MIA+BSI Announces 2016 Tucker Awards
The eleven winning projects of the 2016 Tucker Design Awards were honored during a ceremony at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 20. The recipient of the 2016 James Daniel Bybee Prize, Robert A.M. Stern, was also honored during the ceremony.
Jurors for the 2016 Tucker Design Awards were L. Azeo “Ace” Torre (Torre Design Consortium-Architecture and Landscape Architecture), F. Macnaughton “Mac” Ball (Waggonner & Ball Architects), and Jack W. Davis (Editor/Publisher at the Chicago Tribune [retired]).
The biennial Tucker Design Awards competition, which began in 1977, honors members of the design community who exhibit innovation and excellence in the use of natural stone in design. The Bybee Prize, named in honor of the late James Daniel Bybee, is awarded to an individual architect or landscape architect for a body of work executed over time and distinguished by outstanding design and use of natural stone.
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The DBX Ranch in Colorado is an ensemble of structures designed in a modern ranch style, unified through layered, interconnected outdoor gathering spaces. |
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Landscape Architect Design Workshop Aspen, Colorado Landscape Contractor / Installer Landscape Workshop Carbondale, Colorado Stone Installer JD Masonry Arvada, Colorado Stone Suppliers: Coldspring Cold Spring, Minnesota Gallegos Corporation Vail, Colorado |
Jurors Comments“This inspiring project with its crisply detailed walks, retaining walls and pools provides a contrast to its rural and informal setting by establishing a man-made precinct within the landscape. The vernacular wooden buildings that form the compound are dark and recessive elements that also provide a contrast to the constructed landscape.” |
Until recently, this 3.5-acre property operated as a maintenance boneyard for a nearby working ranch. Deposited debris, barren soils, and fill from an adjacent development created an unnatural landform, resulting in a site with low visual quality and no functioning ecosystems.
Through a collective dialogue between landscape, architecture and interior design, a new vision re-imagines the disturbed site into a livable landscape, emblematic of our American West. The residence – an ensemble of structures designed in a modern ranch style – is effortlessly unified through layered, interconnected outdoor gathering spaces and regional materials that elaborate upon the experience of moving between structures, heightening and renewing one’s sense of place.
Upon entering the courtyard, one is immediately aware of seamless and unfolding relationships between architecture and landscape through a sophisticated, regional palette of natural stone, water and plants. Set upon architectural focal points, two perpendicular sandstone paths descend into the space and converge upon a monolithic, hand-carved granite fountain. The design of the fountain is purposefully quiet, both in its detailing and operation.
The feature includes a recessed interior, allowing water to become still before it reaches the surface, with lightly cleft sides, allowing the water to delicately bounce as it descends into the geometric lower granite basin.
The landscape architect’s selection of various stone material extends the tones of the home’s granite walls and contextual surroundings into the garden. It is detailed in a manner that balances rural and modern qualities. The majority of the paving is constructed of rectilinear gray sandstone with a natural finish and snapped edges, laid in a staggered running bond organization. Throughout the garden, thoughtful attention was also given to the configuration and layout of terraces, pathways and steps. In doing so, this ensured that the edges of the terrace and its interface to other elements were designed so that no “leftover” stone paver pieces would be found.
Within the central courtyard, split-faced stone stairs descend into a rectilinear plinth of lawn, punctuated by a carved granite fire pit. Leveraging the property’s existing topographic relief, a shallow infinity-edge dipping pool abstracts the transparent and cavity-like pools found throughout the Rocky Mountains. The design purposefully achieves the illusion of a larger water feature with the distant pond and offers a refreshing recreational element.
Containing the infinity edge, a designed granite escarpment emerges from the meadow, juxtaposing the geometric water feature and providing informal seating ledges.
The site’s prior use required the landscape architect to incorporate a highly technical and complex sub-surface structural system. The initial geotechnical report identified the building envelopes rested on 12 feet of man-placed fill. Assuming a one percent settlement, the team faced concerns that the terraces would settle up to 12 inches. In response, a grid of structural micro-piles provides the necessary foundation for the construction of terraces immediately outside of the architecture, under the water features and site walls. The solution enabled the crisp detailing and design resolution of the architectural structures to seamlessly connect with the horizontal stone terraces.
