The 2008 Awards for Design Excellence was held by AIA Orlando on Saturday, March 15th at the Country Club of Orlando.  This beautiful setting allowed AIA members and guests to relax and enjoy the evening of prestigious awards.  Boards of the submitted design projects were displayed in the adjoining room, and projected on screens during the banquet.

The awards presentation was humorously hosted by Committee Chairman Bob Burke, AIA & John Ehrig, FAIA, and 2008 AIA Orlando President Carl Shea.  The ceremonies began with a special presentation from Steve Murphy, AIA Past President recognizing Debra Lupton, AIA & Jacki McNicholas, AIA with President Awards for their long service and volunteer participation with the American Institute of Architects on a local and State level.

Bob Burke & John Ehrig presented the Service Awards to specific individuals and companies who have contributed significantly to the community and the profession.

AWARD OF MERIT
This award is given to recognize an individual citizen, public official, or member of an allied profession, who is not an architect, who shall have advanced the cause of good design and planning and/or has enhanced the public awareness of the value of architects and architecture to society. This year we awarded Dr. Sanford C. Shugart, President of Valencia Community College for his service and design commitment in the community.

CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD
This Award is given to a company or firm in the State of Florida who has exemplified a sincere and genuine interest in encouraging and effecting outstanding craftsmanship and workmanship in the performance of work on a specific project.  Such a company may be a general contractor, sub-contractor, manufacturer, etc. This year the award went to Kincaid Construction for their service on the Polk Community College & USF Lakeland Technology Building. The architect on project was HuntonBrady Architects.

FRED H. PRYOR YOUNG ARCHITECTS FORUM ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
This award will be given to a young architect/intern who consistently demonstrates excellence and exceptional promise. The award looks at the nominee’s leadership qualities, role within a team atmosphere, special abilities and community involvement. The award went to Christopher Dunlop, AIA, HuntonBrady Architects

CONSULTANT OF THE YEAR
This award is given to recognize an individual or company in the state of Florida who, in acting as a Consultant to an AIA member, demonstrates consistent dedication to superior standards of design, across a range of projects, and under varying conditions based on exceptional performance in the critical Customer Service areas of Client Focus, Teamwork, Communication, Project Management, Critical Thinking, and Specialist Knowledge. The award went to Amore Engineering.

NILS SCHWEIZER AWARD
This award is given to recognize an architect whose leadership in community activities and service has been a direct benefit to the profession or community.  The individual’s leadership and service must demonstrate notable contributions through voluntary service resulting in initiatives, programs or civic influences that have benefited the profession or the community, i.e. conservation, historic preservation, beautification, land-use regulation, livable communities, or the removal of blighted areas, or who have clearly raised the standards of professional performance or public awareness in these areas. The award went to Bob Burke, AIA with Burke Hogue and Mills. Bob serves as chairman of the Awards and Recognition committee and was totally surprised and honored for receiving this prestigious award this year.

FIRM OF THE YEAR
This award recognizes outstanding achievement in design, community services, education, and service to the profession and the AIA by an architectural firm. The award went to HuntonBrady Architects, Inc.

2008 DESIGN AWARD WINNERS
After the Service Awards were applauded, the Gala continued with the announcements of the Awards for Design Excellence winners.

IN THE BUILT CATEGORY:

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Seminole Community College Center for Economic Development
Lake Mary, Florida

Submitted By:
HuntonBrady Architects, P.A.
Orlando Florida

Jury Comments:
Simple plan, not overdone
Interior Images appear fun
Tall volume created by splitting building elements is nicely done
Subtle differentiation between solid and translucent elements

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Ridgewood Park Elementary School
Orlando, FL

Submitted By:
VITETTA Architects
Orlando, Florida

Jury Comments:
Creative expression on a budget
Designer was creative in solving the design problem with an economical solution

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Wyotech
Daytona, FL

Submitted By:
HuntonBrady Architects
Orlando, Florida

Jury Comments:
The Designer captured excitement within the interior spaces
Nice mathematical solution of the exterior glazing which represents speed
The building is an Industrial icon

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
United States District Courthouse
Orlando, FL

Submitted By:
Heery Design, Orlando, Florida
Leers Weinzapfel, Design Architect, Boston MA

Jury Comments:
Simple and Elegant use of massing elements, great tower piece
Nice framing of the public area
Nice use of natural light within the building
Beautiful interiors

AWARD OF MERIT
CFADA Professional Automotive Training Center
Lake Mary, Florida

Submitted By:
C.T. Hsu + Associates, P.A.
Orlando, Florida

Jury Comments:
Building type was done quite elegantly
The building celebrates the student and education process

