Archinect - News

National Organization of Minority Architects launches Phil Freelon Professional Design Award program

2019-08-29T19:00:00-04:00

The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) has renamed its annual design awards program in honor of the late architect Phil Freelon.

Freelon passed away on July 9th, 2019 after being diagnosed with ALS in 2016.

A statement announcing the group's decision to rename the award program in honor of Freelon explains: "NOMA is renaming the decades-old prestigious design awards in honor of Phil Freelon’s notable career, recognizing him as one of the most influential African American architects of our time."

Freelon was a lifelong NOMA member and advocated widely for many of the principles the organization embodies, including its emphasis on empowering and uplifting young, diverse architects within the field. Throughout his career, Freelon led the architectural teams behind a collection of significant projects that celebrate the African American experience, including the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta; the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco;...

Why enter the ABB LEAF Awards?

2018-05-16T08:00:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by ABB LEAF Awards.

The LEAF Awards is an annual awards ceremony founded in 2001 that brings together leading architects, designers, developers and suppliers from around the world. It recognises innovative architectural design projects and celebrates excellence in building design on an international scale. Every year each entry project is judged within its specific category by a leading panel of esteemed industry experts from around the world. Typically the LEAF Awards receive over 200 entries from a variety of architectural practices with recently completed or almost completed building design projects.

Following on from the truly international success and recognition of the 2017 ABB LEAF Awards, we are excited to announce that the ABB LEAF Awards 2018 will be held on Thursday 18th October, 2018, Frankfurt, Germany.

2018 welcomes the introduction of combining the ABB LEAF Awards with its partner event, LEAF Forum 2018, taking place on the 17th and 18th O...

Announcing the LEAF Awards and International Forum to be held this October

2018-04-26T09:00:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by ABB LEAF Awards.

The LEAF Awards is an annual awards ceremony founded in 2001 that brings together leading architects, designers, developers and suppliers from around the world. It recognizes innovative architectural design projects and celebrates excellence in building design on an international scale. Every year each entry project is judged within its specific category by a leading panel of esteemed industry experts from around the world. Typically the LEAF Awards receive over 200 entries from a variety of architectural practices with recently completed or almost completed building design projects.

Following on from the truly international success and recognition of the 2017 ABB LEAF Awards, we are excited to announce that the ABB LEAF Awards 2018 will be held on Thursday 18th October, 2018, Frankfurt, Germany. 2018 welcomes the introduction of combining the ABB LEAF Awards with its partner event, LEAF Forum 2018, taking place on the 17th and 18th O...

AIANY revoke 2018 Design Awards from Richard Meier and Peter Marino

2018-03-23T02:35:00-04:00

... given allegations of inappropriate and unacceptable behavior by two AIANY 2018 Design Award Recipients—Richard Meier and Peter Marino—the AIANY Board of Directors has made the decision to rescind the honors that were announced in January 2018 and were to be celebrated at the Honors and Awards Luncheon next month.

AIANY executive director Benjamin Prosky issued a statement on their decision to revoke Design Awards from Richard Meier and Peter Marino. Prosky states, “Our decision does not speak to the design quality of the projects or the contributions from the respective firms’ design teams, rather we cannot in good conscience confer these awards under these circumstances.”

The full statement by AIANY can be read here.

AIA New York announces 2017 Design Awards winners

2017-03-07T17:54:00-05:00

Every year, the AIA New York Design Awards recognize the exceptional work of its members, locally practicing architects, and New York-based projects. From large-scale urban interventions to temporary installations, this year's winning projects — which were granted either an Honor or Merit — were judged on design quality, response to its context and community, program resolution, innovation, thoughtfulness, and technique.

Here are a few of this year's winners:

Architecture Category - Honor: Steven Holl Architects for University of Iowa Visual Arts Building

Photo © Iwan Baan

Architecture Category - Merit: Deborah Berke Partners for Cummins Indy Distribution Headquarters

Photo courtesy 2017 AIANY Design Awards.

Interiors Category - Honor: Jordan Parnass Digital Architecture for Dwana Smallwood Performing Arts Center.

Photo © Amy Barkow | barkow photo.

