Chicago Architect November/December 2012 : Page 30

2012 Photo by Christopher Barrett Photography INTERIOR AWARDS AIA Chicago established the Interior Architecture Award in 1984 to promote interior architecture as a unique profession by recognizing outstanding interior design projects. When considering projects for this award, we deﬁ ne interior architecture as the space within a building envelope, including lighting design, furnishings and ﬁ nishes. Projects are eligible if they were completed between May 1, 2007 and May 1, 2012. Projects must be designed by Chicago-area architects or be located in the Chicago area. The winners and all submissions can be viewed at aiachicago.org. ARCHITECT: Goettsch Partners CLIENT: Baker & McKenzie CONTRACTOR: Clune Construction Co. CONSULTANTS: Building Engineering Systems, Shiner & Associates, One Lux Studio, Robert Paciﬁ co Associates, Engineering Plus, Rolf Jensen & Associates, Re:Vision Architecture, The Carter Group, Fountain Technologies, Jones Lang LaSalle HONOR AWARD BAKER & MCKENZIE CHICAGO Jurors called this project a “well-studied homage to modernism” whose “level of originality is refreshing.” When relocating, an international professional services ﬁ rm seized the opportunity to create space that embodied and enabled its new integrated-service model. The designers took that as their cue to use materials that reference the classical elements of an integrated world: water, air, earth and ﬁ re. A water mirror, airy views, gardens that represent the earth and a ﬁ replace work together to create a harmonious attitude. Enhancing that is the ample use of glass, including clear ofﬁ ce façades, tinted workroom walls that are writable surfaces, and, for conference rooms, double-glass frosted walls that also provide acoustical protection. The result is a place with, in the jurors’ words, “airiness, loftiness, an expansiveness and lifting-up.” Photo by Christopher Barrett Photography Photography by Steve Hall, Hedrich Blessing 30 Chicago Architect nov | dec 2012

Interior Design Awards

AIA Chicago established the Interior Architecture Award in 1984 to promote interior architecture as a unique profession by recognizing outstanding interior design projects. When considering projects for this award, we define interior architecture as the space within a building envelope, including lighting design, furnishings and finishes. Projects are eligible if they were completed between May 1, 2007 and May 1, 2012. Projects must be designed by Chicago-area architects or be located in the Chicago area. The winners and all submissions can be viewed at aiachicago.org. HONOR AWARD BAKER & MCKENZIE CHICAGO ARCHITECT: Goettsch Partners CLIENT: Baker & McKenzie CONTRACTOR: Clune Construction Co. CONSULTANTS: Building Engineering Systems, Shiner & Associates, One Lux Studio, Robert Pacifico Associates, Engineering Plus, Rolf Jensen & Associates, Re:Vision Architecture, The Carter Group, Fountain Technologies, Jones Lang LaSalle Jurors called this project a “well-studied homage to modernism” whose “level of originality is refreshing.” When relocating, an international professional services firm seized the opportunity to create space that embodied and enabled its new integrated-service model. The designers took that as their cue to use materials that reference the classical elements of an integrated world: water, air, earth and fire. A water mirror, airy views, gardens that represent the earth and a fireplace work together to create a harmonious attitude. Enhancing that is the ample use of glass, including clear office façades, tinted workroom walls that are writable surfaces, and, for conference rooms, double-glass frosted walls that also provide acoustical protection. The result is a place with, in the jurors’ words, “airiness, loftiness, an expansiveness and lifting-up.” HONOR AWARD PEACE CORNER YOUTH CENTER CHICAGO ARCHITECT: Lothan Van Hook DeStefano Architecture CLIENT: Peace Corner Youth Center CONTRACTOR: Executive Construction Inc. CONSULTANTS: Structures Unlimited, Building Engineering Systems Highly transparent and colorful, this center for at-risk youth beckons kids in from the rough neighborhood in which it stands. Inside, it offers classes, computer instruction and internship opportunities as alternatives to street life and gangs. The one-story, 8,000-square-foot building went up on a vacant lot next to the organization’s previous location; the project was conceived as an inexpensive and fast-to-build construction effort to fi ll an urgent need. At the same time, it needed to exude a sense of stability and comfort, which jurors felt come from the use of color in the polycarbonate and the openness of the abundant glass. “It’s very urban, but with a splash of color that brings in some optimism,” a juror said. The judges applauded the team’s creative use of materials on a low budget. CITATION OF MERIT RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER