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A Reflection of the Times
by Gail Peter Borden, FAIA
Prior to gathering at the TxA office, the jury was sent copies of all
251 entries with the assignment to independently review each submission and provide an initial recommendation on each project. Once convened in Austin, the jurors collectively discussed projects, established
rubrics for evaluation, and debated the merits of each submission. They
focused on the power of design as a social and physical act. Materials
and innovation within normative and specialized opportunities were all
Design Awards are a celebration of architecture. Representing the discipline at the highest level, the culling of an elite group of projects from
a spectacular pool of talent captures an architectural stratum of time
in the cultural milieu of Texas.
Design Awards are also a time for reflection on our profession and on
the contributions that architecture can make in diverse ways to society,
culture, and humanity. The awarded projects, diverse in scale and each
emerging from uniquely individual circumstances, all demonstrate the
power of design and the significance that it plays in the determination
of the built environment. Their ways of engaging with space, form,
light, material, program, energy, social consciousness, and sustainability represent elegant and thoughtful design solutions to many of the
imperatives facing us.
Design Awards emerge out of a long process. Exciting projects
demand prepared designers, great clients, engaging sites, diligence,
careful consideration, relentless execution, and devoted craftsmanship,
all coming together within economic and legal limits. Exceptional projects resonate with intentionality, performance, and beauty.
The Texas Society of Architects Design Awards program recognizes
outstanding architectural and urban design projects by architects practicing in Texas to promote public interest in design excellence. This year,
the program received 251 entries—a record number of submissions—an
indicator of the strong state of architecture in Texas.
The TxA Design Awards program is held in extremely high regard as
one of the nation’s premier design competitions. This is fundamentally
due to the quality of architecture in the state. The integrity of the Design
Awards program, along with TxA’s willingness to invest in building a great
jury each year, is something that requires the Design Awards committee
to commence work nearly a year in advance.
The committee is an all-volunteer group drawing from the Society’s
membership. With diverse backgrounds and interests, this group meets
to set the stage and facilitate continuity. Identifying talented designers
from across the discipline nationally to orchestrate a curated conversation about the state of built work in Texas is a thoughtful and persistent
undertaking.
Jury selection is a collaborative process to identify a dynamic slate
equally weighed. A reflective conversation on the discipline and the state
of architecture in Texas challenged the expectations of contemporary
design and the responsibilities of practice. They placed intense value
on the consistency of a project and its design narrative.
This year, as in the past, the instructions to the jury focused simply
on the merit of the design. There were no categories. There were no
restrictions on how the awarded projects were selected. There were
no limits on the number awarded. The process was developed by the
jury during the deliberations, in a manner of their own choosing. The
submissions were anonymous, and questions from the jury regarding
specific projects were addressed only with statements noted in the
submittal materials.
The result was a collaborative and inclusive process in which jurors
readily found consistency in their determinations, ultimately arriving at
15 award-winning projects from 15 different firms.
This year’s submissions were drawn from across the state, with 31
percent of projects located in Austin, 16 percent located in Houston, 18
percent located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and 10 percent located
in San Antonio. Eighteen percent were from other areas of Texas, and
seven percent hailed from outside of Texas. The submitted projects
captured a wide cross section of the market sectors that make up our
profession. The detailed breakdown of this year’s submissions included:
26 percent residential design; 13 percent commercial; 12 percent institutional; and eight percent civic. Additionally, 30 percent self-classified
as multiple project types.
The 15 winning projects include four residential designs, three commercial, three interior, two institutional, two restoration/rehabilitation,
and one civic.
The outcome of the jury is a resounding celebration of the diverse
talent and high quality of work across our state. The diversity of the
project types, firms, geographies, and design approaches demonstrates
a rich pluralism of deeply considered design work, thoughtfully executed.
The collective is a cross-section of all the submissions that represent
the best of our discipline and the deep opportunity architecture offers
to the future of humanity through the creation of carefully considered
and inspired built environments.
of thinkers, innovators, and experts who have distinct and celebrated
design identities with a unique ability to elevate and educate us with
their critical-thinking and curatorial skills. Their professional experience,
project diversity, background, and geography all factor into the careful individual selection process and the determination of the collective
group to ensure a well-balanced conversation.
On April 25–26, we were honored to convene a dynamic and thoughtful jury including Roberto de Leon, FAIA, of de Leon & Primmer Architecture Workshop, based in Louisville, Kentucky; Gordon Gill, FAIA, of
Gail Peter Borden, FAIA, is the chair-elect of the TxA Design and Studio Awards
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, based in Chicago; and Celia
Committee. He is a principal of Borden Partnership in Houston and a professor and
Esther Arredondo Zambrano, emeritus professor at Tecnológico de Mon-
director of Graduate Studies at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and
terrey in Monterrey, Mexico.
Design at the University of Houston.
9/10 2024
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