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AIA Wisconsin 2009
WisconsinARCHITECT
2009 Awards Program
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Wisconsin Architect 2009
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AIA
WISCONSIN
DESIGN AWARDS 2009
AIA
Wisconsin, the state society of The
Minneapolis; and Kevin Rice, AIA, New York. The co-chairs
American Institute of Architects, recognized seven building
of AIA Wisconsin’s 53rd annual Design Awards program were
projects for excellence in architectural design as part of its 2009
Katherine Schnuck, AIA, Whitefish Bay, and Mark Kruser, AIA,
Design Awards program.
Middleton.
This year’s award-winning architecture reflects a diverse mix
The annual Design Awards program represents the highest
of projects, including a sushi restaurant, a condo development
recognition given for excellence in architectural design by AIA
welcome center, private residences, a hospital, a transportation
Wisconsin. Honor Awards recognize overall design excellence.
center and a national headquarters building. These projects
Merit Awards recognize excellence in particular aspects of
are honored for their creative, contemporary, innovative and
architectural design.
environmentally sensitive design solutions. The common thread among all seven projects is that they were designed by architect
The 2009 AIA Wisconsin Design Awards were presented to the
members of AIA Wisconsin. A jury of nationally distinguished
architects, building owners and general contractors at a special
architects from outside Wisconsin selected the award-winning
awards ceremony at the Monona Terrace Community and
projects. Members of the 2009 Design Awards jury were Kathy
Convention Center in Madison.
Achelpohl, AIA, Kansas City, Mo.; Stephen Knowles, AIA,
AIA Wisconsin DESIGN AWARDS 2009
Sushi Muramoto
Honor Award Architect: Aro Eberle Architects Inc. Owner: Shinji Muramoto Contractor: KSW Construction Corporation Location: Madison, Wisconsin Located in a retail rental space the design of this sushi restaurant is elegant and contemporary. The storefront for the restaurant expresses a bold simplicity, with glass displays embedded within cedar clad columnar elements. At night, the illuminated interior creates its own columns through the exterior elements. A cor-ten steel plated entry door draws the eye and provides an element of color. A horizontal hardwood screen wall separates the dining area from the bar. The bar is a clean stainless steel with a warm hardwood edge. The back bar is a cultured stone with steel and glass horizontal floating shelving. The bold red and silver mural backdrop of the sushi bar brings an element of tradition in a contemporary medium. Near the back of the dining area, guests enter a semi-private room through ten-foot high openings draped with red noren, a split cloth that is often used to designate entry to a special place. Jury Comment “The façade is beautiful! It looks like it is a really fun place to be. Overall, it is a very elegant scheme. I need to go visit this place soon!”
Photography: Zane Williams Photography and Airborne Photography
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Wisconsin Architect 2009 WA
AIA Wisconsin DESIGN AWARDS 2009
Palomar Welcome Center
Honor Award Architect: Johnsen Schmaling Architects Owner: Gatehouse Capital Contractor: Gilbane Building Company Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin OAs the harbinger of a large-scale development, the Palomar Welcome Center utilizes an abandoned one-story warehouse building on the edge of Milwaukee’s Park East redevelopment corridor. A long translucent glass scrim wraps the windowless face of the existing brick building and creates an elegant, façade that transcends the distinction between building and signage. Illuminated from behind, the scrim transforms the building into an urban beacon, projecting its message of change into the neighborhood poised for a renaissance, and also creates a thermal buffer for the building. The design solution involves a palette of sustainable and recyclable materials, including bamboo flooring, locally quarried stone and locally harvested woods as well as low-VOC paints. More importantly, the project presents a sustainable alternative by demonstrating how the bones of an obsolete structure can be recycled into an exciting new urban constituent. Jury Comment “It is elegantly done and nicely detailed. We all really enjoyed the simplicity and clarity of this project. The architect created special elements that start at the community in the parking lot and carry all the way into the showroom. It is pretty impressive.”