CHICAGO ARCHITECT: Perkins+Will CLIENT: Rush University Medical Center CONTRACTOR: Power Jacobs Joint Venture CONSULTANTS: Thornton Tomasetti, Hitchcock Design Group, Terra Engineering, Walsh Consulting, IBC Engineering Services, Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects, Environmental Systems Design Many gestures in the interior architecture of this sizable new hospital caught the fancy of jurors. The lobby, four stories high and graced with daylight as well as a gigantic glass-enclosed indoor planter, they pronounced “exquisite.” The tapering nurses’ stations—their shape defined by the building’s butterfly shape and their siting chosen to reduce the number of steps a nurse takes during a typical shift—are “wonderful.” And the overall approach to promoting wellness and patient and family comfort they found “setting a tone that will make anyone’s experience of the building a little better.” HONOR AWARD PRITZKER REALTY GROUP CHICAGO ARCHITECT: Perkins+Will CLIENT: Pritzker Realty Group CONTRACTOR: Executive Construction CONSULTANTS: Schuler Shook, Environmental Systems Design Inc. The client wanted a sophisticated and subtle environment that would encourage collaborative work, make room for state-of-the art technology and provide an appropriate backdrop for displaying her extensive art collection. The designers organized the space to maximize views across the interior, to showcase stunning city views and to exude a feeling of gracious hospitality. “It’s museum meets office, with a subtle use of colors,” a juror said. “The design is very nuanced.” The strategic positioning of executive offices, meeting spaces and support functions opens the path to collaborative work, something that jurors saw as a model for other similar office spaces. Large glass sliding doors, glass office fronts and the attentive incorporation of art pieces together make “an elegant composition,” one said. CITATION OF MERIT UHC HEADQUARTERS CHICAGO ARCHITECT: Cannon Design CLIENT: University HealthSystems Consortium CONTRACTOR: Executive Construction The client is an association that networks academic medical centers; the project’s design references human body systems that are relevant to the functions of a space. Near a café-style break room where staffers might go to take a breather, for example, a screen, mosaic and light fixtures artfully interpret the body’s respiratory system. Jurors deemed the project “a fun environment. The design makes connections that would feel smart” to users of the space. “It could come off as excessively cerebral, but it’s more playful.” Jurors noted that “it’s not a project about lavishness, but uses imagination to create an iconography.” HONOR AWARD RIVER BRANCH HOLDINGS CHICAGO ARCHITECT: Robbins Architecture CLIENT: River Branch Holdings, LLC CONTRACTOR: Skender Construction CONSULTANTS: Berta Shapiro Interior Design, Anne Kustner Lighting Design LLC An exercise in restraint, this project appealed to jurors with what one called “zen-like clarity.” A two-story projection from the riverside façade of 300 North LaSalle intrigued the head of an investment banking company that would be a tenant in the new building. He felt its 4,000 square feet of space lined with 100 feet of glass offered a chance to relate directly with the river, and charged the designers with capturing that experience. Setting a conference room at the edge of the projection and opening it to a seating area to be shared by everyone at the firm, they created a clear, accessible overlook that welcomes the river into the office. For even further openness, they eliminated several solid doors, an idea they credit to the client. The finished space is “supremely edited, an oasis,” jurors said. “It’s spacious, but with meaningful gestures. You’re not left out there swimming in excess spaciousness.” CITATION OF MERIT UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO RICHARD J. DALEY LIBRARY IDEA COMMONS, CHICAGO ARCHITECT: David Woodhouse Architects CLIENT: Board of Trustees of University of Illinois CONTRACTOR: Joseph Construction CONSULTANTS: dbHMS Design Build Engineering, C E Anderson & Associates, Schuler Shook, Construction Cost Systems Simultaneously high-tech and high-touch, the new commons area tucked within Walter Netsch’s 1965 library for this urban campus is bright, contemporary and invigorating. The 15,000-square-foot space contains an array of furniture types, from single-user tables to booths with banquettes, in lounges, classrooms, performance spaces and other modules. The materials, lighting and multiple configurations “soften and balance the really strong, harsh architecture,” a juror said. “It tames the concrete.” The stainless steel screen and the “lovely, respectful layer of light added to the concrete beams” suggest techniques for “complementing other Brutalist works around the country.” HONOR AWARD S. N. SHURE THEATER NILES, IL ARCHITECT: Krueck + Sexton Architects CLIENT: Shure