by ArchitectureWeek

The American Institute of Architects/ Tennessee Society has selected eight projects statewide for special recognition. The diverse projects receiving design awards range from a cabin of wood in Monteagle to an opera house of marble in Memphis. The AIA chapter presented six awards of merit and two awards of excellence.

An award-winning cabin in Monteagle is nestled in a Tennessee mountain hollow and projects from the hillside to overlook a mountain stream. BAUER Architecture of Nashville took inspiration from the barns that dot this rural landscape.

The cabin's exterior board-and-batten cedar siding is punctuated by a rhythm of conventional windows. The two-story volume of the living space is flanked by indigenous drystack stone chimneys and enclosed by wood columns and beams reminiscent of corncribs that are often attached to local barns. The jury appreciated the "nice balance of modern and vernacular design... and sensitive material choices [that] reflect the site."

Dryden Abernathy Architecture Design, LLC were recognized for their low-cost tenant build-out in a Nashville warehouse space for the computer services firm FCG Infrastructures, Inc. The architects created a distinctive atmosphere with inventive use of off-the-shelf materials. Partitions of curved, translucent plastic and plywood act as dividing elements. Refurbished steel sash windows from the warehouse allow light and views through the plywood walls. The jury noted the project's "sense of humor."   >>>

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A mountain cabin by BAUER Architecture received a design award from the American Institute of Architects/ Tennessee Society. Photo: BAUER Architecture Office space for FCG Infrastructures, Inc. by Dryden Abernathy Architecture Design, LLC. Photo: Griffin Norman   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.