The month of March was filled with achievements worth celebrating, including national design awards, the publication of new research, and new project completions.
Research
A new report from the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership (MCAP) and HGA reveals the alarming gap between the current state of Architecture and Engineering (A&E) practice and climate science. “Climate Forward: How Climate Projections Are(n’t) Used to Inform Design,” studied current practices, barriers, and opportunities related to the use of climate projection data and climate change and resiliency services offered by A&E professionals. The report details four key findings that make a decisive case for the development and promotion of new industry standards, mandates (including building codes), guidance, and training for using climate projections in A&E applications, and articulates key roles for building partnerships and capacities to bridge this gap. Read the full report here.
Awards
HGA has won the 2023 AIA Architecture Award for Marlboro Music’s Reich Hall on the renowned music campus in Vermont. The prestigious national award recognizes outstanding contemporary architecture by members of the American Institute of Architects and the “many ways buildings and spaces can improve our lives,” according to the awards program. The design was inspired by the dwellings of 17th-century dwellings and simple Cape Cods, with an acoustically sophisticated environment for festival musical rehearsals, a music library, offices, and gathering spaces. The building has a small footprint, sloped roofs, and is made with local materials to blend into the Green Mountains landscape. Read more about the award here.
HGA’s David Wilson has won the 2023 National AIA Young Architects Award. The annual award honors individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the architecture profession, including promoting environmental advocacy, increasing access to great design, and mentoring future architects. Wilson is a project designer specializing in arts, community, and education work. He has contributed to the design success of several recent award-winning projects, including Countryside Community Church and Marlboro Music Reich Hall. Wilson has held several leadership roles with the AIA. Read more about the award here.
Countryside Community Church was selected as a winner in the International Religious Art & Architecture Awards, co-sponsored by Faith & Form, Partners for Sacred Places, and Interfaith Design. Recognized in the Religious Architecture: New Facilities category, the award acknowledges new buildings that support the mission of the religion they represent. Located on a 38-acre campus shared with Temple Israel and the American Muslim Institute, Countryside Community Church envisioned an intimate environment for worship, child and adult education, community daycare, music performance, fellowship, and community outreach. Read more about the award here.
Lehigh University Health | Science | Technology building was named one of Fitwel’s 2023 Best in Building Health Award Winners. Together with Lehigh University and Vanderweil Engineers, HGA is thrilled to be recognized by Fitwel for our achievements in creating a healthy building environment. Prominently located at the northeast corner of the University’s historic Asa Packer campus, the sustainably designed facility provides a modern research environment supporting chemistry, materials science, and biological science. It is also the administrative home to Lehigh’s College of Health. The building promotes occupant wellbeing through indoor air quality, thermal comfort, spaces of respite, biophilic elements, and healthy café food options. Materials include recycled content; low VOC finishes, and certified sustainable wood. Read more about the project here.
Recently Completed
When Marshfield Clinic Health System acquired Ladysmith Hospital, a small community hospital in Wisconsin, they selected HGA to replace the hospital, offering improved service to patients and families, improved staff efficiency, and a decrease in operational costs. The new two-story hospital includes a 16-bed Critical Access Hospital and a Rural Health Clinic and offers both ambulatory and inpatient services. Additional services include an Emergency Department, Surgery, Imaging, Lab, and Rehab Therapy. A universal platform concept enables space-sharing between the Emergency and Surgery departments providing long-term flexibility while minimizing space and construction costs. The hospital is located west of the town of Ladysmith, on a site sloping down to the river and woods, providing a beautiful backdrop for the new facility.
The recently opened exhibit “Uprooted: An American Story” is the second exhibit HGA has helped bring to fruition at the California Museum for History, Women and the Arts in Sacramento. Working with Exhibit Designer, C&G Partners and Contractor, Broward Builders, HGA designed a solution that reflects the needs, program, and code requirements consistent with the existing fit and finish of the facility to accommodate the updated exhibit. The signature exhibit focuses on the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII and highlights Japanese Americans’ continued efforts to protect other marginalized groups from civil rights violations. The interactive displays include a theater, AI conversations with incarcerated survivors, and artifacts from survivors. Learn more about “Uprooted” here.
About HGA
HGA is a national interdisciplinary design firm committed to making a positive, lasting impact for our clients and communities through research-based, holistic solutions. We believe that great design requires a sense of curiosity—forming deep insight into our clients, their contexts, and the human condition. We are a collective of over 1,000 architects, engineers, interior designers, planners, researchers, and strategists. Our practice spans multiple markets, including corporate, cultural, education, local and federal government, healthcare, and science and technology. Visit HGA.com or follow on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.