Quackenbush Architects receive AIA South Carolina Merit Award in New Construction
December 21, 2022
Quackenbush Architects + Planners received a 2022 American Institute of Architects South Carolina Merit Award in New Construction for its design of the Rosewood Elementary School Library Addition and Renovation in Richland County School District One; the firm’s fifth design award for their work on the school.
Rosewood Elementary, a historic neighborhood school, had outgrown its original library and desired an addition that respected the old building’s character and charm but that also provided a functional, modern, flexible, and innovative space to support the learning needs of today’s students.
“We kept in mind the preservation of the historic building’s form, size and scale while working to make the addition compatible in its architectural features and materials,” says Project Manager, Robyn Rogers, AIA LEED Green Associate. While the new addition takes cues from the original structure’s exterior materials and massing, contemporary features such as an expansive window wall and projecting glass lightwell introduces abundant natural lighting and landscaped views into the reading room.
The AIA South Carolina jury assessed this year’s 80+ entries based on five categories: clarity of an idea; material language; attention to sustainability; architectural fundamentals; and level of rigor. Head judge Andrew Wells of Dake Wells Architecture announced the award and presented the fellow jurors’ comments.
Jurors praised how the school’s design “blends traditional forms with modern planning, a decent helping of asymmetry and an element of surprise.” They appreciated the project’s “intelligent attention to context without resorting to stylistic pastiche.”
Jurors also lauded the project’s “litany of wonderful details on a humbly hipped-roof building, such as the sawtooth glazing along the street beneath a porch-like roof, steel framed slot windows that wrap the corner, and a central skylight along the ridge as an interpretation of the traditional cupola found on the existing building.”
The annual awards, presented at the AIA South Carolina 2022 Design Awards Ceremony on December 2, recognize excellence in design, and honors projects, architects and owners throughout the state who exemplify vision, creativity, and design innovation.
“The American Institute of Architects South Carolina award is an incredible honor,” says Q+ President Doug Quackenbush, AIA LEED, AP. “It’s a testament of our work with the K-12 community to create designs that serve their students and faculty well.”
Quackenbush Architects + Planners is a full-service architecture and planning firm located in Columbia, SC. The firm specializes in educational, civic, and institutional projects. Its services span from building design to land planning to interior design. 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.
