1.17 AIAVT News

Architect’s Tour of The Clark Institute—A Study In Contrasts

Though November 3, 2016 was a gray, drizzly day, the mood was anything but gloomy at The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, the site of an AIAVT educational opportunity.     More...

Photos: Carolyn Bates

AIAVT shook things up a bit for the Annual Meeting and Design Awards held on December 15, 2016 —using hip, urban warehouse Arts Riot as the venue and clearing the floor after the presentations to make way for dancing to the Phil Abair Band.
 
But before things got swinging, there was important business to conduct. Outgoing President Gary Corey, AIA, gave a synopsis of the year’s accomplishments, Vice President Eric Morrow, AIA, talked about plans for the year ahead, and members voted in three new individuals to serve on the board of directors: John Dale, AIA; Marjorie Dickstein, AIA; and Andrew Schlatter, AIA. Read more about the new directors elsewhere in this issue of AIAVT News.
 
Seven projects—running the gamut from an ice fishing shanty to a large affordable housing complex—were chosen for demonstrating an “extraordinary level of competence” by a jury of Colorado peers that selected from 51 entries submitted by AIAVT architects. 
 
The jurors, Scott Lindenau, FAIA, Studio B; John Cottle, FAIA, CCY; Harry Teague, AIA, Harry Teague Architecture; Ashley Clark, Assoc. AIA, Studio B; and Amanda Christenson, AIA, Rowland Broughton, were asked to consider granting awards based on design excellence at three levels: Honor (first), Merit (second), and Citation (third). At the end of the four-hour

The jurors, Scott Lindenau, FAIA, Studio B; John Cottle, FAIA, CCY; Harry Teague, AIA, Harry Teague Architecture; Ashley Clark, Assoc. AIA, Studio B; and Amanda Christenson, AIA, Rowland Broughton, were asked to consider granting awards based on design excellence at three levels: Honor (first), Merit (second), and Citation (third). At the end of the four-hour process, jurors noted of their choices, “We feel we are sending a message that design excellence can be achieved regardless of budget and scale.”

The Richmond firm Birdseye Design received the only Honor Award—for “Woodshed,” a 3,500 sq. ft. residential project nestled in the foothills of Pomfret, Vermont. Featuring two asymmetrical gable roof forms akin to the traditional woodshed and connected by a central entryway, the jury said of the structure, “It is inspired by the vernacular woodshed, but transforms the vernacular so that the solution is of the time and place.”  See more at: 2016 awards.

Birdseye Design was the recipient of a second award, at the Merit Level, for “Two Shed,” a residence atop a bluff in Waterbury Village, Vermont with a multitude of environmental features, including passive solar design, repurposed snow fencing vertical siding, and heat recovery ventilation. “Delightful, beautiful,” the jurors said. “This is super clean shed design. The courtyard plan is reminiscent of the vernacular barnyard, and has a very Vermont/New England quality.  See more at: 2016 awards.

Duncan Wisniewski Architecture’s “Bright Street,” a 48,000-sq.ft-urban-infill affordable housing project built in Burlington for Housing Vermont and Champlain Housing Trust, earned a Merit Award.  The jury acknowledged the difficulty in creating good affordable housing and said this 40-unit structure seemed to “offer a lot of apparent quality for its low construction cost.” The jurors also said the sight massing was well done: “The buildings are layered to keep the large scale of the project down. The biggest building is set in the middle of the block, while the smaller buildings are set at street level. This creates a good street scale that fits the surrounding context.” Burlington Electric Department and Vermont Energy Investment Corporation played a significant role in helping the project meet “High Performance” energy criteria by awarding a $2,500 per unit incentive.  See more at: 2016 awards.

“Middlebury College Virtue Field House," an athletic facility that in the words of the institution’s director of athletics “reimagines what a traditional field house can be,” was recognized with a Merit Award. Designed by Sasaki of Boston, the 120,000 sq. ft. structure includes a 200-meter track and 20,000 sq. ft. of athletic turf and accommodates 500 spectators at sporting events and up to 5,000 people for large functions. “This is a very large structure where the attention to human scale is quite good, despite the building type,” said jurors. “The building is sunk down into the earth to lower the scale of the building on campus, which is innovative and effective.” See more at: 2016 awards.

Scott and Partners of Essex Junction received a Citation Award for “Downstreet Apartments,” a mixed use structure of nearly 34,000 sq. ft. located in downtown Barre, Vermont that in addition to 27 residences also includes over 6,500 sq. ft. of office space and newly created green space.  “This is a very aesthetically pleasing project, and delivered a lot of quality given the limits of the budget,” said the jury.  Jurors admired that the architects paid “careful attention to context” regarding the surrounding neighborhood and showed that design “can be part of the solution” to revitalizing communities. See more at: 2016 awards.

