Georgia Tech’s Hinman Research Building is one of only six projects to be commended by ARCHITECT magazine’s venerable P/A (Progressive Architecture) Awards. This year’s winners were selected from nearly 300 projects from around the world by a jury including Steve Dumez, FAIA; Lisa Iwamoto; William Rawn, FAIA; Dan Rockhill; and Zoë Ryan.

In the 83rd annual competition, the judges sought projects that ‘push the envelope of progressive design.’ The restoration, rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the Hinman Research Building was noted for its clever simplicity and inherent themes of sustainability. The project was an architectural design collaboration between Lord, Aeck & Sargent’s Historic Preservation Studio and Office dA.

Jack Pyburn, FAIA, principal in charge of the project said “The Hinman project was one of those special occurrences where the talents of the team were prepared to capture the full potential of this historic building for a sophisticated client and special user group. The success of the project can be attributed to the collaboration between the preservation and design team, the owner, users and the contractor, Beck, creatively working toward a common well defined goal.”

“It is a distinct pleasure to be recognized for a project for which we have so many personal connections,” said lead designer Nader Tehrani of Office dA, who previously spent several years at Georgia Tech as the Thomas W. Ventulett III Distinguished Chair in Architectural Design. Office dA vice president and Georgia Tech architecture alumnus, Dan Gallagher, also served on the design team. “For me, the time as Ventulett Chair was such a platform for research and development; and for Dan, this project is a profound contribution to his alma mater.”

“Hinman contains for me the perfect union of the past, present and future of architectural design and research—what could be more appropriate for Georgia Tech?” said Alan Balfour, dean of the College of Architecture. “I extend my congratulations to the architects Jack Pyburn, who leads the Historic Preservation Studio at Lord, Aeck & Sargent and Nader Tehrani of Office dA.”

Read more about the project and its design.

The $9.5 million project will be unveiled March 30, 2011, at a grand opening event beginning at 4:00 pm with a lecture by the architects and followed by a ceremony and reception at 5:00 pm. The event is free and open to the public and guests will have a chance to tour the building, meet the architectural and construction team and view an exhibition detailing the advanced technology used in the design and construction process. RSVP is required at www.coa.gatech.edu/event/hinman.

About the Georgia Tech College of Architecture
The College of Architecture at Georgia Tech has been a leader in design innovation since 1908. Students, faculty and researchers in the Schools of Architecture, Building Construction, City and Regional Planning, Industrial Design and Music work across boundaries to advance knowledge of designed environments at all scales, producing new realms of experience and creativity. The College of Architecture applies cutting-edge research in partnership with corporate, government and nonprofit agencies through the Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA), the Center for Geographic Information Systems (CGIS), the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology (GTCMT), the Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development (CQGRD) and the Digital Building Lab (DBL). For more information, visit www.coa.gatech.edu.

About Lord, Aeck & Sargent
Lord, Aeck & Sargent is an award-winning architectural firm serving clients in scientific, academic, historic preservation, arts and cultural, and multi-family housing and mixed-use markets. Its Historic Preservation Studio has a national reputation for quality and champions collaboration between preservation and design. The firm’s core values are responsive design, technological expertise and exceptional service. In 2003, The Construction Specifications Institute awarded Lord, Aeck & Sargent its Environmental Sensitivity Award for showing exceptional devotion to the use of sustainable and environmentally friendly materials, and for striving to create functional, sensitive and healthy buildings for clients. In 2007, Lord, Aeck & Sargent was one of the first architecture firms to adopt The 2030 Challenge, an initiative whose ultimate goal is the design of carbon-neutral buildings, or buildings that use no fossil-fuel greenhouse gas-emitting energy to operate, by the year 2030. Lord, Aeck & Sargent has offices in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Atlanta, Georgia; and Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  For more information, visit the firm at www.lordaecksargent.com.

About Office dA
Office dA was a Boston-based design firm led by principal partners Nader Tehrani and Monica Ponce de Leon. The firm’s work ranged in scale from furniture to architecture, urban design and infrastructure, with a focus on craft, detailing, and precision. Office dA seized on the challenges unique to each project—the peculiarities of a site, requirements of program, and cultural specifications—as the catalysts for transformation in architecture. An investigation of the potentials of materials and construction techniques, sometimes imported from fields outside of architecture, WAS the foundation for every design. Much of the firm’s research WAS dedicated to an exploration of how to improve on contemporary modes of construction, investigating both industry standards as well evolving technologies derived from digital manufacturing processes. The firm’s focus on detailing, materials, and technology established a unique design process that encourages architectural invention and the production of knowledge.

About Nader Tehrani
Nader Tehrani is the founder of the newly formed "NADAAA.” In collaboration with Dan Gallagher and Katie Faulkner, Tehrani will oversee the design of a range of new projects, including two new schools of architecture, a model home gallery in Korea and the Bridge Barriers projects at Cornell University.
Tehrani is a Professor of Architecture and the head of the School of Architecture at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received a B.F.A. and a B. Arch from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1985 and 1986 respectively, and continued on to the Harvard Graduate School of Design where he received his M.A.U.D in 1991. Tehrani has taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Rhode Island School of Design, and Georgia Institute of Technology, where he served as the Thomas W. Ventulett III Distinguished Chair in Architectural Design. His area of research is focused on innovations in building systems, material application, and the transformation of the building industry, with an emphasis on digital fabrication. While a principal at Office dA, Tehrani received numerous awards, including the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award in Architecture, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Architecture Award, the Harleston Parker Award, and 13 Progressive Architecture Awards. His work has been exhibited widely, including such venues as the Museum of Modern Art, the Venice Biennale and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.