Sacramento, Calif.—Recipients of the 2nd Annual Residential Design Awards program were announced Oct. 10.
This year, with over 100 entries, the jury of three narrowed it down to 10 winners, though not easily. The jury worked under a self-appointed theme of sustainable designs that initiated rich growing thought and simple, livable environments that would challenge while also maintaining a livable comfort factor.
From straightforward and clean lines witnessed through the honor award winner Nick Noyes Architecture for their Healdsburg Residence, to strategic-yet-playfully-sophisticated affordable living structure Broadway Housing by southern California architect firm Daly Genik, all award recipients projects had some unique and dynamic attributes which made them stand out. Take a look to see what projects were awarded and why.
Honor:
Healdsburg Residence
Nick Noyes Architecture
DESCRIPTION: Located on Fitch Mountain with expansive views of the Alexander valley, this single family residence is composed of four iconic metal-roofed gabled wings that are connected by an open breezeway and transparent entry and passage zones fabricated from a steel window and door system.
QUOTE: “This is not a look-at-me kind of house. It’s so straightforward and clean. There are no high jinks and it’s so wisely done. I’d go stay there for a weekend.”
Broadway Housing
Daly Genik
DESCRIPTION: Broadway Housing provides low-income families on the westside of Los Angeles with affordable housing that is environmentally and economically sustainable. The four, three story residential buildings are clustered around a starfish shaped internal courtyard and every room in each unit has access to natural light and ventilation.
QUOTE: “There is a nice materiality to this program, given what is known about affordable housing constraints. It’s not so cacophonous. It’s playful and sophisticated.
Moose Road Residence
Mork Ulnes Architects
DESCRIPTION: The challenge was to frame three opposing views while also preserving native oak trees. Three fingers extend precisely between existing trees to capture views and are supported on stilts to avoid severing tree roots. Constructed on a tiny footprint and budget, the building creates harmony with its environment.
QUOTE: “Really good decisions were made as the object-in-the-woods. It’s modest and fits the site really well. It’s efficient yet luxurious and generous in a way.”
Cloverdale 749
Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects
DESCRIPTION: Cloverdale749 embodies a contemporary design resolution that balances urban growth with simultaneous concerns regarding density. Employing a strategy to increase land use and capitalize on zoning, the building realizes its maximum allowable size; Cloverdale749’s skin, in its nuanced yet bold simplicity, celebrates its complete volume.
QUOTE: “The plan has a looseness that feeds permeability; the layering is successful. Each move is well-calculated.”
Merit:
Occidental House
Dowling Studios
DESCRIPTION: This 2,000 SF custom home is nestled in an 8-acre site surrounded by redwoods, meadows and vineyards. The house serves as a second residence and weekend retreat for a San Francisco-based family. The indoor/outdoor living experience was a driving force of the design.
QUOTE: “There is clarity to this one, and is energy-efficient without wearing that as its only badge.”
Floating Bungalow
Bestor Architecture
DESCRIPTION: The floating bungalow, a house on the unique Venice walk streets, is a modernist contemplation on (and reinterpretation of) the working class bungalows that line those streets. A billowy white bungalow form floats above the pedestrian way, protecting the private areas while creating a transparent and open public zone below.
QUOTE: “The composition is very well-done. It’s a very polite house in its context; the composition very smart.”
Bal House
Terry & Terry Architecture
DESCRIPTION: Conceived for a retired couple, the open and accessible design integrates the living space with the rear garden to create a well-lit domestic extension. Comprised of two floating volumes, the addition formally designates the bedroom to the west and the main space (kitchen, dining, and media area) to the east. The two wings gradually diverge from the original structure to generate a glass-clad fissure in between. This void space pulls the garden inwards, injecting elements of the outdoors into the core of the house.
QUOTE: “The plan is great. The fact that it is extending an existing building is a good model.”
Four Concrete Houses
XTEN Architecture
DESCRIPTION: This project is comprised of 4 small houses on 2 flat lots. The houses will be built in “shotcrete” and staggered in order to maximize outdoor garden spaces. The plans and elevations respond to adjacencies and are open in one direction for gardens/ views, and closed in the other for privacy.
QUOTE: “This concept challenges conventional thought. The smart planning is a prototype to assist us in envisioning the simplicity perhaps growing richer. It’s more of a concept for planning strategy.”
The Q
Jonathan Segal Architecture
DESCRIPTION: The Q loft rental building is a seven story mixed-use building located in the then blighted area of Little Italy in downtown San Diego. This building creates an anchor to draw development north and revitalizes this portion of downtown San Diego. The core of the building was designed to have net-zero energy usage.
QUOTE: “A real sense of clarity; very voyeuristic and self confident. The transparency of the left side is stunning.”
Out of the Box
Schwartz and Architecture
DESCRIPTION: Beginning with a simple box-like plan—not unlike many recent prototypes for low cost, sustainable homes—a few subtle shifts in plan transform this single-family house from the typical into the site specific. The shape begins to physically morph with the push and pull of the surrounding environment, maintaining an economy of means while building stronger relationships to the landscape beyond.
QUOTE: “This project meets the criteria and fits into the collection of projects well. It adjusts itself to context in a modest and relatable way.”
Since 1982, the AIACC has celebrated outstanding architecture through the Design Awards program. The Residential Design Awards program proudly recognizes excellence in architecture and continues to celebrate the value of good design.
To view award winning projects click here.
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Shannon Calder 916.642.1718.