2015 Daniel J. Rowen Memorial Design Awards
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Honor Award / Architecture
Stott Architecture, P.C.
Project: Suffolk Theater, Riverhead
Suffolk Theater, Riverhead
Suffolk Theater, an Art Deco beauty, was built in 1933 under the National Recovery Act and served the East End of Long Island until it closed in 1987. In 2005, Diane and Bob Castaldi purchased the building from the Town of Riverhead with a vision of re-opening the Theater to the public. The Owner/General Contractor, who ran a building restoration company for 40 years, knew he held the keys to revitalizing downtown Riverhead, which had fallen to big-box discount malls not far away. Together, we explored the concept of converting the theater to cabaret style seating, which would reduce the number of seats, but allow for food and drinks to be served during show times and also provide opportunities for special events of all kinds. We also provided graphic design for fundraising and advertising.
The building included former retail space on either side of the main lobby. The space to the west was converted to two levels of offices and the space to the east was converted to a kitchen service with access to the basement for food and accessory storage. The sloped floor of the auditorium was changed to a 5 section terrace using poured concrete over rigid insulation and radiant heat tubes, and designed to accommodate a number of different table and seating arrangements. The stage was raised slightly to improve sight lines and a full service bar was added to the back of the auditorium which allowed for the structural support columns required to reinforce the balcony section above. A bar was added at the balcony level and the bathrooms, once very minimal, were brought up to current standards.
Although the building’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems were in bad shape, the moldings, light fixtures and deco detailing were all there; it just needed restoration. With the help of local vendors, and the owner’s attention to every detail, all interior fixtures, finishes and colors were restored to original and trims and moldings were replicated to match where new construction was required at the two bars, the upper lounge and the bathrooms.
On March 1st, 2013, after eight years of hard work, fundraising, legal battles with the Town Administration and a major recession, the building was opened in grand style with invited guests and actors in costume of the Thirties. The magic of this theater comes alive in every detail and is injected into the hearts of everyone who visits. A new L.E.D. marquee constantly announces events and news of the day.
When the Suffolk Theater opened again, Main Street Riverhead was re-born. Shops, restaurants, galleries and other new businesses bring new life and new hope to a downtown lost in time. As the owner has said: “Every one of the craftsmen involved in this project worked with the same pride they would put into their own homes. Without that commitment, we could never have pulled this off. Thank you to each and every one of them.”
Credits & Contact Information listed at end of Album.
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Honor Award / Architecture
Maziar Behrooz Architecture
Project: A Small House in Montauk
Small House, Montauk
The “Hamptons,” the Atlantic side of the Eastern End of Long Island, are known for a seasonal population who live in large homes, often over 7,000 square feet. But it is also home to a year-round population, many of whom work to service these large homes. We were lucky to receive a commision from an individual who needed a home to share while he lives and works on the East End.
Located in Montauk, where the amount of affordable housing is limited, we set out to create one of the least expensive new residences on the East End. The site is less than a mile from the marina where many people already live in tiny quarters on their boats, so the idea of smart solutions that make tiny living enjoyable was always on our and our clients’ minds.
Based on our prior work in the area, and knowing of the high costs of site-built homes, we felt the need to explore prefabrication. Our initial research let us to the use of three recycled 8’ x 20’ shipping containers retrofitted and finished off-site and shipped to Montauk. Each container is 160 square feet, bringing the total of three containers to 480 square feet. By adding connecting spaces, we achieved the minimum required size.
From here our design challenge was to transform the otherwise claustrophobic space of the containers into intimate but open rooms that form a range of connections to the landscape around them. Each room becomes a window, an opening, or a doorway that creates its own connection with its outdoor surroundings.
In its tiny shell, the home features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchen/dining/living room area. The home is organized into three pods with glass connections between them. The connections can be read as two separate tiny rooms maintaining privacy between pods or the connections can be read as one single unit that includes the porch forming a fourth volume. From the porch to the pods to the connectors, we maintained a uniform ceiling height and floor plane.
We staggered the containers to create privacy between the three people living in the home and used glazed connections as transitional and intimate spaces in between. On the axis of circulation (East-West), the containers were developed as perpendicular extensions along a promenade; circulation itself became a shared room. While in the cross axis, each container was developed independently to house its own program.
The containers are insulated on the inside with closed cell spray foam and clad with finish grade plywood on the walls and ceiling and engineered wood on the floor. The connectors are frameless thermal fin-glass panels. The exteriors of the containers are spray-painted with marine grade paint. All built-ins are supported by the side-walls letting the floor plane be free of any obstruction. A combination of curtains, louvers, and deciduous trees help manage thermal loss and gain.
