The American Institute of Architects Arizona Design Awards recognize excellence in design, planning and construction of projects located anywhere in the world that are designed by AIA Arizona architects registered and licensed in Arizona.
The awards honor the highest standards of design in response to user requirements, site, context, climate and environment. Each entry, regardless of size or classification, is judged individually on the basis of total design merit.
Awards are given the categories of honor, merit and citation (in order of importantce). Certificates were presented to award-winning AIA Arizona members at the AIA Arizona Design Awards Gala held Nov. 2 at the AE England Building at Civic Space Park in Phoenix.
The Design Firm of the Year award went to richärd+bauer. It was also a good night for Tom’s Thumb Trailhead, which won two awards — as did SmithGroupJJR.
Below is a full list of design award winners:
HONOR
Project: Tom’s Thumb Trailhead in the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve
Architect: Fucello Architects, LLC
Owner: City of Scottsdale
Contractor: Redden Construction Inc.
Tom’s Thumb Trailhead provides access into the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve multi-use trail network leading to the northern mountain tier, which has long been a destination for rock climbers seeking its world-renowned granite crags and notable rock formation. The project site is located at the northern base of the McDowell Mountains amid a sprawling watershed defined by a relentlessly steep undulating topography and numerous desert washes. Minimizing site disturbance and preservation of natural habitat were underlying values for sustainable design.
The facility provides parking for 224 vehicles, interpretive displays, a formal gathering area for educational venues, equestrian access and waterless restrooms. Sustainable design strategies create efficiency, self-sufficiency, and low-maintenance as the site is remote from municipal infrastructure – no water, no sewer, and no electric services. Through responsible environmental planning and design, this project exemplifies a commitment by Scottsdale and its citizens in achieving environmental stewardship. – Tina Litteral, AIA Executive Director
HONOR
Project: Desert Courtyard House
Architect: Wendell Burnette Architects
Owner: Steve and Beverlyn Elliott
Contractor: The Construction Zone, Ltd.
Mass informed how the designers proceeded to give this home its defining qualities — from the courtyard plan to the split-massing and all the way down to the fittings and fixtures that one touches with the hand or the eye. For instance, the millwork is volumetric only revealing contents within when a contoured bronze void is touched with the fingertips allowing the mass to be gently cracked open. Long fissures in the mill-finish steel plate ceiling reveal light while maintaining the quality of nothingness at night. Mass and the improbability of delicacy discovered within it is what gives the Sonoran Desert its remarkable presence. — Tina Litteral, AIA Executive Director
MERIT
Project: Central Arizona College Maricopa Campus
Architect: SmithGroupJJR
Owner: Pinal County Community College District
Contractor: CORE Construction
MERIT
Project: Casa de Nido Ospre
Architect: Jones Studio, Inc.
Owner: Lisa Johnson and Eddie Jones
Contractor: Design and Building Inc.
MERIT
Project: University of Arizona Health Sciences Education Building
Design & Executive Architect: CO Architects
Associate Architect: Ayers Saint Gross
Owner: Arizona Board of Regents & City of Phoenix
Contractor: DPR Construction/Sundt Construction, a Joint Venture
CITATION
Project: Shade Platform, Maricopa County Security Building Roof Repair/Renovation
Architect: SmithGroupJJR
Owner: Maricopa County
Contractor: The Weitz Company
CITATION
Project: Arizona State University Health Services Building
Architect: Orcutt|Winslow
Design Architect: Lake Flato
Owner: Arizona State University
Contractor: Okland Construction
CITATION
Project: Estrella Hall Expansion + Renovation
Architect: Richärd+Bauer Architecture LLC
Owner: Maricopa County Community College District
Contractor: Okland Construction
APS ENERGY AWARD
Project: Fireside Elementary School
Architect: DLR Group
Owner: Paradise Valley Unified School District
Contractor: CORE Construction
SRP SUSTAINABLE BUILDING AWARD
Project: Tom’s Thumb Trailhead in the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve
Architect: Fucello Architects, LLC
Owner: City of Scottsdale
Contractor: Redden Construction Inc.
APS ENERGY AWARD and SRP SUSTAINABLE BUILDING AWARD
Project: Energy Systems Integration Facility
Architect: SmithGroupJJR
Owner: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Design Build General Contractor: JE Dunn Construction
