2011 Builders Excellence Awards

5:33 PM

2011 BUILDING EXCELLENCE AWARDS

2011 building excellence awards

Project of the Year, p. 42

Distinction Awards, p. 48

American Builders Quarterly celebrates the construction industry’s past legacies, its present innovations, and its future triumphs. Here, in the presentation of our inaugural Building Excellence Awards, the present takes top billing as we recognize outstanding achievement in American building and architecture. Though nominations included incredible projects of all types, we saw an emphasis on institutional and adaptive-reuse projects. After reviewing the nominees, we’re extremely proud to reveal this year’s Building Excellence Award winners.

Honorable Mentions, p. 56 WORDS BY DAVID HUDNALL

American Builders Quarterly

ABQ43_40-57.indd 41

NOV/DEC 2011

41

7/15/11 11:04 AM

PROJECT OF THE YEAR KIRKWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY

42

ARCHITECT: ikon.5 architects

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: MacIntosh Engineering

GENERAL CONTRACTOR:

MEP/FP ENGINEER: DEDC (Delaware

Wohlsen Construction

Engineering & Design Corporation)

ASSOCIATE ARCHITECT:

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT:

StudioJAED

Matt Spong

INTERIOR DESIGN:

LIGHTING DESIGNER:

Mitchell Associates

Lighting Design Collaborative

NOV/DEC 2011

ABQ43_40-57.indd 42

Photo: © James D’Addio.

7/14/11 5:28 PM

2011 BUILDING EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Above: ikon.5 architects designed the Kirkwood Public Library to look like stacks of books along the Kirkwood Highway in Wilmington, DE.

Running through Wilmington, Delaware, the Kirkwood Highway is a typical American commercial highway. On both sides, strip malls, big-box retailers, and billboards dot the landscape. It is not an especially pleasant view, architecturally speaking. But rather than let the contemporary commerciality of the environment dictate the design of a new library off the highway, ikon.5 architects confronted it. The firm surpassed the expectations of a skeptical public to create one of the most fascinating architectural feats of the past year: a strong building that, as it resembles a collection of books stacked along the highway, evokes its very program.

American Builders Quarterly

ABQ43_BOOK.indb 43

NOV/DEC 2011

43

7/13/11 4:55 PM

Photos: © James D’Addio.

44

NOV/DEC 2011

ABQ43_BOOK.indb 44

American Builders Quarterly

7/13/11 4:55 PM

2011 BUILDING EXCELLENCE AWARDS

“Our idea was to treat the project as though the building was a billboard announcing the nature of the library inside,” ikon.5 principal Joe Tattoni says. After its design was selected, the firm met every two weeks for a year with a committee composed of New Castle County department members, Friends of the Library, and community volunteers to iron out the details. State, county, and private money funded the project. “We wanted to achieve maximum presence and civic responsiveness from the money that was available,” Tattoni says. “The county wanted a very durable building with a 100-year lifespan.

But the materials that calls for are very expensive. So there was a certain degree of difficulty sustaining our design throughout the process, but we ended up pushing everything through.”

The previous library had been very bunker-like with few windows or glass of any kind. The committee wanted a design that reflected the changing nature of libraries as places where people go to do more than read in a corner.

“Libraries are public gathering places with lots of new technology,” Tattoni says. “We kept the interiors very open with very few partitions.” Though the county elected not to go for LEED certification, the building includes a number of sustainable qualities. A two-foot shade reduces solar gain in the two-story reading room,

American Builders Quarterly

ABQ43_BOOK.indb 45

This project exemplified the type of perseverance required for excellence in the building industry; its formation was a study in overcoming obstacles.

From its unappealing location next to a busy highway to the cost of long-lasting materials to a fairly negative reaction from conservative citizens, the Kirkwood Public Library was a challenge—but one that ikon.5 architects and the project team met head on. In addition to its imaginative design, the library offers a lesson in persistence and has thus earned the Project of the Year honor.

—THE EDITORS

Opposite page: In addition to the strong architectural statement they make, the solar screens at one end of the library reduce solar heat gain.

Above: The architects created the book-stack look using cementboard siding.

