Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Receives Top Honors from AIA Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA (November 14, 2016) – Three Bohlin Cywinski Jackson projects, including a living and learning facility for 350 students at the University of Pennsylvania, a home for family gathering along Lake Michigan’s northern shores, and a minimalist retreat for architecture and design for students of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s Fallingwater Institute, were honored at AIA Pennsylvania’s annual Architectural Excellence Design Awards Gala on November 10. The three projects, which showcase the firm’s aptitude for design at a variety of scales, were selected from a pool of over 150 submissions from a variety of Pennsylvania firms.
This year’s Silver Medal was presented to the High Meadow design team. Positioned between forest and field on a historic farm above the renowned Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Fallingwater residence, High Meadow serves as home base for students of Fallingwater Institute’s summer residency programs in architecture, art and design. An addition to an existing house, the four modest dwellings and a shared indoor/outdoor porch feature wood interiors and framed vistas of the meadow and hills beyond. The jury commented, “The scale and materiality of the building is in great contrast to the beautiful background. The graceful addition to the existing structure successfully provides new public and private amenities.”
University of Pennsylvania’s New College House, a 198,000-square-foot living and learning community, received a Citation of Merit Award. The design includes suite-style residences along with living spaces for faculty, graduate students and fellows, house deans and residential advisors. The building, positioned at a critical gateway to the campus and city of Philadelphia, is strategically designed to enrich the academic life of its students and embody the vibrancy of its urban setting. The jury noted the project’s design features, including a publicly accessible ‘lifted lawn’ and a secure, private courtyard, “beat at the heart of the complex.”
Tusen Takk, a private, year-round residence bound by a dense forest and the shoreline of Lake Michigan, was selected for an Honor Award. Designed as a place for relaxation and recreation, the residence includes a main house and a separate bunk house that serves as an intermittent home for visiting family and friends. In addition to the project’s “beautiful hand sketches,” the jury remarked: “The floor plan takes you on a journey from beginning to end, culminating with an incredible view of Lake Michigan.”
The annual awards ceremony brings Pennsylvania’s architecture community together in celebration of the creative and innovative work of AIA Pennsylvania member firms.
