Hilton-VanderHorn Architects, owned by Darien residents Charles Hilton and Douglas VanderHorn, has been selected as the winner of the 2012 "At Home" A-List award competition.

They won in the "traditional architecture greater than 7,000 square feet" category. Sponsored by Moffly Media, the A-List Awards honor the top projects in architecture, interior design and landscape by firms working and practicing in Fairfield County.

The panel of judges were Gary Brewer, partner at Robert A.M. Stern Architects, and Thom Filicia, Victoria Hagan, Alexa Hampton, Richard Hartlage, Celerie Kemble, Corey Papadopoli, Peter Pennoyer and Stephen Stimson. They reviewed more than 100 submissions.

Hilton-VanderHorn Architects also was nominated for its projects in the Renovation, Historical Home Renovation and Kids' Space categories. The firm was honored for its design of a French Manor-style home on a bucolic 4-acre site in Greenwich. Originally built in 1958 in a neo-French style, the house had been renovated so extensively over the years that it had lost its original charm. The owner wanted to significantly improve the house's French aesthetic, while modernizing the construction and improving the function of the plan.

The design involved gutting the entire house down to the studs, removing poorly executed additions and the squat second floor, and reworking the entire plan to finish the structure inside and out in a classic traditional palette. The exterior was clad in a handmade terra-cotta brick capped with a graduated slate roof. The interiors now display a sense of refinement, due to thoughtful proportions and details such as ornamental transoms and elegant cornices.

"Their work stands out for its exquisite craftsmanship, attention to detail and timelessness," Pennoyer said.

"From the classic symmetry to the interior detailing, this house is perfection," Hartlage said.

Hilton-VanderHorn Architects is a 21-year-old Greenwich firm that specializes in traditional residential design. The firm has completed mor than 250 projects across the country, with the majority of its work located in Fairfield and Westchester (N.Y.) counties.

The firm is the recipient of American Institute of Architects, Connecticut Home Builders Association and various periodical and trade association design awards. Its projects are featured regularly in national and regional shelter publications, as well as in books. Hilton-VanderHorn Architects has been featured this year in two new TV series -- a pilot for "The Architects of Modern Living" and "Homes and Estates -- Today & Tomorrow."

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Darien architects make magazine's 'A-List'

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson today announced the reappointment of Helen Tonkin for the third time to the New Zealand Registered Architects Board.

Ms Tonkin, a Chartered Accountant, who is an existing member of the Board, will serve for a further two years.

"Her experience and skills have proven to be extremely useful on the Board. She has been able to assist it substantially through her extensive knowledge of financial planning and reporting, alongside her governance skills," says Mr Williamson.

The Registered Architects Act 2005 established the Registered Architects Board with the purpose of regulating the architecture profession. It is responsible for the development and administration of rules about competency standards, ethics, complaints and discipline of members of the profession.

Under the Act, the Board must have at least six, but no more than eight, members. The Minister recommends a maximum of four people nominated by the New Zealand Institute of Architects, and a maximum of four other persons as members of the Board.

Members are appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Minister and may be appointed for terms of up to a maximum of five years.

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Registered Architects' Board reappointment

PHOENIX, AZ--(Marketwire - Sep 27, 2012) - SmithGroupJJR, one of the nation's leading architecture, engineering and planning firms, is pleased to announce that Christopher Brown, FASLA, LEED AP BD+C, vice president and landscape architecture studio director, has been elevated to the Council of Fellows of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). The designation of Fellow is conferred upon individuals in recognition of exceptional professional accomplishments over a sustained period of time. Brown will be honored at an investiture ceremony at ASLA's Annual Meeting and Expo, to be held September 30 in Phoenix.

Possessing nearly 30 years of experience, Brown earned a bachelor of science in urban planning and landscape architecture from Arizona State University and a master of science in real estate development from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a registered landscape architect in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Nevada, Texas and Wyoming, and is a LEED accredited professional. He is also an active member of the Urban Land Institute and board member of the Valley Forward Association.