NOV/DEC 2011

45

7/13/11 4:55 PM

This page: All sections of the library, including the circulation-desk/accessservices area and the adult fiction reading area, were designed as open spaces—a welcome break from the monotony of lined shelves of books.

46

NOV/DEC 2011

ABQ43_BOOK.indb 46

Opposite top: As seen in the children’s area, the interior of the library is heavily daylit, and interior elements also help the space feel as whimsical as the exterior.

Opposite bottom: The main reading room is illuminated by so much sunlight that artificial lights typically are not required during the day.

Photos: © James D’Addio.

7/13/11 4:55 PM

2011 BUILDING EXCELLENCE AWARDS

and daylighting is prevalent enough that lights aren’t used during the day. The cement fiberboard on the exterior is trimmed in natural cedar from former wood mills in the area, harkening back to the rustic qualities that once pervaded life in the area. “The cement fiberboard is also extremely economical and can be installed by contractors,” Tattoni says. “So we didn’t have to go out and get highly skilled masons to put it up.”

Opened in July 2010, the library has since earned acclaim from the architecture world but initially received mixed reviews from the public. “As it was going up, it was right there on the highway, so it was getting a lot of visual traffic,” Tattoni says. “Thousands and thousands of people a day are driving by it, and obviously it’s quite unusual looking, and it’s being built with public money, which is always sensitive. There was a lot of negative blogging. But the craziness subsided, and when we opened the library it had record attendance and continues to have record attendance.”

And, he’s quick to add, “I got an interesting call after the opening, from the director of the Wilmington Symphony. She said she thought it was great that something like this was being built in the county. She felt that, regardless of whether people liked it or hated it, it was at least bringing about an awareness of the arts.

And I agree with that.”

American Builders Quarterly

ABQ43_BOOK.indb 47

NOV/DEC 2011

47

7/13/11 4:55 PM

distinction award M650 FLATS GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Brunelleschi Construction

ARCHITECT: Minervini Vandermark Architecture

CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT:

Brunelleschi Construction INTERIOR DESIGN:

Brunelleschi Construction

Right: A rendering of m650 Flats shows the original three-level structure built in 1915 and the two levels on top, a vision courtesy of Brunelleschi Construction.

In 2007, Anthony Carrino and his father discovered a plot at 650 Montgomery Street in Jersey City, New Jersey. With its Manhattan views, industrial interiors, and 1915 engravings, the three-story warehouse—vacant for five years—was prime for a resurrection. The men, owners of Brunelleschi Construction, decided to add two stories on top of the existing structure to make it a five-story boutique condo building and combine the new and old buildings on the ground level so that the lobby and parking area could work as a cohesive unit. The resulting m650 Flats is a masterful combination of modern luxury, historical charm, and sustainability.

48

NOV/DEC 2011

ABQ43_BOOK.indb 48

American Builders Quarterly

7/13/11 4:55 PM

2011 BUILDING EXCELLENCE AWARDS

During the construction process, 10,000 bricks and a significant amount of bluestone were saved; the materials were then appropriated for the interior spaces to enhance the warehouse aesthetic. Raw materials were also largely left exposed, and a variety of sustainable features—tankless hot-water heaters that reduce energy consumption by 50 percent, bamboo floors, and low-E window glazes—were incorporated. Though highly sustainable, these are luxury condos—22 in all, plus a commercial space on the lower level—and they include a wealth of special features and amenities: The custom kitchens are fitted with Bosch appliances, the bathroom floors and towel racks are heated, and in-wall iPod docks are part of each unit’s modern audio/visual system. Up top there are three private roof decks and one community rooftop. The project won a restoration award from the Jersey City Landmarks Commission.

American Builders Quarterly

ABQ43_BOOK.indb 49

NOV/DEC 2011

49

7/13/11 4:55 PM

distinction award WOLFF WATERS PLACE

50

DEVELOPER: Coachella

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT:

Valley Housing Coalition

RGA Landscape Architects, Inc.

GENERAL CONTRACTOR:

ELECTRICAL ENGINEER:

Brown Construction, Inc.

MRC Engineering, Inc.

ARCHITECT: Interactive

MECHANICAL/PLUMBING ENGINEER:

Design Corporation

EquitySpec Consulting Engineers, Inc.

