Chambless King Architects projects honored with three awards AIA Montgomery ceremony
On a ceremony on December 13, Chambless King Architects was honored by the Montgomery Chapter of the American Institute of Architects with three awards for two design projects.
The Auburn University Advanced Structural Engineering Laboratory was awarded the Honor Award and City Harbor received an Award of Merit and the coveted People’s Choice Award.
Auburn University Advanced Structural Engineering Laboratory | Honor Award
The Auburn University Advanced Structural Engineering Laboratory provides leading-edge testing and research facilities for civil engineering faculty and graduate students as they work to solve the nation’s growing infrastructure issues.
The facility’s simple building forms are clad in insulated metal panels with pattern created by varied panel widths. Perforated screens add a layer of detail and transparency to the facade while glazing provides daylighting and offers glimpses into the facility. CLT construction (the first at Auburn University) paired with heavy-timber columns and glulam beams within the office wing works in conjunction with the adjoining steel and concrete construction of the laboratory to exemplify multiple structural systems. Additional building systems are exposed throughout the facility to further serve as educational tools, including a displacement ventilation system accented in the high-bay lab and a rainwater storage tank placed in view from lab spaces and the rear courtyard.
Specialty components incorporated into the design include a “strong wall” and “strong floor” capable of handling extreme structural testing loads, a hydraulic pump system, and a geotechnical test pit. The project achieves LEED certification through rainwater management, water use reduction, and optimized energy performance, among other strategies.
City Harbor | Award of Merit + People’s Choice Award
City Harbor is a mixed-use lakefront destination offering an upscale family experience in north Alabama. The site includes public green space, boat docks, vacation rentals, and retail/restaurant space.
The project transformed a forgotten, seemingly unusable peninsula on Lake Guntersville into a thriving mixed-use development that creates a sense of place and offers a new way to experience the lake and surrounding landscape.
Comprising restaurant and retail spaces on the ground floor and event space and vacation rentals above, the design creates a village of distinguishable building forms set apart by their massing and composition but linked by their material palette and connecting structures. A tower designates vertical circulation and, along with the bridge, provides various elevated vantage points. Private residential balconies frame views across the lake while open roof decks create elevated gathering spaces that offer panoramic vistas. Interior space spills out through garage doors to covered patios which line the lakefront and overlook the boardwalk.