“There is a wonderful level of craft in this project,” said the jury about “Ice Ark,” a tiny mobile fishing shanty lashed together with cord and other joining features reminiscent of hunter-gatherer techniques. Design by TruexCullins Architecture of Burlington, the project earned a Citation Award. The Ice Ark had been built to be part of a winter 2015 architecture installation on the grounds of the Shelburne Museum. See more at: 2016 awards.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE
 
Tolya Stonorov with Norwich University School of Architecture and Art won the People’s Choice Award for “Casa 802,” a 324 sq. ft. affordable house design. The project, designed and built with the help of nine undergraduates, garnered the most of nearly 1,000 votes cast by the general public in an online survey.

Project posters of all entries will be displayed throughout 2017 at various locations around the state, including the Manchester Library, Shelburne Library, and Norwich University. 

Architect’s Tour of The Clark Institute—A Study In Contrasts

by Alan Lindsay Berry, AIA and Carol Miklos 

Though November 3, 2016 was a gray, drizzly day, the mood was anything but gloomy at The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, the site of an AIAVT educational opportunity. Museum Director Tony King and his staff—together with architect Tomasz Bona of Gensler and landscape architect Beka Sturges of Reed Hildebrand—graciously hosted 50+ AIAVT members for a tour of the recently completed expansion of the museum’s facilities on a 140-acre campus in the Berkshires. The tour clearly demonstrated that Sterling and Francine Clark’s conservative taste in art and architecture has been brought up-to-date—through the vision of Tadao Ondo, design architect for the new elements—with an inquisitive eye towards the future. 

“I have always liked Tadao Ando’s work, particularly, his mastery of material, space and form, yet I had not ventured down to the Clark Institute until the need for continuing education credit pushed me to attend the tour,”  said chapter member Melissa Fletcher, AIA, who traveled back and forth from Shelburne in one day. “The inspiration I went home with was well worth breaking a day’s routine.”

The Clark contrasts the traditional with the modern in a way that is somewhat reminiscent of a sister institution: the Canadian Center for Architecture in Montreal.  The latter wraps a postmodern building around a nineteenth-century mansion and extends out to the city with a garden of allegory where art meets architecture. The Clark greets an approaching visitor with a neo-classical temple of art set on a hill overlooking a bucolic lily pond.  Upon entering the museum via the new Clark Center, the majority of visitors will continue straight ahead, exiting out onto a courtyard with an expansive terrace, carefully placed trees, and terraced, hard-edged reflecting pools. The architecture and landscape design are modern—all glass and concrete. The pastoral, centuries-old scene of grazing cattle on a hillside is framed by Tadao Ando’s geometric tour de force, Pietro Belluschi’s brutalist Manton Research Center, and a massive concrete wall that encloses the carefully articulated sanctuary.

Architects appreciate that “the devil is in the details.” At The Clark, the details certainly have been given their due. The tie-rod scars of the concrete columns and walls have been caressed to the highest level of perfection. Art work is transported by way of fifteen-foot-tall doors opening into underground tunnels.  Climate control and security meet the most stringent standards. Snow plows with polymer-tipped plow edges clear the grass paved fire lanes during winter storms. Environmental stewardship addresses energy and water conservation. Invasive plants have been replaced with 350 native tree species. The former courtyard of the Manton Research Center has been transformed into a reading room, with stacks of books tempting the reader from their balconies above. Traditional Adirondack chairs invite guests to relax and gaze out across the self-sustaining reflecting pools. Thomas Schütte’s large-scale sculpture, “Crystal,” invites the curious for a walk up the hill on the woodland trails, as cows graze along the machine-made stripes of the perfectly manicured meadow.

Fletcher said the chance to go behind the scenes was most enriching. “I appreciated seeing how the buildings are linked together underground and deeply enjoyed hearing the project and landscape architects discuss the entire development process,” she added. 

The slide presentations by King, Bona, and Sturges took place in another Ando-designed structure, the Lunder Center at Stone Hill. King, in wrapping up his presentation, offered a few words of wisdom to architects with nonprofit institutional clients.  “Philanthropists must provide an endowment to fund their dreams and legacies for future generations,” he said.  “A healthy endowment was the key to funding The Clark’s $113 million expansion and renovation project,” he explained, “and the endowment covers 80% of our operating budget.”   

After the presentation, The Clark catering staff treated attendees to a delicious lasagna dinner. Many thanks to the generous supporters of the event that made the edibles and all other aspects of it possible: R.K. Miles (Underwriter); The Rowley Agency (Silver Sponsor); and Vermont Verde Antique (exhibitor). 

AIAVT member Steven Kredell of Middlebury-based McLeod Kredell Architects summed up the day by saying, “It’s always fun and rewarding to get together with fellow designers to discuss issues of architecture and landscape architecture.  It’s even better to be able to do this while in well-conceived projects such as The Clark.  It would be great to have more AIAVT events like these if possible.” 