Brown has garnered the reputation as an innovator and national leader in sustainable site design and restoration for arid environments. He has led landscape architectural design efforts for many notable and award-winning projects throughout Arizona. Significant works include the Gateway to McDowell Sonoran Preserve, Scottsdale; Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center, Phoenix; and a series of collaborative design efforts for the Phoenix Zoo.

Brown also served as landscape design principal for the 34-acre multi-use George "Doc" Cavalliere Park in Scottsdale. The park is one of only 150 projects selected into the two-year pilot program conducted by Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES). SITES is an interdisciplinary effort by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin, and the United States Botanic Garden to create voluntary national guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable land design, construction and maintenance practices. As part of this pilot initiative, George "Doc" Cavalliere Park is among the first projects in the United States and abroad to demonstrate the application of The Sustainable Sites Initiative: Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009. The guidelines, released November 2009, establish a four-star rating system based upon a 250-point scale. The park is anticipated to be first SITES Certified project in Arizona.

Founded in 1899, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is the national professional association representing landscape architects. ASLA strives to increase the public's awareness of and appreciation for the profession of landscape architecture and its contributions to quality of life. The organization supports public policy initiatives pertaining to professional licensure, the environment, sustainable design, livable communities, surface transportation, historic preservation, and stormwater management issues, among others. ASLA's membership totals over 15,400, with fewer than 1,100 receiving the prestigious distinction of fellowship.

SmithGroupJJR is one of the largest architecture, engineering and planning firms in the U.S., and was the recipient of the 2011 Landscape Architecture Firm Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. The firm also ranked #1 for design quality based on design awards won in Architect magazine's 2011 annual best firms ranking. A national leader in sustainable design, SmithGroupJJR has 363 LEED professionals and 75 LEED certified projects.

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Chris Brown Named Fellow, American Society Landscape Architects

CHICAGO, IL.- The Art Institute of Chicago announces an innovative presentation of the work of Studio Gang Architects, led by founder and principal, Jeanne Gang. MacArthur Fellow Gang and her team of 40 architects, designers, and thinkers have produced some of the most inventive and award-winning architecture today. Featured not as a survey or retrospective, the projects of Studio Gang Architects (SGA) are showcased in an engaging workshop-like environment that reveals the practices creative processes as they seek to answer pressing contemporary issues through architecture. The exhibition is also accompanied by Archi-Salons, conversations with leading architects and planners engaged with themes central to SGAs practice. Building: Inside Studio Gang Architectson view from September 24, 2012February 24, 2013 in the Modern Wings Architecture and Design Galleries (G283285)features over a dozen projects framed around four major issues facing contemporary architecture: its relationship to nature, questions of density, building community, and architecture as performance.

Founded in 1997, Chicago-based Studio Gang Architects has already established itself as one of the premier architectural firms working today. Best known for Aqua Tower, the undulating, 82-story mixed use high-rise in downtown Chicago, SGA is also distinguished by the great diversity of its work, which includes the Hyderabad O2, a high-rise community in Hyderabad, India; an ecological revitalization project for Lincoln Park Zoos South Pond in Chicago; and Harbor Knot, a concert venue, maritime museum, and public park designed for Kaohsiung, Taiwan. All of these projects which reflect the wide range of todays built environmentare marked by an open-minded practice committed to research and experimentation with materials and technologies. Visitors will be able to see into SGA's creative process and how the group tackles issues that lie locally (site, culture, people) and resound globally (density, climate, sustainability).

The installationdesigned by SGA in collaboration with Zo Ryan, the Art Institutes John H. Bryan Chair and Curator, and Karen Kice, Neville Bryan Assistant Curator, both in the Department of Architecture and Designconsists of two interrelated parts. The first functions as a gallery with projects illustrated through a range of materials from sketchbooks and models to photographs, plans, and other drawings. This space features a special series of installations, also designed by SGA, dedicated to the studios material research and formal explorations.

The second section of the exhibition replicates a workshop, complete with a large worktable, pin-up boards, full-scale mock-ups, and material samples. This space is a key component of the presentation and serves as the location for two Archi-Salonspublic programs that further connect and place the work in the exhibition within the larger field of architectural discourse. The first Archi-Salon will be held on October 6 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and will be led by Clare Lyster, assistant professor at University of Illinois-Chicagos School of Architecture and founding principal of CLUAA (Clare Lyster Urbanism and Architecture). This salon will focus on architectures external influences, such as transportation networks.

