Silver Spring Civic Building awarded top honor at Celebrate Design event co-sponsored with AIA Potomac Valley Chapter
SILVER SPRING, MD –The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, announced the winners of its first annual Design Excellence Award competition at the Celebrate Design reception, held on Thursday, October 22 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Silver Spring Civic Building (1 Veterans Plaza, Silver Spring, MD).
Montgomery County Council President George Leventhal and Councilmembers Nancy Floreen and Hans Riemer presented the top award and citations, along with Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson. Keynote speaker Christopher Leinberger, a real estate expert and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, made the business case for design excellence.
“The Design Excellence Award is intended to inspire architecture, landscape architecture and urban design of the best possible quality in Montgomery County,” said Planning Director Gwen Wright, who introduced the evening festivities. “This is only one of several initiatives we are undertaking to raise the bar for development and attract residents and businesses to the County. Design excellence is becoming increasingly important as the amount of available land for development is shrinking and densities in our centers are increasing.”
The evening event drew about 200 design professionals, county officials and residents. It was co-sponsored by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Potomac Valley Chapter and included that organization’s awards presentation.
The Design Excellence and Citation Award winners are:
Design Excellence Award Winner: Silver Spring Civic Building, Silver Spring, MD. Designed by Machado and Silvetti Associates, Boston, Massachusetts.
“A great collaboration between architecture, landscape architecture and urban design,” said the jurors of this design in the heart of Downtown Silver Spring. “This is a beautiful example of how the public sector can lead quality modern design. It is a great example of how to make a place.”
Jury Citation Winners:
–Cultural Arts Center at the Montgomery College Takoma Park, Silver Spring, MD. Designed by SmithGroup JJR Architects, Washington, DC.
“This project raises the bar for design of local, publicly funded colleges. It’s an iconic anchor of the Montgomery College campus on busy Georgia Avenue,” noted the jurors.
–Eleven55 Ripley, Silver Spring, MD. Designed by Shalom Baranes Associates, Washington, DC.
“This was a challenging site to develop and the buildings bridge a pedestrian-friendly scale to a tall apartment building scale,” said the jurors. “The high quality of the architecture can be seen throughout, from the strong fenestration and balcony patterns down to the brick coursing.”
–Somerset Pool House, Somerset, MD. Designed by McInturff Architects, Bethesda, MD.
“This sensitive design of a community facility addresses landscape, architecture and excellent place-making within the context of adaptive re-use,” said the jurors.
–Ruppert Nurseries Headquarters, Laytonsville, MD. Designed by Muse Architects, Bethesda, MD.
“This sensitive and innovative approach to a commercial facility retains the essential agrarian character and scale of this area of Montgomery County,” noted the jurors.
Learn more about the 2015 Montgomery County Award winner and Jury Citation winners for the Montgomery County Planning Department’s First Annual Design Excellence Award
About the Design Excellence Award Jury
The Design Excellence award jury met on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 to review the 38 projects entered into the competition and make an independent decision about the winners. Projects were submitted by architects, developers or property owners. The projects had to be located within Montgomery County, occupied and in use, and completed within the past 10 years in order to be eligible. The jury comprised four accomplished professionals in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, planning and urban design, who were invited by the Planning Department:
Edward Feiner, FAIA | Design Leadership Council Director, Perkins + Will, Washington, D.C.
Dhiru Thadani, FCNU | Architect and urbanist, Washington, D.C.
Michael Vergason, FASLA | Principal, Michael Vergason Landscape Architects, Alexandria, Virginia
Amy Weinstein, FAIA | Principal, Esocoff & Associates/Weinstein Studio, Washington, D.C.
Review the bios of the jury
About the Montgomery County Planning Department’s Annual Design Excellence Award:
Established by the Montgomery County Planning Department, this annual award seeks to recognize exceptional work in architecture, landscape architecture and urban design that improves the neighborhood’s physical, ecological and social context. The winners represent built projects that enrich and contribute to the greater community, and confirm how physical design leads to greater health, economic opportunity and environmental sustainability. This award is an opportunity for building projects to be seen widely, particularly in business and professional settings where the best qualities of Montgomery County are promoted by the County Council, Planning Board and Planning Department staff.