Incorporated CONTRACTOR: Clune Construction CONSULTANTS: Threshold Acoustics, TGRWA, CCJM Engineers, Schuler Shook A 142-seat theater commissioned by the venerable maker of microphones and other audio equipment to honor the man who founded the company 87 years ago, this space is “all about the sound,” observed one juror, “so they keep the visual simple and soothing to let you focus on what you’re hearing.” The engineering elements, including super-sophisticated acoustical and audio technology, are all seamlessly tucked into a warm, embracing space. “A lot of what’s successful about it is unseen, or at least not something you’d notice,” a juror said, highlighting the attractive English sycamore fins and panels that look fixed but are in fact operable, manipulated as tuning forks for the entire space. A stretched fabric ceiling contains recessed lighting and conceals what the designers called “visual discontinuity” between the requisite absorptive and reflective materials above it. Jurors applauded the designers’ star-quality performance. CITATION OF MERIT ASTELLAS US NORTH AMERICAN HEADQUARTERS GLENVIEW, IL ARCHITECT: SmithGroupJJR CLIENT: Astellas US ASSOCIATE ARCHITECT: Goettsch Partners CONTRACTOR: Power Construction “I don’t know if I’m in a hotel or an office building,” a juror said appreciatively of this corporate project, the headquarters of a pharmaceutical company. Adjacent to the lobby is a 20,000-square-foot, two-story conference center. The brightness and luxury of these public spaces “blur the boundaries of where you are,” and once in the workspaces, “there’s a cohesiveness of attitude. It’s part spa, part office.” Jurors also complimented the way the interior design follows through with the bold concept of the paired buildings’ architecture. HONOR AWARD THE POETRY FOUNDATION CHICAGO ARCHITECT: John Ronan Architects CLIENT: The Poetry Foundation CONTRACTOR: Norcon CONSULTANTS: U.S. Equities Realty, Arup, dbHMS, Charter Sills, Threshold Acoustics LLC “It’s timeless, tranquil and serene,” jurors said of this literary group’s acclaimed new home. They were taken by its “amazing use of natural light” and “simple palette of materials.” While the designers listed zinc, glass and wood, the jurors felt that the adroit placement of shelving suggests that books—and the texture they provide—belonged on that list as well. “It glorifies the beauty of the books,” one said. The spatial and material layering creates a cohesion that one juror compared to a carefully crafted piece of poetry. Walking through the sequential spaces from outdoors through an enclosed garden to indoors captures the experience of piercing and apprehending a writer’s creation, they said. And like a respected piece of verse, they said, it says a lot with a few gestures. One juror said that the project “has an elegance that’s undeniable.” CITATION OF MERIT INSTITUTO HEALTH SCIENCES CAREER ACADEMY CHICAGO ARCHITECT: JGMA CLIENT: Instituto del Progreso Latino CONTRACTOR: McShane Construction “I wish every high school in the country did as much with paint and epoxy as these guys do,” a juror said of the dynamic interior of a formerly abandoned building that found new life as a school for students headed into careers as doctors, nurses and bio-technicians. Each of the building’s four levels has a distinct theme in its color, furniture and graphics. It’s most pronounced in the corridors, not only for wayfinding but to promote fun and energy in students’ informal interactions. The transformation from vacancy to what they called “a fresh and logical space” dazzled the jury. CITATION OF MERIT YMCA OF THE USA CHICAGO DESIGN ARCHITECT: Gary Lee Partners ARCHITECT OF RECORD: Vincent Lynn & Lee CLIENT: YMCA of the USA CONTRACTOR: Clune Construction CONSULTANTS: ESD, U.S. Equities Realty A move to a new headquarters space, contemporaneous with a fresh, energetic identity program, spawned a vibrant design for this venerable institution. The space had to accommodate frequent use by visitor groups of various sizes and support both fundraising and education activities. The designers’ confident use of color, graphics natural light signaled to the jurors that “this is a team that knew how to bring out exceptional freshness and beauty within a budget.” The space has a “pan-generational, all demographics appeal to it, and anyone would be comfortable working here.” There’s a “crisp, contemporary feel that refreshes the image of this brand.” CITATION OF MERIT OPEN LAB: JUNOS CENTER FOR INNOVATION BRIDGEWATER, NJ ARCHITECT: Valerio Dewalt Train Associates CLIENT: Juniper Networks CONTRACTOR: SJP Properties CONSULTANTS: WB Engineers Consultants, Thornton Tomasetti For a look at just how open and collaborative offices can feel today, drop by this 15,000-square-foot installation. Strong wood volumes delineate zones for welcome and leisure, glass walls create spatial buffers, and graphic films produce various levels of transparency within