The AIA Announces Its Winners for the 2016 Housing Awards for Architecture
Last week the American Institute for Architects announced the winners of its 2016 Housing Awards for Architecture, recognizing five home projects across the country that showed distinction in emphasizing the convergence of modern living in ways unseen around the country. The winning residences are dramatically different, but all share a modern sensibility and dialogue with their natural surroundings. Each design aims to connect the homeowner with the outdoors in some fashion. AD tours the six homes that were awarded with the prestigious annual prize.
1/5Hog Pen Creek Retreat, Austin, Texas
Designed for a retired Bay Area couple who moved back to their native Texas, the home sits at the confluence of Hog Pen Creek and Lake Austin and capitalizes on its water views with walkways and windows pulling one’s attention outside. A long boardwalk extends along a series of buildings, cascading down to a separate screened-in dining structure built on the water. Inside, San Antonio–based Lake|Flato Architects used materials to complement the grove of oaks and pecan trees that surround the home and can be seen from nearly every angle.
2/5Independence Pass Residence, Aspen, Colorado
Although it’s a mere 1.5 miles from downtown Aspen, this home feels peacefully remote. Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and Mindel & Associates worked in collaboration to design a wall of floor-to-ceiling glass panes to capitalize on the site’s sweeping views of an alpine meadow, a nature preserve, and the dramatic Rocky Mountains. (The home was also featured in AD's June 2015 issue.)
3/5Island Residence, Honolulu
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson architecture also won for this Honolulu residence built for a Japanese family who wanted to reflect both their culture and the Hawaiian landscape in their new home. Deep eaves shade the house from intense sunlight and storms rolling inland from the coast. The architects aimed to meet two conflicting needs in their design: maximizing views while maintaining privacy, as the home is adjacent to a pathway to the ocean popular with surfers. The resulting design placed the children’s bedrooms and playroom upstairs where they would be shielded from passersby but still capitalize on ocean views. Within the home, handcrafted Japanese detailing merges with Hawaiian vernacular architecture to create a warm, open family home.
4/5Newberg Residence, Newberg, Oregon
This 1,400-square-foot house in the woods acts as a bridge over a pond on a forested section of the owner’s farm. Washington-based Cutler Anderson Architects designed a beautiful home that not only embraces its wild, natural setting but also encourages interaction with it. Parking was set off from the house so visitors must walk through the woods to reach it. Inside, several of the expansive windows slide up so guests can easily step out to the terrace or even dive into the pond from a small dock cantilevered off the living room.
- Architecture + DesignStep Inside June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer’s Character-Filled Los Feliz Home
5/5Oak Ridge House, Jackson, Mississippi
The slate- and zinc-shingled house strikes a careful balance for the owners, who were looking for large common spaces to gather family as well as private spaces for respite and work. Mississippi-based Duvall Decker Architects crafted the energy-efficient home with expansive windows to bring in natural light and ample views of the outdoors. The steel ceiling beams and window mullions help give an industrial edge to the bright, open living spaces. And durable, sustainable materials were carefully selected to maximize economy.
