Citation Awards

	Robert C. Byrd U.S. Courthouse Charleston, West Virginia



		A R C H I T E C T U R E

The courthouse combines a variety of stylistic roots--neoclassical, Egyptian, and Art Deco, to name just a few--to create its own idiosyncratic language, which is applied to the entire project with a deliberate consistency. The details and ornament are both inventive and extremely well crafted. - Jury Comment		Balancing the solemnity and noble principles of the justice system with the needs of the people who encounter the system on a day-to day basis, the Robert C. Byrd U.S. Courthouse is classical in disposition but modern in detail. Located on a city block adjacent to other government and court buildings in downtown Charleston, the seven-story, 325,000-square-foot courthouse is the second-largest building in West Virginia. It strives to relate to other Charleston civic landmarks, including renowned architect Cass Gilbert’s gold-domed State capitol and a late 19^th-century Richardsonian Romanesque town hall. The base of the building is clad in heavy rusticated stone, with a four-story portico marking the main entrance. The top of the building is crowned with an oversized, perforated metal cornice with Art Deco-inspired detailing. Inside, the building is organized around a skylit rotunda. The first four floors are Federal offices, and floors five and six each contain four courtrooms grouped around a central waiting area. The courtrooms are ringed by secure corridors and corner offices. This is the first courthouse to be designed using the revised U.S. Courts Design Guide that requires separate and secure corridors for judges, prisoners, and the public. The top floor contains a ceremonial courtroom overlooking the Kanawha River and four appellate judges’ chambers.		Credits Gary Haney Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP Mid-Atlantic Region Public Buildings Service U.S. General Services Administration

	U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building Central Islip, New York



		O N T H E B O A R D S

Credits Richard Meier Richard Meier & Partners Michael Spector The Spectorgroup Northeast and Caribbean Region Public Buildings Service U.S. General Services Administration		Clarity of internal organization and direct circulation were guiding principles for this crisp, white, rectilinear Federal courthouse overlooking the Atlantic Ocean on Long Island. A striking conical drum encloses the entry and leads to a soaring 11-story atrium that provides light and a central reference point for public circulation on each floor. Public corridors are on the south façade, with magnificent ocean views. This gives transparency and a sense of openness consistent with the ideals of a democratic society to this large, 925,000-square-foot courthouse. Staff circulation zones and judges' chambers are on the north side. The conical drum is a contemporary expression of the Beaux-Arts entry hall and the early American bell tower—a landmark element at once recognizable as the entry. It is designed to serve as an appropriately scaled arrival point for large crowds entering the building. On the north façade, the ceremonial courtroom extends from the building and is expressed as a chamfered box, in counterpoint to the conical entry drum. A courtroom module is stacked four high and wide along a massive three-foot-thick limestone wall. One side opens to the courtrooms. On the other side are public lobbies with ocean views through louvered glass. Another limestone wall perpendicularly bisects the first, separating district and magistrate courts from the bankruptcy courts.		The jury admired the elemental quality of the composition wherein the functional components are clearly expressed and organized. Building materials interface simply and elegantly to amplify the reading of the volumes within the overall building mass. The layering of the exterior wall system is driven by the goal to articulate scale and admit controlled light into the public corridors and is masterfully achieved. - Jury Comment

