AIA Selects Four Projects for National Healthcare Design Awards

Massachusetts General Hospital – The Lunder Building; Boston /

The American Institute of Architects () Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) has announced four recipients of the National Healthcare Design Awards program. The awards program highlights the “best of healthcare building design and healthcare design-oriented research” that exhibit “conceptual strengths that solve aesthetic, civic, urban, and social concerns as well as the requisite functional and sustainability concerns of a hospital”.

The AIA National Healthcare Design Award recipients are:

Update: Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

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We have been covering the progress of the National Museum of African American History and Culture over the last several months, our most recent being President Obama’s speech at the ceremony for the official ground breaking. Adjaye Associates recently shared with us some insight into the inspiration for the design and its grounding principles. We also have several new perspective renders illustrating the internal experience. More details after the break.

Obama speaks at the ground breaking ceremony for the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Freelon Adjaye Bond/Smith Group

President Obama attended the official ground breaking ceremony of the National Museum for African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) on February 22, commemorating this milestone for the Smithsonian Institution’s new museum on Washington’s National Mall. The Tanzanian-born, London-based architect serves as Lead Designer for the Freelon Adjaye Bond/ (FAB) team that was selected by the Smithsonian Institute back in 2009 in the international competition for the design of the nation’s new prestigious building.

The President began his brief remarks by stating, “As others have mentioned, this day has been a long time coming. The idea for a museum dedicated to African Americans was first put forward by black veterans of the Civil War. And years later, the call was picked up by members of the civil rights generation -– by men and women who knew how to fight for what was right and strive for what is just. This is their day. This is your day. It’s an honor to be here to see the fruit of your labor.”

Continue reading for more information on the project and a video of President Obama’s speech.

2011 CAE Educational Facility Design Awards

© Eduard Hueber

recently made us aware of this year’s CAE Educational Facility Design Awards. The purpose of the design awards program is to identify trends and emerging ideas, honor excellence in planning and design, and disseminate knowledge about best practices in educational and community facilities. Check out the list of 13 after the break, including several of the firms we have previously featured.

Architecture City Guide: Indianapolis

This week, with the help of our readers, we visited for our Architecture City Guide. Our readers suggested a lot of really nice buildings and we greatly appreciate their help. ’s numerous sporting events and conventions continually draw crowds to this industrious state capital throughout the year. It is only fitting that there is an architecture city guide for its various contemporary buildings. As a seat of government and industry, also boasts a nice variety of historic architecture that is worth seeing. Take a look at the list our readers help put together and add your favorites to the comment section below.

The Architecture City Guide: Indianapolis list and corresponding map after the break.

POSTECH Marine Sciences Campus / SmithGroup

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SmithGroup shared their winning master plan proposal for a new Marine Sciences campus for the Pohang Institute of Science and Technology (POSTECH), in , .  With the driving concept of a “wave” – a form common to both land and sea – the new design takes full advantage of the site’s natural beauty, weaving students throughout the campus and tying the man-made with the undulating topography.

More about the winning proposal after the break.

Washington National Cathedral Visitor Gateway / SmithGroup

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Architect: SmithGroup
Location: Washington,
Design Team: Colden Florance, FAIA, LEED AP, Sven Shockey, AIA, LEED AP, Dayton Schroeter, RA, Wade Fuh, LEED AP
Client: Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation
Contractor: James G. Davis Construction Corp.
Construction Manager: Advanced Project Management
Civil Engineer: Wiles Mensch Corporation
Landscape Architect: Michael Vergason Landscape Architects
Structural Engineer: Tadjer Cohen Edelson Associates
MEP Engineer: Girard Engineering, Inc.
Traffic Consultant: Gorove Slade Associates, Inc.
Lighting Design:
Project year: May 2007
Project Area: 16,072 sqm
Photographs: Alan Karchmer

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