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Photography: John J. Maculay
Wisconsin Architect 2009
AIA Wisconsin DESIGN AWARDS 2009
Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital
Honor Award Architect: Kahler Slater, Inc. Owner: Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital Contractor: Kraus-Anderson Construction Company Location: Grand Rapids, Minnesota The inspiration for the design of this hospital draws heavily on influences from the Northern Minnesota mining, farming, timber and milling industries. A deep russet color, representative of the indigenous taconite ore from the area, is found throughout interior and exterior. Slatted “corn crib” fences and visual screens provide a reminder of agricultural heritage. On the interior, the path through the facility is punctuated by respite alcoves, with windows that filter in natural daylight from courtyard gardens. In the dining room, simple roof planes are pulled up to create a sense of openness and views to the woodland and sky beyond. The integrated clinic model offers opportunity for efficiencies and cost savings, with shared equipment and procedural spaces allowing state-of-the-art equipment to be affordable. The functional requirements are balanced by design elements that evoke and enhance a sense of expert and compassionate care, with connections to the area’s natural surroundings and heritage. Wellness is emphasized and encouraged by connections to trails and spaces for education, exercise and celebration. Jury Comment “This hospital and clinic project has a lot of great elements. It was thoughtfully designed and executed. There is rich detail throughout the project. Viewing the hospital through the woods tells the whole story behind this building and what is meant to be.” Photography: Wheelock Photography
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AIA Wisconsin DESIGN AWARDS 2009
Milwaukee Intermodal Station
Merit Award Architect: Eppstein Uhen Architects, Inc. Owner: Wisconsin Department of Transportation Contractor: CG Schmidt, Inc. Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee’s train station, built in 1965, was given new life through a creative transformation into the Milwaukee Intermodal Station. The Amtrak station was transformed and expanded into a landmark building that houses the Department of Transportation’s traffic operations center, Amtrak’s rail connection, Greyhound bus service and a potential future connection of the Metra commuter service from Chicago. Visitors and commuters enter and depart through a luminous three-story glass atrium that includes ticketing kiosks, workspaces and userfriendly links to other transportation modes. The glass curtain wall, faceted with geometric shapes and opaque sections, fills the station with natural light during the day and also gives the building a dramatic, luminous street presence at night. Creating a well-lit exterior environment and enhanced visibility, the design increases safety and provides an increased comfort level for passengers.
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Photography: John J Korom Photography
Jury Comment “The level of transformation is incredible. The architect created a very successful upgrade of an existing space for the benefit of the community. We enjoyed the playfulness of the structure and how it related to the bridge next door. It transformed a hopeless space and made it interesting for people inside.” Wisconsin Architect 2009
AIA Wisconsin DESIGN AWARDS 2009
Blur Loft
Merit Award Architect: Johnsen Schmaling Architects Contractor: KBS Construction Inc. Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin This urban residence, with commanding views of Milwaukee’s skyline, occupies 2,600 square feet on the top floor of a former cold storage facility. The residence is organized in three parallel zones. A long living hall, flooded with natural light and bracketed by an open kitchen on one end and a generous sun room on the other, occupies the first, most public zone. The second zone features a series of flex spaces separated from the living hall by translucent sliding panels. Depending on the panels’ position, these flex rooms can be totally separated from the living hall or completely connected to it to serve either as private bedrooms, media rooms or to provide additional gathering space for larger social events. The third spatial layer contains a spacious master bath, walk-in closets, storage space and other back-of-the house functions. In the center of the bathroom, an open bamboo frame serves as vanity and spatial device that organizes the room into distinct, but interconnected, areas. Jury Comment “This is a great little loft, with a clean, simple, straight forward and consistent plan. The views from one space to the next, including what is hidden and what is visible, is quite nice. The architect deserves to be recognized for how they handled the few elements required in the space.”
