As explained in part 1 of the article, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) have selected the 10 recipients of the 2010 Small Project Awards.

Part 2 covers the Small Project Objects (up to $50,000 construction budget)

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) have selected the 10 recipients of the 2010 Small Project Awards. The AIA Small Project Awards Program, now in its sixth year, was established to recognize small-project practitioners for the high quality of their work and to promote excellence in small-project design. This award program emphasizes the excellence of small-project design and strives to raise public awareness of the value and design excellence that architects bring to projects, no matter the limits of size and scope.

The jury for the Small Project Awards includes: Tom Howorth, FAIA, Howorth & Associates; Kevin Harris, FAIA, Kevin Harris and Associates; Camilo Parra, AIA, Parra Design Group LTD; Thomas Fisher, Assoc. AIA, Dean, University of Minnesota College of Design and David Miller, FAIA, Miller Hull Partnership.
Award recipients are categorized into three groups; Architecture in the Public Interest, Small Project Objects (up to $50,000 construction budget) and Small Project Structures (up to $500,000 construction budget).

We split the article in 3 parts, one for each group.

The Depart Foundation and the Istituto Svizzero di Roma (ISR) present

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO ITALIAN ARCHITECTURE?
CRITICAL POSITIONS ON THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND THE FUTURE

A symposium at the Istituto Svizzero di Roma, October 15–16, 2010,
curated by Reto Geiser

The first installment in a series of planned biennial symposia that aim to explore the productive intersections and overlaps between art, architecture, and design, this two-day symposium will bring together emerging and established voices to discuss the current state of Italian architecture.

As explained by the oraganizers: In the second half of the twentieth century, such singular figures as Aldo Rossi, Vittorio Gregotti, and Manfredo Tafuri, or collaborative practices such as Archizoom and Superstudio, not only shaped the architectural culture within Italy, but also took a prominent position on the stage of international discourse. Italian architecture gradually disappeared from the limelight as commercially driven forms of building replaced politically motivated manifestos and bold architectural visions in the advent of postmodernism. How has Italian architecture since developed? What does Italian architecture mean today? What is the background against which architecture is currently produced in Italy?

Wedged into a tight lot along Lake Candlewood in New Fairfield, Connecticut, this new home’s form and structure was derived from observations of trees and an adaptation of local building techniques. The project began with studies of leaf canopies, accumulated ring structures, and the dappled light that filters through groups of trees. Multiple study models in several media (concrete, acrylic, wood, plaster), investigated how light flows through perforations in these various materials.

Della Valle + Bernheimer used these models to observe, secondarily, how certain materials would be suited to creating a stable, discrete, but minimal structure. During the formative process they were interested in designing a house that seemed in large part to float and protect, much like the tree canopies on the site shelter the ground beneath them.

All photographs by Richard Barnes

Architecture firm Peter Rose + Partners has completed the Kripalu Annex, the first step in the firm’s master plan to reshape the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. The project received the AIA National Housing Award in the category of Specialized Housing.

Tucked into 300 acres of dense forest in the Berkshire Mountains, Kripalu (kri-PAH-loo) is the largest and most established yoga retreat in North America. For over 30 years, Kripalu has been teaching skills for optimal living through experiential education for mind, body, and spirit, and this holistic approach was the starting point for the innovative plan that secured Peter Rose the Kripalu commission in 2004.

Photos: Matthew Snyder

According to Rose, “Kripalu’s housing needs are modest and straightforward, but the architecture of the Annex, like yoga itself, is full of subtlety and layers of complexity that gently improve the structure’s performance. Light, air, using minimal means to create a calm, healing environment—it’s all about fulfilling these almost intangible requirements.”