CIVIL ENGINEER:

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER:

MSA Consulting Inc.

Grayner Engineering, Inc.

NOV/DEC 2011

ABQ43_BOOK.indb 50

Photos: Mark Davidson.

7/13/11 4:55 PM

2011 BUILDING EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Traditionally restricted to more luxurious developments, sustainable elements are now making their way into the world of affordable community housing, too. Residents of the 218 units at the $90 million Wolff Waters Place in La Quinta, California, not only enjoy access to a swimming pool, two tot lots, a sports court, a community room, and a variety of community classes, but they also can claim the largest carport-mounted photovoltaic array in Coachella Valley, which offsets the energy needs of nearly 60 of the community’s homes. The Coachella Valley Housing Coalition felt it was important to demonstrate both that solar power could generate significant savings and that affordable housing could use solar technology cost-effectively.

Below: Winding pathways and sitting parks make Wolff Waters Place a dream for those who prefer to walk.

Right: Wolff Waters Place is a sustainable affordable-housing development that manages not to skimp on luxuries. The site includes a swimming pool, a community room, and a recreational court.

Other sustainable elements of Wolff Waters Place, where residences range from LEED Silver to Gold, include natural gas for cooking and heating, no-VOC paint, dual-glaze windows, R-38 roof insulation that exceeds minimum code requirements, vented range hoods leading from the kitchen to the exterior of the building in 80 percent of the units, low-flow faucets in the kitchens and bathrooms, energy-efficient HVAC systems, and Energy Star-rated appliances. Linking the 22-building development is a highly walkable spinal pathway that weaves throughout the residences and common areas.

American Builders Quarterly

ABQ43_BOOK.indb 51

NOV/DEC 2011

51

7/13/11 4:55 PM

distinction award RITZ-CARLTON HIGHLANDS GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Q&D Construction /

Swinerton Builders EXECUTIVE ARCHITECT: OZ Architecture

DESIGN ARCHITECT: Hornberger + Worstell

MEP ENGINEER: Beaudin Ganze

Consulting Engineers, Inc. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Terrasan

Planning & Landscape Architecture

Far from an ordinary hotel, the Ritz-Carlton Highlands in Truckee, California, features 175 rooms, 23 private residences, three restaurants, multiple retail shops, a conference center, and a three-story parking garage.

It’s nearly an insular village rather than a hotel, and pulling all those disparate elements together and making them work might have seemed a task better suited for a mayor than a building company. However, San Franciscobased Swinerton Builders’ mayoral ability to work compatibly with another firm helped the construction company realize its final vision.

Top: For the Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Swinerton paired up with Q&D Construction to get more than 500 workers to the site.

52

NOV/DEC 2011

ABQ43_BOOK.indb 52

Right: Inside, a vast lodge is dominated by a central stone pillar and fireplace.

Opposite page: One of three restaurants in Swinerton Builders’ Ritz-Carlton Highlands looks out on snow-covered woodlands.

American Builders Quarterly

7/13/11 4:55 PM

2011 BUILDING EXCELLENCE AWARDS

By teaming with Reno, Nevada-based Q&D Construction, Swinerton sought to complement its extensive hospitality experience with someone with a proven record of building in the mountains. Getting upwards of 500 workers to the job site—via a new roadway Q&D constructed—and coordinating busses was just the beginning of the challenge; the construction schedule at one point listed 10,000 activities and a reference log of 500 open issues.

Yet in the constructability review following the resort’s on-time completion in 2010, it was revealed that Swinerton had discovered and resolved 450 construction issues prior to those issues resulting in potential change orders—saving more than $7.5 million. And despite annual snowfalls of 16 feet, the project was never shut down due to weather. Swinerton’s vision, diligent preparation, and exacting execution are directly responsible for the success of the project, which is also the first Ritz-Carlton ever to receive LEED certification.

American Builders Quarterly

ABQ43_BOOK.indb 53

NOV/DEC 2011

53

7/13/11 4:55 PM

Photos: Gilbertson Photography.

