2024 Jury Notes

 

AIA Birmingham Design Awards 2024

Small Projects Jury A Comments Summary:

The jury was impressed with the quality and number of submissions for the small project category of the Birmingham Design Awards 2024, highlighting excellence in architectural design and innovation within the Birmingham area. Emphasizing creativity, functionality, and community impact, the review process considered key criteria such as form, material integration, sustainability, and contextual responsiveness.

The submissions reflected Birmingham’s dynamic architectural landscape, showcasing a notable trend towards adaptive reuse and sustainable design practices. Projects like the Architect Firm’s Workspace (Honor Award) and Ravello Projects (Merit Award) were lauded for their transformation of existing Birmingham dilapidated shell structures into appealing and functional spaces. These projects demonstrated a commitment to preserving historical integrity while enhancing modern functionality. The craftsmanship evident in the hand drawings of the Ravello Project was particularly appreciated.

The Parker Cornea Project (Honor Award) was recognized for its suitability as a healing and soothing rehabilitation facility. The jury appreciated its balanced use of materials, interior finishes, and access to natural light and views. While noting the project’s composition and integration of modern and traditional elements, they suggested expanding the site plan beyond the reflecting pool to enrich the project’s narrative and interaction with the larger campus.

Citation Awards were granted to the Papa Dubi’s Project, Marino Private Residence, Pastoral Estate, and Priceville Event Center. Papa Dubi’s received acclaim for its innovative use of materials. The jury praised the Marino Private Residence for its proportions, materials, and the elegance of curved plaster and stair rail details. They found the Pastoral Estate’s floor plan well laid out with appealing massing, and the Priceville Event Center was recognized as a well-appointed, daylit public space with a museum-like quality, though greater context of its community surroundings would have been beneficial.

Several strong projects were hindered from receiving higher honors due to missing site plans in their submissions. The jury noted that additional contextual information in the submitted site plans could have strengthened these projects’ evaluations.

Ultimately, the jury selected winners that not only showcased architectural excellence but also positively contributed to Birmingham’s cultural and social fabric. The awards celebrate the innovative spirit of local architects and their transformative impact on the city’s built environment. The awarded projects not only honor excellence but also inspire future innovations that will continue to shape Birmingham’s evolving architectural landscape.

AIA Birmingham Design Awards 2024

Jury B Comments

The jury was pleased with the quality of the submissions, though we were surprised by the relatively small number of entries. Despite that, each submission provided a unique perspective and contributed to the diversity of the awards. What stood out among the best of these, including the five award winners, was that through the projects, we felt that we had a real encounter with the culture and climate of the region. We particularly appreciated those projects that spoke to the uniqueness of place—that couldn’t be in any other place at any other time. 

This was especially evident in the restoration and adaptive reuse projects exemplified by the Theater Lofts, the I3 Academy, the Blair Building, and the Mill at Prattville. Each showed a reverence for the past and a commitment to making old buildings relevant to our time. The architects demonstrated an understanding of what was essential to keep and what to remove. They were all good editors.

AIA Birmingham framed our expectations of the projects: 1. The problem to be solved/the design challenge. 2. The necessary drawings for us to evaluate the project, including a site plan and floor plans. 3. Community impact.  4. “Experience” the place. 5. Sustainable. In addition, we used the AIA Design Framework as our evaluation criteria, looking not just at formal resolution but design innovation and impact on the broader community. Projects that fared well were straightforward in their design intent and provided drawings, including diagrams and photos, that helped us understand how they had met the intent.

Several projects garnered significant conversation because they addressed prescient societal issues of housing and policing.  Avenue A Housing demonstrated a deep understanding of planning and zoning codes and arrived at a novel approach to allow individual ownership without compromising good urban principles.  It showed how to build affordably, activating a previously marginalized part of the city. The Alabaster Police Department adeptly handled the policing functions and provided ample natural light, a strategy to meet the needs of officers who work under traumatic conditions.  These projects serve as a reminder of the significant impact that design can have on society, and we encourage more submissions that address such pressing issues.

As we reflected on what we saw, several themes emerged:

1. Some submissions lacked the required drawings to communicate the concept, making it difficult, if not impossible, to evaluate them. Others, like the Blair building, provided simple instructive graphics like the exploded axonometric that helped us quickly understand the concept.
2. Some projects could have described the design problem more clearly or used less effusive language.  It is best to keep the descriptions short and to the point.  Don’t tell the jury how we should feel about the project, but give us enough information to ascertain what you have accomplished.
3. In some cases, some photos would be better left out. Clarity about design intent and only photos supporting your solution should be included.

Finally, we need you to be explicit about how you approached sustainability and provide metrics around building performance.  We were surprised that not one project provided this level of information and that we, as the jury, were expected to intuit what you intended and how you executed that intent.  We recommend that AIA Birmingham make this a requirement for future awards programs.

In summary, we were inspired by the breadth of the work and the quality of execution, especially with the adaptive reuse/preservation projects.  We want to encourage you to continue to use your projects to elevate everyone’s understanding of and appreciation for the unique culture of Birmingham and your surroundings and to address some of the world’s most significant challenges through design.  To tell your unique story in a sustainable, resilient, and beautiful way that speaks with a Birmingham accent. It was an honor to serve on this jury, and we are grateful for the opportunity.