AIA Vermont Board of Directors Update

Who’s New? 

John Dale, AIA, is an NCARB-certified, LEED® AP architect at Bread Loaf Corporation in Middlebury. Dale began his architectural career in 1985, became a registered architect in 1989, and has been with Bread Loaf since 2011. In his current position, he has worked on projects such as the new Town Offices in Middlebury; Vermont Academy’s Fuller Hall; and the restoration and new pavilion at the University of Vermont’s Alumni House. Dale is a past board member of the Institute of Classical Architecture, Mid-Atlantic Chapter. He holds a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Virginia, and received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Middlebury College. 

Marjorie Dickstein, AIA, is an architect at Dore & Whittier Architects in Burlington, where she is a member of the firm’s 2030 Challenge and Specifications Committees.  Dickstein has 20 years of experience as a project manager, designer, and specifier with firms in Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New York City. She has focused on public, private, and international school projects, university laboratory and computer science buildings, public safety, and regional utility infrastructure.  She previously taught in the Furniture Design Department at Rhode Island School of Design. Dickstein holds architect licenses in three states, is NCARB-certified, a LEED® AP, BD+C, MCPPO, and is one of five CSI-Certified Construction Specifiers in Vermont. She earned her master’s of architecture from the Yale School of Architecture, a bachelor’s in fine art in environmental design from Parsons School of Design, and a bachelor’s degree from Eugene Lang College.  She is currently the vice president of Starksboro, Vermont’s Development Review Board and is also a delegate to the Addison County Regional Planning Commission. 

Catherine Lange, Assoc. AIA, recently completed a master’s degree in architecture from the Rochester Institute of Technology, with a focus in sustainability. While at RIT, Lange was president of AIAS and earned a LEED® Green Associate certification. In October, she began working as a designer at Scott + Partners in Essex. Previously, Lange had been working as the lead designer at 2Revolutions, where she communicated the multi-faceted world of education through visual design and storytelling. At 2Rev, she combined her interests in design and architecture by researching how school buildings affect learning in children and adults. Lange’s interests lie in the design of more health-promoting buildings that inspire people at work and at play. Before joining 2Rev, Lange launched a graphic design and organizational development consulting company in Burlington, where she partnered with nonprofits and small businesses across New England and the East Coast to create sophisticated and personalized design strategies. Lange also holds a bachelor’s degree in design and environmental analysis: interior design from Cornell University and currently resides in Burlington. 

Andrew Schlatter, AIA, is associate vice president of facilities management and planning at Bennington College. Prior to Bennington, Schlatter worked as an associate and project architect at KieranTimberlake in Philadelphia. Schlatter played a key role across a wide array of the firm’s projects, including the new United States Embassy in London; the Cellophane House for the Home Delivery show at The Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the Keeling Apartments at the University of California, San Diego. Schlatter also served as a lecturer in the School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Before earning a master’s in architecture and a master’s in liberal arts from the University of Pennsylvania, Schlatter spent several years working professionally as a carpenter and builder in Seattle, as well as an instructor in design/build for students of all levels at Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Warren, Vermont. Schlatter also holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and creative writing from Dartmouth College. 

GOODBYE AND THANKS TO...

Diantha Korzun, AIA, a member of the AIAVT Board of Directors since 2008 and president in 2012, has stepped down from the board. Korzun chaired the Design Awards Committee for multiple years, and in 2012 chaired the AIA New England Conference and Design Awards. She played a significant role in AIA Vermont’s Archistream project, and served as Vermont’s representative to the AIA New England board of directors.  Korzun, who has been employed with GBA since 2015, will continue to serve on the Design Awards Committee. The board and staff of AIA Vermont give heartfelt thanks for Korzun’s service.

Evon Calabrese, Assoc. AIA, is leaving the AIAVT Board of Directors to study for a Master’s degree in architecture. Calabrese served as the director of the Emerging Professionals Network for the past two years; during her time in this role she organized a portfolio review event, a Habitat for Humanity effort, and several competitions for designers and newly licensed architects.

Joseph Cincotta, AIA, a resident of Wilmington, Vermont has been the “southern” representative to the AIAVT Board of Directors for over 10 years. Cincotta served on the Communications Committee and was an ad hoc member of other committees over the years. Most recently, he planned a very enjoyable board retreat at the Three Stallion Inn in Randolph.

Larry Dean, AIA, a director on the AIAVT Board of Directors since 2013, has stepped down after serving on the ACX Conference and Energy and Environment Committees. Larry plans to use his new found time to pursue his singing activities.

