AIA Connecticut Gives Awards for Preservation Projects
Four projects related to historic buildings
were recognized in AIA Connecticut’s 2008 Design Awards. Two projects were
recognized in the Preservation category; both are good examples of adaptive
use. Two other projects, in the Residential category, were not specifically
identified as preservation projects, but one recognizes a sympathetic addition
to one of New Canaan’s famed Modernist houses,
and the other is a conversion of a 19th-century barn frame into a
residence. The awards jury’s comments for each project are printed in italics.
PRESERVATION
Recital hall at Betsy
Ross Magnet School, New Haven, by Barkin Associates Architects, P.C./JCJ
Architecture. The hall is the former Saint Peter’s chapel, saved from
demolition after a public outcry. This
adaptive use project is a variation on the original use of the building. It is
true to its history, and that close link helped to preserve the original fabric
and sense of place. (This project also received an award from the Connecticut
Trust; see CPN, May/June 2007.)
Interstate Design Center,
Greenwich,
by Halper Owns Architects LLC. For a custom millwork company, founded in 1922,
Halper Owens converted the original millwork shop into a showroom; in addition
to current products, displays include old tools and samples from three
generations of work. This is a successful
adaptive use project with a few strategic moves that bring in light and air. It
is a modest project with a high impact, taking a non-descript building and
improving it with smart adaptive architecture so that it is part of the
landscape. The building was also recognized in AIA Connecticut’s People’s
Choice awards as “the space in which I’d most like to work.”
RESIDENTIAL
Addition to a Modern
House, New Canaan, by Mark Markiewicz, AIA.
Markiewicz made additions in two stages to this mid-century Modern house, originally
built in 1952 to designs by the New Canaan
firm Gates & Ford. The latest addition comprises an in-law apartment
attached to the original house by a gallery. The jury liked the way the addition fulfilled the site plan. It
balanced out the original composition and first expansion. The jury also
appreciated the way the project evolved over time and applauded the saving of
this era of houses for the next generation of preservationists.
Mountain Road
Residence, Kent, by Halper Owens Architects LLC, is an old barn frame, moved
and converted to a house that retains much of its barn-like character. The jury liked the fact that the architect
saved the fabric of the existing barn by moving the barn. This was a good job
of integration. The jury loved the modern use of traditional materials,
especially in the fireplace. It loved the co-existence of modern and traditional
vocabularies.
For more on AIA Connecticut’s Design
Awards, visit www.aia.ct.org.
Architect Mark Markiewicz expanded this Modern house in New Canaan.