The second Archi-Salon, to be held on November 17 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and led by Iker Gil, an architect, urban designer, and director of MAS Studio, will explore issues internal to architecture, such as context, materiality, and program. These conversations will be inspired by Studio Gangs work but ultimately address larger issues in the field of contemporary architecture. In addition, members of Studio Gang will be on site throughout the run of the exhibition to give tours, encourage dialogue, and promote greater understanding of the firms process-based work.

Through the installation design and public programs, this exhibition presents the research-based, explorative nature of one of todays most inventive practices. Building: Inside Studio Gang Architects brings contemporary architecture to life, showing the full lifespan of the creative architectural processhow an idea becomes a building.

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Major exhibition features computer animation, diagrams, plans, and models by Studio Gang Architects

The Southern Arizona branch of the American Institute of Architects is giving a peek into some impressive homes this year.

The AIA's Home Tour, slated for next Sunday, includes homes that look futuristic, one that looks like a shipping container (because it is), and a home with a modest exterior but wows inside.

This year marks the 20th that the AIA here has sponsored the tour. Among those in this year's event:

Tucson Mountain House - A custom-built rammed-earth home with a music recording studio.

Mabel Street Residence - A 1927 bungalow that has been remodeled.

The Tuesday + Thursday House - The two-story home has a glass railed stairway and a cistern to collect rainfall.

Sentinel Plaza Senior Housing - The first major residential development in Rio Nuevo.

Wetlaufer Residence - A contemporary take on traditional objects and materials.

Shipping-Container House - Intermodal containers transformed into a living space.

If you go

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Architects' tour features some intriguing homes

A Longview architectural firm and Spring Hill ISD will be recognized in Austin this weekend for the outstanding design of the districts new high school. Thacker-Davis Architects designed the $24.7 million school that opened in 2011 about $1.8 million under budget.

The firm submitted photos of the school to the Exhibit of School Architecture Awards competition this summer and was notified this past month of the award.

Weve won about 15 awards over the last 20 years, but this may be the first design award weve won, said Phillip Thacker, architect with Thacker-Davis Architects.

The Spring Hill High School submission was one of about 80 in the competition, according to Thacker, which includes any newly constructed or renovated school in the state.

Awards are given in the areas of value, process of planning, design, educational appropriateness, innovation and sustainability. Each school is eligible to receive multiple awards.

The design of Spring Hill High School was created in order to build a bridge between the old and new, Thacker said.

We wanted to complement the existing architecture on the site, but add something modern and new, Thacker said.

All submissions will be included in the Texas Association of School Administrators, Texas Association of School Boards and Texas Society of Architects Exhibit of School Architecture in the annual TASA/TASB convention this weekend in Austin.

Thacker-Davis is also responsible for the designs of new sites and renovations in Hallsville, Gilmer and Pine Tree school districts. The architects are working on a $29.9 million bond project for Tatum ISD.

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Architects, Spring Hill ISD receive design award

FALLS CHURCH, VA--(Marketwire - Sep 27, 2012) - DuBro Architects + Builders, (www.dubro.net), a premier design / build firm serving customers in the Northern Virginia and Washington, DC area, today announced the new brand name for Novus Construction.During its 10 year history, the firm has evolved its focus to creates "living architecture" -- projects that are designed to support and nurture the way clients live.

"Our new brand reflects the evolution of our company to a team of artisans and craftsmen," said Jeff DuBro, president and CEO."Our mission is to custom design and build homes that facilitate the way our clients want to live -- what we call 'Living Architecture.'"

Living Architecture is the intersection of building science and the art of design. It is an approach to building and renovation that marries beauty with design efficiency, functionality, utility and the economy of choices. It is the way a space feels to its owner.

The firm's new website showcases DuBro's wide range of work from new homes to renovations and additions to home improvement solutions.It also serves as a resource for design ideas, and includes videos and an informational blog -- Living Architecture -- dedicated to design / build considerations and real-life examples of the unique DuBro approach. The next decade of DuBro's clients can expect the same high-level of service and quality from the experienced and proud DuBro team.