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Architect Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects New York, New York Stone Installer Stone Truss Systems, Stone Supplier Marmi e Graniti d’Italia Massa, Italy Contractor Urmal and Sons Ltd Lisbon, Portugal |
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Jurors Comments“This was the only pure interior design project that received an award this year. This bright and elegantly detailed lobby of Mocha Creme and Moleanos limestone at a busy corner facing Bryant Park must be a welcome draw for the eye for those passing by. The CNC-routed stone panels are meticulously serrated with conical motifs that play back to the exterior design of the glass tower in which the space is embedded. The floor and walls and are coordinated through angled geometries that rise up to a floating, vaulted ceiling that belies the great weight of the large tower above. |
The carefully detailed stone-clad lobby of 7 Bryant Park is the result of an extraordinary effort by the design team to procure exactly the right materials and the highest level of craftsmanship.
A 30-story speculative office building at the southwest corner of Manhattan’s Bryant Park, the tower makes the most of its proximity to an important green space with a sculpted facade overlooking the park and a generous public space at ground level.
The defining element of the design is a pair of mirrored conical forms carved out within the rectangular massing of the tower at the corner diagonally opposite the park.
The conical motif is repeated in the ground floor entry lobby through the arrangement and detailing of the stone elements. Mocha Creme limestone is used for the walls and Moleanos limestone for the floors, with accents of Calacatta Caldia marble and Jet Mist granite.
Limestone was chosen as the primary stone for its warmth, richness, and light tone, with the more richly grained white marble and black granite adding contrast to the palette.
On the floor, the triangular contour of the cones is represented by contrasting panels of white marble with black granite accents against a field of beige Moleanos limestone. On the walls the motif is represented by shallow conical recesses in the Mocha Creme limestone.
The carved appearance is detailed in a serrated profile that resembles true carving of the stone wall. To achieve this effect, oversize cubic stone wall panels were carved with a CNC router. Multiple panels, each individually carved, were assembled on-site over a sloped structural steel frame.
Calacatta Caldia marble was chosen for the elevator lobbies to provide balance and lighten the palette.
Following this initial design decision, an extended process ensued to procure the very best material available, with the design team insisting on a brighter white background with light veining.
The process required multiple trips to the quarry and fabrication plant and included approval of dry-lay mock-ups before shipping by the owner-contracted stone inspector, who also approved dry-lay mock-ups of all other walls and floors.
Wall panels were two feet high by five feet wide and one-&-one-quarter inches thick. Typical floor panels were five feet by five feet by two inches thick.
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Architect HBRA Architects Chicago, Illinois Stone Installer Jimmy’Z Masonry Crystal lake, Illinois Stone Supplier: Quarra Stone Company Madison, Wisconsin Stone Quarry: Blesanz Stone Company Winona, Wisconsin New England Stone Industries Smithfield, Rhode Island Russell Stone Company Gramplan, Pennsylvania Monacelli Stone Company Lannon, Wisconsin |
Jurors Comments“This masterful building by James Gamble Rogers was given a second life by the design team. The original entrance sequence that had been abandoned for years for an undignified one on another side was restored and improved by a sensitive renovation and a new accessible entry sequence and plaza that tie the building to its adjacent courtyard and the existing campus circulation. The original building’s sandstone was used deftly to emulate the historic fabric and to blend the outside elements with the restored lobby and circulation corridors. This is an excellent example of thoughtful historic preservation and good stewardship. The original architect was right all along: the building should only be entered from the west elevation and the design team has made the entrance both legible and accessible through careful stone detailing and sympathetic landscaping.” |
Upon completion of Northwestern’s University Library in 1970, James Gamble Rogers’s 1933 Deering Library’s front entrance was permanently closed.
Building access was rerouted through a basement corridor connecting it to the new library, thus compromising its intended role as ceremonial portal to the precincts of knowledge. Restoration of the entrance and lobby provides a new face for the combined library complex, strengthens connections between Deering and Main Library and preserves the unique architectural character of Deering’s spaces.
