On Thursday evening, August 25th, The American Institute of Architects Houston Chapter honored Historic Fire Station No. 6 in the 2016 Houston Design Awards.
The historic building, now the home of was honored with a AIA Design Award, along with 25 other winners within seven categories and selected from 141 submissions. The ceremony, attended by architectural professionals, students and enthusiasts, was held at the University of Houston TCEDU Stadium.
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Photo by AIA - Houston Chapter
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The AIA Design Awards recognize design excellence in architecture, residential architecture, interior architecture, restoration/renovation and urban design. The jurors, Neil Denari of NMDA in Los Angeles, Rand Elliott of Elliott + Associates Architects in Oklahoma City and Susan Szenasy of Metropolis in New York judged the projects based on criteria such as quality of design, resolution of the program idea, sustainable responsibility, innovation, thoughtfulness and technique.
Fire Station 6 won a Design Award in the category of Renovation / Restoration, marking the third significant award the building has won. In 2015, the building won a Development of Distinction Award from Urban Land Institute, within a category of three finalists, including BBVA Compass Stadium and Gerald Hines’ 46 story tower for BG Group in Downtown Houston. In 2013, the building won a Good Brick Award from Preservation Houston.
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Photo by AIA - Houston Chapter
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While all three awards are uniquely special, Tom Hair, owner of Axiom noted, “the AIA Design Award is particularly sweet because it emphasizes design excellence in the area of restoration and renovation, a category that can be challenging to stay true to the original intent while depicting contemporary design finesse.”
The program requirements for the building's restoration were stated by the owner and the architect, Cliff Carlin of Carlin + White Associates, as follows:
- Celebrate the history and architectural style of the building while accommodating contemporary infrastructure and workspace needs
- Integrate a complementary addition of 4,500 sf to meet the program requirements without encroaching on the footprint of the original building
- Utilize the open bay areas of the historic fire station as creative workspaces
- Solve the challenging requirements for water detention, parking and green space within the 19,500 sf site
- Meet current code requirements while maintaining the architectural integrity of the building
AIA Design Juror Susan Woods of Metropolis noted, “You could tell that the owners and architect embodied the spirit of the building. Rather than tearing it down, they respectfully preserved the building and its features with clear goals, and revealed the beauty of the buildings original character."
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Photo by AIA - Houston Chapter
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In post ceremony conversation, the judges noted that Historic Fire Station No. 6 was one of their favorite projects. For Tom Hair and Axiom, this was the cherry on the top.
For more information on Axiom or Fire Station No. 6, contact Laura Hughey
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Labels: AIA Houston, American Institute of Architecture, Architecture, Award, Axiom, Fire Station No. 6, Houston, Houston Marketing, Renovation Award, Restoration Award, TCEDU Stadium Award, ULI, Win Award
