Residential architect '04 Design Awards

Residential Architect, May, 2004 by Meghan Drueding, Cheryl Weber, Nigel F. Maynard, Shelley D. Hutchins

The courtyard also exalts the project's industrial pedigree: The architects pulled the entry back and incorporated two existing grain silos--with one functioning as a lobby/ courtyard entry. And the exterior is lit by red column fixtures that were once part of the plant's roasting drums. Our judges praised the "creative adaptive reuse" and lauded the "clearly delineated old and new sections." n.f.m.

principal in charge: F. Clay Fry, MBH Architects; project architect: Ken Lidicker, MBH Architects; developer: Marc Fracio, Chestnut Street Partners, San Francisco; general contractor: John Kugler, Nibbi Brothers, San Francisco; landscape architect: Clifton Lowe, Cliff Lowe Associates, San Francisco; interior designer: F. Clay Fry, MBH Architects; project size: 800 to 1,600 square feet per unit; site size: 1.26 acres; construction cost: $215 per square foot; sales price: $580,000 to $2.9 million per unit; units in project: 88; photographer: Farshid Assassi. See page 130 for product information.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

single-family production / detached

merit

warwick grove, the warwick, warwick, n.y.

donald powers architects

providence, r.i.

Our judges gave this project an award both for what it is--a modest production house model that exemplities quality over quantity--and for what it isn't. "It's not McMansiony," said one judge. "In the world of traditionally styled production housing, this really stands out."

This wets precisely the point, says architect Donald Powers. The client, Warwick Grove Co., he explains, is committed to redefining the suburban model. For this traditional neighborhood design community, Warwick sought a series of homes that encourage interaction with neighbors while also embracing unique design and quality materials. Because the homes target older adults, Powers located main living areas on the first floor and relegated guest rooms and secondary spaces to the upper level. A combination of defined but overlapping spaces and open areas makes the compact houses feel spacious.

The community plan calls for 150 homes sited close together on small lots, so the homes needed to have better than average exterior detailing, says Powers. "We couldn't get away with vinyl when the house is close to the street," he says. Instead, Western red cedar, fiber cement, and cedar doors greet the street. "The restraint of detail--the trim, molding, the use of color--is masterful," one judge said.--n.f.m.

principal in charge: Donald Powers, Donald Powers Architects, Providence, R.I., in collaboration with Jeff Degraw, Degraw & Dehaan, Middletown, N.Y.; land planner: Michael Watkins, Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co., Gaithersburg, Md.; developer: Warwick Grove Co., Tuxedo, N.Y.; general contractor: Warwick Grove Co., Tuxedo: landscape architect: Karen Arent, Karen Arent Landscape Architect, Goshen, N.Y.; interior designer: Patricia Stadel, Patricia Stadel Interior Design, East Petersburg, Pa.; project size: 2,400 square feet; site size: 38 acres; construction cost: $100 per square foot; sales price: $475.000; photographer: Jeff Herbert. See page 130 for product information.