Work included construction of a new, accessible entry route and plaza fronting on the adjacent meadow, new custom-designed lamp standards and railings, new landscaping, accommodation for assembly podia and media hookups, restoration of exterior lighting and finishes and re-commissioning of the original entry doors. Masonry details match original work and sandstone paving matches that which was removed decades ago.
Inside, work included repair and restoration of historic finishes, assemblies, and a new security station and entry vestibules stipulated to be indistinguishable from the building’s original architecture.
This encompassed restoration and augmentation of historic lighting, new custom-designed, archival-quality display vitrines, custom signage standards, and custom-designed light fixtures.
Building-wide work included improvements to accessible routes, elevator, security and lifesafety enhancements, and redesign of the corridor linking Deering to Main library, including new finishes, lighting, signage, millwork and integrated digital media displays designed to clearly mark the point of transition between Main and Deering.
Carefully considered use of stone was essential in integrating the new elements seamlessly and gracefully into the fabric of the original building. The choice of stone varieties, their finish, cut and treatment was a significant aspect of the design of the original building, so attention to source, scale and mix was central to the success of the finished project.
Stone’s durability, beauty, and clear association with distinguished university buildings first led to its selection by Rogers for the Library and other campus buildings. Some stone used originally had been replaced over time with inferior materials in later renovations.
The new plaza uses the same long-gone figured sandstone for paving once found in the building’s loggia. New landscape walls are built of Lannon stone obtained from the same quarries
and with a mix and cut that matches the original walls. Stair treads and wall copings are of granite selected to match the original, and inside the building, new vestibules and repairs use the travertine found on neighboring piers and walls.
Limestone and sandstone elements in the original lobby were cleaned and restored, enhancing their beauty and allowing them to be appreciated anew. The overall ensemble of renovations and new construction comprise a seamless extension of a rich and evocative architectural language.
Together, these elements celebrate and enhance this significant architectural asset, allowing it to serve and inspire current and future generations of Northwestern students, alumni, staff and visitors.
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Architect Charles Rose Architects Somerville, Massachusetts Stone Installer Fred Salvucci Corp. Burlington, Massachusetts Stone Supplier: Valders Stone & Marble Valders, Wisconsin Landscape Architect: Reed Hilderbrand Assoc. Inc. Cambridge, Massachusetts |
Jurors Comments“The project has a robust and energetic massing that is complimented by the use of stone, meticulously detailed and crafted to provide a seamless texture of alternately sized horizontal bands of limestone.” |
The new Admissions Center at Brandeis University houses all aspects of the Admissions Department and serves as a gateway to the campus for prospective students and their families. As the first stop for most prospective students, the building orients visitors by establishing and framing important views of Brandeis’ growing campus.
The building is an essential element in the University’s recruitment efforts and embraces the institution’s values of openness, diversity, and academic excellence. Brandeis required an Admissions building which would be inviting and contemporary “yet warm”— complementing the modernist tradition of the campus’s existing buildings.
The post-war buildings of the Brandeis campus, founded in 1948, were simple modernist pavilions of brick and exposed concrete. In the 1960’s the Rose Art Museum was the first limestone-clad building on campus. From that point, limestone was reserved for cultural and community structures at the campus. The administration wished to continue this tradition and requested that the new Admissions Center materially complement a recently completed limestone Campus Center.
The Admissions Center was detailed with minimalist restraint in order to emphasize the geometric and sculptural qualities of the building. Limestone presented a perfect medium with which to achieve these goals. The building’s main floor includes a 100-seat presentation room, interview suites, and comfortable waiting lounges. With expansive views and abundant daylight, the second floor accommodates the admissions staff. A light filled double-height atrium space visually connects the two levels and helps create a positive and dynamic memory of prospective students’ visit to the school. The approach to the building through the landscape is accessible and welcoming, and the building’s terrace serves as the starting and ending location for campus tours.
Minimalist limestone detailing provided another technical advantage. Special care was given to the detailing of the exterior envelope in an effort to create a virtually maintenance free building. The building meets the sustainable goals established by Brandeis, and is designed to a LEED Gold standard.
