Rooftop Revelry

IIDA Southwest Chapter 2008 Design Excellence Awards

BY DEBORAH PADDISON

Up on the rooftop at the swank Hotel Valley Ho in downtown Scottsdale, Arizona this spring, members of the IIDA Southwest Chapter gathered for a breezy meet-and-greet to celebrate another year of outstanding work. The reception was followed by an entertaining presentation in which Design Excellence and Merit awards were given to firms in a variety of categories. Entries were judged on originality and innovation of design by a panel of jurors from the Los Angeles chapter of IIDA. Here's a look at the winning projects.

Best of Show

DFDia and Urban Initiatives, Tempe, Arizona

"Retailing Architecture" is the theme for this project, an 8,000-square-foot urban planning and interior design studio. The challenge was to accommodate 40 employees in the space and still allow room for ancillary functions, so the design team created "project rooms" to house project-specific storage and materials. Ancillary meeting space allows work to be done away from the workstation, and a café bar offers a casual atmosphere where employees can gather for collaboration, critiques and socializing. Another goal was to allow patrons to truly experience the design process. This was accomplished by incorporating multimedia along a controlled path of travel. Projects at different stages of design are exhibited on a flat screen in the lobby, a projection behind the bar and on multiple monitors mounted to poles throughout the space. The logo concept of a bar code is reflected in architectural details, including the conference room partition and the shelves behind the bar.

DFDia and Urban Initiatives.

Commercial Office Over 10,000 Square Feet

Design Excellence: Gensler of Nevada

A timeless, classic design utilizing quality materials creates a sense of permanence in the Las Vegas office of law firm Snell & Wilmer. Since the client is the top-floor anchor tenant of the new Hughes Center, a mixed-use retail, office and hotel development just east of the Strip, the team at Gensler began by designing a south-facing, expansive lobby and conferencing center that frames stunning views of the city and the Las Vegas Valley. In fact, the designers took advantage of as much natural light as possible throughout the 36,000-square-foot offices, with glass meeting rooms at either end of the floor bringing in a sense of the outside. The warm color palette highlights cherry wood architectural features and etched glass. Both smooth and textural materials were used, and dark and light colors were added for contrast. The juxtaposition of the carpet's retro patterning and modern fixtures gives the space an air of sophistication.

Award of Merit: S : E Design, Inc., Phoenix, for Vivo Office Building.

Gensler of Nevada.

Commercial Office Under 10,000 Square Feet

Design Excellence: See Best of Show.

Award of Merit: Welles Pugsley Architects, Las Vegas, Nevada, for Costello Tenant Improvement.

Public Facility

Design Excellence: Richärd + Bauer Architecture, Phoenix

Libraries have always been places where dreams and imagination look upward and take flight. That's the feeling experienced by patrons at the Arabian Branch Library in Scottsdale, Arizona, a 20,000-square-foot space designed by Richärd + Bauer to echo the natural features of the desert slot canyons of northern Arizona. Compressive stone walls echo the narrow canyon walls, with an overhead release to the sky above. Organized around a central court, the building is entered through a "slot canyon" of steel and glass. The feeling of compression and release continues throughout the space, expressed in angular forms. The design incorporates retailing with advanced shelving and custom light fixtures. Slat wall was integrated into shelving for display throughout the stack. Mobile carts strategically sprinkled within the popular reading collections allow patrons to browse for noteworthy books. And with a café and bookstore, the library becomes the perfect place for a meeting or a cup of coffee.

Award of Merit: DMJM Design, Phoenix, for the Mohave County (Arizona) Office Building.

Richärd + Bauer.

Environmental Design

Design Excellence: DFDia, Tempe, Arizona

This 18,500-square-foot architectural corporate headquarters, designed to LEED Silver specifications, provides a unique working environment for employees and was designed to open up the design process to visitors. The new space occupies a shell that was not designed to LEED standards, which presented some challenges. Sustainable solutions included leaving the original concrete floors, ceilings and columns exposed, reducing the need for new materials and reducing waste. Open-area lighting on a daylight sensor reduces wattage, while formaldehyde-free products reduce indoor air pollution. Other materials specified for their environmental sustainability include the Herman Miller Ethospace furniture system, Kirei composite board as wall covering and a material for the conference room doors, and recycled carpet. The design process is revealed to visitors via an interior pathway lined with screens and display surfaces. It encourages pinning-up of project materials, but it also provides a barrier to the actual design areas.

Award of Merit: RNL, Phoenix, for the East Valley Bus Operations and Maintenance Facility Administration/Operations Building.

New Residence

Design Excellence: Lori Carroll & Associates, Tucson, Arizona

This 5,200-square-foot custom spec home for a showhouse event required a dynamic design in all rooms that would appeal to a diverse audience of buyers. Using theme, color and texture, the design team transformed the open-floorplan house from ordinary to wow. Specifying materials, finishes and furnishings to complement and enhance the architectural details, they chose sea-green ledge stone walls and Brazilian quartzite floors to establish a neutral palette, while accents of Violetta mosaic glass tiles against Verde Oceano granite provide definition. The dazzling powder room features a twinkling wall of tri-colored LED lights — one of many ways in which this design fired the imagination of potential buyers.

Lori Carroll & Associates.

