Fine Design Spokane Architects Collect Six Awards In Aia Contest

Spokane architects earned mostly B’s and C’s - and one “incomplete” - last Friday from a distinguished panel of jurors invited to grade their recent work.

The occasion was the Spokane Chapter American Institute of Architects’ biennial design awards program, which this year attracted 22 entries.

The jury’s favorite project was INTEGRUS Architecture’s Phase I Academic Building at the Riverpoint Higher Education Park. AIA fellow Bud Oringdulph, senior design principal at BOORA Architects of Portland, described it as “an eclectic, interesting collage of colors and textures.”

Don Carlson of Seattle, another AIA fellow, also complimented the designers’ use of materials and proportion, as well as the way two disparate curricula - business and architecture - were brought together under one roof.

But even Phase I failed to win a Best of Show award, the jury’s equivalent of an A, having to settle instead for an Honor Award.

Also winning Honor Awards were Northwest Architectural Co., for its sensitive renovation of a downtown landmark, the Federal Building/U.S. Post Office, and ALSC Architects, who collaborated with Ellerbe Becket of Kansas City on the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.

Awards of Merit went to ALSC for renovation of Waitsburg’s Preston Hall Junior High School, and to INTEGRUS for two projects: the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Columbia, and the Spokane Public Library branch on south Perry.

Clark Llewellyn, director of Montana State University’s School of Architecture in Bozeman, was particularly impressed with the Waitsburg project - “how a small town cared enough about a humble old building to restore it, and how the architects took a number of complex (building code) requirements and made them look natural.”

Llewellyn also spoke highly of the way South Hill’s new library “fits well into its neighborhood.” And he liked the building’s open east gable, which frames artist Harold Balazs’ colorful mixed-media sculpture, “That Magical Thing in the Attic,” and “serves as a beacon” at night, inviting patrons into the building’s friendly interior.

Carlson praised INTEGRUS for keeping the U.S. Embassy in Bogota from appearing bunker-like. “It’s basically a big safe, and yet they made it look like architecture.”

Students at Washington State University’s Interdisciplinary Design Institute received a Special Citation for their intriguing 130-page publication, “Public Markets City Streets.”

The document, edited by assistant professor John H. Abell, was intended “to raise awareness about public markets and their potential to improve the civic quality of city neighborhood streets.”

“It’s so nice,” commented Oringdulph, “I’m going to add my copy to the library here at the firm. The kids did a wonderful job.”

Jurors were less enthusiastic about the four single-family residences submitted in this year’s design contest, although, in fairness, one entry - an elaborate North Idaho family residence and art studio - was passed over mainly because its interior was not yet finished enough to photograph.

All three jurors expressed surprise at the meager number of homes they were asked to consider. “I juried a contest in Wyoming earlier this year where half the entries were residences,” commented Llewellyn.

This marks the fourth Spokane AIA design contest in a row where private residences failed to win a single award.

“The main criterion (for judging an entry) is that it has to grab you,” explained Oringdulph, “and I didn’t see anything among the houses that grabbed me. Nor did anyone else.”

Carlson agreed. “There were interesting parts to each house, but there wasn’t one that hung together completely for me.”

Llewellyn offered his own perspective. “Sometimes the problem isn’t with architects, but rather with a client base that isn’t willing to take a chance and explore new possibilities.

“But part of the role of architects is to push clients beyond what they can imagine,” said Llewellyn.

“Good residential architecture doesn’t have to be expensive, and it doesn’t have to be big,” he said. “Even an addition onto a house can be a lot of fun, if it’s designed right.

“I just didn’t see much of that among this year’s entries.”

Judge for yourself. A exhibition of all 22 entries will remain on display at the Spokane Public Library’s downtown branch, first floor, through next week. Library hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 6 Color Photos

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: AIA Design Awards Projects and designers: Honor Awards: Phase I Academic Building, Higher Education Park at Riverpoint INTEGRUS Architecture Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena ALSC Architects in association with Ellerbe Becket of Kansas City Federal Building/U.S. Post Office renovation project Northwest Architectural Co.

Awards of Merit South Hill Branch Library INTEGRUS Architecture Preston Hall Junior High School renovation, Waitsburg, Wash. ALSC Architects U.S. Embassy New Office Building and Marine Security Guard Quarters, Bogota, Colombia INTEGRUS Architecture

Special Citation “Public Markets Civic Streets,” a community-service publication intended to raise awareness about the ability of public markets to improve neighborhood streets, compiled by students of Washington State University’s Interdisciplinary Design Institute in Spokane.