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Architect Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Landscape Architect: Michael Vergason Landscape Architects Alexandria, Virginia Stone Installer Rosewood Construction Oakland, California Stone Supplier: Northeast Millwork Tiverton, Rhode Island Stone Quarry: Vermont Soapstone Perkinsville, Vermont |
Jurors Comments“A long-term collaboration between the owners and architect pays off in this thoughtful and beautiful restoration of a stone barn, the last in a series of projects on this rural site in Rhode Island. The original stone walls were restored and augmented with new, matching stone to form a seamless and timeless container for the masterfully detailed interior. Wood elements that bring out the rich color and patina of the exposed stone.” |
A family’s dream of creating a special place for present and future generations has been realized through an ongoing eighteen-year collaboration between the architects and client. The Stone Barn, the fourth in a series of phases in the reorganization and restoration of this coastal farm, has been repurposed from a dormant dairy barn into a great room at the social center of a family compound.
Situated at the highest elevation of the farm, the barn was originally a bank barn neatly tucked into the rolling topography. Dairy stalls were located on the ground level accessible from the east, where low ceilings limited overhead space. The main level had access from the west and the south. A gambrel roof replaced the original gable, which was destroyed during the New England Hurricane of 1938. Over the course of several generations and changes of ownership, ongoing water damage and subsequent powder post beetle infestation severely compromised the entire structure. The patched east stone wall was noticeably bowed and cracked after years of supporting an eccentrically shifted roof load.
None of the original wood framing was salvageable and over 50 percent of the stone walls required rebuilding from the ground up. Constructed of field stone and fragments of brick and thin slate chinking, and, having a beautiful aged patina of chipped parging and yellow ochre lichen, the family requested at the onset that the beloved stone walls remain visible from both the interior and exterior of the barn. Additionally, the family requested that the lower level head room be increased to create usable space. Extensive underpinning and pouring of robust concrete benched foundations allows the lower level to provide a twenty-first century function. The rebuilding of the stone walls presented a challenge to maintain the patina and impasto of the parging and keep all walls looking consistent. The architects worked with the structural engineer and the mason to attain a mortar mix that was both stable and had the same weathered texture of the extant walls.
A series of Douglas Fir heavy timber bents have been inserted into the barn’s stone shell. A pair of steel trusses, centered on the two west-facing doors, create an unencumbered central open space for large gatherings. An oversized, steel clad fireplace anchors the gathering space and extends the use of the barn into three seasons. The architects clad the fireplace in steel plates as a purposeful foil, honoring the existing stone of the barn. A cantilevered, raised stone hearth creates an intimate perch in an expansive space.
The adjoining fieldstone foundation of a former shed anchors an irregularly shaped granite paved terrace and has been transformed into a fire pit. The terrace and top of the walls of the fire pit were seamlessly raised to knit together grading at the north and east sides of the barn. The fire pit is a favorite spot for generations of the family and their guests to gather and watch embers sail upwards into the night sky.
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Architect Poss Architecture Aspen, Colorado Landscape Architect: Design Workshop Aspen, Colorado Stone Supplier / Installer Gallegos Corporation Wolcott, Colorado Stone Quarry: Arkins Park Stone Loveland, Colorado |
Jurors Comments“A house with a pinwheel- shaped plan provides an opportunity for a series of outdoor rooms in this extraordinary setting, each with its own views to distant mountains. A series of landscaped courtyards is connected through well-detailed and varied stone and water elements. Fountains and pools incorporating natural stone catch the sunlight and provide the ever-present sound of water in what must be a very quiet, peaceful site.” |
Set within walled boundaries, Woody Creek Garden embraces its high alpine environment through explorations of stone and water that serve as unifying elements of form in the design of the various outdoor spaces. Through striking and distinctively detailed stonework, water is portrayed in its various states and forms – atmospheric mist, single rivulets, cascades, and still pools.
Two courtyards interlink the residence, allowing each room to enjoy the visual landscape. In the entrance courtyard, the sound from a carved 24 inch by 24-inch cut-granite fountain reverberates throughout the walled space. Placed for gathering and quiet contemplation, a pinwheel arrangement of sculptural, granite slabs provide a honed surface for sitting while providing year-round interest.
Each stone was individually specified with intentionally spaced core fractures, utilizing the extraction method to serve as sculpted details. Large sandstone pavers, set in sand and cut in an irregular, but geometric fashion bring a sense of modernity to the space.