Notes from a Juror: Choosing Award Recipients for AIA Rhode Island

by Jesse Beck, AIA, NCARB 

Last fall I received an invitation from the AIA Vermont (AIAVT) Design Awards Committee (Diantha Korzun, AIA and Ward Joyce, AIA) to participate on a design awards jury. AIA Rhode Island (AIARI) had requested that AIAVT put together a jury to review their 2016 entries. Having never served on a jury of this type before, I was thrilled to be asked. 

Serving on the jury with me were John Rahill, AIA, Black River Design; John McLeod, AIA, McLeod Kredell Architects; and Andrea Kerz-Murray, AIA, Vermont Integrated Architecture. Also present—to facilitate the process—were Jennifer Space, AIARI’s vice president; Ward Joyce, who served as managing scribe, and Carol Miklos, AIAVT’s executive director. The four guiding criteria established by our jury in examining projects were how well did each demonstrate: environmental responsiveness, quality with regard to budget, a program that solved a complex problem, and overall design excellence.

After many hours of deliberation, our jury awarded 11 projects in the categories of: Residential (one Honor and three Merit); Educational/Institutional (two Honor and one Merit); Restoration/Renovation (two Merit), and Interiors (one Honor and one Merit). 

While it was a lot of fun convincing and being convinced by my Vermont colleagues during the jury process—the best was yet to come.  The AIARI Design Awards were held on December 1 at Linden Place in Bristol, in a mansion of considerable historical significance—not all of it positive. The structure has been the venue for varied uses, including slave trading, banking, and as a film location for the 1974 adaption of The Great Gatsby. 

The AIARI event was attended by about 150 individuals, doing just what we do at our awards night: network, imbibe, and eat. The evening was well run by Jennifer Space and outgoing president Christen Robbins. And me? I was privileged to be the host of the awards ceremony and celebration—and had the opportunity to share not only what it was like to be a juror for them, but what it’s like be an awards entrant that doesn’t always hit a home run. 

“What a great privilege it is to be here and share in the celebration of great architecture in your state,” I said. “My colleagues and I were impressed with the significant breadth and depth of architectural excellence in Rhode Island, as evidenced by this year’s entries. The range of projects—from residential historic restorations to foreign schools in Kazakhstan—was amazing.” 

Then I gave some words of encouragement to those who did not receive an award. “It’s not because your work is not worthy,” I said. “I’ve had firsthand experience in not winning awards with the frequency I’d like. That’s part of why I jumped at the opportunity to serve as your juror. I wanted to get involved to see just how the process works.” 

What I told the audience in Rhode Island and what I’d like our own Vermont award entrants to know is through this experience I found that determining award winners is a messy process—wrought with intangibles, individual juror nuances, and overall jury biases. I said, “Our jury tried to offer many awards and in many instances, after seven hours of deliberation, it came down to a ‘forced’ decision. Personal preferences and familiarity with program type always came into play. Rhode Island winners: congratulations on your great projects with the highest of accolades from Vermont. Be humble and know that it takes the sun, the moon, and the stars to align to earn a design award.” 

Thank you to all the people that were involved in Vermont and Rhode Island to provide me this opportunity. To look at the winning projects go to www.aia-ri.org

EPN Group Hosts Design Charrette, Awards Cash Prizes

by Carol Miklos

The upstairs room at Burlington City Arts was abuzz in early December with teams of designers gathered to participate in “Live & Unplugged,” a design charrette hosted by AIAVT’s Emerging Professionals Network (EPN). After all, there was big prize money at stake! 

The charrette competition was cooked up

VT-NH Meeting Held in Windsor

The Harpoon Brewery in Windsor was the site of the AIAVT-AIANH meeting held on October 19, 2016.  About 50 AIA members from both chapters attended. Emily Grandstaff-Rice, FAIA, a senior associate at Arrowstreet, Inc. in Boston, gave a presentation focused on ways to develop a niche for an architecture practice. Read more about Grandstaff-rice.

Jonathan C. Severinghaus, a student in the Architectural and Building Engineering Technology Program at Vermont Technical College (VTC) received The Ruth Freeman Award, given in memory of Vermont’s first female architect and president of AIAVT. The Freeman Award of $750 is given to a VTC student who has demonstrated excellence in their undergraduate work. Severinghaus is a resident of Morristown VT.

ASSOCIATES

Alex Joon Kim , Assoc. AIA earned a bachelor's of architecture from The Cooper Union where he says he was very fortunate to study with professors and students whose enthusiasm, rigor, and discipline continue to be an inspiration. Kim has worked at several firms in New York on projects ranging from gallery installations to hotels. He originally moved to the Upper Valley to attend the Center for Cartoon Studies, where he earned a master's of fine arts, and found the New England landscape too engaging to leave. He currently works at Haynes & Garthwaite Architects in Norwich and resides in Thetford.

Trista Kerber, Assoc. AIA, Guilford, Vermont