The BPA crew had a great night celebrating the talented architectural community we have here in Birmingham at the AIA Design Awards! We had the honor of winning Birmingham's 2022 People's Choice Award! Thanks to everyone who voted for our UAB Optometry project and a special congrats to the design team.
See below for more about your 2022 People's Choice Award Winner.
The winning project was the UAB School of Optometry Phase I & II Renovations. The Optical Shop shown above was completed during phase II of the renovations.
Cassandra, Wallace, & Melissa accepting the People’s Choice Award.
Renovations to the UAB School of Optometry span over five floors of the building. On the second and third floors, BPA provided a rejuvenated learning and research environment – matching the School’s commitment to enhance student experiences and provide necessary infrastructural updates. Third floor updates were completed first and feature a combination of instruction and student support spaces.
On the ground floor, the new Optical Shop was designed to streamline the process of selecting and fitting the correct optics for the patient. From the “Triage” pods in the check-in area to the final fitting of the perfect prescription, the new Optical Shop showcases an extremely popular and needed aspect of the school, not only important for the thousands of patients, but also a wonderful real-life experience for the students.
“BPA provided a rejuvenated learning and research environment... not only important for the thousands of patients, but also a wonderful real-life experience for the students.”
A design goal was to open views into adjacent spaces wherever possible to encourage interaction and enhance the student experience. Also, providing the appropriate lighting reinforced the functional use of the new spaces.
The winning project team included: Bernhard Engineering, Muya Engineering, Wyatt General Contractor (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5h floors), UAB Project Manager Erin Patterson, P&M Mechanical (Optical Shop), & David Acton Building Corp (Specialty Exam Clinic).
Featured materials by Interface, Inerior Elements, Cambria, and the Mohawk Group.
Photos by Katherine Horton, Mason Fischer, Olivia B. Photography, and Steve Wood.
