Award-Winning Design from Across Kentucky 2022

Nine diverse projects were recognized for Excellence in Architectural Design by the 2022 Honor Awards program of the Kentucky Society of Architects (AIA Kentucky).  The following winners were recognized in an awards ceremony and acknowledged through a Design Publication developed by Innovative Publishing.

Ellen T. Leslie Botanical Classrooms - Louisville

HONOR AWARD - New Construction:  Less than $5M

Architect of Record:  EOP Architects

Owner:  Waterfront Botanical Gardens

Photo Credit: J.L. Jordan Photography

Jury Comments:

“This modest project was very artfully sited on a reclaimed landfill, creating an inviting outdoor court with an existing event center while sheltering visitors from the interstate to the south. The simple, gabled rectangular structures complement the free-form event center while tying together with deft use of cedar siding. Community members are invited into the building in several ways, with each perforation allowing views in and out of the slender facility. Durable, unpretentious materials for flooring, framing and skin juxtapose with bursts of color, cleverly imitating the natural grounds. This is a very approachable and lovely project.”  

Louisville Free Public Library Middletown Branch -Louisville

MERIT AWARD - Additions/Renovations/Restoration:  less than $5M

Architect of Record:  JRA Architects

Owner:  Louisville Free Public Library

Photo Credit: Josh Beeman Photography

Jury Comments:

“The team was given little yet were able to achieve so much. The open plan and vaulting ceilings allow light to flow deeply into the cavernous spaces. By juxtaposing the existing gabled roof forms with curved interior vaults, a new spatial experience is created, one that is delightful and unexpected. The restrained material palette allows the focus to be on the ethereal play of daylighting, which enlivens and transforms the space. The scale is just right, and the details of the furnishings and accessories further elaborate on the unique geometry working harmoniously in a holistic way. The space is truly inspirational, as any library should be.”

Rowan Pump Station Building Facade - Louisville

MERIT AWARD - New Construction:  less than $5M

Architect of Record:  de Leon & Primmer Architecture Workshop

Owner:  Louisville MSD

Photo Credit: de Leon & Primmer Architecture Workshop

Jury Comments:

“The Rowan Pump Station galvanizes an oft-overlooked building type, rendering a piece of urban infrastructure as public sculpture. Its façade responds to its site, sandwiched between the river and a highway, through its articulate massing and material selections. Its mirage-like effect reads well from a distance and invites you to look again. Upon close inspection, you're rewarded by its meticulous detailing and creative material applications. By celebrating a municipal stormwater facility, the Rowan Pump Station builds environmental awareness and inspires us to find beauty in unexpected places.”

WKU Commons at Helm Library - Bowling Green

CITATION AWARD - Additions/Renovations/Restoration:  greater than $5M

Architect:  Luckett & Farley, Architects and Engineers

Owner:  Western Kentucky University

Photo Credit: Luckett & Farley and Gensler Rendering

Jury Comments:

“It was quite enjoyable to review this project given it’s the original building’s third generational transformation. It reminds us that quality structures can be repurposed to facilitate the passing of time. The entry celebrates community with its multi-tiered engagement and direct transparency to the main entry and outdoor space. Utilizing the site topography to emphasize this engagement promotes indoor/outdoor connections and links the project to its place in a meaningful way. While the architecture appears modern, it does not overwhelm the context of the existing campus – this was clearly an exercise in restraint and elegance.”

Isenhour Renovation - Lexington

CITATION AWARD - Additions/Renovations/Restoration: less than $5M

Architect:  Gibson Taylor Thompson Architecture & Design

Owner:  Tom and Kathy Burrell

Photo Credit: Matt Peel Photography

Jury Comments:

“The team thoughtfully restored the original home with smart and sustainable strategies while maintaining the craft and character of the mid-century dwelling. The new addition respects the scale and proportion of the original home, and the careful site plan exhibits a sensitive, seamless connection. The relationship to the reservoir and the nature of place is enhanced by the new addition, celebrating the original home and its unique site.”