Credits & Contact Information listed at end of Album.
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Honor Award / Architecture
Bates Masi Architects
Project: Promised Land
Promised Land
The owners of this Amagansett property and their family have a passion for being on the water. Their interests (wind surfing, kite boarding, and sailing) share a common thread of dependence on the wind. Whether relaxing at home or on a nearby beach, the owners are constantly searching for cues that the environmental conditions are optimal to get on the water.
In researching weather data for this site, it was discovered that the predominant origin of the wind was from the west. This created an excellent opportunity to utilize the wind as a primary driver for organizing space and to treat the architecture as a canvas indicating its conditions.
With a bias toward the wind, the program is organized about an east-west axis that divides the public and private wings. This axis is carried through the entire site, carving a narrow clearing through the forest that channels the wind while large sliding glass doors surrounding living spaces admit the breeze into the house. The two wings are connected only by a circulation bridge, which can be completely opened to allow the wind to flow through the site without interruption. In parallel with the axis, and located between the two wings, is a reflecting pool, which acts as a barometer for displaying the status of the wind. As the sun rotates around the house, it bounces off the rippled surface of the water and projects the character of the wind onto the ceilings of adjacent spaces.
The structural system is a series of exposed glulam wood beams running east-west with venting panels between each beam at the perimeter. To achieve large spans, the beams are joined by steel flitch plates that create a void for light fixtures. These same flitch plates also cantilever from the beams to support the thin profile roof that extends from all sides of the house. Together, these elements create a holistic system that reinforces the role of the architecture. The overhangs capture the wind, directing it through the venting panels and along the beams like a wind tunnel.
With the utilization of wind comes the opportunity for the landscape to contribute to the experiences of the house. Lavender, mint and other aromatic plants were introduced to the windward side of the property. As it traverse through the site, the wind picks up scents along the way and carries them into the spaces.
Acting as a tool for highlighting environmental information, the architecture is dependent on the context. However, without the unique interests of its inhabitants this information is not useful. Because of their interdependent relationship, both place and lifestyle are enriched in a single gesture.
Credits & Contact Information listed at end of Album.
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Merit Award / Architecture
Berg Design Architecture
Project: Kinfolk
Kinfolk, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
The project is located in the Wythe Avenue corridor in Williamsburg Brooklyn, a slowly gentrifying neighborhood composed of mostly low rise industrial buildings which support local manufacturing. The corridor is also home to Kinfolk Studios.
As an organization, Kinfolk is a creative collective that uses their space at 90 Wythe Ave for various functions not the least of which are coffee shop, bar and restaurant.
Kinfolk was formed in 2008 by friends from New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo, Japan. The concept of a “Kinfolk life” evolved from their desire to create products and experiences they’d imagine but couldn’t find to purchase. Combining experience from a variety of disciplines, the group set out to source the highest quality designers, builders and techniques to develop lasting products and unique experiences.
For the neighboring site at 94 Wythe Avenue, we were hired to design a multi-disciplinary event/performance space, bar and retail store. The existing building, a former mechanics garage, is an existing 75’ x 50’ brick structure with 20’ tall ceilings and storefront glazing facing Wythe Avenue.
As a design directive the client asked that the space look like it was designed by a “Pacific North West hippie Mathematician”. The bar area had to feel intimate on a slow night with only 30-40 people but feel connected to the rear event space when the venue is filled to capacity with 150 people. Our intervention also had to have a strong visual impact when seen from the street. Lastly, the bar and event space needed to be adaptable to a variety of uses including art gallery shows, movie screenings, DJ dance parties, musical performances and large dinner parties.
The service areas (bathrooms, kitchen, refrigeration room, storage) were arranged in a linear bar along the North side of the building. In the middle of the main space we inserted three set pieces; two “geo-shells” and the bar canopy. The geo-shells are geodesic inspired sections of a dome (homage to the hippie mathematician) and are clad in douglas fir and Western red cedar to materially reference the Pacific North West. The retail space utilizes the glass store front system for display and has a designated street entrance. The experience from the street is that there is an entire geodesic dome in the space.
