four-story brick apartment block, originally comprising nine identical buildings that contained 72 apartments. Dedensification was thoughtful here, incorporating a plan that reduced the number of units to 58 and provided each with a south-facing kitchen to maximize light. The rental structure was changed from low income to mixed income and represents a small town’s theological choice to fix up a very large historical site and make it appealing to a wide range and percentage of its population.  The space feels very accessible, not just mechanically, but socially, incorporating very sensitive distribution of light and views. It’s rare to find a full block of buildings without some pronounced misstep, but this work is calm and handsome. The client, who could have done so much less, should be applauded."

After the tours, participants will be treated to a talk by acclaimed landscape architect and college campus planner Doug Reed, a principal at Reed Hilderbrand LLC, Watertown, Mass. Reed’s firm has twice received ASLA’s highest award for design excellence—for the Children’s Therapeutic Garden, Wellesley, Mass. and the Leventritt Garden at Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum. The firm also received an AIA/SCUP award for Bennington College’s Master Plan.

AIAVT member Donald Sherefkin, a professor of architecture at Bennington since 1996, will present a history of the College’s built environment through a series of photographic images. Sherefkin practices in New York as well as Vermont and has taught at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, where he also headed the University's in-house architecture office at Mies van der Rohe's historic campus.

The educational component of the event offers three learning units and is followed by a reception. All AIA members and their colleagues are urged to take the opportunity to network with other architects and building professionals in the awe-inspiring setting of the Bennington campus.

More emails will be sent out to members in the coming weeks.

Register online.