American Institute of Architects Chicago honors Sterling Ridge with 2006 Design Excellence Honor Award

Distinguished Building Award

This residence reflects the rugged terrain of the High Sonoran desert in Scottsdale, Arizona. Concrete walls blend with the earth; steel beams reflect the power and color of nearby rock outcroppings. Interior spaces seamlessly transition to exterior decks that function as canopies. Photovoltaic cells are suspended in the cantilevers to screen the interior from the desert sun while creating electricity to power the home. The jury said "It is kind of raw, which is appropriate to its desert setting. The photovoltaics are deployed elegantly—the first time I've ever seen that."

View Chicago Tribune article: "Green" has designs on the field's top prizes

2005 Environmental Excellence Award Winner

Optima Inc.'s Sterling Ridge received the first-place Crescordia Award at the Valley Forward's 25th annual Environmental Excellence Awards gala on Sept. 9th. Arizona's oldest and largest environmental competition. Sterling Ridge was honored as a structure with raw simplicity in its character, composition and assembly of materials that is consistent with the desert environment.

American Institute of Architects Chicago honors Sterling Ridge with 2005 Design Excellence Awards

Interior Architecture Award - Residential

More than 20 years ago the Interior Architecture Award was established to promote interior architecture as a unique profession by honoring phenomenal projects. Interior architecture, for award purposes, is defined as the space within a building envelope, including lighting, finishes and furnishing designs. The jury studied a range of projects completed between Jan. 1, 2003 and May 1, 2005.

The residence takes its cue from the rugged desert. The fundamental idea is one of raw simplicity in the character, composition and assembly of materials consistent with the surrounding environment. Concrete walls blend with the earth, steel beams reflect the power and color of boulder outcroppings and red and green accents provide the punctuation naturally found in the vibrant vegetation of the desert. Spaces were left open to be viewed within and without. A minimal amount of furniture was used to accentuate the spaces' strength. "The interior is about being outside," said a juror. "The furnishings of the interior are the desert. This is the work of an accomplished architect."

Divine Detail Award - Photovoltaic Panels

The Divine Detail Award essentially honors architectural ingenuity. A jury seeks the results of a firm's fundamental architectural theory or design concept in their use of a particular material, detail or building technology. Execution must express the idea as a whole. Similar to other awards, only projects completed between January 2003 and May 2005, were eligible.

Spaces are protected from the sun by large, cantilevered roof planes composed of structural steel framing topped by photovoltaic panels. Each contains 72 thin opaque film cells laminated between two clear sheets of glass which rest on steel beams. The cells shade spaces in and around the residence while converting solar energy to power 60 percent of the home's electric load. The home received the highest attainable rating from the Scottsdale Residential Green Building program because of the photovoltaic panels. The jurors liked how the architect exploited the beauty of the photovoltaic panels to enhance the house's beauty. They also admired how the architect exploited the beauty of a product and technology. (Double winner, also received Interior Architecture Citation of Merit.)

Design Evanston Award for Excellence in Multi-Family Residential Design
Optima Views was presented with The Design Evanston award for Excellence in Multi-Family Residential Design on Friday, May 21, 2004.

Optima Inc.'s Optima Views, a winner last year for Optima Towers, won this year for its multiple family housing project on Maple Avenue at Clark Street. The jury called it "an unabashedly modern, tall, dynamic and sensitive articulation of a tower" with "colorful, well integrated balconies." They noted how the perception of this angular composition changes "as you drive around town."

American Institute of Architects Chicago honors Cloud Chaser with 2003 Design Excellence Award

Distinguished Building Award

Dramatic and serene, this desert house is thoughtfully composed with an honest use of modern materials. A walled forecourt providing entry to the glass-enclosed living space sets the stage for the integration of interior and exterior. Masses of concrete block positioned on the east and west for passive cooling contrast with nearly transparent walls to the south and long, downslope views of the surrounding desert. Textured steel sunscreens supported from the steel roof grid shade the glass and cast shadows across façade and floors. Shaded courtyards and earthen tones drawn from the desert provide a feeling of coolness and retreat.

American Institute of Architects Chicago 2002 Design Excellence Awards
Chicago Design Excellence Awards on Friday, November 12, 2002 at Navy Pier. The award winners were on exhibition at the Chicago Architectural League through January 2003.

A strong site plan confidently mixes a few 100-year-old structures within a new development of town homes and condominiums. Undulating green terraces serve to downplay indoor parking and create an undisciplined landscape that negotiates spaces between the buildings' differing aesthetic systems. "[This project] is an excellent neighbor without having to mimic the architecture of IIT," the Miesian campus across the street. Glass and aluminum towers balance smaller concrete and masonry masses in "a compelling marriage of mid-rise apartment with a town house community."

Shadow Caster 78 was also honored with a Design Excellence Award for Interior Architecture.

For a Sonoran desert home that is all core and no shell, the idea was to allow interior spaces to flow seamlessly outside. Steel beams and generous cantilevers top ground-face concrete block walls, casting shadows that pass undisturbed through glass veils of frameless walls and windows. Interior colors and finishes, in a similar way, stress unity with the surrounding landscape. Furnishings—sisal rugs, leather upholstery, and solid walnut casework—are soothing, and building materials intentionally left raw project coolness while providing a neutral setting for artwork.

Design Evanston Award for Excellence in Multi-Family Residential Design
Optima Towers was presented with The Design Evanston award for Excellence in Multi-Family Residential Design on Friday, April 25, 2003.

Adds visual interest to corner with interesting play of sky on building... animated design reflects retail and residential functions... nicely landscaped entry courtyard... scale and character contrasts nicely with adjacent building... orange balconies provocative and accentuating.