Conservation group Docomono US has announced the winners of America’s Annual Modernism Awards, which celebrate individuals and projects that preserve modernity In the United State.
Docomomo United States It announced six winners and six merit citations for the 2022 awards that have made noteworthy contributions to the nation’s modern architecture.
According to the group, “Iconic Modern Sites Reimagined, Constrained Residential Projects, Innovative Documentation, and Women in Architecture” were the guiding categories for the awards.
“This year’s award winners are demonstrating that ‘The Impossible’ is possible,” said CEO Liz Wittkos. “These projects represent what we should all look for in conservation outcomes: an inclusive, sustainable, and inclusive design that benefits us all.”
Three structures were selected from among the winners. This included restoration and conversion into a hotel by the Hungarian-American architect Marcel Breuer’s Pirelli Tire Building in New Haven.
architecture studio baker + baker He purchased and restored the brutalist building, which had fallen into disrepair, and converted it into what was set to be the first Passive House approved hotel in the United States.
The building is an “ambitious transformation that fulfilled the challenging task of creating a hotel from an office building – while maintaining the original goal of providing a visible gateway to New Haven – and making it solar and zero in the process!” According to jury member Caroline Constant.
Peavey Plaza in Minneapolis – originally designed by M Paul Friedberg – was also named a winner.
landscape architecture studio Queen + Partners He led the restoration of the transit center, which included raising the sunken water feature to make the site more accessible and to make it use less water. Easy-to-access entrances have also been added.
“Unlike Pershing Park in Friedberg in Washington, D.C., which has been significantly altered, this project is an excellent example of a site successfully adapted for a modern era of universal access,” said jury member Glenn LaRue Smith.
On a smaller scale, Stockmayer House from Allan J Gelbin in Vermont won a design award for its restoration under owners Tammy Heesakker and Gregory Russo.
The house, cited by the jury as an example of Usonian The design, originally built in 1961 by Gilpin, a student Frank Lloyd Wright. Floors, worktops and some woodwork restored. In addition, a new roof was added and the heating system was updated.
“It manages to be contemporary when needed while not getting caught up in the hassles of mid-century modern remodeling – it still feels like a home from the ’60s,” said jury member Angel Ion.
The Survey Excellence Award went to UMassBRUTa project that highlighted the legacy and importance of Brutalist architecture on university campuses.
Two awards were also given for advocacy. The first of its kind at the Beverly Willis Institute of Architecture Pioneering Women of American Architecture Led by Cynthia Krakauer.
The second went to Eugenia Wu for her work lobbying for the protection of modernist architecture in western Washington state.
Five structures have also gained jury merit citations.
These elements included the second Claus House in Little Switzerland, originally by Alfred and Jane West Claus and restored by Sanders Bess Architecture; Gagarin II originally by Marcel Breuer & Associates and restored by Kyra and Robertson Hartnett; Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library originally by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and restored by Mecanu; Lucabe Coffee Co. Originally by Harry Weese and restored by Tyler and Alissa Hodge; The Oakland Monster was originally by Robert Winston and restored by Amedee Sourdry.
For merit citations in the survey category, the SurveyLA Historical Context Statement was cited for its deep dive into 20th century modernist architecture in Los Angeles, commissioned by the city.
Founded in the Netherlands in 1988, Docomomo has set up shop in the US seven years later, 2022 marks the ninth year of the awards. This year, the Foundation released a list America’s Most Endangered Modernist Building.