Quackenbush Architects wins 2 AIA Divine Detail Awards for University of South Carolina projects
November 19, 2018
Quackenbush Architects + Planners proudly accepted an American Institute of Architects (AIA) Columbia’s Devine Detail award for two of its University of South Carolina projects: The Center for Health and Well-Being and the Russell House Leadership and Service Center. The awards were presented at the AIA Columbia 2018 Design Awards dinner and ceremony on Thursday, November 1.
The USC Center for Health and Well-Being is a newly constructed 68,000-square-foot facility located in the heart of the thriving USC Columbia campus. The center reflects a new paradigm for student health centers: a venue dedicated to the pursuit of wellness and well-being. While the building is large, the interiors are carefully articulated to respond to human scale, with natural colors, daylighting, texturing, and plantings that connect modern design and with healing effects of nature. Environmental graphics and branding blend with the interiors to communicate a message of well-being for university staff, students and visitors.
AIA jurors praised the center’s environmental graphics and interior details: “We loved the environmental graphics and wayfinding, and how it informs the very welcoming interiors of the building and creatively supports the users’ orientation.”
The Russell House Leadership and Service Center is a 3,740-square-foot renovation located within the university’s student union. The center transforms the typical office suite into an open, inviting, technology-driven multipurpose space. The newly designed suites have minimal partitions, providing open, flexible space that easily reconfigures to accommodate different uses and users. A key feature of the renovation is the “high performance” walls, which use interactive digital media.
AIA jurors commented on the building’s unique ceiling details: “We believe the lighting and ceiling details are especially imaginative and help reinforce a transformative and fluid design that is simple, inviting and open to all.”
Presented each year, the AIA Columbia Design Awards recognize the very best of architecture in the region, with the aim of honoring design excellence in the profession and increasing public awareness of architectural practice.
“We’re honored to receive this recognition. It reflects our firm’s commitment to the design values we bring to each client,” says Q+ President Doug Quackenbush, AIA LEED, AP. “We’re proud that the Columbia American Institute of Architects recognizes our team’s vision and the value we place on innovative design.”
Quackenbush Architects + Planners
Quackenbush Architects + Planners is a full-service architecture and planning firm located in Columbia, SC. The firm specializes in institutional, civic, educational, and commercial projects. Its services span from building design to land planning to interior design. The firm’s portfolio includes projects for universities, cities, colleges, government agencies, school districts, and private clients. The team’s work reflects commitment to innovation, sensitivity to our regional context, and the richness that comes from collaboration with our clients and the community.