Throughout the property, stone detailing seeks to heighten one’s experience of the landscape and views. Upon the home’s entry, an 18-inch rectilinear cut in the freestanding stone wall frames a distant peak, creating a singular reference to the outside world in this encased space. Emerging from the center of an organically-shaped carved sandstone slab, water is carried along a narrow two-inch runnel sandstone cap, disappearing into the framed horizon.
This glimpse to the west is the only opening in the tightly enclosed courtyard. From its opposite aspect, the feature creates a welcoming gesture at the home’s front entrance.
The slender rivulet of water trickles from the sandstone slab above onto a honed granite plane, set within a sandstone terrace In contrast, a second promontory courtyard commands a strong presence over its alpine setting, leaving the steeply sloping site undisturbed. A 12 foot by 40 foot reflecting pool – a thin sheet of water over honed black granite – captures the form and silence of the ever-changing natural environment on its taut surface. Along its edge, water flows over a ” radius edge, disappearing into a recirculating slot.
Commissioned by Italian artist Bruno Romeda, a bronze sculpture rests upon an elevated granite plinth. Along its western edge, designers crafted a two-tiered, infinity edge detail. In the first vertical drop, water flows between the pool and perimeter stone walls, landing onto an intermediate bench, while the second drop introduces a chamfered edge, allowing water to embrace the vertical relief without splashing. Sandstone terraces provide continuous access to the various landscape features of the garden.
At the base of the battered perimeter walls, a sandstone path leads to a fire pit, encircled by lichen-covered boulders. Along the courtyard’s eastern perimeter, water appears to emerge from the hillside, fracturing and falling against the irregular vertical stone wall, melting in a curtain-like formation behind the spa.
The colors, distinctive detailing and striking stonework were selected based on their appropriateness to the context. From above, a rectilinear pool lies behind the wall, silently mirroring the sky above and offering no ostensible connection to the structure or to its source.
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Architect Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Seattle,Washington Stone Installers Gallegos Corporation Basalt, Colorado Stone Supplier Quarra Stone Company Madison, Wisconsin Stone Quarry Bertozzi Felice di Rovai G & C Srl, Pietrasanta (LU) Italy Truffer AG Switzerland |
Jurors Comments“This vacation house in Aspen touches lightly on the land. Perched atop a man-made stone plinth of richly textured Vals Quartzite that extends out into the landscape through a series of retaining walls, the house is a thin and elegant, linear pavilion of metal, glass and wood that takes full advantage of the distant mountain views to the south. ” |
The Independence Pass Residence is sited at the edge of a nature preserve in Aspen, Colorado with views of an alpine meadow, forests of evergreen and aspen trees, the Roaring Fork River and the Rocky Mountains.
The owners requested something very different from large, ostentatious heavy-timber homes that appear throughout the Aspen slopes: a home that would reach out to nature, not to gird against it; one that would feel light and modern, yet not on display.
Approached from the north, a driveway leads from the main road to a private parking court, sheltered from wind and weather. The house stretches between two existing hills on the site; forming a threshold to the views of the meandering river and nature preserve beyond.
The lower level is expressed as a series of stone-clad walls that extend the building into the landscape. The upper level is a sleek box with a metal roof that floats on slender columns. Pre-weathered wood siding is used to clad the upper level of the buildings and will continue to weather to a silver grey. All exterior cladding materials are intended to weather naturally with little maintenance to a palette of soft grays.
A wall of black-stained cedar boards marks the main entry and extends through the house into a double-height space with a floating stair. Cantilevered wood stair treads lead to the upper level and main living pavilion where full-height walls of glass reveal panoramic views of the nature preserve and New York peak.
The living room, dining room and kitchen occupy the center of the linear floor plan, with a master bedroom suite to the west and a family room and outdoor courtyard to the east. A fireplace clad in Vals quartzite forms the western edge of the living room with a large skylight above.
A reading alcove with a bench of wood slats is lined with Douglas fir panels and stainless steel shelves for display of the owner’s photography collection.
Sliding glass panels open to an outdoor deck, further blurring the boundary between interior and exterior. A second stair connecting all levels of the house is crafted of a one-inch thick steel plate that is both structure and guardrail, slicing through the vertical space.
