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What architecture is and what an architect does seem largely unknown to most folks.

Tampa often seems strangely ambivalent toward good architecture and design; for instance, it's nicknamed one of its finest newer downtown buildings the "beer can building" a.k.a. Rivergate Tower (see photo).   This exquisite neoclassical building was designed by architect Harry Wolf, who based its measurements on the Fibonnacci series. You know the building — it's the round one right next to the "exploding chicken" sculpture.

People work with an architect for many reasons. Sometimes it's required by law for the building they're constructing. Others hire an architect because they're interested in collaborating and turning their ideas into a built form that is extraordinary and reflects not only themselves, but the local climate, history and culture. This team then finds a contractor or builder that can build what they want. Many think that architecture is the purview of the rich, that the intent of architecture is to create expensive "works of art." This ignores the fact that "good design" needn't be expensive and often employs good old-fashioned American ingenuity: locating and implementing alternate materials and construction methods to keep the price within bounds. Truly good design accomplishes the needs and wants of the client and architect within whatever budget.

The American Institute of Architects Florida Chapter recently created a video that describes what architecture is, what architects do and why architecture is important.   It's not on YouTube but it can be viewed after the break, along with a list of recipients of the 2009 AIA Tampa Bay Design Awards.

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"Design Matters"

As background, the term architect derives from the Latin "architectus" which is itself derived from the Greek "arkhitekton" (arkhi-, chief + tekton, builder) or "chief builder."

1st-century BC Roman architect Vitruvius stated that architecture must exhibit the three qualities of "firmitas, utilitas, venustas" — strong or durable, useful and beautiful.  Vitruvius thought architecture was an imitation of nature, and as animals build their nests, so humans constructed housing from natural materials which gave them shelter against the elements.

Like the Egyptians and Greeks before him, Leonardo da Vinci adhered to the principle that design and proportion for architecture (and the Arts) should be based on the proportions of the human body. This led Leonardo to draw his "Vitruvian Man", an illustration of the human body inscribed in the circle and the square (the fundamental geometric patterns of the cosmic order) derived from a passage in Vitruvius's writings.

Later, preeminent American architect Frank Lloyd Wright coined the term "Organic Architecture" to promote the idea of harmony between architecture and the natural world, making architecture part of the natural landscape. This idea implied that the design of the building itself was carefully thought about as a unified organism. This philosophy is represented in his iconic "Fallingwater" residence in Bear Run, Pennsylvania in which he incorporated an existing waterfall into the design. "Organic Architecture" was also a basis for the Arts and Crafts Movement.

In the 1920s, Modernist architect Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris a.k.a. "Le Corbusier" continued in the long Vitruvian tradition of basing his architecture on the proportions of the human body. Le Corbusier, a master in using natural light, also followed the Modernist tradition that advocated jettisoning history (out with the old) and context and declared "the house is a machine for living in."  Some of his ideas on city planning would later have negative effects and helped lay the foundations for the predominance of sprawl today.

Architecture has been grappling with the ideas of Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier since.  Should architecture seek to be "part of" the natural landscape (or urban landscape), which is seemingly the direction of green building, sustainable architecture and New Urbanism, or should architecture forgo local history and context and seek to become a piece of sculpture, or an "object in the field"?  What relationship should architecture have to the natural world, history, climate and to the urban landscape?

The debate continues. More on this in subsequent posts.

2009 AIA Tampa Bay Design Awards

Considering the local architectural scene, the American Institute of Architects Tampa Bay Chapter recently announced the recipients of their 2009 Design Awards. The Awards Program recognizes excellence in architectural design by architects, intern architects and architecture students within the chapter's territory.

Following are this year's awards recipients with project photos and descriptions by the architects; please visit the AIA Tampa Bay website for additional (and larger) project photos.  * The USF Noah Nothing Caring and Teaching House is especially notable for its inventive use of reclaimed shipping containers.

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The top honor, The H. Dean Rowe, FAIA Award for Design Excellence, was presented to Wannemacher Jensen Architects for their design of the Roberts Recreation Center in St. Petersburg. The center is the first two-story inter-generationally focused building in the city. At 26,000 SF, this unique facility masks generational boundaries and provides interactive spaces which heed to youth and adults alike. The building design sought to illustrate the relationship between the two generational groups through its use of material and space interaction. The youth program's use of white plaster is to symbolize the innocence and malleability of younger generations, while the adult center programs use zinc cladding to symbolize the more refined nature of the adults. Adults can look into the gym, lobby and exterior play yard to see the youth activity. The building is designed to nurture communication between generations and exhibits the many programs available in the community.

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Honor Award: The Cade Museum, designed by Gould Evans Associates. Located in Gainesville, Florida, the 55,000 S.F. Cade Museum honors the memory of Dr. Robert Cade, the creator of Gatorade. The museum will include artifacts and exhibits that reflect Dr. Cade's values and, in doing so, is dedicated to invention, inspiration and innovation. The design combines issues of sustainability, material and texture, and vernacular influences to create an innovative and contemporary expression of northern Florida.

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Honor Award: The Fields BMW Dealership in Daytona by Gensler. The design concept evolves around a clean simple building with strong forms and clear lines that play off of the intensive colors and ergonomic forms of their cars. Sunlight is used to organize the interior and enhance the customer experience by making each visit different. The building thus becomes a strong expression of innovation and perfection, all attributes of the BMW brand.