AWARD OF MERIT
Payne Park Skateboard Pavilion
Sarasota, Florida

Submitted By:
Architects Design Group
Winter Park, Florida

Jury Comments:
Plan is well developed
Nice use of economical materials
The structure creates a nice gateway for the park

AWARD OF MERIT
Little’s Durham Office
Durham, North Carolina

Submitted By:
Little
Orlando, Florida

Jury Comments:
Successful interiors re-use project
Designer shows great restraint with a minimalist approach
Nice interior element

IN THE UNBUILT CATEGORY:

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Comfort Station Prototype
Cincinnati, Ohio

Submitted By:
Studioj
Orlando, Florida

Jury Comments:
Interesting discipline of plan, section, and elevation consistancy
Clearly satisfies the “Blue Architecture” concept
Designer was successful in accomplishing their mission statement

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Valencia Community College West Campus Culinary Arts Pavilion
Orlando, Florida

Submitted By:
HuntonBrady Architects
Orlando, Florida

Jury Comments:
Playful and simple
Plan and concept are simple and well defined
Nice interior spatial relationships

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Sarasota Police Department Headquarters
Sarasota, Florida

Submitted By:
Architects Design Group
Winter Park, Florida

Jury Comments:
Rational structure
Good scale for a government building
Nice transparency and depth in elevations

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Vertropolis Arriyadh
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Submitted By:
HHCP Design International, Inc.
Orlando, Florida

Jury Comments:
Scale of project is overwhelming and complex
shows advancement in building technology
Towers are well done
Very sculptural
Jury wanted to see more plan views
Shows a real level of progressive thinking

AWARD OF MERIT
Carondelet Saint Mary’s Hospital
Tucson, Arizona

Submitted By:
HuntonBrady
Orlando, Florida

Jury Comments:
Solves problem nicely, unifying dissimilar elements
Nice scale

AWARD OF MERIT
Lake County Courthouse
Tavares, Florida

Submitted By:
Heery Design
Orlando, Florida

Jury Comments:
Nice interior spaces/renderings
Exterior development is elegant, would like to see more expression
Beautiful interiors, very well done
Will stand the test of time
Very competent structure

AWARD OF MERIT
Sabo Residence
Winter Park, Florida

Submitted By:
HuntonBrady
Orlando, Florida

Jury Comments:
Plan and concept are simple and well thought out
Building fits within context and works well with the site

Lee E. Martin
Gobbell Hays Partners, Inc.

On March 25, 2008 Mr. Roger Frechette, III, P.E., LEED AP spoke to a crowd of AIA Orlando and USGBC Central Florida Chapter members, outlining the goal of zero energy usage for buildings in the future. One of the more alarming environmental facts Mr. Frechette presented was the fact that buildings collectively leave almost as large a carbon footprint worldwide as industry and transportation combined, accounting for 40% of energy use around the globe. While the average “ecological footprint” worldwide is 2.2 hectares per person, it is 9.6 hectares per person in the United States, while only 1.9 hectares per person in China.

Using SOM’s high-rise mixed use Pearl River Tower project in Guangzhou, China, as an example, Mr. Frechette discussed a progressive approach to high-performance design that includes energy use reduction, reclamation, passive absorption, and generation to achieve a state where buildings are net producers, not net consumers, of electricity from the power grid. The Pearl River Tower project is a complex yet cost-effective response to its environmental challenges, paying back the additional cost of technological add-ons in less than five years.

Many architectural and engineering innovations combine to either reduce demand for, or increase supply of, electricity within the Pearl River Tower. The front of the tower facing prevailing winds is curved in two directions, creating four venturi openings leading to wind turbines which are, in turn, connected to electrical generators. The Pearl River Tower also utilizes geothermal heating and cooling, as well as solar photovoltaic panels, to provide heating, cooling and power. Inside, the building utilizes radiant cooling panels in the ceilings to offset latent and sensible heat gain. Return air is drawn out of interior spaces low to the floors and channeled up through a double-walled high-performance façade to remove and exhaust trapped heat.

In addition to a number of energy-producing innovations, the Pearl River Tower features a variety of energy demand-reducing strategies, such as high-performance glazing, high-efficiency equipment (including microturbines and heat recovery), and high-efficiency lighting coupled with daylight-responsive controls, to reduce energy consumption below the initial baseline estimate.

While every project cannot include all of the energy-saving and energy-producing features that Mr. Frechette described in the Pearl River Tower in China, it is imperative that, in the interest of global ecology, every project include as many active and passive environmental features as possible in order to reduce the production of carbon that contributes to global warming, and places many of us around the globe in jeopardy of suffering the consequences.

Lee E. Martin, AIA, LEED AP
Gobbell Hays Partners, Inc.

