Metro Detroit rakes in American Institute of Architects Michigan Awards

Architecture firms from southeast Michigan dominated this year's American Institute of Architects Michigan Awards with everyone from professional firms to student groups taking home hardware.

Two of the awards went to collaborations of architects and architecture students. B. Neal Robinson worked with students from the University of Michigan on redesigning the student lounge at the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning in Ann Arbor. The group built the 400-square-foot room out of reclaimed material using sustainable principles.

University of Detroit Mercy architecture students worked with Louisiana-based Wayne Troyer Architect to design the homeless day care center in new Orleans. It is a connecting structure that humanizes a series of FEMA trailers into the St. Joseph Recovery Center.

Berkley-based SHW Group won for its work on the Dale E. Gray Science Building and Allied Health Expansion in Glen Oaks Community College in Centreville. SHW Group updated and renovated a 1965 architectural landmark with a modest budget, satisfying the client’s needs while respecting the original design.

Constantine George Pappas of Troy earned two plaques for the interior renovation of St. Gertrude Catholic Church in St. Clair Shores and for a private home in Bloomfield Township. The projects' great attention to detail and fine craftsmanship set them apart from the rest of field.

Ann Arbor-based Luckenbach/Ziegelman Architects won the 25 Year Award as example of architecture that has withstood a test of time for the Matilda Wilson Aviary Wing at the Detroit Zoological Park in Royal Oak.

Source: American Institute of Architects Michigan
Writer: Jon Zemke

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