More about: DuBro Architects + Builders Founded in 2001, DuBro Architects + Builders is an architect-led design / build firm whose studio office is located in Falls Church, VA.The DuBro Team is a 9 member group made up of architects, builders, carpenters, project managers and business managers.Living Architecture is the DuBro approach to home design, and the name of their website blog.It is about integrating how you live, how you want to live and designing transformations that enable you to "live well."DuBro has serviced the needs of over 100 clients in the Northern Virginia and Washington, DC region.

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DuBro Architects + Builders Brings 'Living Architecture' to DC Region

Citing serious concerns, a group of high-profile architects advising Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on the downtown football stadium are recommending a redesign of the Los Angeles Convention Center hall that is part of the project.

Several members of the "Vision Team," a group of eight architects assembled by Villaraigosa to consult on the project, believe the plan has major flaws, including having visitors enter the new hall through a dark, unsafe space created by stretching the building over Pico Boulevard.

They believe this will so negatively impact Pico Boulevard and the Pico-Union neighborhood that an overhaul is required.

"This is not good city design," Norman Millar, president of the Burbank-based Woodbury University School of Architecture, and one of the Vision Team members, said in an interview this week. "Plain and simple. It's a no-no."

The Vision Team's recommendations, compiled in a formal report released this month, comes as the City Council is set to vote Friday on the project's environmental impact report - the crucial vote that will allow Anschutz Entertainment Group to move forward.

The new hall of the convention center has been AEG's selling point to city officials skeptical of the $1.5 billion football stadium plan. Long derided as a "white elephant," the convention center was built in 1971 and expanded in 1993. The structure is divided into two halls, making it difficult to schedule shows requiring contiguous

But the Vision Team's report raises questions about the new hall's design and how it will impact the downtown area. The team's warnings follow similar concerns voiced by Councilman Ed Reyes over the last six months that the convention center hall design is not pedestrian friendly and would create a barrier between the Pico-Union neighborhood and the rest of the downtown.

The councilman, who sits on the council committee that reviewed the stadium proposal, said he was never made aware of the Vision Team's report. Told of their recommendations Wednesday, Reyes replied, "Wow."

"It would have been to everyone's advantage to see how we can provide the best-case scenario," Reyes added.

The new hall is designed by international architecture firm Populous and overseen by a team of AEG and city officials. L.A.-based firm Gensler is designing AEG's 76,000-seat football stadium. | See photo gallery.

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Architects call for redesign of L.A. Convention Center hall, part of AEG NFL project

SEATTLE, Sept. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Over the last two decades, Seattle-based LMN Architects has established itself as an industry leader in the design of convention centres throughout the United States. Following the recent accolades for the award-winning, LEED Platinum-certified Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, BC, the firm is expanding its international presence in the convention centre arena with two new projects in Canada. In collaboration with other firms, LMN will be involved in significant design projects for convention centres in Winnipeg, Manitoba and London, Ontario.

"We look forward to helping Winnipeg and London create new visions for these significant representations of their cities, and collaborating with local firms who bring unique understandings of their communities," says LMN Design Partner Mark Reddington, FAIA.

The Winnipeg project is a high-profile, multi-story expansion of the current Winnipeg Convention Centre. The expansion will include an upper-level exhibit hall, incorporating a signature event room dubbed 'The City Room' which extends over York Avenue, along with a ballroom, new pre-function spaces, and support areas on the adjacent expansion site.

Team selection included a two-stage North American competition. The selected team consists of design-build contractor Stuart Olson Dominion Construction Ltd., developer Matthews Southwest, and LMN leading the design with local Winnipeg architectural firms Number TEN Architectural Group and LM Architectural Group.

LMN was also selected to complete a space needs analysis and utilization recommendations for the London Convention Centre in London, ON. LMN will collaborate with both feasibility analysis firm HLT Advisory, Inc. and Toronto-based design firm Dialog. The team was selected by the London Convention Centre to evaluate the existing facility and regional competition venues, and determine what improvements can be undertaken to increase space utilization and event revenue.