An April 22, 2008 event at the Citrus Club, hosted by the Central Florida Commercial Association of Realtors and sponsored by the law firm of Holland & Knight, brought together speakers from the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Floridians for Smarter Growth and the Coalition for Property Rights to discuss unified opposition to “Hometown Democracy” as supporters attempt to place it on the Florida statewide ballot in 2010, as they tried and failed to do in 2008. Architects and others unfamiliar with what exactly the “Hometown Democracy” movement entails should be alarmed at this statewide effort to place a constitutional amendment on the Florida ballot requiring all land use issues to be decided by direct popular vote. Such a process would overturn current practices in towns, cities and counties across Florida where duly-elected representatives of the people, with public input, enact and implement comprehensive plans, zoning ordinances and other land use regulations in the best long-term interest of the entire community.

Should “Hometown Democracy” secure enough petition signatures to make it on the statewide ballot in 2010, as is intended by petitioners, millions of dollars will be spent by both sides to decide how land use issues will be resolved in coming years. With Florida expected to grow by 10 million people between now and 2030, politicizing the development process currently regulated by administrative procedural law appears to be a fundamentally flawed idea. AIA Florida board members agree, and have issued a proclamation opposing “Hometown Democracy” and attempts to place the issue on the ballot in Florida. Three AIA Orlando board members attended the Citrus Club meeting, and will bring the “Hometown Democracy” issue before our local chapter board of directors when it meets in May.

“Hometown Democracy” is the brainchild of attorneys Lesley Blackner and Ross Burnaman, both of whom have environmental concerns. Ms. Blackner in particular has expressed sentiments of longing for the Florida of old, which we can perhaps all identify with, but has chosen to espouse a process that the Florida Chamber of Commerce and others have indicated will prevent solving a number of important problems involving housing, water, energy, education, and transportation, as well as create a bureaucratic bottleneck and a tremendous disincentive for voters to participate in elections with literally hundreds of development issues on every ballot.

A second event, the Push Back Forum, will be held in the Church Street Station Ballroom from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. on June 20, 2008. Anyone interested in learning more about this event, or helping in the effort to defeat “Hometown Democracy” can contact Acquisition Consultants President Jonathan Moore at (407) 373-0930.

As the City of Orlando’s Downtown area continues to grow into a vibrant urban community, Orlando’s rich architectural history has, in recent years, been disappearing. The changes are good in some respects. A very nice urban park used for many public events and activities now exists in place of the Orange County Courthouse building once located on Central Boulevard. However, in other ways the changes are not so good. The historic McCrory and Woolworth buildings gave way to a much less pedestrian friendly office building at the corner of Orange and Pine Street. And the predecessor to our current City Hall lives on today only as granite fragments in local restaurant table tops and as fireplace mantles in area homes. The City loses some of its heritage with each building razed in the name of progress, therefore it is in our best interest as a society to preserve the memory of the past while forging ahead into our bright future.

Now another architecturally significant building is on the chopping block. Orlando’s “Round Building” on Orange Avenue is slated for demolition soon to make way for the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center. The iconic building is so-dubbed due to its circular footprint unique to office building typology which typically calls for square or rectangular floor plates. While the Performing Arts center will make a great cultural addition to our downtown, it will be displacing a beloved building which has been at the south end of Downtown Orlando for 46 years.

The Round Building was designed by Bob Murphy, founder of HuntonBrady Architects and a graduate of Harvard University’s School of Architecture. Murphy studied under famed architect Walter Gropius and was a student of the Bauhaus movement. He brought his love for Modern architecture to Central Florida and opened his own architectural practice in 1947.

The original Round Building was constructed in 1962 and was known as the American Federal Savings & Loan Building. The design was a 3-story drum of geometrically articulated precast concrete resting on a base of marble and granite. The multi-story glass portion of the building was a later addition and collaboration between Murphy and Clyde Brady, a new designer with the firm. During the design process, the client wanted to build a taller building, but the existing structure could not support a continuation of the precast skin that was used in the original design. The idea of a glass curtainwall drum placed on top of the existing building was born and the building was able to sustain additional floors. This architectural move resulted in a successful blend of two interpretations of modern architecture juxtaposed in one building.

A committee of architects and designers in conjunction with the American Institute of Architects, Orlando Chapter has formed to determine the most appropriate way to preserve the memory of this piece of Orlando’s Modernist architectural history. Many ideas have been proposed to preserve the building ranging from displaying photographic or artistic images of the building in public places to actually using physical pieces of the building in the design of the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center. The latter idea could include removing the building’s precast skin prior to demolition and utilizing it as a sculptural piece in the public spaces created within the project itself. With many significant buildings in the downtown core being replaced by newer buildings, the committee’s purpose is to embed the memory of this architecturally significant building into the permanent built environment of Downtown Orlando.

