Awards: The Latest Architecture and News

The FGMF architects office, under the command of the young architects Fernando Forte, Lourenço Gimenes and Rodrigo Marcondes Ferraz and placed in São Paulo, Brazil, has just won one more international award: “The international award Dedalo Minosse”-“Prêmio Internazionale Dedalo Minosse”, delivered in Vicenza, Italy, on June 24th 2011, at CISA (Andrea Palladio Centro Internacional de Estudos de Arquitetura – Andrea Palladio International Center for architecture studies). This is one of many awards received by FGMF, being the most awarded architecture Office in Brazil in the year of 2010. More information on their award after the break.

AIA 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.

In May, we covered the RIBA Awards 2011 and today, we have a great set of photos of Stephen Marshall Architects’ latest project which has been recognized for its architectural excellence by the Royal Institute of British Architects. The project houses the Rothschild Foundation and the Waddesdon Archives in a renovated dairy building situated on the Estate at Windmill Hill, in Aylesbury, England.

More about the project after the break.

The eight winners of the 2011 Small Project Awards were recently announced by the AIA. In its eighth year the program focuses on highlighting good design at any scale. The jurors for this year included: Deborah Pierce, Obie G. Bowman, Randy Brown, Lance Hosey, and Wendy Evans Joseph.

A complete list of winners following the break.

The Boston Society of Architects/AIA announced the winner of the 2010 Harleston Parker Medal as the Cambridge Public Library by William Rawn Associates Architects and Ann Beha Architects. Each year, the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) and the City of Boston award the Harleston Parker Medal to “the single most beautiful” building or structure built in the Greater Boston area over the past 10 years.

More images of the winner after the break.

Animal Architecture wants to hear your ideas. Animal Architecture (formed in 2009) is dedicated to providing a forum for addressing the myriad issues arising from the complex interactions between animals and human society. The lens of our focus is Architecture. The aim of our study is to again see ourselves as partners in an intimate and reciprocal relationship with larger (sometime smaller) ecological forces.

The Horbury Hunt Award recognises excellence and innovation in built projects. Also recognising the collaboration of a project team to deliver architectural outcomes. The Award rewards innovation and craftsmanship in brickwork and recognises the contribution of all parties in that process. The Horbury Hunt Awards includes commercial as well as residential and landscape built projects.

Back in August, we featured Henning Larsen Architects’ winning proposal in an invited competition to design the Batumi Aquarium in Georgia. Today, we are happy to announce that the Danish architects received the “Architecture of the Year” award by the 2011 International Design Awards in Los Angeles. Congratulations!

AIA New York celebrated their 30th year of the annual design awards program which recognizes projects located in New York City or design by architects practicing in New York City. Three projects received “Best in Show”: the Hypar Pavilion Lawn and Restaurant by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with FXFOWLE, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects’ David Rubenstein Atrium, and another collaboration by Diller Scofidio + Renfro with FXFOWLE and Beyer Blinder Belle’s Public Spaces.

A special exhibition featuring all of the winning projects will be on view through June 25th at the NYC Center for Architecture. The complete list of AIA New York 2011 Design Award Winners following the break.

The Philips Livable Cities Award has announced a shortlist of eight initiatives, narrowed down from 450 ideas received from 29 countries around the world. The eight simple solutions all share a common thread, a reasonable approach to improving the health and well-being of people living in cities. Shortlisted designs include a smart grid athletic light for city recreation in NY, design your own park competition, a shade stand in Kampala, and a moveable street park in Buenos Aires. Cast your vote for your favorite Philips Livable City by March 24th. Design Your Own Park Competition in Binghamton, USAIn many cities, neglected urban spaces are seen as unsightly and unusable areas of land. David Sloan Wilson’s shortlisted ‘Design Your Own Park Competition’ idea would turn these areas into a space Binghamton residents can use and be proud of.Shade Stand in Kampala, Uganda James Kityo’s idea involves creating 45 ‘Shade Stands’ across Uganda’s capital, Kampala, providing shelter against both the hot sun and torrential rain, and displaying post­ers about health education topics. Plaza Movil Street Park in Buenos AiresManuel Rapoport’s ‘Plaza Movil Street Park’ idea would see Buenos Aires’ streets tempo­rarily closed to traffic during weekends and public holidays, and portable playground equipment and benches used to convert them into recreational spaces.Smart Grid Athletic Light in New York City, USA Andrew Burdick’s ‘Smart Grid Athletic Light’ shortlisted idea involves modular solar or wind-powered streetlights connected to a ‘smart grid’, allowing children and sports teams to play later in the day in a well-lit and safer environment. Neighborhood Network Scheme in Abeokuta, NigeriaMichael Iyanro’s idea proposes the development of a ‘Neighborhood Network Scheme’ in Abeokuta, Nigeria, by providing access to a network of welfare services, designed to help elderly citizens live inde­pendently and more securely within their city.Rainwater Aggregation in Sana, Yemen In Sana’a, Yemen, water can quickly become scarce, posing a risk to vulnerable city residents. Sabrina Faber’s shortlisted idea of ‘Rainwater Aggregation’ addresses this problem by using existing flat rooftops to capture, filter and store water during rainy periods. iQare in Edinburgh, UKEve Hatton’s shortlisted idea, ‘iQare’, works by simplifying how elderly people in Edinburgh, UK, access the latest digital tools. Thus making it easier to remain independent, stay in touch with friends and family, and access service providers and retailers.Health Education Initiative for the Deaf in Embu, KenyaJacob Ireri has submitted an idea to address the significant challenges faced by deaf children in Embu, Kenya. His ‘Health Education Initiative for the Deaf’ aims to promote health-related information through the teaching of Kenyan Sign Language.

