2012 Tucker Design Awards: Dynamic Dozen

 

CHESTERTOWN, N.Y. – The winners are in for this year’s edition of the Tucker Design Awards, sponsored by the Building Stone Institute (BSI).

A dozen projects made the 2012 honors list, in places as varied as downtown Boston, the Big Bend country of west Texas and the tropical settings of Hawaii. The biennial competition recognizes and honors professionals who exhibit excellence in the use of natural stone in design and construction.

All aspects of natural-stone installation, whether exterior building, landscape or interior design of commercial, institutional, or residential projects are considered in the Tucker selection process. A distinguished jury of design professionals reviewed each project for its overall unique, innovative and impressive qualities; natural stone’s role in sustainable design is regarded as a necessary component to green building, and inherently considered in each award.

The 2012 Tucker Design Award jurors are:

• Ripley Rasmus, senior vice president and director of design, HOK, St. Louis
• Rae Price, FASLA, Peridian International, Newport Beach, Calif.
• Peter MacKeith, associate dean, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, Washington University, St. Louis

The winning projects were honored at a BSI ceremony on May 11 in St. Louis.

All photos courtesy Building Stone Institute.


Allen & Cowley Residence
Phoenix

200 Allen-Cowley-2Click photo to enlargeDesigner: Knoell & Quidort Architects, Phoenix
Stone Installer: Randy Gregory Masonry, Phoenix
Stone Supplier: Apache Stone, Phoenix

The unusual property – a hillside near downtown Phoenix – sat vacant for many years because of the peninsula shape and a disproportionate amount of street frontage with corresponding setbacks, making it difficult to comply with the Phoenix hillside ordinance. Moreover, the lot had been scarred by a road crossing from one side of the peninsula to the other. The solution involved a house on one side of the road, and a garage on the other – with a connecting bridge.200 Allen-Cowley-4Click photo to enlarge

Guidelines dictated that some “cultured” stone be incorporated in the elevations for compatibility with the “Tuscan” character of the subdivision; the owners chose real stone instead. Thick walls anchor the building to the land; in winter interior limestone tiles retain heat with thermal mass. Exterior floors are flagstone, reinforcing the connection between inside and out.

Juror Comments:

• Striking use of stone in a contemporary way. It appears as if the stone was picked off the surrounding mountains. The stone flows from inside the residence to the outside patio and landscape.

• This house takes you back mid-century with precise and accurate inclusion of local stone. Thoughtful application that connects house to landscape, while separating essential structural elements that support roof and create enclosure.

• The glowing coloration of the local stone, used in contrast to plain painted concrete and steel, defines the strong forms of this residence. The stonework is finely laid, and the punched apertures are well- considered for scale, view and interior light.