In its 62nd year of competition, six projects emerged to receive ARCHITECT Magazine's Progressive Architects Awards (P/A). This year’s awards celebrate designs that fully embrace the context of their surroundings, whether through bold or restrained methods. Regardless of the approach, each of the winners exhibit both creativity and energy in their designs.
The winning projects are...
Honorable Mention: Ordos 20+10 Office Complex / NADAAA & Himma Studio
Located in Inner Mongolia, China, this office complex fits within the tight building footprint and area limitations of the site while maintaining a strong presence. The layout consists of five separate units which meet at their edges to create a shared inner plaza. To respond to its particular climatic needs, the office employs strategies for maximized environmental performance, such as triple-glazed windows, radiant hydronic ceiling panels, and stormwater retention and recycling.
Citation: New Keelung Harbor Service Building / Neil M. Denari Architects
This sculptural building inspired by Taiwan’s landscape combines the program of a cruise ship terminal with that of an office building. The design is a playful combination of contradicting ideas, as the irregular building form is balanced by the rhythmic window scheme and uniform color. Nods to the public are made through the cantilevered restaurant and open courtyard, while within the building views of local landmarks are framed, encouraging exploration.
Citation: West 57th / Bjarke Ingels Group
Revisiting the idea of Manhattan’s pyramidal mixed-use buildings with indoor-outdoor complexes, West 57th employs four unique elevations informed by light infiltration and views. Obscuring the lines between public and private, this residential highrise provides an element of publicity by incorporating stores, art displays, and a strong pedestrian presence at street-level. Additional hybridization is seen in the blend of natural and industrial materials that speak to the views of both the landscape and the urban surroundings.
Citation: Amager Resource Center / Bjarke Ingels Group
This competition winning design brings new interest to a waste-to-energy plant by incorporating recreational aspects to invite in the public, including a rooftop ski slope and rock-climbing wall, drawing upon Copenhagen's reputation for extreme sports. Building upon the idea of building-as-landscape, the resource center utilizes a green masonry system that speaks to its location and provides natural light for those inside.
Award: Sylvan Theater / Weiss/Manfredi + Olin
Located at the Washington Monument, the theater provides much needed amenities to the isolated location while respecting the sightlines towards the National Mall. The twisting pavilion is strongly connected to its landscape, peeling away to reveal the bookstore, café, and bathrooms, while atop the green space an amphitheater and auditorium seating accommodate visitors. The facility also offers an element of shade, using trees for natural cooling in the large open space and to speak to the natural surroundings.
Award: Reforma Towers / Richard Meier & Partners Architects with Diametro Arquitectos
This mixed-use development in Mexico City combines an office tower and hotel in one complex, using the angular site as a driving design force. Sharing a base which occupies the whole site and houses the parking, retail, restaurants, and fitness center, the two towers sit on opposite sides and speak to the area’s traditional building methods but through contemporary interpretations and applications.
The 2015 Jury:
- Ammar Eloueini, AIA, AEDS, New Orleans
- Jennifer Marmon, AIA, PAR, Los Angeles
- Thomas Phifer, FAIA, Thomas Phifer and Partners, New York
For full project descriptions, visit ARCHITECT