One enters the bar/event space through an intentionally dark entry hall which is angled at the end to only reveal the interior space of the “dome at the end of the hallway. Upon entering, the bar structure is the visual focal point and a foil to the geo-shells. The bar structure’s trusses support the liquor bottles and the canopy which spatially defines the bar area. Both geo-shells while slightly different in scale and radius create semi enclosed spaces with intimate seating areas differentiated by changes in elevation; one seating array is slightly raised while another is recessed into the floor referencing George Nelson era “conversation pits” . The feeling of closeness inside the dome is regulated further by lighting control. The geo-shell in the rear of the space is carefully perforated to connect to the rear event space which contains a small stage, DJ booth and gallery lighting. Removable panels were designed to infill the openings in the shell and modulate the level of connection between the two spaces.
Credits & Contact Information listed at end of Album.
Credits & Contact Information listed at end of Album.
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Merit Award / Architecture
DiSunno Architecture PC
Project: Carriage House
Carriage House, North Haven
The Carriage House project involved the restoration and adaptation of a historic 19th century carriage house turned residence/art studio in the 1950’s in North Haven. The 1891 building had fallen into disrepair in the decades following its conversion to a home and was in need of extensive work. By selectively removing later additions that detracted from the buildings character we sought to revitalize and update the original structure.
The waterfront façade was given extensive fenestration to create a dialogue with Great Pond Creek at the property’s edge. The original barn floor served as the datum line which dictated other floor levels. Structural improvements were made and a new partial basement was made from the existing crawlspace below. In large part the exterior work was understood to be an editing process that would allow the 1891 building to resurface after decades of decay.
The interiors required a more concerted intervention. The floor plan was reimagined to reflect the requirements of a contemporary family. The kitchen and family room were opened into a single space and opened to the adjacent deck with a series of large openings. Additional bathrooms were added for guest accommodations and the interiors were brightened to become a contemporary summer home.
Credits & Contact Information listed at end of Album.
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Merit Award / Architecture
Bates Masi Architects
Project: Amagansett Dunes
Amagansett Dunes
In a town famous for sprawling estates, the clients requested a house just large enough to accommodate their family, in a unique 1950’s development of modest cottages set among rolling dunes, a few hundred feet from the ocean. Local lore says that the dramatic landscape was once used as a film location for desert scenes in silent movies. The clients’ small lot backs up to a preserve, where the forms of windswept trees and dunes record the intensity and direction of the constant coastal wind. The wind scours the sand from around the scruffy vegetation, dragging it into crescent shaped parabolic dunes that point in the direction of the prevailing westerly wind. In the same way that the landscape is formed by the microclimate, so too is the house.
The house is oriented to face the street, the afternoon sun, and the prevailing wind. The entire west and east facades are comprised of operable glass, with small adjustable openings on the windward west side and expansive openings on the leeward east side. The difference in opening sizes creates a pressure differential across the house that promotes natural ventilation. The large doors on the east side open onto decks overlooking the parabolic dunes. On the west side, canvas louvers are oriented toward the southwest to admit the summer breezes that emanate from that direction, while blocking the winter winds from the northwest. The orientation of the louvers also admits the winter afternoon sun while blocking the harsh summer afternoon glare. As a tertiary benefit, the louvers provide privacy from the street.
Each louver is cut from one piece of canvas into a form with tapered strips on one edge. The canvas is wrapped around a frame with the tapered strips twisted to increase their transparency on the southwest edge. The canvas pattern, developed through numerous digital and physical mockups and models, casts dappled patterns of light through the house during the day and creates an intricate woven lantern when viewed from the street at night.
The louvers are part of a passive ventilation system that not only cools the house, but also pulls the scent of the aromatic garden through every room. The raised septic field in front of the house, required due to flood zone restrictions, is planted with a field of lavender, thereby hiding its utilitarian function. The house is filled with the smell of lavender, a scent that will forever trigger memories for the clients of summer in the dunes.
The form and details of the house are derived directly from the site conditions and thereby tie the house to the place functionally and experientially. The result is a regional architecture based not on style, but on environmental factors.
Credits & Contact Information listed at end of Album.
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Merit Award / Architecture
Will Sharp Architects
Project: Rattlesnake Creek Residence
Rattlesnake Creek Residence
The proposed 3,000 sq. ft. house is to be built on an existing subdivided lot that measures 75’ x 150’, adjacent to a creek and nature preserve that divides Sag Harbor and East Hampton. The clients have two young children and intend to live in the house full time.
Significant eastern views of the wetlands and bay generated a parti with public spaces on the top (second) floor and bedrooms and flex space at the ground floor. There is a full basement.
