architecture

Thursday, November 3, 2005

Follow-up #2: 2005 AIA Chicago Awards

After attending the AIA Chicago Design Excellence Awards dinner last week, I posted about the role of photography in creating impressions for those unable to experience the actual architecture, in particular as a means to win awards. Now AIA Chicago has their 2005 Awards web site up and running, with plenty of images to digest. Not only are the winners featured, but thumbnails of all the non-winners accompany them in their respective categories: Distinguished Building, Interior Architecture, and Divine Detail.

Rather than recapping some of the winners, as I've done in the past, I thought I would look at some of the non-winners and leave the winners for my weekly page this coming Monday.

Some Distinguished Building submissions:

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Abello House by Xavier Vendrell Studio stands out not only for its contemporary single-family design, but for its setting in Spain which has obviously influenced the character of the house.

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Niles Police Station by PSA-Dewberry is a striking piece in its otherwise banal suburban surroundings that made my head turn as I drove by it under construction a year or so ago.

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Willow Residence by Searl and Associates is one of my favorite houses in the city, an addition/renovation on a double-wide lot with a well-scaled courtyard set behind a screen wall.

Some Interior Architecture submissions:

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Chait Residence by Florian Architects may have an unfortunately-placed talking head on the left, but look at that lush courtyard!

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Private Residence by Dirk Denison Architects doesn't include an interior view, for some reason, though if the level of detail on the outside is any indication, the inside should be well done.

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Tank Sushi by Proteus Group sits in my 'hood, and while the interior doesn't stray too far from what's popular in restaurant design these days, the sushi's excellent. I recommend the Crazy Eel.

Some Divine Detail submissions:

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Horizon Steel Panels & Glass Channel Curtainwall by Optima is highly visible from Evanston's purple line. Along with other Optima developments, this one is high above the standard of other city and suburban condos.

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111 South Wacker cablewall by Lohan Caprile Goettsch is sure pretty, but...

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111 South Wacker parking ramp by the same is a bad idea in my book. There must be better solutions than glorifying a parking ramp in your lobby.

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