We were thrilled to learn that three of our projects have been selected as recipients of AIA CT 2020 Design Awards.
The projects were awarded in two categories: “Residential Architecture” and “Architecture as Encompassing Art”. While “Residential Architecture” is pretty self-explanatory, “Architecture as Encompassing Art” spotlights exceptional aspects of a project’s design which underpin the overall design. Here’s a little bit about the projects:
Residential Architecture
- We’ve been referring to this project as the Three Bar House. Perched on a wooded coastal bluff, the design emerged from the character of the site and the owner’s love of architecture and art. We characterized the long view as “peaceful” and the short view as “active” and oriented uses accordingly into three bars, oriented north-south, to take advantage of the site characteristics: western bar for active functions, center bar for a connecting landscape, and eastern bar for restful functions. This zoning also supported the Owners’ desire for degrees of privacy within the home.
Architecture as Encompassing Art
- Within the larger project of the renovation of Yale Law School’s Baker Hall, we were tasked to design a gate whose ornament would be appropriate to the character of the building, reflect contemporary production techniques, and hold its own with the carvings of the James Gamble Roger’s iconic Sterling Law Building (the other building that the Yale Law School occupies). When viewing the gate from afar, the Yale block “Y”, formed and re-formed, could be interpreted as an arcade, tree canopies, or a Gothic arch. As visitors approach, they observe that the large “Y” figures are actually composed of a seemingly infinite network of small “Y”s. Each small “Y” is unique, possessing a distinct set of dimensions. The large “Y”s represent society’s core values; the vision of America embodied by the Constitution. The constituent small “Y”s represent everyday citizens who exercise the daily mission of the law and who aid in its evolution.
- Pirie Associates was involved in the concept design of New Britain's Beehive Bridge. It was created in collaboration with Fuss & O'Neill, Svigals Art + Architecture and an interdisciplinary team of design professionals, with the mission of replacing a poor pedestrian condition where Main Street crosses a large highway with a corridor revitalized by sculpture and more space for foot traffic. The project implements Complete Streets design guidelines to return space to non-vehicular traffic and support the mobility of all users. The sculptural paneling that flanks each side of the bridge mimics the form of a beehive, inspired by New Britain’s motto “Industry fills the hive and enjoys the honey.”
We are very proud of these projects and hope you have time to give them a look. We also hope you have time to enjoy the beautiful golden light that flickers off the changing leaves, before it gets too cold.
