At its annual convention, the Architectural Precast Association announced winning 2009 APA Awards for Design & Manufacturing Excellence Competition projects.
At its annual convention, the Architectural Precast Association announced winning 2009 APA Awards for Design & Manufacturing Excellence Competition projects. Honoring examples of outstanding architectural precast design and fabrication, the annual awards program recently has been expanded to include nine entry classifications to ensure each project is judged on the merits of its particular building category. Under the new program, 10 projects shared top honors.
An independent jury of three selected winners from the field of entries. Chairman of the awards jury was Ted Fery, AIA, CSI, of VOA, principal-in-charge for all federal/DoD projects throughout the Southeast and abroad. Also serving as judges were Carl Shea, AIA, and John Page, AIA, LEED AP. Joel Foderberg of Kansas City-based Omega Concrete Systems, Inc., was chairman of the APA Awards Committee.
COMMERCIAL CATEGORY
Capital View
Washington, D.C.
Architect: Shalom Baranes Assoc., Washington, D.C.
Precaster: Arban & Carosi, Inc., Woodbridge, Va.
Judges’ remarks: A simple precast panel system features crisp, clean reveals that support the design intent of creating a visually interesting face pattern, heightened by the rhythm between solids and voids. Yet, the architecture’s true high-point is the consistency of panel coloration.
Republic Square
Washington, D.C.
Architect: Leo A Daly, Washington, D.C.
Precaster: Arban & Carosi, Inc., Woodbridge, Va.
Judges’ remarks: The contemporary interpretation of a traditional urban design relies on quality detailing to create a simple yet dignified fa¡ade. A subtle change in coloration from the building’s base to its shaft attests to a high degree of control during fabrication, also evident in cylinder and dome elements.
HOTEL CATEGORY
The Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center
National Harbor, Maryland
Architect: Gensler, Washington, D.C.
Precaster: Arban & Carosi, Inc., Woodbridge, Va.
Judges’ remarks: For the massive project, the challenge of quality control in producing a large number of panels varying in color and texture was compounded by the necessity of precast fabrication at two locations. The size of the complex is downplayed by variety in cladding, as precast panels in combination with the glazing system create a play between solid and void, transparent and opaque. Subtle texturing of panels beside the windows further contributes to the effect.
Marriott North Bethesda Hotel and Convention Center
North Bethesda, Maryland
Architects: RTKL, Washington, D.C., and BBG-BBGM, Washington, D.C.
Precaster: Arban & Carosi, Inc., Woodbridge, Va.
Judges’ remarks: A large number of panel types with varying coloration and texture helps break down massive scale, especially of the main building. Outstanding execution is evident in the project’s curved portion, as well as the steel and precast column detail.
EDUCATIONAL CATEGORY
Loyola Residence
Chicago
Architect: Temple Architects, St. Charles, Ill.
Precaster: Architectural Cast Stone, West Chicago
Judges’ remarks: Precast fascia give the appearance of concrete extruded through a mold, accentuating and giving character to what could have been a bland brick university building.
MEDICAL/GOVERNMENT CATEGORY
FDIC Headquarters
Arlington, Virginia
Architect: Perkin & Will, Washington, D.C.
Precaster: Arban & Carosi, Inc., Woodbridge, Va.
Judges’ remarks: Superior quality control was demonstrated in the fabrication of a wide range of panel sizes and configurations, as well as achieving continuity of coloration and texture from building to building, plus matching existing panels. In a project of impressive size, the lower two floors of the complex are differentiated to emphasize a more human scale.
SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL
14500 Gaillardia Lane residence
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Architect: Covert & Associates, Dallas
Precaster: Structural Stone, Oklahoma City
Judges’ remarks: Columns, capitals, and arches help create and reinforce the home’s Mediterranean appearance; the load-bearing columns especially constitute aesthetic as well as functional elements. Moreover, the producer was responsible for all phases of development, from designing to installation.
MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL
The Riverway Residential High-Rise
Houston
Architect: Gromatzky Dupree, Dallas
Precaster: Redondo Manufacturing, San Antonio
Judges’ remarks: Multicolor panel composition from building base to shaft creates a visually exciting exterior envelope for the multistory condo tower. Height at the entry arcade is emphasized by layering of surfaces that create vertical shadows, accentuated by crisp corners, surfaces and joints.
TRIM/LANDSCAPE CATEGORY
Pentagon 9/11 Memorial
Arlington, Virginia
Architect: KBAS Studios, Philadelphia, Pa.
Precaster: Arban & Carosi, Inc., Woodbridge, Va.
Judges’ remarks: A striking tribute to victims and their families of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, precast elements comprising each bench configuration required a craftsman’s hand and a scientist’s intellect.
GFRC CATEGORY
The Ritz Carlton Club and Residences
San Francisco
Architects: Page & Turnbull, San Francisco, and Charles Bloszies Architects, San Francisco
Precaster: Architectural Facades Unlimited, Inc., Gilroy, Calif.
Judges’remarks: Exemplifying successful restoration of the fa¡ade of an architectural gem, the level of detail of new castings matches the quality of the original stonework. Various elements effectively blended with their respective adjacent materials, as they demonstrated achievement of a near perfect solution.
CRAFTSMANSHIP AWARDS
In contrast to Design and Manufacturing Awards granted on the basis of architects’ evaluation of entire buildings, Craftsmanship Awards are judged by fellow APA members in recognition of outstanding workmanship for individual precast pieces and their corresponding molds. Selected this year as Craftsmanship Award winners were Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo.; Government Project ÎXÌ; and, Houston’s Four Seasons Fire Pit & Bench.
Project ÎXÌ: Government Project – Fort Belvoir, Virginia
Architect: RTKL, Baltimore
Precaster: Arban & Carosi, Inc., Woodbridge, Va.
Four Seasons Fire Pit & Bench – Houston
Architect: SWA Architects, Houston
Precaster: Redondo Manufacturing, San Antonio