Photography: Doug Edmunds Studios
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Wisconsin Architect 2009 WA
AIA Wisconsin DESIGN AWARDS 2009
National Conference of Bar Examiners
Merit Award Architect: Potter Lawson, Inc. Owner: National Conference of Bar Examiners Contractor: J.H. Findorff & Son, Inc. Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Jury Comment “We enjoyed this project very much. It is very strong in its massing and its detailing. All of the great elements are brought into the system and pulled together as a cohesive whole. It is well integrated into the site.�
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Photography: Mike Rebholz
Designed to maximize the use of a small urban infill site, this contemporary four-story national headquarters building provides added density to the downtown while being sympathetic to the scale of the surrounding neighborhood. The wood molded brick and the warm limestone plinth and wall panels harmonize with the loft, office and historic warehouse buildings in the area. Bronze metal panels frame the main entry. The structural columns and slab edges are exposed on the interior of the building and can be seen from the exterior through the floor to ceiling glass, exposing the industrial side of the refined office building. A green roof terrace was incorporated off of the break room, allowing staff to connect to and relax in the outdoor environment. Recycled materials were selected for carpet and rubber flooring; and windows were strategically placed to maximize the amount of daylight.
Wisconsin Architect 2009
AIA Wisconsin DESIGN AWARDS
Private Single Family Residence
Merit Award Architect: River Architects, Inc. Contractor: Weiser Brothers, Inc. Location: De Soto, Wisconsin This timber-framed private residence is nestled into the rolling hills of southwest Wisconsin. The architect designed a unique contemporary residence that merges with the rural landscape and features a lookout tower, water features, multiple outdoor living spaces and greenhouse. The design also incorporates sustainable principles, including solar hot water, wind turbine, geothermal heating, passive solar and natural ventilation. Passage through the twostory entry reveals an interior featuring the interplay of curving stone clad walls and rectilinear exposed wood elements. The light-filled living space opens to expansive views of the distant landscape and is anchored by the massive curved stone wall that dominates the northern exposure and terminates in an outdoor fireplace and chimney. The house’s three levels of glazed living spaces are organized around the outdoor court, which is defined by the reflection pond and the continuation of the circular stone wall beyond. The collection of familiar forms recalls the vernacular of simple rural structures; and each element is sited to merge with the hillside and minimize disruption to the natural landscape.
Photography: Tom Donovan and Critical Eye
Wisconsin Architect 2009
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Jury Comment “There was a lot of exuberance in this design. The home has very strong interior spaces. The consistency of the materials—the stone, the wood and the metal pieces, really lend a nice quality.”
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AIA Wisconsin GOLDEN AWARD
Wisconsin Architect William Wenzler Receives Top Honor Architect Architect William P. Wenzler, FAIA, Milwaukee, has been chosen to receive the 2009 “Golden Award” from AIA Wisconsin, the state society of The American Institute of Architects (AIA). The Golden Award is the highest honor the state architects’ society can bestow upon a member architect. As both architect and architectural humanitarian, Wenzler is being recognized for his distinguished record of service, spanning nearly 55 years, for the advancement of the profession of architecture and for his exceptional commitment to providing quality housing for low income families in the Milwaukee community. He has served his profession well in key leadership positions at the state and national level as well as demonstrated an ongoing dedication to his community, as evidenced with the Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity, where he is a founding member of its board of directors. Due to his tireless efforts on many fronts, he is admired by and continues to inspire his peers and emerging professionals across Wisconsin. The Golden Award was be formally presented to Wenzler during a special awards program on May 20 at the Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center in Madison. The event is being held in conjunction with 2009 AIA Wisconsin Convention & Expo. The first Golden Award was presented by the Wisconsin Society of Architects in 1986. Wenzler is the twenty-second Wisconsin architect to receive the award. “Bill Wenzler epitomizes the Golden Award,” said Josh Johnson, AIA, Madison, 2009 president of AIA Wisconsin. “He represents all the qualities it embodies from his active participation in leadership roles that have kept the profession strong and relevant to applying his time, energy, and creativity for the common good of our communities.”
