by: admin
(L-R): James P. Stuckey, President, Public Design Commission; Joseph Aliotta, AIA, LEED AP, Swanke Hayden Connell Architects; and Ed Burke, Staten Island Deputy Borough President at the Public Design Commission Awards.
Rick Bell, FAIA
At the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens, the Public Design Commission of the City of New York conferred the 29th annual Awards for Excellence in Design on 06.20.11. The architects, landscape architects, and public artists winning awards were in attendance, along with their public agency clients from, among others, the NYC Department of Design & Construction (DDC), Department of Transportation (DOT), Economic Development Corporation (EDC), Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), and Department of Parks & Recreation. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg unfortunately was not present, his mother having succumbed on Sunday at the age of 102. His place at the lectern was taken by First Deputy Mayor Patricia E. Harris, who cut her teeth at the Art Commission under Mayor Ed Koch. She recalled those days saying, “I was at the first Art Commission awards, 29 years ago; I was there, and we’ve come a long way.” Setting up the presentation of the awards by Public Design Commission President James P. Stuckey, the Deputy Mayor stated that “we remain a city that encourages excellence in design,” and that “we will leave a city even more dazzling than it is today — it is a great legacy for our children, too.” She called out a special appreciation for the staff of the Public Design Commission, headed by Executive Director Jackie Snyder.
Design awards were presented to the following projects and design teams:
· Construction of the Brooklyn Children’s Museum Rooftop Pavilion, by Toshiko Mori Architect with Ove Arup & Partners (DDC, DCA, and Brooklyn Children’s Museum).
· Construction of a Salt Shed, by Dattner Architects with WXY Architecture + Urban Design, Klein and Hoffman, Greeley and Hansen, and Reginald D. Hough Architect (Department of Sanitation).
· Reconstruction of Harper Street Yard, including the Construction of a Diesel Monitoring Booth by nARCHITECTS with Robert Silman Associates, URS Corporation, and Langan Engineering (DDC, and DOT).
· Renovation and Addition to the 122 Community Center, including the installation of Inhale/Exhale and Independent Lines, by Deborah Berke & Partners Architects with Monika Goetz, Buro Happold, and Serett (DDC, DDC, and The 122 Community Center).
· Installation of a Commemorative Program at the Original Yankee Stadium Site, by Doyle Partners and Cozzolino Studio with Stantec, Thomas Balsley Associates, and van Geldern Machine Company (EDC, and Department of Parks & Recreation).
· Rehabilitation of the Delancey and Essex Municipal Parking Garage, by Michielli + Wyetzner Architects with Engineering Group Associates, Tillotson Design Associations, and M-E Engineers (DDC and DOT).
· Construction of the Hunter’s Point Community Library, by Steven Holl Architects with Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Robert Silman & Associates, and Icor Associates (DDC, Queens Library, and Queens West Development Corporation).
· Reconstruction of the Staten Island Animal Care Facility, by Garrison Architects with Anastos Engineering, Plus Group Consulting Engineering, Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design, Judith Heintz Landscape Architecture, and Wohl & O’Mara (DDC, Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, and Animal Care & Control of NYC).
· Rehabilitation of the Sands Street Gatehouses at the Brooklyn Navy Yard Industrial Park, by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners with Robert Silman Associates, and JFK&M Consulting Group (Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation).
· Renovation and Expansion of the Museum of the Moving Image, by Leeser Architecture with Karlssonwilker, Anastos Engineering Associates, ADS Engineers, R.A. Heintges & Associates, L’Observatoire International, Stantec, and Atelier Ten (EDC, DCA, and Museum of the Moving Image).
A Special Recognition Award was conferred for:
· Renovation and Addition to the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Headquarters, by Swanke Hayden Connell Architects with Weidlinger Associates, Philip Habib and Associates, Jaros Baum and Bolles Engineers, Steven Winter Associates, Hillman DiBernardo & Associates, and Design 360 (DDC, and OEM).
Joseph Aliotta, AIA, LEED AP, principal-in-charge at Swanke Hayden Connell Architects and AIANY president-elect, accepted the award for the OEM project. At the reception, which followed in the garden of the Museum of the Moving Image, project stories were traded by agency folks and the black-clad designers who were appreciative not only of the public sector commissions, but the recognition of their efforts by an administration that cares passionately about design.