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The architects used the chute as an organizing element for each floor, and reworked the brew tanks and grain elevators as office design features.

To give the five-story building greater structural support and a tighter envelope, the building team worked carefully to insert new mortar into the original brick and terra-cotta joints.

Details made with high-quality materials, such as the original wood and masonry on the interior, were preserved. The jury praised the team for knowing when to stop: "The architect did just enough, but not too much."

Despite the need for renovations after some 120 years of life, the craftsmanship of the building was enduring. "Even these side dormers we found on the roof, these hidden pieces that only a roofer would ever see, had these beautiful cuttings," recalls Holback. "It was a contagious feeling working on the renovation. Everybody wanted to keep that level of craftsmanship."

Smithsonian Support

The Smithsonian Institution's Pennsy Collections & Support Center in Landover, Maryland, makes use of an existing 1966 building in an industrial park. Designed by Gensler, the 360,000-square-foot (33,000-square-meter) facility houses new workshops for exhibit production, environmentally controlled collections storage, thousands of linear feet of library shelving, a rare book conservation lab, and an onsite security-training center, as well as offices for exhibit design and management staff.

The architects utilized a combination of bold colors and textures to enliven the aging warehouse, removing ceilings to increase the volume of the space while better distributing daylight thanks to a series of glass partitions. The jury lauded project's "stunning, museum-quality interior in a utilitarian building," calling it "incredibly inventive, an uplifting workspace."

Art Gateway

The Gateway is a combination dormitory, studio, and gallery building at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore. Designed by RTKL Associates, the structure includes apartments for 217 students, a translucent studio tower, and the college's largest student exhibition gallery.

Set somewhat apart from other buildings, the Gateway offers a striking presence, its form a curving structure wrapped around a central courtyard. The jury called the project "architecture of an international standard," noting how the building's glass-ensconced facade "creates a sense of artistic community, a modern cloister."

Island House

The House on Hoopers Island, designed by David Jameson Architect, is located on Maryland's eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay. Also the recipient of a 2009 AIA Housing Award, the house is situated on a six-acre parcel beside the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, adjacent to the Honga River and a pine forest. The vacation retreat has a distinctly boxy modern form clad in lead-coated copper, a departure from the simple traditional homes of this sparsely populated island.

Rather than one house, the project is actually what Jameson has called a "camp" of four separate cabins defined by function: a common area, a master cabin, a guest cabin, and an art studio. The idea is that visitors are forced to embrace nature, going outside to move between structures. And inside, massive floor-to-ceiling glass walls at either end of the structures draw the eye to the landscape. The three main structures are linked together with a large screened porch.

House on the River

Like the House on Hoopers Island, the River House in Jamaica, Virginia, by Ziger/ Snead LLP, Architects, is divided into components — a main house, guest quarters and a multipurpose area — but all within one structure.

The vacation home's primary exterior surface is separated from the steel structure, allowing large sliding glass doors to be used as the only barrier between interior and exterior, and providing uninterrupted views out to the wide Rappahannock River from all interior spaces. With so much natural light permeating the entire space, no artificial lighting is needed during daytime hours.

The jury applauded the separation of owners and guests, and the building's gentle presence on the site — "quiet, long and thin, like a racing shell."   >>>

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SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE The American Brewery now houses the headquarters of Humanim, a social services nonprofit organization. Photo: Paul Burk Gensler's design for the Smithsonian Institution's Pennsy Collection & Support Center in Landover, Maryland, received an honor award for institutional design. Photo: Paul Warchol Extra Large Image The Pennsy Collection & Support Center was created within an existing warehouse structure. The new design uses daylighting and bright colors to improve the previously drab space. Photo: Paul Warchol Extra Large Image The Gateway, a multipurpose dorm project for the Maryland Institute College of Art, was designed by RTKL. Photo: Paul Burk Extra Large Image Organized around a central courtyard and a largely transparent curtain wall, the Gateway recalls contemporary European designs, such as MUSAC in León, Spain. Photo: David Whitcomb Extra Large Image The metal-clad House on Hoopers Island by David Jameson Architect overlooks an inlet of Chesapeake Bay, near Dorchester, Maryland. Photo: Paul Warchol Photography Extra Large Image Ziger/ Snead designed the River House, a weekend retreat overlooking the Rappahannock River near Jamaica, Virginia. Photo: © Alain Jaramillo The long, thin form of the River House works in concert with generous glazing to provide occupants with views and convenient access to outdoor spaces. Photo: © Alain Jaramillo Extra Large Image   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.