CLOSE AD ×

Building of the Year: Southwest

Building of the Year: Southwest

For AN’s third annual design awards, seven jurors gathered in New York to review nearly 500 projects submitted by architects and designers.

The jury included Amale Andraos, dean of Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation; Nicholas Koster, project manager at Snøhetta; Chee Perlman, editor and curator of Chee Company; Ana Garcia Puyol, computational designer at Thornton Tomasetti; Ali Tayar; founder of Parallel Design Partnership, Terence Riley, founding partner at Keenan/Riley, and Mimi Zeiger, AN’s west coast editor.

In each category, a winner and an honorable mention were selected, although there were a couple of ties. Over the coming days, we will be posting their selections in the 21 categories.

Building of the Year Winner

Louisiana State Museum
Architect: Trahan Architects
Location: Natchitoches, LA

“The Louisiana State Museum is a radical and welcome addition to a small town.”
—Nick Koster, Snøhetta

The museum’s interior reflects the region’s fluvial geomorphology and the transformation of the landscape from centuries of carving by the meandering river. Sculpted from 1,250 unique cast stone panels, the interior seamlessly integrates building systems and serves as a canvas for potential exhibitions and films. The simple, orthogonal container contrasts with the sinuous interior, highlighting the dialogue between the city and the natural environment. The exterior cladding of pleated copper panels employs surface articulation alluding to the louvers found in nearby plantations, used to control light, views, and ventilation.


Honorable Mention

Kaplan Family Pavilion
Architect: Belzberg Architects
Location: Duarte, California

 

CLOSE AD ×