In response to the narrow lot dimensions and the pyramid height rules, as well as a desire by the clients to design a structure that did not require variances with the building department, the shape of the structure became a modified rectangle with flat roof (w/ PV panels). Outdoor decks at the second floor provide space for cooking, dining and long views of the preserve. The indoor dining area is cantilevered from the main structure, set amongst the tree canopy, overlooking the wetlands, bay and lighthouse. A carport with green roof allows gardening and other outdoor activities steps from the second floor kitchen.
The exterior fiber cement rainscreen assembly reduces heating and cooling loads, is easily constructed, low maintenance and does not require painting. The structure is typical 2 x 6 construction with high performance windows and insulation and will utilize cross ventilation and ceiling fans in lieu of air conditioning. The guiding design objective was to create a flexible living space utilizing standard building materials, be low maintenance and set harmoniously amongst the trees and wetlands.
Credits & Contact Information listed at end of Album.
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Juror Award / Architecture
Martin Architects, P.C., AIA
Project: Daniel’s Lane
Daniel’s Lane, Sagaponack
Located near the ocean in Sagaponack, the flat one and a half acre site housed an existing colonial saltbox house, a garage, and a pool.
The program consisted of relocating and renovating the existing colonial structure, extending the principal house with a large modern structure, and renovating the existing garage to become a pool house and guest house. Additionally the clients requested a tennis court, new pool, and underground parking. All of these features were to be assembled on a sculpted landscape.
Designed to achieve a low carbon footprint, the renovated house contains a modified and renovated pre-existing structure with updated technology. The original edifice has been picked up, rotated and relocated as a cantilevered box. This structure is connected via a glazed stair tower to a large modern addition with a cedar rain-screen skin.
The existing garage has been transformed to a half-bermed open loft guest cottage facing a sunken tennis court, lap pool, and hot tub that emerge from the changing grade. Covering a sizable parking area is a steel framed and bluestone clad patio that allows vehicular and pedestrian access to the basement.
The intent of the project was to transform the site’s inefficient, static and dark structures into a delicately scaled dynamic assemblage of energy efficient structures. This agenda is accomplished by referencing different vernacular traditions while also allowing for sophisticated light-filled spaces.
Credits & Contact Information listed at end of Album.
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Juror Award / Architecture
Maziar Behrooz, Architecture
Project: Baha’l Temple
Baha’i Temple, Papua New Guinea
Invited Competition
Baha’i Temples throughout the world are required to be nine-sided and to have a dome-like interior. This proposal for a Baha’i Temple in Papua New Guinea takes its cue from the historic lineage of Baha’i temples and adapts the template set by these structures in order to respond to nature’s cycles and the path of the sun across the sky; its forms touch on the gentle shapes of local architecture and their angular profiles — shapes that were developed through daily use and need over many years.
A set of nine steel-reinforced concrete ribs adjust in depth to provide shade to a transparent skin of glass. The glazing itself has an outer and an inner layer of screens that moderate and control light and shade. At each of the nine entries, operable windows allow air to circulate in and escape through the oculus. At times, sunlight penetrates directly through the oculus casting the shadow of the Baha’i symbol onto the floor (the ceiling symbol is a requirement of the temple).
The temple is shaped to be naturally ventilated and to maintain a moderate temperature within its inner sanctum. A lightly woven lattice, made from local materials and construction techniques, forms an inner dome over this space, lowering the ceiling height and providing for a more intimate enclosure. The temple’s orientation follows the angle of the sun diffusing light in a carefully orchestrated manner.
Seating is generally arranged to focus on a single speaker, but can be re-arranged to correspond to different events and programs.
The view of the temple will be that of an undulating weave of form and light and a dome that has responded to nature.
Credits & Contact Information listed at end of Album.
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Juror Award / Architecture
Blaze Makoid Architecture
Project: Martis Camp
Martis Camp, California
Martis Camp is a 2,200 acre multigenerational ski and golf club located between historic Truckee, California, and Lake Tahoe. Over 600 one to five acre single family lots are planned with small groups of lots being released at a time. This 6,000 square foot development project is sited on an acre of steeply sloping, wooded terrain, with phenomenal views of the Carson mountain range to the north and west. The placement and footprint of the house preserves the natural site features through minimal grading and tree removal.
Accessed from the lower part of the site, the house is a simple ‘L’, with the two wings linked by the double height glazed entry and stair hall, located at the intersection of the two geometries. A stone plinth mediates the steep pitch of the site creating both a cloistered parking court as well as a base on which the two story house rests. High stone retaining walls along the high point of the site combine with a dramatically cantilevered roof to provide extensive, sheltered outdoor patio space that includes outdoor cooking, dining and living areas. These program elements surround the open plan great room that contains living, dining and kitchen. The den to the northwest projects out beyond the stone base, creating a secluded, glazed refuge and serves as a balance to the roof projection on the opposite side of the house.