	U.S. Post Office and Courthouse Brooklyn, New York



		O N T H E B O A R D S

The design improves building circulation and adds valuable program space without sacrificing the spirit of the significant interior spaces and with little or no impact on its exterior appearance. The clever design solution, as well as the restoration of historic spaces, demonstrates that respect for historic architecture need not hamper creativity. - Jury Comment		Approximately 85,000 square feet of space are being deftly inserted into the heart of this historic landmark to renew its place in the civic life of Brooklyn. By filling in portions of the light court of the 1933 addition to this late 19^th century Romanesque Revival Federal Courthouse and Post Office, the building will have a spacious new mezzanine, four new courtrooms on the second and third floors, and 40,000 square feet of new, efficient office space on the upper floors to service the courts and U.S. Attorneys. The Postal Service will occupy the existing loading platform at ground level, the first floor of the 1933 addition, and the new mezzanine. Significant historic elements of the building are being restored, and new elements are being carefully integrated into the historic fabric to introduce maximum natural light. Original wood and marble are being cleaned and restored, and paint colors and patterns are being replicated. To determine the original paint colors, successive layers of pain are being removed in a series of test "windows" until the original surface is revealed. A new monumental flight of steps scaled to the existing building connects the entrances to the street and overlooks a block-long public park.		Credits R. M. Kliment Frances Halsband R. M. Kliment & Frances Halsband Architects Northeast and Caribbean Region Public Buildings Service U.S. General Services Administration

	William J. Nealon Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse Scranton, Pennsylvania



		O N T H E B O A R D S

Credits Peter Q. Bohlin Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Architects Mid-Atlantic Region Public Buildings Service U.S. General Services Administration		This project is notable for its success in making a complex of two buildings—one a typical Depression-era neoclassical Courthouse and Post Office and the other a new building—work functionally and symbolically as a single, unified building. The design endows the new and existing buildings with their own identities, reflecting both a respect for history and a need for making public buildings appropriate to their times. The new companion building is equal in architectural and urban presence to its restored neoclassical neighbor. The new building avoids historic symbolism or stylistic reference to the existing building’s traditional ornamentation, while being careful to respect the older building’s materials and proportions. The two buildings read as different generations of the same family. The unity of the complex is achieved by a large sky-lit atrium through which the public accesses both buildings. Opening onto Courthouse Square through a four-story curtain wall, this transparent entry space substitutes for the ubiquitous rotunda common to many government buildings and emphasizes the court’s status as an open and democratic institution.		The use of materials and the rhythm and proportions of the openings in the new piece echo those of the existing building, while the details provide a clear sense of contemporary spirit and contrast. The consideration of public space as the organizing force and the use of the entrance atrium to link the two buildings enable the original building to remain a vital part of the new complex and create exciting opportunities for interaction. - Jury Comments

	Edward Gignoux U.S. Courthouse Portland, Maine



		H I S T O R I C P R E S E R V A T I O N / C O N S E R V A T I O N

This remodeling and restoration project balances careful renewal of the simple dignity of the original public spaces with contemporary and complementary design of the new courtroom spaces. The thoughtful research, sensitive design, and careful craftsmanship that underlie this project will extend the useful life of this treasured landmark well into the 21^st century. - Jury Comment		A sensitive restoration and renovation of the U.S. Courthouse in Portland has provided a state-of-the art court facility while restoring the historic character of the building. The original 1911 courthouse, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was an imposing, two-story, granite structure with one District courtroom. In 1932, the building was expanded to occupy the whole block and include a Post Office. Over the years, repairs and renovations removed and obscured many of the building’s original fixtures and finishes. Its programmatic needs changed, and a number of court functions were taking place in inadequate and inappropriate converted spaces. A new District courtroom with judge's chambers and jury room was created out of converted office space and the former Post Office. The square shape of the courtroom responds to the District judge’s desire for a balanced arrangement of the judge, jury, public, and court staff around a central "well" of tables for the defense and the prosecution. A mural depicting a modern interpretation of the Allegory of Good Government surrounds the upper portion of the courtroom. The original District courtroom was restored, including reconstruction of the original ornamental plaster ceiling. A new witness stand and jury box meet today’s requirements while remaining compatible with the courtroom’s historic oak furnishings. On the exterior, aluminum windows were replaced with wood windows with the profiles of the originals. Security has been improved by an addition within the existing service courtyard consisting of a new stair and elevator core, a secure sallyport, and judges’ parking.		Credits Andrea P. Leers Leers Weinzapfel Associates Architects New England Region Public Buildings Service U.S. General Services Administration

	Restoration Alexander Calder's Flamingo Chicago, Illinois



		H I S T O R I C P R E S E R V A T I O N / C O N S E R V A T I O N

Credits Robert G. Lodge McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation Laboratory, Inc. Great Lakes Region Public Buildings Service U.S. General Services Administration		Flamingo by Alexander Calder was installed at the Chicago Federal Center in 1974. Its graceful curves and brilliant orange complement and contrast with the black and blocky enormity of the Mies van der Rohe buildings closing in and towering around it. Restoring this internationally renowned sculpture and symbol of GSA’s commitment to quality public art required the application of industrial techniques to art conservation. New industrial coating materials and the methodologies of the modern steel-coating industry provided a solution to a problem that was addressed three times in the past by simple, but ineffective, repainting. Complete removal of all of the coating was necessary because of accumulated thickness. Both accurate color and a very specific surface quality were required. Color mixing, ambient temperatures and humidity, and timing of applications were critical. The result—achieved in consultation with the Calder Foundation—is a finish that matches the original in color and surface quality while adding superior color-retention properties and protection against moisture penetration.		The use of state-of-the-art methods and expertise have set standards for others to consult when faced with outdoor sculpture preservation projects across the country. This project should serve to stimulate others to begin similar preservation efforts on endangered works. - Jury Comment

	Engineering and Environmental Study U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix, Arizona



		E N G I N E E R I N G

Ove Arup & Partners devised an innovative, unique solution to a complex cooling challenge that allows the courthouse to be built with an atrium that adds significant architectural and functional value to the building. - Jury Comment		The heart of the new U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in Phoenix will be a stunning six-story, 58,000-square-foot rectangular glass atrium. This bold design by architect Richard Meier was made economically feasible and environmentally responsible by designing a passive climate-controlled cooling system. Using digital modeling techniques, Ove Arup & Partners worked closely with GSA and its architects to demonstrate that a passive system that relies on evaporation, natural ventilation, shading devices, and the use of conditioned spill air from adjacent balconies could achieve sufficient cooling in this very hot Sonora Desert environment to make Mr. Meier’s vision a reality. Air will enter the atrium through an inlet just below the ceiling and will be cooled by water-spray nozzles above the balconies. The high-density cooled air will descend along the balconies to the floor of the atrium and then flow out through openings a few meters above the floor level.		Credits Mahadev Raman Ove Arup & Partners Pacific Rim Region Public Buildings Service U.S. General Services Administration

	Jacob Javits Plaza New York, New York



		L A N D S C A P E A R C H I T E C T U R E

Credits Martha Schwartz Martha Schwartz, Inc. Northeast and Caribbean Region Public Buildings Service U.S. General Services Administration		With a humorous poke at Frederick Law Olmsted, the revered co-designer of New York’s Central and Prospect Parks, and a modern interpretation of 17^th century French parterres de broderie in which clipped hedges, grass, and colored earth were used to energize flat open spaces, landscape architect Martha Schwartz has created a functional and lively open space for the 1967 Federal office tower at 26 Federal Plaza. The Jacob Javits Plaza, in the heart of lower-Manhattan’s civic district, is busiest at lunchtime on weekdays. To provide ample seating, Ms. Schwartz filled the plaza with "hedges" made of double strands of bright green New York City park benches that loop back and forth, creating intimate circles for groups and gentle outside curves for individuals. The bright green enlivens the plaza, which for the most part is in the shade. The benches swirl around 6-foot-tall grassy mounds that spray mist on hot days. Blue enameled drinking fountains, orange wire-mesh trash cans, and standard light poles that have been elongated and pulled out of proportion provide a space recognizable to New Yorkers, yet a "little mad," according to Ms. Schwartz.		The lyrical curving benches and boldly positioned planters enliven a flat urban plaza in colorful counterpoint to the gridlocked pattern of one’s normal experience of movement in Manhattan. The work establishes a most unexpectedly distinct and cheerful urban oasis in contrast to most other exterior hard-surfaced plazascapes. The use of the standard NYC Parks Department bench as the module to achieve the overall design is a brilliant effort to create a work of profound interest to the public’s experience. - Jury Comment

	Urban Design Guidelines for Physical Perimeter and Entrance Security: An Overlay to the Master Plan for the Federal Triangle Washington, District of Columbia



		U R B A N P L A N N I N G

Because security and personal safety have become central concerns for Federal agencies and designers of Federal facilities, this study and its recommendations are most important. The design guidelines address critical economic, social, and aesthetic issues that the existing urban buildings and streetscapes pose. These are broadly considered and well presented. They will help educate the various managerial personnel, technical experts, and public constituencies involved in the review and approval of security remedies, both in the Federal Triangle and beyond. - Jury Comment		In the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, security has become a pressing issue for Federal agencies. Concern has been particularly high in the Federal Triangle, the historic 70-acre complex in downtown Washington that houses more than 25,000 Federal employees and is the headquarters for several high-profile agencies, including the Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service. The area--a critical element in the capital’s urban fabric as a gateway to the Mall for tourists and southern boundary of the city’s increasingly lively downtown--could potentially become a minefield of intrusive and unsightly barriers. The U.S. General Services Administration was challenged to find a way to provide cost-effective security while maintaining—even enhancing—the vitality and character of the area and minimizing limitations on public access. As a first step toward a solution, GSA organized a design charrette to develop guidelines for physical perimeter and entrance security that will help Federal agencies and design review bodies, such as the Commission on Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, deal with security issues in the Federal Triangle in a consistent, comprehensive manner. These guidelines will help ensure that this historic area of architectural treasures will be safe, yet remain as open as possible to the public.		Credits Suman Sorg Sorg and Associates, P.C. National Capital Region Public Buildings Service U.S. General Services Administration

	Governors Island Land Use Study New York Harbor New York, New York



		U R B A N P L A N N I N G

Credits John H. Beyer Beyer Blinder Belle Consortium Northeast and Caribbean Region Public Buildings Service U.S. General Services Administration		For more than two centuries, Governors Island in New York Harbor was used exclusively as a military post. In the summer of 1997, the post was closed, and Congress directed the U.S. General Services Administration to sell the island. Located one-half mile from Lower Manhattan, it contains 225 structures on 172 acres of land, including more than 100 acres of open space. Approximately 92 acres have been designated as a National Historic District, featuring 18^th century fortifications, pre-Civil War arsenal buildings, Victorian housing, and early 20^th century neoclassical architecture. Recognizing the special qualities of the island, GSA commissioned a land use study. The study explores solutions for creating an economically viable reuse scenario that will balance historic preservation concerns with sensitive and thoughtful new design, encourage public access, and integrate the island into larger scale local and regional planning efforts. It was designed to both inform the public and guide development of an Environmental Impact Statement. The study presents six options: reuse, academic, recreation, mixed-use, maximum development, and phase-in. A financial analysis was performed for each of the options. Thirteen Federal, State and city agencies; more than 30 national and local educational, civic, and planning organizations; and over 300 individuals provided input.		This study—with its alternative development options and extensive public participatory process—is an effective model for how the Federal Government should embark on disposing of the properties it no longer needs. Its six alternative land use options are based on relevant urban, environmental, economic, social, and historic factors. The study has served local and Federal interests in improving the prospects for significant and appropriate development in the future. *- Jury Comment*

	Federal Triangle Flowers Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center Washington, DC



		A R T

The artist masterfully utilized the siting cues of the Oscar Straus Memorial Fountain at the 14^th Street entrance in the placement of these sculptures. Together, the sculptures work in complementary unison with the completed Federal Triangle. By creating these two very elegant and successful works, the artist, in essence, has paid a distinct tribute to the Federal Triangle period of art-in-architecture. - Jury Comment		As an allusion to the architectural ornamentation so evident in the historic buildings of the Federal Triangle in Washington, DC, but absent from the new Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, artist Stephen Robin chose flowers—albeit 14-foot cast aluminum flowers—to link the neoclassical Ariel Rios Building to the new building across a four-acre public courtyard. Flowers are traditional landscape architectural devices for defining boundaries and creating awareness of transitions. The forms of the two flowers—a lily and a rose—combine Beaux Arts and Art Deco influences, a reference to the transition from one style to the other in the architectural ornamentation of the Federal Triangle. While the flowers share characteristics of both styles, the emphasis in the lily is on the horizontal and flowing and in the rose, on the diagonal and staccato.		Credits Stephen Robin Artist National Capital Region Public Buildings Service U.S. General Services Administration

	Boundary Markers National Building Museum Washington, DC



		A R T

Credits Raymond Kaskey Artist National Capital Region Public Buildings Service U.S. General Services Administration		To create a precinct for the National Building Museum, a grand 1881 Italian Renaissance-style structure built for the U.S. Pension Bureau, Raymond Kaskey created a boundary marker representing the building arts. The artist turned a classical urn form into a plumb bob. The plumb bob was chosen for its universal symbolism as a building tool; it always points straight down to form a perfect vertical line. The plumb bob is supported by a tripod composed of six male and female figures in construction clothing. The figures evoke the figurative procession in the building’s three-foot-high frieze depicting Union Army soldiers. On top of the plumb bob, riggers’ shackles form an ornamental band reminiscent of the classical egg and dart motif. The seven-and-a-half-foot plumb bob and figurative tripod are made of glass-fiber-reinforced cement that matches the terra-cotta frieze. The base of the marker is a circular brick column resting on a round plinth. A marker has been placed at each corner of the building's Judiciary Square site.		The artist has achieved a triumphant synthesis of composition, scale, materials, and siting. Depicting the present-day heroes of the National Building Museum, the sculptural markers complement the terra-cotta frieze of heroes that wraps around the face of the building in timeless bas-relief. - Jury Comment

	Justice Warren B. Rudman U.S. Courthouse Concord, New Hampshire



		A R T

The artist’s undeniable clarity in presenting the subject, Justitia, is remarkable in its serenity and its relationship to the architectural space. The glistening stainless steel of the work is a unique and somewhat unexpected choice of medium for the noble subject. The positioning of the figure conveys humanity and strength as complementary virtues of necessity. - Jury Comment		Aloof, yet ever present, Justice in the form of a nine-and-a-half-foot stainless steel sculpture standing squarely on an eight-foot granite base dominates the soaring 36-foot-high lobby of the new Warren B. Rudman U.S. Courthouse in Concord, New Hampshire. As the focal point of the lobby, the figure restates in sculptural form the vertical thrust of the space. Shedding her traditional scale and sword, Justice is raising her arms to tighten the knot in her blindfold to ensure objectivity and greater clarity of judgment. The confrontational directness of the stance and the simplicity of the form have a contemporary feel, yet evoke the ancient art of Egypt and Asia. Stainless steel--the same material used for the stair railing and lobby fixtures--gives the figure a shimmering, ethereal quality, yet is universally recognized as being very durable and is thus an appropriate medium for this symbol of the American judicial system.		Credits Diana K. Moore Artist New England Region Public Buildings Service U.S. General Services Administration

	Africa Rising 290 Broadway New York, New York



		A R T

Credits Barbara Chase-Riboud Artist Northeast and Caribbean Region Public Buildings Service U.S. General Services Administration		Two tons of cast bronze rising in powerful majesty to a height of 18 feet, Africa Rising is not a timid memorial to its African Burial Ground site in New York City, but an ark of collective history. Artist Barbara Chase-Riboud has created a vessel for human reflection that plows an ocean of time and space, evoking the intricate and delicate interweaving of the common history and heritage of all citizens of the United States. The African Burial Ground was unearthed in 1991 during excavation for the Federal building at 290 Broadway. The recovery of this important cultural resource generated broad community discourse on the cultural significance and historic preservation of the largest and only known urban pre-Revolutionary African cemetery in America. Through community activism and commitment, the site was awarded designations as both a National Historic Landmark and a New York City Historic District.		The work conveys the powerful emotions and meaning of this historic site. The artist’s successful use of substantial scale and permanent materials results in a symbolic landmark sculpture, stunning in formal beauty and rich in collective history. - Jury Comment

	Untitled (Architectural Glass) Robert C. Byrd U.S. Courthouse Charleston, West Virginia



		A R T

The elegant and deliberate juxtaposition of geometry and color in this work results in a brilliant melding of tradition with contemporary artistic and architectural intent. The exemplary use of scale and color in the work creates a unique perception of the interior space. - Jury Comment		Complementing the classical architectural form and modern details of the new Charleston courthouse, artist David Wilson has adapted traditional stained-glass methods and materials to produce contemporary "glass walls" for the building. The installation consists of approximately 2,000 square feet: a large expanse in the fifth- and sixth-floor waiting areas off the courtrooms and three tall sections above and flanking the doors in the three-story entrance lobby. Intricate patterns of diverse colors, textures, and types of glass create multidimensional surfaces. Transparent glass allows the viewer to see outside, while darker colors and more opaque glass hold the surface. Warm colors and geometric motifs complement those used throughout the interior and exterior surfaces of the building. Changes in light over the course of the day and night and across the seasons produce a wide range of visual effects to delight and fascinate both occupants and passersby.		Credits David Wilson Artist Mid-Atlantic Region Public Buildings Service U.S. General Services Administration

	Lens Ceiling U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building Phoenix, Arizona



		A R T

Credits James Carpenter James Carpenter Design Associates Pacific Rim Region Public Buildings Service U.S. General Services Administration		In a synthesis of art, architecture, and engineering, the ceiling of the Special Proceedings Courtroom in the new U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in Phoenix will be a delicate web of translucent glass. When lighted, the glowing, cable-suspended structure may be read as a representation of the sun or as a bubble of air resting on a calm water surface. The courtroom is three-story-high, translucent glass drum 100 feet in diameter in the mammoth six-story, 58,000-square-foot rectangular glass atrium of the courthouse. This glass drum is visible from the street and is intended to indicate to the public the importance of the cases heard there. The lens ceiling forms an acoustic seal between the courtroom and the atrium. In addition to serving as a source of light and a work of art, it aesthetically conceals a fire-sprinkler system.		This intriguing work is designed so that artwork, architecture, and structure are synthesized as one statement, melding the physical and natural worlds through the use of light. This dramatic effort will yield an extraordinary, unique courtroom, sculptural by its very nature, and guided to that end via the shared visions of the artist and the architect. - Jury Comments

	Renewing the Commitment 30^th Anniversary of the Architectural Barriers Act



		G R A P H I C D E S I G N

The success of this piece begins with a powerful series of abstracted art works that focus on the issue of accessibility. The vivid colors, choice of papers, and technique that portrays texture within simple fields are successful. - Jury Comment		As manager of the National Program for Accessibility, GSA’s Public Buildings Service used the 30^th anniversary of the passage of the Architectural Barriers Act to create a marketing package to promote and educate the Government community and general public about integrating accessibility into the workplace. A colorful package was developed around four simple illustrations depicting design elements that influence accessibility, such as entrances and work surfaces. The eye-catching illustrations, by a paraplegic artist, symbolize accomplishments in advancing the civil rights of people with disabilities. The commemorative package consists of a brochure, stationery, workshop invitation, poster, and paperweight.		Credits Jean Tullier Tullier Marketing Communications Office of External Affairs Public Buildings Service U.S. General Services Administration