Residential Remodel

Design Excellence: Exclaim Design, Scottsdale, Arizona

Casa de Luz, "The House of Light," is a 3,000-square-foot mid-century modern home in Phoenix originally designed in 1962 by local architect Charles Schreiber. It was named for its expansive glass and mountain views. Respecting the original style intentions of the architect, the remodel maintained all the windows, with those in the addition matching the styling. Custom walnut cabinetry reflecting the era of the home seamlessly blends with new travertine floors, concrete countertops, and contemporary lighting, appliances and fixtures. Inside, the original colored concrete "Rainbow" slump block was left exposed, and the flooring inside and out (with the exception of the bedrooms) was done in 18-inch travertine to enhance the indoor/outdoor connection. The completed remodel nicely blends yesterday's architecture blended with today's design.

Award of Merit: Stacey Kranz, IIDA, Richärd + Bauer Architecture, Phoenix; and Mark Kranz, AIA, SmithGroup Phoenix, for their Gingerbread House in Phoenix.

Hospitality + Restaurant

Design Excellence: DPA Architects, Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona

Not many would think to fabricate a huge fish skeleton and make it the focal point of a seafood restaurant, but it was a great catch for Wildfish Seafood Grille, a 7,000-square-foot restaurant in the Scottsdale Waterfront development. The client wanted the design to showcase a visible commitment to fresh seafood, so DPA designed the space around a central bar, oyster room and exhibition kitchen, with a full-height, clear-glass wine room off to the side. Unique lighting is integrated into the suspended wine glass rack and skeleton sculpture, which terminates at a fishtail etched-glass panel. Elevated dining rooms flank the bar, oyster room and kitchen, focusing guests' attention toward the centralized lively atmosphere. Blue LED cove lighting encompasses the entire interior dining space, and custom steel-drum light fixtures provide dimmable ambient lighting. A special acoustical spray mitigates noise problems from the exposed ceiling structure and hard surfaces. Custom black-and-white photography complements the design.

DPA Architects.

Retail

Design Excellence: Exclaim Design, Scottsdale, Arizona

Urban loft meets chic spa at Therapy, a 1,200-square-foot women's retail clothing store in Scottsdale. Playing off the name, the design exudes hipness as well as serenity and calm. Challenged to complete a full remodel on an extremely minimal budget and within two months, the design team chose clean lines and a soothing white color balanced with warm chocolate wood flooring. The design capitalizes on the perceived weakness of a very narrow space by developing a repeated rhythm of tables, feather pendant lights, water features, textured wall panels and a low backlit Plexiglas display box that runs the entire length of the store. This visually draws customers through the store and brings them into the atmosphere. Adding to the client's desired "hip attitude with an urban edge" are edgy videos, funky displays, a contemporary seating group, new-style curtained changing rooms and trendy mannequins.

Exclaim Design.

Creativity on a Budget

Design Excellence: RNL, Phoenix, Arizona

The design team at RNL helped University Physicians Healthcare of Tucson, Arizona consolidate its workforce from three different sites into a new 77,000-square-foot single campus consisting of three buildings and a shared courtyard. The new design needed to reflect the client's vision to promote a healthy lifestyle and introduce the natural surroundings into the working environment. A new, comprehensive design flows from one building to the next, while still creating separate identities for each department. Natural Sonoran Desert–inspired elements are integrated into interior concepts. The 120-degree angular workstation pods form a central "canyon" within, creating interactive spaces. The canyon concept is then interpreted through architectural elements such as floating ceiling planes, lighting, floor patterns and furniture. Other desert icons show through in color schemes and carpet patterns: Shades of green indicate barrel cactus, agave is emphasized by aqua blue and angular patterns, and subtle shades of purple evoke chaparral sage.

Institutional

Design Excellence: Fifer Design Studio, Mesa, Arizona

Renovating an existing older building for Vanderschaaf & Beischel Dentistry, Fifer Design balanced the desire of the client for contemporary architecture and vibrant colors with the City of Scottsdale's request that the new building blend in with its surroundings, an established neighborhood in south Scottsdale. In the end, the office maintains the cavity and heights of the existing structure while still giving the client a sleek, modern ambience. Various ceiling heights, soffits and light coves create the illusion of a higher ceiling. The interior features monochromatic shades of browns and tans, with splashes of color achieved through artwork and bright accent walls in the employee and restroom areas. White accents — in the oversized Arcadia and Lowenstein furniture, woodwork and countertops, and Winona accent pendant lights — create a clean ambience. To soften the image, the hard lines of the exterior were replaced with smooth, flowing curves in the interior.

Award of Merit: DPA Architects, Inc., Scottsdale, for the office of Dr. Patti Flint, Scottsdale.

Fifer Design.

On the Boards

Design Excellence: DMJM Design, Phoenix

Estimated to be completed in 2012, the new Pima County Justice Court/Tucson City Court Complex will be a unified space serving both city and county jurisdictions, encompassing 412,000 square feet. Strong linear elements from the exterior are repeated in different scales throughout the interior, psychologically reinforcing the building's "law and order" function and physically reinforcing the underlying structure and modules of the overall building. Specific floors and areas are identified as either city or county; this is important not only for the identity and functional flow, but also to ensure that the public is able to navigate between each jurisdiction.

Award of Merit: Richärd + Bauer Architecture, Phoenix, for the Harmon Branch Library in Phoenix.

IIDA Southwest also presented several Industry Appreciation awards. Outstanding Team on a Design Project went to the team for the CVS/Caremark project: Luisa Carr of Dick & Fritsche Design Group (DFDG), Randy Brosius of Daniel Enterprises, Aliesha Nichter of ReSource Arizona, and Jim Morris and Monte Sturdevant of Energy Systems Design. Nick Marotta of Arizona Lighting Sales, Inc. was recognized for Outstanding Technical Achievement, and Jose Bernardi, associate professor at the Arizona State University College of Design, was named Educator of the Year.