Steve Robinson, HHCP Architects

Vanessa Rodriguez, Assoc. AIA

Jonathan Wolf, Assoc. AIA

Charles Jorgensen, AIA

Joseph Buchanan, Assoc. AIA

Jon Sage, Allied AIA, 3DCADCO

Laura Lewis, Allied AIA, TLC Engineering for Architecture

Hector Morales

New Member Spotlight

Hector Morales, Assoc. AIA
Humphrey’s & Partners Architects Orlando

I came to Florida from Puerto Rico in 1986. I come from a family of contractors, engineers, and architects. I attended UCF and obtained a degree in Engineering Design in 1993.

I began working in Architecture shortly after and feel as if I’ve been doing it my whole life. I started in the industry in 1994 with FORUM Architecture. Currently I am working for Humphreys & Partners Architects (main office in Dallas) satellite office in Maitland as a Project manager. I am also preparing to sit for the Architectural exam in Colorado.

Hobbies are few but when I can I like to golf and go surfing. I surfed competitively during college and for a total of 12 years where I was Number 1 in the state of Florida three times, 3rd in the nation 1997, and 5th in the amateurs world rankings in 1997.

Orlando, FL -- HuntonBrady Architects, an Orlando-based architecture, interior design and master planning firm, has been selected by the Institute of Internal Auditors to design their new corporate headquarters building in Central Florida. The three-story, 85,000 square foot building will be located in Lake Mary on Heathrow Park Lane near Interstate 4. Colonial Properties Trust is the project developer and ZHA is the owner’s representative.

The Institute of Internal Auditors is an international professional organization and resource for the internal audit profession, with members in 165 countries.

Orlando, FL -- (February 29, 2008) – The principals at Orlando architecture firm C.T. Hsu + Associates are “LEED”ing by example in their commitment to advance green building principles and sustainable design.

Recently earning accreditation by the U.S. Green Building Council’s “Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design” (LEED) program are Design Principal Tim McNicholas, Principal James Hughes and Director of Interior Design Linda Karatzas. Along with President C.T. Hsu and Associate Principal Nathan Butler, 100 percent of the firm’s principals are now LEED Accredited Professionals. In addition, Karatzas is a certified green building agent by Florida Green Building Coalition.

“Green building is no longer a niche trend, it has become an acknowledged best practice,” said Firm President C.T. Hsu, FAIA, LEED AP. “Our firm is committed to a strategy of advancing sustainable opportunities both for our employees and our clients.” The firm’s goal is for all of its design professionals to be LEED accredited by the end of the year.

Orlando, FL -- VOA Associates Incorporated, architecture, planning and interior design, announced that the following staff members in the Orlando office have been promoted to Associate:

Fred Rambo

Nayra Shahab-Eldin

Robert Terry

Veronica Zurita

Gainesville, FL — HuntonBrady Architects of Orlando, Whiting-Turner contracting company and a slew of scientists, researchers and University of Florida (UF) staff met in Gainesville on February 29, 2008 to celebrate the topping out of the new UF Biomedical Sciences Building currently under construction on campus. The final beam was ceremoniously placed on the 6th floor of the 160,000 square foot multidisciplinary facility, which is scheduled for completion early 2009.

A topping out is a ceremony held in the architecture, engineering and design (AED) industry when the final beam is placed at the top of a large building. It means the construction team has reached the top, but a lot of work remains.  Usually the beam is signed by the people involved in the project, and sometimes a tree, tree branch or American flag is placed at the top of the building. The origins of this ceremony are obscure, but it is an important marker on a project’s road to completion.

C.T. Hsu (Click to enlarge)

ORLANDO, FL (March 19, 2008) – The Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission (EDC) honored Firm President C.T. Hsu, FAIA, with its Chairman’s Award at the 2008 James B. Greene Award dinner on March 5 at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center. The EDC is the largest private, not-for-profit, regional economic development organization in Florida and recognized as one of the world’s top economic development groups. The Chairman’s Award annually recognizes a long term contributor to the region’s economic development goals, particularly the work of the Metro Orlando EDC. Hsu has been a member of the organization for nearly 20 years, has served on the EDC’s Executive Committee or Board of Directors for more than five years and was an inaugural committee chairman of the EDC’s Industry Outreach Program.

Bob Yohe

WINTER PARK, FL - – RLF – a nationally recognized architecture, engineering and interior design firm – is proud to announce that Vice President, Bob Yohe, AIA has received Board Certification from the American College of Healthcare Architects (ACHA).