by Brian Libby
Built in the 1950s, Woodway Residence north of Seattle was reimagined for a young family by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. Their intervention adds transparency and light, and takes better advantage of the home's picturesque wooded site. It was recently recognized by AIA Seattle.
Another, larger renovation project was honored by AIA Portland. Booker T. Washington High School, an arts magnet school in Dallas, Texas, hired Portland, Oregon-based Allied Works Architecture to oversee a major expansion and remodel of the school's original 1920s building. An outdoor performance space forms an organizational nexus for the revamped building.
These projects were honored recently when the two major cities of the Pacific Northwest announced the winners of their respective local American Institute of Architects design awards for 2008.
Like any pair of metropolises anchoring a region, Seattle and Portland have long enjoyed a friendly sibling rivalry. For design enthusiasts, they are, despite many inherent similarities, a tale of two different approaches to city building. Seattle is traditionally the more glamorous thrill-seeker with its architecture, while Portland is more modest.
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