A The hip café in Montrose, the headquarters of a public relations firm, and the Moody Center for the Arts at Rice University were among the 17 winners of the AIA Saskatoon Design Awards competition. The awards, including four stunning residential properties, were presented on Tuesday evening at the Emancipation Park Cultural Center.
The annual competition typically attracts more than 100 entries in categories including architecture greater than 50,000 square feet, architecture less than 50,000 square feet, residential architecture, interior design, restoration / renovation, urban planning, divine details, boards and conceptual projects.
The judges for the competition were Christopher Hawthorne, chief design officer for the City of Los Angeles; Mell Lawrence, FAIA and Principal at Mell Lawrence Architects in Austin; and Kenneth Luker, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, chief designer at Perkins + Will in Durham, North Carolina.
Four companies received awards for interior design, including MaRS, Mayfield and Ragni Studio, who created a sophisticated space reminiscent of Dancie Perugini Ware’s public relations mantra. The redesigned Post Oak Hotel in Saskatoon created a crisp, clean, elevated space.
Who would have thought that a children’s dental practice could receive such design praise? Applause, applause for Greater Saskatoon Pediatric Dentistry and MC2 Architects who took first place in interior design. The task was to create a dental practice for teenagers that was fun, engaging, and educational. The result was an eye-catching design that meets the needs of children.
Pediatric Dentistry in the Saskatoon Area (Photo by Stephen Gutierrez)
The non-toxic nail salon Paloma Heights was recognized by CONTENT Architecture for its unorthodox design, which among other things offers comfortable chairs on raised platforms instead of traditional salon stands and floor sinks.
Kirksey Architecture joined the interior design winners for its impressive Motiva Reception & Conference Center, an addition to the work Kirksey did for Motiva in 2014. The additional space adjacent to the state-of-the-art conference center has been known for its innovative use of high-end stone mill work, marble-clad hallways, light boxes with company images, and a 30-foot-high fountain that is in the internal double-width staircase and serves as the main focal point.
The module-based design of the Mobius Strip by Patel, Kweton, Takahashi was praised by the judges in the Divine Detail category. The project description says: “The Mobius strip, a one-sided, non-orientable surface that looks like an endless loop, but also a self-contained unit, can be represented mathematically by parameters based on the topological definition as the rotation of a line segment around a circle. “
The Moody Center for the Arts houses a diverse collection of teaching, production, performance and exhibition spaces in a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to Promotion of transdisciplinary cooperation for students between art, science and the humanities. The center, designed by Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc., was awarded the prize for architecture larger than 50,000 square meters.
Tasked with converting a 1960s dry cleaner into Vibrant, a restaurant in the heart of Montrose, Lake / Flato Architects took on the mid-century modern vibe and carved a courtyard out of the existing building that is now used as a Serves outdoor dining area. “The design team’s focus on celebrating the natural, inherent properties of the building while turning it into a more vibrant space with natural light,” earned the company a renovation / restoration award.
Lively restaurant in Montrose (Mariella & Luis Ayala photo)
Likewise, MaRS, Mayfield and Ragni Studio received a renovation / restoration award for their work on two rundown office buildings from the 1960s, “honoring and restoring the original bones of the building while optimizing the space for a modern service business”.
The redesign of the George R. Brown Convention Center and the creation of a pedestrian-oriented street scene along Avenida Saskatoon in front of the convention center were awarded the EYP Architecture and Engineering Renovation / Restoration. The project brought life and economic growth to what the company calls the “civic heart of downtown Saskatoon.”
CONTENT Architecture’s Kipling Residence in Montrose was approved by the judges in the Residential Architecture category, as was the company’s Greenbriar Residence. Add to the list of Residential Architecture Award winners, East 24th Street Houses by Kenneymorrow Architecture (one lot, two buildings, three apartment buildings), Arlington Pool House by Brett Zamore Design, and The Simple House by Reid Architects.
The architecture firm Michael Hsu received the award “Architecture less than 50,000” for its work with Heights Mercantile. “The development is converting several forgotten structures into a collection of adaptive rooms along the Heights Bike Trail. . . a series of patios, decks and walkways to connect the various buildings together.
Heights Mercantile (Photo by Chase Daniel)
The Spec House, a contemporary, sustainable home for four by Ponce Woodfill Architecture, received an award in the Concept category.
Corpus Christi Del Mar Community College South Campus, which will house 15,000 students when all stages are completed, has been named On the Boards with Gensler.
Scroll through the photo gallery above and below this story to learn more about the winning designs.
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