This past Saturday night we attended the 2009 AIA Grand Valley Honor Awards program at the Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts (UICA) in downtown Grand Rapids. As a Professional Affiliate Member of the AIA, our firm serves as consultants to architects.  Although we are not eligible to receive an award, we look forward to the chance to support our friends and celebrate their accomplishments in architecture over the last year. In addition, Acoustics By Design was pleased to be the acoustical and audio/video design consultants for six of the nominated projects!  The real surprise of the night was that the independent judges panel, made up of three distinguished architects from Iowa, declined to give out awards in several categories.

Despite the surprise “no-award” categories, the rest of the award presentation was a great time, not to mention the two social events that bookended the presentation with hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and desserts. Probably the most significant improvement to this year’s program was the new format which eliminated the sit down dinner and the long speeches and provided a more relaxed atmosphere for attendees to socialize.

Anyway, here’s a rundown of the award recipients. Congrats to the winners!

Building and Design Award Winners, 2009:

1. Building Award: Progressive AE for Burton Elementary and Middle School – Honor Award. (Acoustics By Design was the acoustical and audio/video consultants on this project)
2. Interior Architecture Award: No award given
3. Sustainable Design Award: Integrated Architecture for Grand Haven State Park Toilet/Shower Building – Honor Award. GMB Architects & Engineers for The City Flats Hotel – Honorable Mention.
4. Regional and Urban Design Award: No award given
5. Small Commercial Design Award: No award given
6. Residential Architecture Award: Lott3Metz Architecture for Diamond Townhouses – Honorable Mention.
7. Historic Preservation / Adaptive Reuse Award: Cornerstone Architects for the D.A. Blodgett Building – Honor Award. Gerber Architectural for Lake Osceola State Bank – Honorable Mention.

Individual and Firm Award Winners, 2009:

1. Young Architect Award: Mark F. Miller, Nederveld
2. President’s Award: None submitted
3. Lifetime Achievement Award: Sandy Stevenson, URS Coorporation
4. Firm Achievement Award: None submitted
5. David D. Smith Humanitarian Award: Peter Wege

Tags: Acoustical Consultant, Audio-Video Consultant, Corporate, K-12 Education, Mixed Use, Recreation, Sustainable

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