Ground level spaces include three bedrooms with individual baths, a guest suite, a mudroom and an exercise room.
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Architect CetraRuddy New York, NY Interior Stone Installer Amendola Marble White Plains, NY Exterior Stone Installer Massuci Construction Corp Huntington, NY Stone Supplier Walker & Zanger Perth Amboy, NJ |
Jurors Comments“This synagogue in New York City stood out boldly from the other more bucolic sites and projects we reviewed, being an intensely urban project that meets a busy sidewalk. The project has a dramatic and striking presence on Amsterdam Street near Broadway. The large glass volume that contains the sanctuary and other gathering spaces is contained visually by two stone facades that to this reviewer recall the two ancient tablets that form the foundation of Jewish faith.” |
The new home for the Lincoln Square Synagogue is designed to elevate the sense of community for the modern orthodox congregation and foster the Hebraic consciousness of prayer, reflection and study. This 52,000 SF ground-up new building consists of three above grade and two below grade floors.
Specific needs for a sanctuary space, expanded educational spaces, flexible gathering spaces, kitchen and administrative offices were identified. In particular, the sanctuary space needed to accommodate members’ ability to pray “in-the-round.” Each of these elements contributed to an overall desire to foster a sense of place within an expanding, unified Jewish community.
The resulting building includes a 450-seat sanctuary, a 2,200 square foot outdoor terrace, a 160-person Beit Midrash – “house of study,” educational spaces, administrative offices and a 500-seat, 10,000- square foot banquet space.
The thoughtful incorporation of Jewish symbolism within the exterior and interior expression defines the building as a place of worship, in the Upper West side of Manhattan and architecturally illustrates how the congregation manifests their Hebraic consciousness in their daily lives and who they are as a Jewish community.
Integration of biblical materials (stone, bronze, cedars of Lebanon) commemorates the past while incorporating the craft of modern detailing, conveying a unique sense of place and reflecting the continuum of the synagogue’s heritage. In particular, the natural stone solidity of the north façade and the “ends” of the east façade convey the protective covering for the Torah and the Tabernacle within. The patterns within the stone are referential to the “stripes” found on the prayer shawls and the rustication of the main stone lobby wall is reminiscent of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. The selection of stone plays an integral role in translating the broader notion of symbolic reference into an identifiable materiality within the built structure.
Lastly, the design carefully devises the spiritual experience of the spaces by creating a hierarchy of circulation within. Architectural clues, such as the street-level entrance, the lobby-interior gathering space and the more private sanctuary corridor acknowledge a physical transition from public to private and reflect the spiritual journey members undertake as they prepare to enter the sanctuary.
The result is a unique, LEED certified, structure and architectural expression reflective of the community.
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Landscape Architect Consortium Cardinal Hardy Architects / Claude Cormier + Associés Montreal, Quebec Stone Installer Ramcor Construction Montreal, Quebec Stone Suppliers Granicor Saint-Augustin, Quebec Restoration Consultant Trevor Gillingwater Montreal, Quebec Monument Restoration Terramex Montreal, Quebec |
Jurors Comments“The black granite pathways and plazas have four different stone finishes which produces a glittering effect not unlike a surface that has just been rained on. It sparkles and catches the light, both day and night, and makes this square ever a lively one for residents of and visitors to Montreal.” |
Created in honor of Canada’s Confederation in 1867, Dorchester Square remains a prestigious space emblematic of Montreal’s Golden Age, when the city was Canada’s sole metropolis. In the heart of downtown, it has endured as Montreal’s chosen site for commemorative events and for festive, cultural and political gatherings. The presence of four commemorative monuments and 10,000 graves from the former St. Antoine cemetery below its lawns confirms the historical and archaeological importance of this heritage site.
The renewal of Dorchester Square required that the park be completely rehabilitated, its monuments restored, its landscape revived, and that it address the present-day requirements of an urban public space. The design strategy recovers the former spatial and aesthetic qualities of the site through the restoration of the original Victorian garden square design and its monuments, while at the same time reimagining its urban and landscape forms to address current realities of the site.
