2010 Jurors

	Category:  Architecture under 50,000 SF Dillon Kyle Architecture Meredith Long Gallery Carport and Parking Plaza With its high profile but spatially limited location on busy San Felipe Street in Houston, this whimsical carport and parking plaza establishes a heightened street presence for the Long Gallery. The parking lot in effect becomes a billboard, with its sculptural carport providing a visual delight for passersby as well as occupants. The need to fit as many cars as possible into the limited site left very little room for green space or plantings. In response, the parking structure itself became a virtual topiary fantasy, a sculptural element covered in a blown - up graphic of foliage. Galvanized steel gates and simple grass berms complement the carport’s modern lines, which can also be used as an entertainment space during gallery openings and other events.
	Category:  Architecture over 50,000 SF Leo A Daly/LAN + PageSoutherlandPage,  A Joint Venture General Services Administration Regional Field Office  The design is generated by careful integration of concerns for security, sustainability, and appropriate image into a thoroughly synthesized design solution. Targeting LEED certification, the building has been carefully sited and designed to maximize environmental sensitivity, promote day-lighting and views, and provide for the potential of solar energy capture. The plan is purposefully narrow, presenting broad faces to the south and north, and thin faces to the east and west. A lightweight metal frame was hung from concrete walls to carry a “second skin” for the building. Heavily fritted laminated glass, placed away from the thermal wall of the building, shades the structure substantially from direct heat gain. The space between the skins becomes a significantly cooled microclimate. Apertures in the glass skin, somewhat smaller than the actual windows, are placed to provide day-lighting with reduced glare for interior work spaces. The concrete walls are sheathed in aluminum shingles that both reflect heat and allow the high thermal mass of the concrete to benefit the temperature stability of the structure. On the north side of the building the aluminum surface is fully revealed and is animated by varied window patterns reflecting the extremely divergent view and lighting requirements of functions on this face of the building. The high performance skin of the building is employed as a major image generator. The aluminum shingles provide a bright, neutral backdrop on which to project the constantly changing light and shadow patterns from the glass skin.
	Category:  Interior Architecture Rottet Studio Gulf South    This 100 year-old Houston gas pipeline management and construction firm wanted to create a comfortable, inexpensive space for employees that maintained a strong brand. The office walls, interior walls, and furniture were pulled away from the perimeter to give the view of the city back to the employees. Public zones were clustered on each side of the elevator lobby to allow open spaces for informal gatherings. This provides an open view from one end of the building to the other, flooding the interior with natural light. A metaphorical representation of the pipeline was used to unify gathering areas. A ‘pipeline wrap’ interlaces through the Coffee Bar, Conference Rooms, Reception, Lounge and Elevator Lobby. It varies among a floor surface, wall, ceiling, countertop or conference table and moves through the space. The team used pieces of the pipeline, cut, chrome-plated and placed on the ‘pipeline wrap’ for display throughout the office as art to reinforce the company brand. The company also had a photography collection of the history and building of their pipelines. The designers used the photography as an integral part of the space.
	Category:  Interior Architecture Rottet Studio Artis The design team aimed to create a relaxing work space tailored to the company’s unique culture, the San Francisco environment and an environment that was more home than office to the 14-person trading team. The office was conceived as a “white box.” As the white planes peel away, the materials, textures and colors behind are revealed resulting in a “visually quiet” space which counteracts the constant visual stimulation of multiple computer screens. No walls touch the perimeter and service areas are located around the core, allowing clear views throughout the space of the entire city. Custom carpet emulates water lapping on the shore. A dark gray cleft stone surrounds the entire floor between columns to reinforce the notion of rippling tides at the water’s edge. Along the Bay side, incisions are cut into the white box in the ceiling in a pattern that emulates barges in the Bay. These incisions are carved away to reveal a warm wood material beyond and provide ambient light. The city side is more rigid and orthogonal mimicking the city’s grid pattern. The six small offices double as mini art galleries. A giant door conceals the work area and, when closed, the room is void of visual elements allowing the impressive art collection to be the feature. The lounge-style chairs with matching ottomans allow employees to retreat into their “home” and relax.
