Celebrate the 2019 Excellence in Design Award Winners
Hershey Towne Square
TONO Architects, LLC | Citation Award | Photography: Michael Miville of MM Visuals
Jury Comments:
“Hershey Towne Square has transformed a derelict vacant property into a place for people. Through a limited palette of materials, syntax, and a unifying “ribbon” that references the nearby Hershey Park roller coaster ride, this urban redevelopment offers a singular design expression with variation and rhythm, avoiding the trap of pastiche and compositional collage. With their commitment to public open space, the architects behind Hershey Towne Square invested just as much thought and care to quality of place between retail establishments as they did to the structures themselves. Hershey Towne Square has fulfilled its promise to serve as both a destination and connective tissue for downtown Hershey. “
Winding Creek Elementary School
Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates – Architects | Citation Award | Photography: Nathan Cox Photography/ Clay Helfrick
Jury Comments:
“Winding Creek Elementary School is laudable for its main-street approach to organization and circulation. The building-long corridor provides generous space for movement, gathering, and supervision. Open, friendly spaces for flexible learning branch from this main spine, defined by color in refined and subtle ways, without “designing down” to children. The school’s windows capture compelling views of the landscape, and bring light into the already-airy interior spaces. Maximizing the impact of a limited budget, the design combines a repetitive planning module with a deft handling of space, tectonics, and materials to produce a space that feels vibrant, rich, and varied.”
Nelson Kohl Apartments
Warehaus | Merit Award | Photography: James Ewing
Jury Comments:
“The Nelson Kohl Apartments project is transformational. Its exterior is a conceptual canvas, bringing color and movement to a once desolate lot, while being informed by the existing neighborhood. The architects consulted community members and referenced the large-scale mural tradition of this arts and entertainment district – this level of investment in the community is evident in the design that is an expression of its context. The simple form is sensitively crafted and boldly unconventional, and the Nelson Kohl Apartments is a model for projects that aspire to civic engagement and discernible impact.”
York Country Day School
Warehaus | Merit Award | Photography: Justin Clemons
Jury Comments:
“This renovation and addition project warmly welcomes students to the STEAM program with a restrained and elegant design, coupled with smart planning and programmatic moves. The attention to the materials and detailing of York Country Day School provide a supportive backdrop for learning. Programmatic innovation inspires creative thinking and doing in students. Particularly noteworthy is its flexible assembly space, which transforms from makerspace to performing arts theatre, maximizing utilization. Through this new addition, the school thoughtfully and elegantly embodies its mission.”
York Academy Regional Charter School – Upper School School
Warehaus | Merit Award | Photography: Todd Mason
Jury Comments:
“Much consideration was given to how the York Academy Regional Charter School interacts with its context; formally, materially, and urbanistically. Its metal facade, with strong verticality and deep-set windows, is carved away on the first floor to create an inviting entrance for students. The student experience is thoughtfully considered, anchored by a grand stair offering inspiring views of the city as students oscillate from ground-floor assembly uses to smaller learning spaces on the upper levels. The interior spaces have a dynamism and vibrancy achieved through a simple palette of materials and generous section. The York Upper School gracefully responds to the complexity of its program and its urban context.”
St. John’s Church
Tippetts / Weaver Architects | Good Design is Good Business Award | Photography: Toby Richards Photography
Jury Comments:
“The contemporary additions to St. John’s marry old and new to meet the needs of the congregation effectively, elegantly, and humbly. The new infill unifies three existing buildings with light and fresh transitional spaces, and new gathering spaces that are crisply detailed, warm, and compelling. Employing the interstitial space as the main organizing strategy to unify the existing buildings is a smart solution. The interventions extend beyond the buildings to include a forecourt and a courtyard, transforming a disparate cluster of buildings into a coherent small campus. What appears at first blush to be a quiet and subservient intervention from the street has made a major impact on how the newly unified building can better function and support its community.”
Rock Lititz – Pod 2
Lancaster Architectural Works | Member’s Choice Award | Photography: Josh Carrigan
Design Awards Past Winners