the office environment. “It’s something truly different, a genuinely 21st-century space,” a juror declared. “There is some brilliant originality here.” The use of patterns and a constrained color palette to convey the client’s brand identity was deft, jurors said. One described the space as “very cool cyber-modern.” CITATION OF MERIT BERNICE A. LAVIN CHILDREN’S CARE CENTER AND PARKING GARAGE CHICAGO ARCHITECT: Eckenhoff Saunders Architects CLIENT: Northwestern Memorial Hospital CONTRACTOR: W. E. O’Neil Construction CONSULTANTS: V3 Companies, Hitchcock Design Group, Environmental Systems Design, Cardosi Kiper Design Group, Walker Parking, Shiner & Associates, Schuler Shook Accommodating 320 kids in one childcare center posed the challenge of working on a large scale while accommodating pint-sized users. The designers used four elements—wind, water, earth and sky—to break the facility down into smaller areas that distinguish grade levels and help kids and parents find their “neighborhood.” Jurors were fond of “the lighting and the use of color to activate the spaces,” they said. The graphic design package that references nature and the outdoor feeling that imbues the two-story atrium make it all “a place that kids are going to enjoy coming to,” they said. SPECIAL RECOGNITION WHOLE FOODS REGIONAL OFFICES CHICAGO ARCHITECT: Gensler CLIENT: Whole Foods GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Skender Construction STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: C.E. Anderson & Assoc. MEP ENGINEER: McGuire Engineer WOODWORK: Wm Huber Cabinet Works ACOUSTICAL: Shen Milsom Wilke The mission of Whole Foods is visible throughout its stores, via the healthful product line. For new regional offices here, the designers aimed to make the mission just as conspicuous. Jurors appreciated “the clarity with which the idea was executed.” The unforced use of recycled wood, the color palette and such features as community lunch table “speak very strongly to their branding. It brings you out of an office tower and into the company’s culture pretty quickly,” a juror said. They felt that employees working here would not feel remote from the stores but experience an integral connection. The jury awarded special recognition for branding. SPECIAL RECOGNITION CORNELIA RESIDENCE CHICAGO ARCHITECT: Wilkinson Design Corporation CLIENT: Tom and Holly Carr CONTRACTOR: Benchdog Construction Adapting a derelict single-story industrial building into a home for a family of four, the architects carved out a central courtyard, providing privacy on a site that is otherwise seen by thousands daily as they pass by on two train lines. “The courtyard house is the oldest idea in the world,” a juror said, “but for this use, it feels new, like it came directly out of the client’s needs.” While it creates privacy and safety, another said, “you can imagine it’s also a fun place for the family.” Jurors gave the project special recognition for adaptive reuse. SPECIAL RECOGNITION LOUIS ANCEL HOUSE RESTORATION GLENCOE, IL ARCHITECT: Becker Architects CLIENT: Ellen and David Muslin CONTRACTOR: Eriksen Armstrong CONSULTANTS: J.A. Martin Services, Lighting By Design, Benjamin Historic Certifications, Barron & Stoll Interior Design A 1961 design by architect Edward Dart for a blufftop site in Glencoe, the Louis and Harriet Ancel house sat empty and awaiting demolition in 2007, with maintenance long deferred and longtime water infiltration from a design fl aw in the living room’s clerestory. New owners commissioned an extensive and meticulous restoration of the home, with a new kitchen addition occupying the footprint of an earlier sunporch addition. “They kept the new kitchen within the original context,” said a juror. “It really works.” The jury awarded the project special recognition for rehabilitation. “It’s exciting to see things like this being saved,” said a juror. SPECIAL RECOGNITION ANTRON 2011 NEOCON RESOURCE CENTER CHICAGO ARCHITECT: Perkins+Will CLIENT: Invista CONSULTANTS: Float4 Interactive, N’Dio An adaptable, modular framework lets Antron transform its space each year at NeoCon time. For 2011, the concept was “In the Fiber,” the goal being to make the fibers in Antron’s products into a tangible, relatable component of the experience in the resource center. To encourage visitors’ interaction with the fiber—without making them get down on the floor—the exhibit space had more than 900 miles of it on the walls, sculpting and enveloping the space. A changing lightscape enhanced the interactivity by making an already surprising look evolve. Jurors awarded the project special recognition for its creative concept. INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE AWARD JURY Diana M.H. Brenner, FAIA, IIDA, LEED AP Brenner Design Andre Kikoski, AIA, LEED AP Andre Kikoski Architect New York Farid Tamjidi Garcia Tamjidi Architecture Design San Francisco

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