54

NOV/DEC 2011

ABQ43_BOOK.indb 54

American Builders Quarterly

7/13/11 4:56 PM

2011 BUILDING EXCELLENCE AWARDS

DISTINCTION AWARD GATEWAY CENTER

ZINC FAÇADE: Umicore

Opposite page: A section of the Gateway Center at Westchester Community College cantilevers over the ground, clad in durable, eco-friendly zinc paneling supplied by Umicore.

Below: This detail of the exterior shows the zinc panels as well as the building’s stone work.

ARCHITECT: Ennead Architects LLP STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Leslie E. Robertson Associates

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Towers | Golde

LIGHTING: SBLD Studio

CONSTRUCTION MANAGER: STV Inc. MEP ENGINEER:

Thomas Polise Consulting Engineer PC

GEOTECHNICAL & CIVIL ENGINEERING:

Langan Engineering & Environmental Services

Westchester Community College, a branch of the State University of New York, made the decision a few years back to green up its campus. And the Gateway Center—a welcome space for visitors that’s also home to language, business, and fashion programs—is a part of that push, largely thanks to the dynamic use of new eco-friendly zinc paneling from Umicore, a Belgian materials technology company whose roots can be traced back a century.

Completed in 2010 and certified LEED Gold, the building also boasts an effective solar orientation that maximizes daylighting, and the high-performance building envelope slows heat gain and energy use through windows with low-E glazing and custom sun screens.

What’s most memorable about the Gateway Center are its design flourishes. The zinc-clad offices and classrooms are cantilevered over a base of structurally glazed walls, the specialized metal ensuring the structure’s durability. A multistory glass pavilion connects two academic wings. And an illuminated tower rises abruptly on the side. The dynamic juxtaposition is deepened by the building materials: at the base of the building, fieldstone maintains design consistency with the historic structures on campus, and a glass-andaluminum wall, supported by exposed structural steel, drapes the atrium building.

American Builders Quarterly

ABQ43_40-57.indd 55

NOV/DEC 2011

55

7/15/11 9:43 AM

HONORABLE MENTION LOCUST WALK ARCHITECT: Cecil Baker + Partners STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: The Harman Group

Fox & Associates

GENERAL CONTRACTOR:

J.J. Deluca Company, Inc.

Below: Before Cecil Baker + Partners Architects converted it, The Lippincott Building was a longvacant publishing house.

Photo: Barry Halkin.

Once home to a publishing house, the Lippincott Building in Philadelphia’s Washington Square had for years sat empty—victim to the woes of the publishing business. As the Center City neighborhood experienced a resurgence in residential housing interest, however, Cecil Baker + Partners Architects saw an opportunity. The firm’s adaptive reuse of the office structure into a 23-unit luxury condo building called Locust Walk preserved the integrity and history of the site and neighborhood while modernizing it thoroughly. The condos were sold as raw space, but amenities abound, including in the penthouse, which incorporates three garden-terraced townhouses that respect the building’s original site lines. Today, the Locust Walk building is 100 percent occupied and one of Philadelphia’s premier addresses.

MEP ENGINEER: Jon Edward

56

NOV/DEC 2011

ABQ43_40-57.indd 56

American Builders Quarterly

7/13/11 5:20 PM

2011 BUILDING EXCELLENCE AWARDS

honorable mention CAROWINDS INTIMIDATOR

GENERAL CONTRACTOR:

Hendrick Construction, Inc. ARCHITECT:

RSL Commercial Architecture

Above: The Intimidator, constructed by Hendrick Construction, Inc. for the Carowinds amusement park, was built within a strict timetable.

American Builders Quarterly

ABQ43_BOOK.indb 57

Hendrick Construction, Inc. worked against a specifically demanding timetable to complete the Intimidator, a $23 million, 23-story-high roller coaster named after NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. It is now the tallest, fastest, and longest rollercoaster in the Southeastern United States. A late completion date would have been costly to the owners of the Carowinds amusement park, but Hendrick made certain it arrived on time. Many components of the electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems were value-engineered; the millwork package was built in place rather than premanufactured to save on manufacturing time and avoid about $30,000 in costs. When the ride opened in the spring of 2010, guests were thrilled to find three 32-passenger trains that now twist and turn around the track at speeds of up to 75 miles per hour.

NOV/DEC 2011

57

7/13/11 4:56 PM