Luckett & Farley Corporate Office - Louisville

CITATION AWARD - Additions/Renovations/Restoration less than $5M

Architect:  Luckett & Farley, Architects and Engineers

Owner:  Luckett & Farley, Architects and Engineers

Photo Credit: Tim Furlong Jr.

Jury Comments:

“The jury very much appreciated this project’s priority for human experience and wellness. The spaces created within the existing facility are light and airy and clearly prioritize daylight for maximum impact to the users. Focused workplace community and collaboration are very intentional within the planning and mix of spaces. The interior material palette creates a calming presence and the simplified approach to existing structure with its neutrality allows it to be a key feature without being the focus in the spaces. The editing in this project is truly commendable and makes the necessary beautiful and engaging.”

Cana Island Interpretive Center - Cana Island, Bailey's Harbor, WI

CITATION AWARD - Small Project Award:  less than $1M

Architect:  Studio MAYO Architects

Owner:  Door County Facilities and Parks

Photo Credit: Jason Stockton Photography

Jury Comments:

“The Cana Island Interpretive Center is a thoughtful, well-executed, and seemingly simple structure. Perhaps what stands out most about this elegant design is its measured deference to the nature and existing architecture which surround it. Decisions around its construction methods, materials, proportions, and siting, are clearly made in service to the visitor’s experience of this ecologically and historically important site. Through its sensitivity and restraint, the Interpretative Center embodies the ethos of place-making.”

MAZ Community Interventions

Special Award for Excellence - Goodness - Small Project Award:  less than $1M

Architect:  JRA Architects

Owner:  Jefferson County Public Schools, Ball State University, Warren County Public Schools, Louisville Metro Parks, and the Drake Family

Photo Credit: Colin Drake

Jury Comments:

“We loved this project. Enacted as a covid-era, pro-bono, community building exercise, the architects went to local organizations and offered to mow, trim, paint, or power wash mazes into and onto existing landscapes and hardscapes. Architecture without buildings, the designs served the purpose of bringing people together, outdoors, during tough times. The results are magical and inspirational - thank you.”

Zappos Unboxed Fit-Out - Louisville

PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD

Design Director:  Miranda Construction

Owner:  Zappos.com, LLC.

Photo Credit: David Boone/Miranda Construction

THE JURY

The jurors met in San Antionio, TX on June 20, 2022 and reviewed the 34 entries received for this year's program. The jury members were:

• Greg Papay, FAIA, Partner, Lake|Flato, San Antonio, TX  (Jury Chair)
• Candid Rogers, FAIA, Founding Principal, Candid Works Architecture; Faculty, School of Architecture, University of Texas, San Antonio, TX
• Cotton Estes, AIA, Founder, Cotton Estes Architect, San Antionio, TX
• Adrianna Swindle, AIA, Partner, Lake|Flato Architects, San Antonio, TX

The jury was directed to consider how each project addressed the measures of AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence.  Each was weighed individually, not in comparison with one another, and the jury was free to select as many or as few projects as it determined to be worthy of recognition. Projects selected were deemed to have successfully met the scope of challenges with which the architect was presented.

FIRM CONTACTS:

EOP Architects—Richard J. Polk Jr., AIA, (859) 231-7538, rpolk@eopa.com            

JRA Architects—D. Robert Deal, AIA, (859) 252-6781, rdeal@jrarchitects.com      

de Leon & Primmer Architecture Workshop—Roberto C. de Leon Jr., FAIA, (502) 582-6295, deleon@deleon-primmer.com    

Luckett & Farley, Architects and Engineers – Aric M. Andrew, AIA, (502) 585-4181, aandrew@luckett-farley.com

Gibson Taylor Thompson Architecture & Design—Darren Taylor, Assoc. AIA, (502) 424-0032, darren@gibsontaylorthompson.com      

Studio MAYO Architects—David Mayo, AIA, (502) 759-5197, office@studiomayo.com

Miranda Construction - Caoimhin Conway, Assoc. AIA, (502) 709-9929,  cconway@mirandaconstruct.com