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Honor Award: Walter Fuller Park Overlook by Wannemacher Jensen Architects. A simple detail using round spaces was developed. The detail became complex through the assemblage and sequencing of the 2016 prefabricated members. The Structure's success is ultimately based upon the experience it delivers. It provides a gradient shade quality, maintains a level of transparency to the surrounding environment without losing a sense of privacy, and ultimately focuses upon the view it frames.

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Honor Award: Presented to architecture student George "Dustin" Pasteur for his modern, manufactured...modular: a regionalist of industrialized housing in Florida project. Each element of design for the houses is drawn from the specific environmental cues present in the chosen site for the home. Using a new system of modular prefabrication techniques for construction allows for a variously customizable and highly efficient manner of cost effectively building modern responsive homes for the general public.

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Merit Award: University of South Florida Marshall Student Center by Gould Evans Associates on the school's Tampa Campus. The Marshall Student Center caters to student life by housing food services, meeting rooms, student lounges and administrative offices. It also entertains a wide range of student interests with an elegant ballroom, spacious auditorium, radio station and a relaxing meditation room. The design and construction materials used to complete this structure resulted in a modern 4-story building constructed around a central atrium.

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Merit Award: Nature Discovery Center by Lunz Prebor Fowler Architects. The building site was chosen to minimally impact the existing oak hammocks, with proximity to the lakefront and in direct connection to the existing nature trails. The buildings were designed as an environmental and aesthetic reflection of the past. From boardwalks to mechanical systems modern materials and techniques were employed to further enhance the sustainable qualities of the complex.

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Merit Award: McKay Archives Center on the Florida Southern College campus in Lakeland by Straughn Trout Architects, LLC. This project is the first new building on the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed, west portion of Lakeland's historic campus in 25 years. Exaggerated overhangs reflect those of Wright and Schweizer, fitting appropriately into a campus covered in esplanades and shade-making architecture.

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Merit Award: Jessie P. Miller Elementary School project by Holmes Hepner & Associates Architects. The two-story facility was designed as an 830-student replacement school for the existing elementary campus in Bradenton. The scheme incorporates flexibility of use by efficiently arranging standardized pairs of classrooms along a double-loaded corridor. Each instructional space receives natural day-lighting while the central corridors provide a sure environment for shared learning.

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Merit Award: The Channelside Parking Garage Expansion in Tampa by HKS Architects. The project was a design-build solution for a 720-car parking garage and cruise ship vehicle staging area, adjacent to the existing Channelside garage. The proposed solution is a 4-story 90 degree parked garage that cantilevers out over the sidewalks, providing shade and shelter for the pedestrians below. The un-built project is anticipated to be LEED certified.

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Merit Award: Z Grille Restaurant in downtown St. Petersburg by Tim Clemmons of Clemmons Architecture. The 100-seat, 2,400 square foot restaurant is located on the ground floor of Signature Place. The three public areas — the dining room, the dining bar and the "family" dining table — are open in plan but differentiated through materials, ceiling planes, and lighting.

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Merit Award: Noah Nothing Caring and Teaching House by Stanley Russell AIA and the USF School of Architecture Design Build Studio. Because of the modest budget and a desire to build in a sustainable way, reclaimed shipping containers were used as the main components of the structure. A pantry area, a computer room and a small kitchen are housed in the containers and cradle the multi-purpose space with its 12-foot ceiling. The distinctive roof seems to float above the containers and cantilevers a full 15 feet over the entry porch.

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Merit Award: DLA Piper project, by Gensler. The firm relocated into 26,000 square feet office space on the 22nd floor and partial 23rd floor of the Regions Center Building in Downtown Tampa. The building was chosen for its efficient floor-plates and panoramic views of Tampa Bay and surrounding Tampa Bay area. Materials were specified to be sustainable throughout, and day-lighting strategies and lighting design were implemented to reduce energy costs. The use of textures is prevalent throughout with natural themes, both visual and tactile.

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Merit Award: Historic re-design of the Cuscaden Park Swimming Pool by Rowe Architects. The pool includes a multi-purpose recreational room, a yoga room, a wellness/fitness room, office and storage spaces and a public lobby/reception space. The facility is located in the Barrio Latino, Ybor City's Historic District. Through this historic rehabilitation by the City of Tampa, the facility is not just architecturally significant; it contributes to and serves as a catalyst for redevelopment and is once again the center of the community.

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Honorable Mention Award: The Franciscan Center Riverside Pavilion by the USF School of Architecture + Community Design. The student team was charged with designing and building an open-air riverside pavilion, a site for an array of functions: meditation, prayer, spiritual direction, theater, music, dance and seating for small and large groups. Architecture students completed the design and construction over a three-year period.

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Chapter's Second Annual People's Choice Award: ROJO Architecture's ISPC Corporate Offices in Odessa. The public chose this as their favorite among the 65 entries selected for this project. The 40,000-sq.-ft. two-story office building has a strong horizontal façade comprised of bold modern lines, highlighted with deep blues, random glazing variations and a visually anchoring copper-clad mass, marking the visitor entry and executive offices above. The project received more than 21% of the 1,100 votes that were cast.