Public library wins AIA East Bay Citation Award for sensitivity, drama, and sustainability
A well paced reception unveiled winners of AIA East Bay Chapter’s 2017 Design Awards on Tuesday night, November 28. The ceremony was held at Gensler’s tower-topping office in downtown Oakland, with a view spanning from next door Paramount Theater all the way to the Golden Gate. From over 70 nominations the Chapter recognized 14 projects – San Lorenzo Library was one of a few civic projects to do so, and was the only Alameda County (client, not location) project to be recognized this year.
As they were announced, each winner cycled quickly through submittal images while the three person jury reviewed project merits. The jury:
- Karen Fiene, FAIA, LEED AP, Mills College (fmrly of EHDD)
- Craig Steely, AIA, Craig Steely Architecture
- Marc L’Italien, FAIA, LEED AP, HGA
The jury cited merits of San Lorenzo Library including a surprising mix of spatial drama and intimate, cozy nooks for a civic project, and the way the design honored the structural space frame of the 1960’s era reading room, iterating that language in the generous expansion. The project also was recognized for “green points,” sustainability attributes independently assessed by an expert panel and bearing some weight on this year’s award winners.