Projects Category - Honor: Practice for Architecture and Urbanism for Penn Palimpsest.

Image © Practice for Architecture and Urbanism.

Projects Category - Merit: StudioKCA for NASA Orbit Pavilion.

Photo © Chuck Choi

Urban Design Category - Merit: Studio V Architecture for Maker Park.

Image © Studio V Architecture.

(cover) Architecture Category: Best in Competition + Honor: D...

Do architecture awards matter?

2017-01-17T14:16:00-05:00

Almost singing the refrain, "What do awards have to do with it?" writer Ben Willis investigates the disconnect between the plethora of architectural awards, both those that recognize aesthetics and those that focus on data-driven technical specs, and the public's (and for that matter, other architects') incomprehension of what these prizes mean. With so many awards and so many buildings that fellow professionals have never visited or heard of before the merit is given, what exactly is the value of an architectural award? Using an Oscar analogy, Willis explains just what he's talking about:

Whereas non-filmmakers have access to nearly all of the films considered for major film awards, most non-architects don’t have first-hand experience with any of the buildings and designers being considered for awards. Many casual movie-goers know what defines an award-winning movie, and yet the criteria used to define award-winning buildings are often so disconnected from the public’s experience...

2016 Matsumoto Prize Online Voting Now Open

2016-06-06T17:37:00-04:00

Recognizing excellence in North Carolina Modernist residential design

Online voting for the 2016 George Matsumoto Prize: Recognizing Excellence in North Carolina Modernist Residential Design, begins today at:

https://ncmhcompetitions.squarespace.com

The 2016 Matsumoto Prize, supported by the McAdams Foundation, includes public voting to determine three “People’s Choice” winners. Anyone may vote by email (one time per email address) for his or her favorite entry starting today and running through June 29.

The Matsumoto Prize is named for George Matsumoto, FAIA, an eminent Modernist architect well-known for exceptional residential designs.

Matsumoto also serves as Honorary Chair for the Prize’s blue-ribbon jury of professional architects who select the Jury Award winners of cash prizes from a pool of $6000.

“These entries inspire people dreaming of a Modernist house to know Modernist design is affordable, efficient, sustainable, and most importantly, a house their families will love for dec...

2015 Matsumoto Prize honors six exemplary modernist houses

2015-07-29T19:29:00-04:00

Non-profit North Carolina Modernist Houses has announced the six winners – three Jury awards and three People’s Choice awards – of the 2015 George Matsumoto Prize for Modernist residential design. The winners were announced on July 16 during a special event at McConnell Studios in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Matsumoto Prize honors George Matsumoto, FAIA, a founding faculty member at the North Carolina State University School of Design (now College of Design), and well-known designer of exemplary mid-century Modernist houses in North Carolina. Matsumoto also served as Honorary Chair of the professional jury. Submissions to the annual competition must be houses in North Carolina, but designers may be based anywhere. A panel of distinguished architects including Jeanne Gang and Peter Gluck selected the Jury Award winners.

The 2015 Jury winners are:

↓ First Prize ($3000) – CUBE design + research, Chapel Hill, for the Aiyyer Residence in Carrboro, NC.

↓ Second Prize ($2000) – Toni...

Modernist Houses Across North Carolina Win Top Honors In The 2014 Matsumoto Prize

2014-07-23T13:54:00-04:00

Modernist houses from Asheville to Wilmington received top honors last week in the third annual George Matsumoto Prize for Modernist residential design across the state, sponsored by the award-winning non-profit organization North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH).

The houses submitted had to be in North Carolina but the designers could be based anywhere. All submissions were capable of winning in two, or both, categories: the Jury Awards and the People’s Choice Awards.

During a special ceremony that NCMH held at the Contemporary Art Museum in downtown Raleigh, sponsored by CAM, Foundation bar, and Palette & Parlor, architect Frank Harmon, FAIA, announced the winners of the Jury Awards category, which were chosen by a team of professional architects from California, Massachusetts, and New York, and included cash prizes. The 2014 Jury Award winners were:

First Place: The Smart-Stell House in Durham, designed and built by Vincent Petrarca of Tonic Design + Tonic Construction of Raleigh.
Se...