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce holds the annual Building Brooklyn Awards. Currently accepting nominations for the 11th Annual Buidling Brooklyn Awards, the event is a signature real estate industry event that recognizes recently completed new, and renovation construction projects, that have a positive impact on the borough’s economy and quality of life.

The event honors individuals who have made significant contributions toward enhancing the business conditions and economic climate of Brooklyn. This year’s awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, July 14, 2011, at the Steiner Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

More information and images from last year’s winners after the break.

The AIA Honor Award recipients for 2011 were announced this week and will be honored at the AIA 2011 National Convention in New Orleans. Recognizing excellence in architecture, interior architecture, and regional and urban design, 27 recipients were chosen from over 700 submissions.

Awarded buildings, including links to features on ArchDaily, can be found after the break.

There are some buildings that have the power to make one step back and simply enjoy being part of our profession. For us, Steven Holl’s Horizontal Skyscraper does just that. As we’ve been sharing with you, it is a project that gracefully hovers above the Shenzhen landscape, allowing both the ground and the elevated ground plane to be occupied. The project balances the built with the natural as reflecting pools and lush greenery are interspersed with small restaurants and cafes, and as the “sunken cubes” of the main wings of the center – glass volumes offering 360 degree views – strengthen the connection with the landscape.

The building has recently been awarded a 2011 AIA Institute Honor Award for its architectural creativity and contextual thoughtfulness.    The jury commented, “This project skips along from mound to mound and manipulates the landscape – it builds it up and shapes it into a powerful form above the land with inventive manipulation. The building is shading the landscape and letting it breath – integrated sustainability. A reinvented building type with the building floating over the landscape – dancing on the landscape.”

More information, with more photographs from Iwan Baan, after the break.

Special thanks to our reader, John, for informing us about the 2011 Topaz Medallion which was recently awarded to Larry Speck, FAIA of the University of Texas-Austin. The Medallion, awarded by the AIA/ACSA to an outstanding architectural educator who has been involved in the teaching for at least a decade, recognized Speck for his pedagogical ways and his ability to make architecture “accessible and vital to a wide community of students.”

More about Speck and the Medallion after the break.

We’re always excited to bring you news on the latest awarded architects for their contemporary achievements and advancement of the field – whether it be our coverage of the Pritzker, AIA Honor Awards, or the Aga Khan awards, to name a few. Yet, the Richard H. Driehaus Prize is one prize that recognizes architects whose work embraces the ideas and theories of the past. Specifically, the prize is bestowed upon those who work ”embodies the principals of traditional and classical architecture and urbanism in contemporary society.” Robert A. M. Stern, dean of Yale School of Architecture and principal of his firm, has been named the 2011 recipient of the Driehaus Prize for his commitment to incorporating classical theories into his projects of all scales. According to Stern, the firm is grounded in the belief of “…continuity of tradition and strive in our work to create order out of the often chaotic present by entering into a dialogue with the past and with the spirit of the places in which we build.”

More about the award after the break.

Selecting the most outstanding projects in sustainable construction from several thousand submissions will be the challenging task of more than fifty leading experts on sustainability. The jury members for the 3rd International Holcim Awards competition include architects Bjarke Ingels (Denmark), Keller Easterling (USA) and Michel Rojkind (Mexico) – all independent experts of international stature engaged in the sustainable development of society, building processes, construction materials, and building projects.

Entries in the USD 2 million competition are evaluated using five “target issues” to define sustainable construction. Three of these stem from the triple bottom line of balanced social, environmental and economic performance. The two remaining issues pay homage to contextual and aesthetic impact, along with innovation and transferability. A series of five jury panels will meet in June/July 2011 in each of the five world regions: Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa Middle East, and Asia Pacific.

The Iakov Chernikhov International Prize for Young Architects recently announced its 2010 laureate, Fantastic Norway, recently featured here on ArchDaily and now we have the complete Top Ten nominee list to share with our readers. Among this group of young and promising architects you will find some outstanding works that will hopefully go a long way to shaping the future of the profession. The complete Top Ten and links to their work after the break.