Black stained cedar siding will allow for the house to blend with the landscape during the summer and fall and pose as a dramatic counterpoint to the snow cover through the winter months.
Credits & Contact Information listed at end of Album.
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AIA Peconic 2015 Architecture Awards Jurors
The 2015 Jurors found the initial twenty-seven projects a rewarding challenge.
Cathleen McGuigan, Editor-in-Chief at ARCHITECTURAL RECORD magazine,
Heidi Blau, FAIA LEED AP, a partner at FXFOWLE
Maitland Jones, AIA LEED AP, partner at Deborah Berke Partners
Jurors reviewed projects and presented awards that recognized
unbuilt architecture, planning, urban design and research.
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ARCHITECTS — CONTACT INFORMATION — CREDITS
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Honor Award / Architecture. Stott Architecture,
P.C. Project: Suffolk Theater, Riverhead.
Owner: Castle Restoration — Bob and Diane Castaldi. Architect — Richard Stott, Stott Architecture. General Contractor — Frank Sommers, Sommers Construction. Structural Engineer — John Condin, Condin Engineering. Mechanical Design/Installation — Kolb Mechanical. Electrical Engineer — Mark Frittione, Bayman Electrical. Plumbing Design & Installation — Cutchogue East. Lighting Consultant — Revco. Sound Consultant — Stuart Allen. Kitchen Design — Bill Brayer. Kitchen Equipment — Bar Boy. Interiors — Diane Castaldi. Paint & Restoration Specialist — Willim Suesser. Fabric Consultant — Instant Verticals. Carpentry — Drew & Jesse Schiffelbian, Schiffelbian Construction. Materials — Riverhead Building Supply. Tile — Vinie Loicono. Concrete — Joe Sidada, Sidaras Concrete.
www.stottarchitecture.com
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Honor Award / Architecture. Maziar Behrooz Architecture.
Project: A Small House in Montauk.
www.mbarchitecture.com
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Honor Award / Architecture. Bates Masi Architects.
Project: Promised Land.
1.15 acre site. 4,135 sq. ft. single family residence. K. Romeo, Inc., General Contractor. Bates Masi Architects, photography.
www.batesmasi.com
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Merit Award / Architecture. Berg Design Architecture. Project: Kinfolk.
Design architect: John Berg AIA. Design Team: John Berg, Principal; Alex Chaintreuil, Project architect; Vanessa Estrada, Designer. Scott Schnall Consulting. Structural Engineer, Stephen Emery. General Contractor, Damien McKrae. Photographer, Edward Caruso.
www.bergdesignarchitecture.com
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Merit Award / Architecture. DiSunno Architecture PC. Project: Carriage House.
Architect: Christopher DiSunno, R.A., AIA. DiSunno Architecture, P.C. Decorator: Daniel Romualdez Architects. Contractor: Peter Mangiameli.
www.DiSunnoArchitecture.com
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Merit Award / Architecture. Bates Masi Architects. Project: Amagansett Dunes
.14 acres. 1,725 sq. ft. single family residence. Thomas Cooper Construction. Bates Masi Architects & Greg Condon, Landscape Architects. Bates Masi, Photography.
www.batesmasi.com
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Merit Award / Architecture. Will Sharp Architects.
Project: Rattlesnake Creek Residence.
Project Team: Will Sharp, Prudence Kwan, Heinz Meza, Corvin Matei.
www.willsharp.com
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Juror Award / Architecture. Martin Architects, P.C., AIA.
Project: Daniel’s Lane.
Project Team: Nick Martin, Edgar Papazian, Timothy Hild, Kevin Dworak, Jonathan Walker. Contractor: 4MA Builders. Photography: Jeff Heatley.
www.martinarchitects.com
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Juror Award / Architecture. Maziar Behrooz, Architecture.
Project: Baha’l Temple.
www.mbarchitecture.com
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Juror Award / Architecture. Blaze Makoid Architecture. Project: Martis Camp 506.
Architect: Blaze Makoid Architecture. Contractor: Jim Morrison Construction. Structural Engineer: Gabbart & Woods Structural Engineers. Civil Engineer: Ferrell Civil Engineering.
www.blazemakoid-architecture.com
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