The Winnipeg and Ontario projects join LMN's significant portfolio of convention centre designs. In addition to Vancouver Convention Centre West, recent projects include the Cleveland Convention Center and Medical Mart, Dena'ina Convention Center in Anchorage, Cincinnati's Duke Energy Convention Center, and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center New Orleans Hall A Renovations. The London study assignment further adds to the list of recently completed similar facilities studies at both the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, OR and the Monterey Conference Center in Monterey, CA.

About LMN

LMN provides comprehensive planning and design services to create convention centers, cultural arts venues, higher education facilities, commercial and mixed-use developments, interiors, and urban plans that celebrate and enrich communities. The firm is widely recognized for distinctive, integrated design solutions that are highly responsive to specific social, cultural, economic and environmental influences. For more information, visit http://www.lmnarchitects.com.

Media Contact:Megan Hilfer, PARSONS, 206-789-5668, megan@parsonspr.com

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LMN Architects Awarded Two Canadian Convention Centre Projects

KPMB Architects Design Innovative Research Facility at University of Waterloo described as 'architectural genius' by Stephen Hawking

TORONTO, Sept. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Opening ceremonies were held last week in Waterloo for Canada's new 'mind space', the Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum Nano Centre (QNC). The massive 26,010-square-metre Centre at the University of Waterloo, designed by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg (KPMB) is a showcase for Canadian innovation and industry in the fields of quantum computing and nanotechnology - the first of its kind in the world to bring together the two disciplines under one roof.

"Breakthrough science is advancing at dizzying speed today, with quantum physics at atomic and sub-atomic scale", said Mike Lazaridis, founder of the Centre, "Simultaneously, rapid movement is happening in nanotechnology, where fabrication of materials, devices and systems 100 nanometres or smaller is being explored. This critical nexus of quantum computing and nanotechnology brings the world closer to the cusp of previously unimagined solutions and insights."

The state-of-the-art new QNC located on the University of Waterloo's main campus in the Math/Computer/Science district is a five-storey building that houses the Institute for Quantum Computing, the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology and the university's undergraduate program in nanotechnology engineering - a total of 400 academics are accommodated.

Stephen Hawking, world-renowned physicist, who participated in the official opening, commented that the new Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre "is a work of architectural genius". Since 1999, Professor Hawking has partnered with the University of Waterloo.

The Quantum Nano Centre was conceptually inspired by the famed Newton Institute in Cambridge, U.K. IQC and Nanotechnology Engineering each occupy their own building and are joined by a six-storey central atrium which acts as an indoor pedestrian route and an informal gathering space. The design organizes 'mind spaces' - lounges, offices and meeting rooms - around the edge of the atrium where interdisciplinary interaction can flourish.

As Marianne McKenna, KPMB Architects founding partner and partner-in-charge of the Quantum Nano Centre project said, "Waterloo, Ontario has evolved into Canada's Technology Centre, the equivalent of Silicon Valley in California. KPMB is proud to have played a role in the physical renaissance of the Kitchener-Waterloo region. With the opening of the Lazaridis Quantum Nano Centre, Waterloo has gained immense intellectual capital that will have a multiplier effect on the economy of the region and of Canada."

KPMB took an Integrated Design Team Approach to the project. As Mitchell Hall, KPMB Design Architect and Principal-in-Charge led the design team said. "We first engaged researchers, both theorists and experimentalists, in deep discussions to understand the ways and patterns of their work. This advance research later provided the groundwork for the development of the interior and exterior of the complex."

Designed to meet stringent scientific standards - with controls for vibration, temperature fluctuation and electromagnetic radiation - the facility is of the highest international caliber. One of the signature features of the facility is a 929-square-metre cleanroom with fabrication facilities for quantum and nanodevices, as well as an advanced metrology suite, extensive teaching and research laboratories.

The exterior is distinguished by a hexagonal honeycomb lattice of structural steel, a pattern inspired by the stable hexagonal carbon structure of the nanotube. The podium of the building is clad with burnished concrete block to relate to the primarily masonry fabric of the University of Waterloo.

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Lazaridis Quantum Nano Centre Creates 21st Century 'Mind Space'