2014 AIA Institute Honor Awards recipients - Regional & Urban Design

Last but not least, our final list of recipients of the American Institute of Architects 2014 Institute Honor Awards, is for the Regional & Urban Design category.

The AIA Institute Honor Awards acknowledges the best projects in Architecture, in Interior Architecture, and Urban Design.

Have a look at the winning projects below:

Denver Union Station Neighborhood Transformation; Denver, Colorado
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill 

"The redevelopment of the former rail yards at Denver Union Station is a case study of the power of transit-oriented urban design. The 42-acre master plan knits together light rail, commuter rail, and buses into a 21st-century intermodal transportation hub. Modal connectivity is facilitated by integrating land use and transportation infrastructure to support more than 4 million square feet of mixed-use urban infill. This substantial public investment has catalyzed an unprecedented wave of private-sector activity, with over $1 billion in new projects shaping a transit-oriented precinct and new urban neighborhood."

The East River Blueway Plan; New York City
WXY architecture + urban design 

"The East River Blueway Plan, led by WXY architecture + planning, provides a new vision for Manhattan’s East River waterfront from the Brooklyn Bridge to 38th Street. It addresses issues that were overlooked for the last half century, including waterfront access from the land and water, environmental goals, climate change adaptation and storm resiliency for the waterfront and adjacent neighborhoods. Completed shortly before Hurricane Sandy, the planning process offered innovations such as structures for storm water capture, saltwater marshes for wave attenuation and water quality, bridges supporting movement along the waterfront, and water recreation including boat launches, pools and fishing."

The Creative Corridor: A Main Street Revitalization for Little Rock; Little Rock, Arkansas
University of Arkansas Community Design Center + Marlon Blackwell Architect 

"The Creative Corridor retrofits a four-block segment of Little Rock’s historic Main Street based on aggregation of the city’s scattered cultural arts organizations. The project goal is to structure an identity for the Creative Corridor rooted in a mixed-use living environment anchored by the arts, rather than Main Street’s workaday retail base. A townscaping framework reliant on the urbanism of streetscapes—landscape architecture, water management, public space configurations, frontage systems, furniture, and miscellaneous assemblages―ensures a coherent evolution of the street. The street is seen as a platform for capturing value."

Miami 21: a New Zoning Code for the City; Miami, Florida
Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co. LLC 

"Miami 21 is a form-based zoning code that replaced Miami's Floor Area Ratio (FAR) and land-use based regulations. Using the Transect and the SmartCode as its basis, the new code focuses on the control of building to assure pedestrian-oriented public space, and provide physical predictability for developers and residents alike. Multiple use and density types are consolidated, and the translation from FAR to FLR (floor lot ratio that includes parking) simplifies building capacity measure and reduces parking. A public benefits program encourages the provision of affordable housing, public open space and historic preservation."

Son Tra Peninsula Strategic Vision Plan; Vietnam
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill 

"Son Tra is connected with Da Nang via the longest suspension cable bridge in Vietnam, the Thuan Phuoc Bridge, which was opened in 2009. This connection to the city has improved accessibility, but it has also brought development interest that threatens the environmental health of the area. The plan champions this territory as one to be enhanced, rather than exploited; it calls for the creation of a protected status for the “mountain-island,” and it establishes clear “no build” zones at altitudes above 100 meters while suggesting locations where development may enhance economic opportunities without affecting the environment and natural beauty."

The Pearl Brewery Redevelopment Master Plan; San Antonio, Texas
Lake|Flato Architects 

"The Pearl Brewery Redevelopment Master Plan is serving as a transformative model and catalyst for green urban revitalization in a long neglected portion of San Antonio’s inner city. Established in 1883, the Pearl Brewing Company once had the largest brewery in Texas but eventually closed their operation in 1985. After 15 years lying derelict, the creative reuse of this 26-acre brownfield site and its abandoned structures are drawing in a rich mix of new residents, small businesses, retail, and non-profits while emphasizing community, conservation, and local economic development."

The jury for the 2014 Institute Honor Awards for Regional & Urban Design included: Marcy McInelly, AIA (Chair), Urbsworks, Inc.; David Gamble, AIA, Gamble Associates; Manuel de Lemos, AIA, San Juan; Tom Murphy, Urban Land Institute and Brad Tomecek, AIA, Studio H:T.

See the winning projects in Architecture and Interior Architecture.