Two of The Lighting Practice’s projects were among those that the Baltimore Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Baltimore) and the Baltimore Architecture Foundation recognized as the best of Baltimore-based design. The 2018 AIA Baltimore Excellence in Design Awards Celebration honored Sagamore Spirit Distillery and Kent State University Integrated Sciences Building on October 19.
The Excellence in Design Awards program recognizes the outstanding work of AIA Baltimore members throughout the region. It also recognizes Baltimore Architecture Foundation Golden Griffin and Roger Redden Award recipients.
Sagamore Spirit Distillery: AIA Baltimore Good Design = Good Business Award
Designed by Ayers Saint Gross, Sagamore Spirit Distillery received the 2018 AIA Baltimore Good Design = Good Business Award, which recognizes projects that exemplify how architects help companies achieve their goals through good design. The jury “admired a comprehensive design approach with references to the brand’s rich agrarian and industrial history. The combination of poetry and purposeful space-planning generates a village environment conducive to learning, connecting, and playing, in addition to the functional necessities of whiskey processing.”
The Lighting Practice developed the lighting system for Sagamore Spirit Distillery and the campus’s processing buildings. Al Borden, Ryan Conover, and John Conley designed the exterior façade lighting, site lighting, and water tower lighting. Inside, they illuminated the front of house and retail spaces, as well as the visitor center, whiskey stills, and the tasting rooms. TLP’s interior lighting highlights the industrial style of the distillery while supporting a comfortable space for guests. Exterior lighting emphasizes the architectural structure and texture of the building materials, bringing the site to life after dark.
Kent State Integrated Sciences Building: Excellence in Design Awards Honorable Mention
The new Integrated Sciences Building at Kent State University received an Excellence in Design Awards Honorable Mention. The jury noted that this project, designed by Ayers Saint Gross and Payto Architects, “does a good job of being sympathetic to the original brutalist buildings while bringing them forward into a modern dialogue. It offers wonderful spaces on the interior and a good use of materials as a concept. The design creates a flow through the space and a connection to outside.”
The Integrated Sciences Building is a three-story facility adjoining Kent State’s Williams Hall. It offers new labs and classroom space as well as student public spaces. The main entrance provides a two-story gathering space, a large circulation corridor, and study spaces. The Lighting Practice’s Michael Barber and Ryan Conover provided concept design and coordination services for the lobby and circulation spaces. The lighting design helps add openness and warmth from within. It also reinforces the architects’ goal to merge the new construction with the existing building for a cohesive design.
The team at The Lighting Practice thanks AIA Baltimore and the Baltimore Architecture Foundation for this honor. Congratulations to all the winners of this year’s awards.
Sagamore Spirit Distillery
Baltimore, Maryland
- Owner: Sagamore Development Company
- Contractor: The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company; Design Architect: Ayers Saint Gross; Landscape Architect: Core Studio Design; Civil Engineer: Whitney Bailey Cox and Magnani; Structural Engineer: Structura, Inc.; Mechanical & Electrical Engineer: Allen & Shariff; Code Consultant: Koffel Associates; AV/IT Security Consultant: SpeXsys; Kitchen Consultant: Culinary Advisors; Interior Design: Patrick Sutton Interior Design; Lighting Designer: The Lighting Practice
Kent State University Integrated Sciences Building
Kent, Ohio
- Owner: Kent State University
- Contractor: Turner Construction Company; Design Architect: Ayers Saint Gross; Associate Architect: Payto Architects; Landscape Architect: Knight & Stolar, Inc.; Civil Engineer: Alber and Rice; Structural Engineer: Keast and Hood Company and GPD Group; Mechanical & Electrical Engineer: Prater Engineering Associates, Inc.; Audio Visual: Sextant Group; Energy/Environmental: CTL Engineering and Doty & Miller; Lighting Designer: The Lighting Practice