	Category:  Interior Architecture Stern and Bucek Architects Caddell/Chapman Apartment What formerly comprised four apartments on the top floor of Houston’s Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Houston was converted to one 4,900 SF apartment for a couple and their two young children.  The plan was configured as a series of linked spaces along the outside window wall to take maximum advantage of spectacular views of Houston’s skyline, Discovery Green and the expanse of the Gulf Coast plain to the southeast. Through major repositioning of infrastructure items such as roof drains and mechanical ducting, the architects were able to establish a higher ceiling height in the living areas. The apartment is arranged in three zones: the living, dining and kitchen areas in the center; a two bedroom children’s wing on one side of the living area; library, media room and master bedroom suite on the other side. These rooms and spaces align the continuous window wall, with bathrooms and storage areas discreetly arranged along the interior corridor side of the apartment. Rather than conventional sheet rock partitioning between each space, room divisions are accomplished with storage units that contain a combination of bookshelves, cabinets and closets all fabricated from white oak veneer. White oak veneer paneling accents the walls in the living area, and white oak flooring is used throughout the living spaces.
	Category:  Residential Architecture Collaborative Designworks House 2X HOUSE X2 emerged as the product of compromise, flexibility, and creativity.  The challenging site at the edge of an established the residential and commercial neighbors bordering the property, a much appreciated resolution to the challenge created by Houston’s lack of zoning policies.  The building’s contemporary aesthetic makes use of commercial materials and technologies for the live-work scheme, helping to mediate between the adjacent traditional residences and the larger scale of nearby office buildings.  The Architect’s intention to pursue LEED certification helped to ease pressures from restrictive city planning requirements and was heralded by the Home Owners Association.  The city’s development code required the building to be set back a third of the width of the site, dictating a more vertical solution, but also bestowing the advantage of tree-top views.  The sculpted form of the structure helps to shade larger windows, cover the entries & terraces, and allow for more desirable window placement while preserving privacy.
	Category:  Residential Architecture MC2 Architects Courtyard House Situated in one of Houston’s progressive residential neighborhoods, this house is surrounded by mature live oak trees. White stucco exterior elevations provide a blank canvas that highlights a dramatic play of dappled sunlight and deep shadows on sunny days. The house’s austere outer shell and perimeter walls enclose a luxuriously outfitted interior organized around a central courtyard with pools and waterfalls. The ground level is designed for living and entertaining. Granite tiles cover all indoor spaces, and extend outdoors to the edges of the courtyard pool. The central interior space is a double height living area flanked on the north and south sides by the kitchen and a wet bar respectively.  The living room opens up to the courtyard on the east through a retractable glass partition. The western wall features a recessed niche for media projections. From above, diffused light enters through a series of clerestories. The second level is designed for private refuge. The bedrooms are organized into two wings that extend from the central living area and embrace the courtyard. The south wing, which faces the street, is the master suite.  It bridges over the lap pool.  Across the courtyard, the north wing contains secondary bedrooms and guest quarters.
	Category:  Residential Architecture Nonya Grenader, FAIA, Architect Blossom Street Houses A mother and daughter desired separate living spaces with shared outside areas. They specified interiors that would be filled with natural light while offering a backdrop for a varied collection of art and artifacts.  Set in a mixed use neighborhood containing a large inventory of metal buildings, the clients wanted modest and durable materials that would require low maintenance over time. The two houses frame a communal outdoor area and each house has views to the existing trees. The mother’s larger house has an abundance of natural light and a strong linear circulation on both floors, offering a sequence of vantage points to the art distributed throughout all rooms. The daughter’s smaller house (above a garage) is a compact layering of spaces, with a focus on sustainable materials (bamboo flooring, low VOC paints, low-flow fixtures) and expansive views to the site. Both buildings are clad in materials that require minimal maintenance--corrugated metal siding, with metal windows (energy star, with 70% of aluminum re-cycled content) and metal roofs. Wide overhangs protect the houses from Houston’s harsh sun and rain. The two buildings are designed in conversation with one another: each having distinct and private orientations while coming together in shared site spaces.
	Category: Residential Architecture StudioMET Architects Milford Live/Work This project explores the design possibilities of mixed uses on a small scale. The client’s program included an office space for her interior design company, guest quarters, and a private residence. The budget constrained the project to a size of less than 3,800 SF. The resulting design consists of a series of CMU wall planes of varying heights that divide the site into different zones: a central circulation spine that connects the front gate with the entry court and stair, a public zone that houses the downstairs office and upstairs living/dining/kitchen, and a private zone for the client’s bedroom suite that floats above an open-air carport set far back from the street. The office accommodates five workstations and is sited at the front for easy street access and to allow space for the guest quarters behind. Upstairs, the living/dining/kitchen has north facing glass that brings in natural light and opens out to a large terrace that provides exterior space for the residence. The owner’s bedroom suite connects to the public zone only by a bridge that slices a small opening into a two-story concrete wall that provides visual and acoustic separation. The exterior materials of concrete block and corrugated metal siding were chosen for their durability and ease of maintenance in the harsh southeast Texas climate. Large glass areas are confined to north facing walls while smaller punched openings exist on the other faces to allow for natural light while minimizing solar heat gain and preserving privacy.
