From an ingenious expansion of a beloved family Thai restaurant in Lawrenceville to the reinvention of a 1907 horse stable to a strip distillery, Pittsburgh engineers have responded to a challenging year with outstanding work. Eleven local winners of the AIA Pennsylvania Architectural Excellence Awards were recently honored for their creativity and skills.
“Once again we are pleased to honor some of the outstanding work our members have done to design homes, schools, places of worship and work,” says Stephen Swarney, Executive Director of AIA Pennsylvania.
“These winners showcase some of the best work happening in the profession today. The distinguished jurors have given us a glimpse into the present and the future that includes built spaces that are healthy, safe, sustainable and welcoming places people want to be.”
The nomination committee for the 2021 Special Awards included Pittsburgh Architects Parva Marchio, Project Architect at DesignGroup, and Rob Pfaffmann, President of Pfaffmann + Associates.
Here are the local winners this year:
Bossade park. Ed Masry’s photo.
• mossArchitects, based in Garfield, won honors in the Outstanding Architectural Design Awards category for the redesign and expansion of Pusadee’s Garden (one of the 21 Best New Restaurants of 2021) in Lawrenceville.
The jury noted: “The design challenge for the new Pusadee’s Garden Restaurant was to create a garden oasis within the dense urban fabric of the city, while making use of two existing 100-year-old homes. The design surrounded the space between the existing historic buildings with two connected new additions and a vast hidden garden courtyard that became the figurative and literal heart of the And the focal point of the entire restaurant.”
Kingfly Spirits in the Strip. Ed Masry’s photo.
• Margittai Architects, based on the South Side, was awarded a Merit in the Architectural Design Excellence Awards category for the design of Kingfly Spirits on the Strip.
The jury noted: “The 10,000-square-foot structure was built in 1907 as a stable for horses and has served many functions over the years, including a taxi depot and consignment shop. For this untapped building, which had little infrastructure The owner urged us to design a delicate distillery with a welcoming interior that serves both as a convenience for the neighbors of the Strip, as well as a destination for visitors.”
Erica Cochran Hamin. Image courtesy of AIA Pennsylvania.
• Dr. Erica Cochran Hammin received the Influential Designer Award in the Special Awards for Architectural Excellence category. Hemin is the director of the inaugural Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion division, chair of the Ph.D. program in professional practice and adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University.
Beatrice Spoldoro. Image courtesy of AIA Pennsylvania.
• Beatrice Spoldoro won the Young Professional Award.
From the jury: “Bea Spolidoro is an Italian architect in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She has worked at the Rothschild Doyno Collaborative for seven years and is now a Director at Fisher ARCHitecture… Her service to society is demonstrated through her education and presentation in architecture-related topics, demonstrating how Design affects our daily lives. Bea also has a passion for designing sustainable and healthy environments. For her, good design should improve both people’s physical and mental health.”
Image courtesy of AIA Pennsylvania.
• The Pittsburgh Carpenters Training Center won the Raymond J. Sinagra Allied Trades Award. The jury noted: “The Carpenters Training Center’s apprenticeship program offers a free four-year program in six different skilled trades: commercial carpentry, floor covering, stilt driver, heavy highway construction, mill making, and mill cabinetry. Trainees are trained in a combination of Classroom/Workshop and On-the-Job Training. While completing classroom/workshop training at the Training Center, trainees learn valuable skill sets that put them at the forefront of the construction industry while also earning college credits for an associate’s degree in carpentry.”
Carly Sacco at CMU. Image courtesy of AIA Pennsylvania.
• Carly Sacco of Carnegie Mellon University won the Student Award for Architectural Excellence.
• In addition, 23 companies have been honored by EPiC in support of emerging architectural professionals, including DesignGroup in Pittsburgh, evolveEA, HDR, IKM Architecture and Rothschild Doyno Collaborative.