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Saitowitz's firm also received merit awards for two retail projects: the Mizu Spa in San Francisco's SoMa district and a series of outlets for The Optical Centre, both of which feature contrasting black and white palettes with an economy of form and a devotion to transparency.

In the unbuilt design category, the single honor award-winner was "HYDRO-NET: City of the Future, San Francisco 2108," by IwamotoScott Architecture. A tantalizingly futuristic-looking set of graphics show an iconic pair of hexagonal "webs" that collect, store, and distribute power generated by fog and algae.

IwamotoScott also received a merit award for the unbuilt REEF project, proposed as a temporary "urban beach" environment for New York City's P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, an affiliate of the Museum of Modern Art.

Awards for special achievement went to three entities. The California Academy of Sciences Board of Trustees was recognized for its support of an ultra-efficient new facility in Golden Gate Park; designed by Renzo Piano with Chong Partners, the building is set to open in September 2008.

Architect Tim Culvahouse, FAIA, was honored for his contributions as a writer and editor, and the nonprofit organization Public Architecture was recognized for "The One Percent Solution," a program that facilitates pro bono work by architecture firms.

In the Young Architects + Associates category, honors went to Jason Dale Pierce, Assoc. AIA, and Rachel Bannon Godfrey.

In the Integrated Project Delivery category, The Design Partnership received an honor award for a pathology lab at the University of California, San Francisco. Using building information modeling, the design team reduced costs and construction time in this complex remodel of an 11,000-square-foot (1,000-square-meter) lab space in a 1960s high-rise.

A special commendation was also given in Integrated Project Delivery to a design competition entry by HOK for the Sutter Prototype Hospital.

An urban design honor award went to the Panhandle Bandshell, a gathering place and public performance space by CMG Landscape Architecture. Made from recycled metal and other materials, it has a sculptural quality that, despite its modest scale and small budget, faintly recalls Frank Gehry in its sculpted metal skin. And yet the bandshell is also a practical, functional piece of park equipment whose invitingly tactile quality is very kid-friendly.

On an entirely different scale, the local office of international firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) received an urban design merit award for Beijing Finance Street, their 35-block creation for the Chinese capital's burgeoning financial district. Located in a historic district close to the city center and the Forbidden City, the plan is organized around a Central Park as well as a series of interior courtyards based on the traditional Chinese Hatong neighborhoods that were largely wiped out by past urban renewal but have regained favor as the nation re-embraces its past heritage.

Brian Libby is a Portland, Oregon-based freelance writer who has also published in Metropolis, The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and Architectural Record.

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SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE Conduit Restaurant in San Francisco, by Stanley Saitowitz/ Natoma Architects, was recognized for its interior architecture. Photo: Rien van Rijthoven Extra Large Image Herman & Coliver Architecture and LOCUS Architecture collaborated on the sanctuary renovation for Congregation B'nai Israel in Sacramento, California. Photo: David Wakely Photography Extra Large Image SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE The Marvisi Residence in Miami, Florida, won recognition for Sand Studios in the San Francisco AIA chapter's interior architecture category. Photo: Ken Hayden Extra Large Image In HYDRO-NET, IwamotoScott Architecture envisioned an inhabitable future infrastructure capable of collecting, storing, and distributing water and electricity. Image: IwamotoScott Architecture Extra Large Image Panhandle Bandshell, an award-winner in the urban design category, is a performance stage constructed almost entirely out of reclaimed materials. Photo: Courtesy CMG Landscape Architecture Extra Large Image The Design Partnership received an honor award in the Integrated Project Delivery category for its the remodel of a laboratory in the UCSF Health Sciences West building. Image: The Design Partnership Extra Large Image   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.