national, regional and state architectural awards for its church, university and urban housing projects. A life-long resident of Milwaukee, Wenzler’s personal achievements reflect a dedication to strong design and the profession of architecture. In 1967, he was presented with the Governor’s Award for Creativity in the Arts. By 1971, Wenzler had accomplished a major milestone when he was advanced to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects. At age 42, he was one of the youngest Fellows of the Institute. “Today,” Wenzler quips, “I am one of the oldest Fellows in Wisconsin.” Other notable triumphs include: “Award of Excellence for Life Work in Architecture” (1985) from the Milwaukee Art Commission and the “Citation for Distinguished Service” for his contribution to the establishment of the School of Architecture in Wisconsin from AIA Wisconsin (2001). Still working part-time, Wenzler continues to practice architecture and is known to attend an occasional local AIA chapter meeting, still believing in the value of advancing the profession through participation as well as the importance of contributing your talents and time in your own community. His career underscores his beliefs. Over a 20 year period, Wenzler served the profession in key leadership roles while balancing the responsibilities of a thriving firm. In the area of governance, he provided distinguished representation as a member of the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Society of Architects (AIA Wisconsin), the National Panel of the American Arbitration Association, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and the State of Wisconsin Examining Board of Architects, Professional Engineers, Designers and Land Surveyors. According to Wenzler, “While all positions were indeed worthwhile, my most fulfilling assignment was from 1979-84 as a member of the State of Wisconsin Examining Board.”
When notified last December of his selection as the Golden Award recipient for 2009, Wenzler expressed he was “deeply gratified yet amazed by this most unexpected honor.” However, the unexpected continues. In February, Governor Doyle and the Wisconsin State Building Commission, well aware of his estimable career, recognized Wenzler and his firm William Wenzler and Associates – Architects, Inc. with its Lifetime Service Award.
Volunteering in his own community, with a blend of expertise and elbow grease, has become the hallmark of Bill Wenzler. As a founding director of the Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity, he has shared his knowledge and skills since its inception in 1984. Wenzler is an architectural humanitarian in his own right as demonstrated in 1987 when his firm designed six Carter Work Week houses that became homes for low income families. Through the Habitat for Humanity program, he had organized volunteers and worked alongside his recruits to build or rehab houses that have spurred the revitalization of neighborhoods in Milwaukee.
Wenzler is a graduate of the University of Illinois, receiving a Bachelor of Science Architectural Engineering in 1952, and opened his own office in Milwaukee in 1955. With a passion for design, his firm has flourished and earned numerous
“Wenzler set the bar high throughout his career,” explained AIA Wisconsin President Johnson, “and his widely respected attribute as a ‘doer’ will continue to inspire architects and our emerging professionals for years to come.”
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Wisconsin Architect 2009
AIA
Wisconsin congratulates this year’s award
winners for their significant contributions to the profession and our built environment. Advancing the profession of architecture requires an uncompromising commitment to excellence. The execution of a well-designed building requires the collaboration, inspiration and enthusiastic support of the architect, owner and contractor.
AIA Wisconsin is a 1,500-member professional society representing architects in private practice, business, industry, government and education. It is the voice of the architectural profession dedicated to serving its members, advancing their value and improving the quality of the built environment.
Good design makes a difference. For over 150 years, members of The American Institute of Architects have worked with each other and their communities to create more valuable, healthy, secure and sustainable buildings and cityscapes. AIA members have access to the right people, knowledge and tools to create better design—and help clients and communities make their visions real.
For more information on working with an architect, please contact AIA Wisconsin.
AIA Wisconsin
321 S. Hamilton St. Madison, WI 53703-4000 (608) 257-8477 Phone Web: www.aiaw.org
Wisconsin Architect 2009
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