Walkways are paved in a carpet of black Peribonka granite finished in three different textures, thus creating a vibrant visual effect as light is reflected off its surface. To recall the cemetery and its forgotten graves, 58 footed Latin crosses, a graphic used to represent cemeteries on city maps, are inserted into the stone walkways in a fourth more highly textured finish of granite. As the precise limits of the early 19th century cemetery are unknown, the crosses are inserted to correspond with their location and orientation on the map of the site, thereby permitting a reading of the cemetery’s expanse.
Long-neglected and requiring complete restoration of their bronze and stone elements, the square’s four monuments were given thoughtful attention. At the heart of the square, the restored equestrian Boer War Monument with its sculpted stone base is now enrobed by red geraniums, the flower of Montreal, highlighting its significance. The Robert Burns and Sir Wilfred Laurier monuments, both fully rehabilitated, are reinstalled in their previous locations. The latter, whose stone base includes elegant bas reliefs, is provided a new circular dais fashioned from monolithic blocks of polished black granite, which includes recessed lighting for dramatic night-time illumination. The Belfort Lion was relocated following its conservation so that it now rests upon a granite pathway, permitting it to be viewed in a manner consistent with the Victorian approach to sculpture within a garden square. A unique feature of the Lion monument is its watering trough for horses, the repair of which was included in its restoration.
Through the restoration of existing stone monuments and the integration of new natural stone elements, this important public space has found new life. Stone was selected for this project not only because of its ability to meet the technical demands of Montreal’s environment, but because of its potential to reflect historical and contemporary design ideas, and to communicate the quality and importance of the site. The renewal of Dorchester Square offers a contemporary vision for the site that is deeply respectful of its archaeological and historical heritage, as well as its current time.
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Architect Bohlin Cywinski Jackson San Francisco, CA Landscape Architect Stone Installer Bernard Trainor and Associates Monterey, CA Stone Installers Jamey DeMaria Masonry Carmel, CA Stone Quarry Finger Lakes Stone Company Conklin, NY |
Jurors Comments“This small gem of a project was startling in its modesty. On approach, one appears to be passing an old country wall of stone, possibly the remnant of an earlier structure with an old chimney marking the site. The rustic wall turns out to be a foil for an elegant guest house with a simple shed roof that uses the wall as a continuous support. The first of three buildings envisioned for the property, the small guest house is perched upon the edge of a steep hill with distant views to the mountains.” |
Halls Ridge Knoll Guest House is located in the Santa Lucia Preserve, a remarkably beautiful, vast landscape that was previously a historic cattle ranch. The rugged and pristine site has a rolling topography, a forest of ancient live Oaks and Manzanita, and offers panoramic views of the San Clemente Mountains and the Los Padres National Forest beyond.
The master plan for this vacation retreat puts forth a series of buildings that relate to its ridge-top setting. These buildings, which feature stone prominently, include a workshop, guest house, and main residence. Each structure is anchored to the land with a series of massive bluestone walls and fireplace chimneys, marking the passage along the ridge and culminating in a stone court at the future main residence.
The first building constructed on site is the guest house, which flanks the winding entry drive and is anchored to the sloping site with a substantial Llenroc bluestone wall, screening the house and pool. A simple timber framed shed roof springs from the wall, supporting naturally weathered zinc roofing over cedar-clad volumes. A linear path of natural cleft Pennsylvania Bluestone runs adjacent to the stone wall, marking the house’s entrance and the end of the pool; it also continues inside, serving as the circulation hallway which runs the length of the house.
The home is sited to take advantage of passive design elements of the temperate California climate. Expansive windows provide natural lighting throughout the house, while a broad overhanging roof shades from the intensity of the summer sun. Sliding doors and operable hopper windows throughout the house use the prevailing winds for natural ventilation, while also providing expansive views of the mountain range. Wood flooring in the living space of the house is reclaimed from an old barn structure.
The Halls Ridge Knoll guest house is a thoughtful, modernist intervention, carefully detailed in timber, glass, and more than 3,000 square-feet of Bluestone wall cladding and 800 square-feet of Bluestone paving. Designed to choreograph movement along the extraordinary ridge top site, the guest house celebrates its magical surroundings.