	Category: Renovation/Restoration Smith and Company Architects The African American Library at the Gregory School The Gregory School, vacant since 1983, was Houston’s first African-American public school. Located in historic Freedmen’s Town, the school was transformed into a research library that creates an interpretive experience profoundly connecting the school with the surrounding community as the new center for interpreting African-American culture through history. The first floor of the library is dedicated to exhibits and an art gallery focused on the African-American experience. The second floor is a reading and research floor including book stacks and special collection rooms. The design implements sustainable building practices, and the library is seeking a Gold Level certification from the USGBC. Sustainable building features include enhanced energy-efficiency; day-lighting and views; reduction of indoor pollutants; redirection of construction debris from the landfill; reduction of heat island effect; recycled and regional materials; and enhanced building commissioning to ensure high performance. This restoration resulted in a dramatic transformation of the existing structure to its original 1926 appearance. Windows were removed, carefully restored, and reinstalled. Bricks were carefully cleaned and preserved using special chemicals and processes. The central corridors were restored to mimic their original appearance, with historically-accurate unfinished concrete floors. Stairs feature original wood handrails. A new entrance lobby, enclosed in structural glass, allows views to the historic walls, windows, and doors. Much of the original wood structural system on interior was removed and replaced with steel, including the roof. No original documents existed for the building, which led to extensive collaboration between the design/construction/owner team to resolve challenges as they arose.
	Category: Renovation/Restoration Stern and Bucek Architects Sengelmann Hall, Schulenberg, Texas From 1894 until the late 1940’s, Sengelmann Hall in Schulenberg played host to public balls, meetings, weddings and musical performances. The dance hall’s significance is derived in part because it is one of only two, two-story masonry dance halls constructed in Texas. After the dance hall ceased operations, the historic structure was converted to a Western Auto automotive parts store. The second floor dance hall was utilized for storage, thus that space was well preserved. Unfortunately, subsequent tenants greatly altered the historic store front and first floor interior spaces. The second story balcony was removed. The most important design challenge was how to best provide accessible restrooms, elevator, second means of egress and a commercial kitchen, without compromising the historic character. To keep the dance hall intact, the adjacent 1894 City Meat Market Building was purchased to house the commercial kitchen, and provide space behind that building for a two-story addition containing restrooms, elevator and egress stair - thus allowing the dance hall, saloon, restaurant and biergarten to be restored. These interventions were skillfully executed in order to restore and preserve the original character of both buildings which are listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Today Sengelmann Hall is once again a popular venue for dancing, live music, dining and community functions, and has significantly revived the heart of historic Schulenberg.
	Category: On the Boards MC2 Architects Lake Houston Park Lake Houston Wilderness Park is the City of Houston’s newest regional park. The park is distinctive in three significant ways. First, it is an urban park that is largely an undisturbed and forested wilderness.  In the foreseeable future, the park will be completely surrounded by Houston’s urban fabric. Second, the park is extremely large, comprising almost 5,000 acres. Third, the park is situated at the confluence of two tributaries to Lake Houston, a major source of municipal drinking water.  Because the land serves as a filter for runoff from surrounding urban development before it enters the lake, the health of the ecology is especially critical. The architectural challenge is to find a minimally invasive way to make the park accessible to the public and raise revenue for the stewardship of its ecology. Camping and event facilities are confined to a relatively small section of the park closest to the main entrance to reduce the required clearing for access roads and utilities. Heavy timber that is cleared will be the primary material for construction of the rugged structures which combine traditional log building techniques with 21st century design and technology. Log and rammed earth enclosures are covered with standing seam metal roofs in a variety of iconic shapes that complement the landscape and serve as effective rainwater catchment surfaces. Use of rainwater for toilet flushing and aerobic wastewater treatment systems minimizes reliance on outside resources and infrastructure costs.
	Category: Conceptual Projects Morris Architects Urban Re-Vision Dallas The concept was envisioned as “Casa Verde” – a compact development with green roof, greenhouse, and vertical farming in response to America’s first fully sustainable inner-city block as a global model for how to achieve a more sustainable future in urban environments. The design challenge was to draw up the plans and designs for a self-sustaining inner-city block  –  located in downtown Dallas, across from City Hall –  to run “off the grid,” using advanced technologies to capture wind, solar, water, and geothermal resources. Meant to contribute to an array of revitalization programs in Dallas, the block will generate resources and support and empower the community, all while acting as a working model of sustainability for cities around the world.