AIA Pennsylvania has announced its 2011 Architectural Excellence Awards, granting WRT two awards for cultural and civic projects, The Levitt Pavilion and Roosevelt Plaza. Karen Blanchard, AIA and Keiko Cramer, ASLA accepted the awards on WRT’s behalf at a ceremony in the State Capitol Rotunda on April 12th.
"We see these awards as recognition of our clients' vision for these significant civic and cultural spaces," said Antonio Fiol-Silva, FAIA, Principal-in-Charge for the projects. "The ambition for what these spaces could achieve for their communities is what most inspired their designs."
The Levitt Pavilion, Bethlehem, PA
Citation of Merit Award
The Levitt Pavilion at Arts Quest is the centerpiece of Bethlehem's new 21st Century Town Square, where a cluster of newly built cultural facilities comprise SteelStacks, a musical entertainment district developed on the grounds of the former Bethlehem Steel Mill. The community arts organization ArtsQuest will operate the outdoor musical performance venue to host 50 free concerts between May and September each year, further enhancing the thriving arts and culture offerings in the city of Bethlehem. The imposing structures of the old blast furnaces will serve as the spectacular backdrop to the Pavilion’s performances. The angular structure, inspired by the robust industrial structures at the site will be clad in stainless steel perforated metal plates sculpted in "origami" fashion to create a shelter for the stage.
"The pavilion creates a beacon of light and draws you in to listen to music. It makes an exciting environment out of a harsh setting."- Jury Comment
Roosevelt Plaza, Camden, NJ
Honor Award
For generations, the urban park at the heart of Camden, once known as Roosevelt Plaza, served as the central stage and front yard to this once teeming industrial city. The shift of industry and population at the dawn of the automobile age led to the ill-conceived 1955 development known as The Parkade, which replaced the park with a parking garage. As an important component in the strategy to reposition and re-vision the city with a view towards the future, the project sets out to demolish that mistake, to recover and re-center the city through the development of a transit-centric public space that serves as a “welcome mat” and central point of reference for major adjoining employment clusters, as well as city residents. The plaza provides a much needed respite for a city-bound population by creating a secured, yet open, inviting environment that serves as a highly flexible vessel for multiple types of community events, while offering engaging and uplifting personal experiences to its citizens.
“The new space can be actively used by the community … we liked the integration of the landscape, the plaza, and the iconic feature used to enter the transit facility.” - Jury Comment
External Links:
AIA Pennsylvania - 2011 Architectural Excellence Award Winners www.aiapa.org/events-and-programs
Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks - Concert Schedule www.levittsteelstacks.org
ArtsQuest™ Cultural Campus at SteelStacks™ www.artquest.org/steelstacks
Internal Links:
