BPA has been hard at work this past year, continually pushing the boundaries of design possibilities, setting and upholding the highest design integrity standards, and putting clients first. Our hard work has culminated in being awarded two top awards at this year’s AIA Alabama Design Awards!
We’re proud to announce UA’s Peter Bryce Stabilization project has been selected for the AIA Alabama 2022 Honor Award, and the Central Steel project has been selected for the AIA Alabama 2022 Merit Award.
UA Peter Bryce Stabilization - 2022 AIA AL Honor Award Winner
Central Steel - 2022 AIA AL Merit Award Winner
more about 2022’s Honor award winner:
University of alabama Peter Bryce Historic Stabilization
The project consisted of selective demolition and abatement, master planning, and programming of the historic psychiatric hospital for future adaptive reuse as a university welcome center and academic building.
The monumental facility went into rapid decline during its final years as a mental health facility due to under-utilization, which was only accelerated by its abrupt vacancy prior to the University’s acquisition. The University envisioned a renovated Bryce Main becoming a hub of campus activity and serving as an integral part of the northern gateway in their campus footprint.
We were tasked with leading the comprehensive renovation and restoration design efforts—inclusive of extensive field studies, historically accurate detailing, and providing programming services—as to guide the University in weaving this antebellum-era artifact into its campus fabric, while amplifying the historic architectural character of this landmark. The design team identified which portions of the building were salvageable and developed strategies for selective demolition, abatement, and structural stabilization—with the purpose of preparing Bryce Main for its new role as a university building.
Design Team Members: Alan Crotwell, Principle in Charge; Micah Martin, AIA; Charlie Abram, Assoc. AIA
more about 2022’s merit award winner:
central steel
Central Steel’s original building office was destroyed by a fire, and the business was setup in temporary facilities. The site was difficult due to the operational warehouse building to the north, limited parking reduced to the east by the temporary office, and existing city street and utilities (overhead power and telephone lines) extending beyond the site to the west. BPA was tasked with designing a two-story replacement building to allow for future growth and foster a better work environment with the addition of a patio, bath house, and locker.
The building façade was constructed using Central Steel’s own self-weathering cold-rolled steel panels manufactured from 22-gauge ASTM A606-4 self-weathering steel. The client’s intent was to use their own manufactured steel on the exterior and throughout the building to promote the diverse uses of their steel products. Central Steel continues to use their office building to build their personal brand and create promotional material.
The exterior has been weathered naturally over time and the patina serves as a barrier to the environment and future corrosion. The utilization of Central Steel’s own products wrapping the façade, allowed for the design to highlight the work within the structure.
Design Team Members: Chuck Penuel, Principle in Charge; Melissa Porter, Interior Designer; Roy Roebuck, Project Coordinator
What our jurors had to say about Bryce:
“Artfully presented and designed from start to completion. The full extent of the stabilization was clearly and thoughtfully communicated throughout what appears to be a very complex design commission. The juxtaposition of active users in the space demonstrated the transformation from psychiatric hospital to a future myriad of potential users. The range of scale included from site plan down to small details demonstrates the profound execution and intervention throughout. The documentation should be used [as] a model for future design awards. This was a truly beautiful submission. ”
“Really lovely project. Very well done. Incredibly complex but considerate in it’s execution. The range of scale is important to point out here from the site plan to multiple details of restoration and new interventions. ”
What our jurors had to say about central steel:
“There is a charming simplicity to this project. As architects we are typically drawn to the idea of authenticity, but rarely is it as true as the Central Steel offices. The reductive massing allows the weathering steel facade to be the true star of the show - uniquely appropriate given that the nature of this business is the manufacturing of steel components such as the weathering steel used to clad this simple box. The well-edited detailing avoids the fussiness typically associated with this material approach... [and we] appreciated that the story continued with the steel stair fabricated on-site by the owner. The limited budget and industrial typology makes this especially impressive and worthy of recognition for design excellence.”
Congratulations to both project teams for such outstanding work!
If you’re looking for even more information about these two projects, we’ve shared BPA’s Design Award Submissions below! Enjoy!
2022 AIA AL Design Award Submission - UA Peter Bryce Historic Stabilization