On December 12, in New York City, seven jurors convened to evaluate and discuss more than 200 projects submitted to AN‘s second annual Best Of Design Awards.

The jury included Thomas Balsley, of Thomas Balsley Associates; Winka Dubbeldam, of ARCHI-TECTONICS; Kenneth Drucker, of HOK; Chris McVoy, of Steven Holl Architects; Craig Schwitter, of Buro Happold; Annabelle Selldorf, of Selldorf Architects; and Erik Tietz, of Tietz-Baccon.

This year, the jury reviewed projects submitted in nine categories, including  

The project addresses the concept of “retreat in nature” by framing a seasonal dialogue between inhabitant and environment. The house incorporates locally harvested and salvaged wood, instead of high embodied-energy materials, such as concrete.

Inside, a continuous band of windows provides a 360-degree view to the landscape. The activities of the user shape the indoor thermal comfort envelope through radiant and ground storage systems powered by the combustion of local forest by-products.

Best Of: Student Built Work:  Honorable Mention 

The Armitage Pavilion, KU Field Station
Lawrence, Kansas
University of Kansas, Dirt Works Studio

This project is a structure for an education center at the KU Field Station, a system of public nature trails just out side of Lawrence maintained by the University of Kansas.

Designed and built in phases by third year architecture students at KU, the Armitage Pavilion is a 19-by-25-foot timber canopy supported on five rammed-earth walls that shades two raised timber decks, one a speaking platform, the other a place for visitors and staff to watch the sunset. The ribbon pattern of the earthen walls is inspired by waving prairie grass and local soil formations.