Contemporaine at 516 North Wells, Chicago
Perkins+Will
Although this 28-unit condominium tower rises higher than most buildings in Chicago’s River North area, a neighborhood of warehouses converted for residential and retail use, its sculptural quality and the articulation of its different functional parts allow it to blend seamlessly into the scale of its surroundings.

Photo © Steinkamp/Ballogg Photography

Agosta House, San Juan Island, Wash.
Patkau Architects
ilt for clients who were relocating from Manhattan, this 2,775-square-foot residence is situated on a 43-acre estate on rural San Juan Island, Washington.

Photo © James Dow

Conservatory of Flowers, San Francisco
Architectural Resources Group in collaboration with Tennebaum-Manheim Engineers
The architect and engineer collaborated to repair and restore the historic building, insert an HVAC system, and strengthen the structure against lateral forces.

Photo © David Wakely Photography

Emerson Sauna, Duluth, Minn.
Salmela Architect
Built for clients who grew up with the Minnesotan tradition of sauna bathing, the Emerson Sauna is a provocative arrangement of forms and materials. The sauna room is located on ground level and lined with brick walls, not wood, to allow for radiant heating.

Photo © Peter Bastianelli Kerze

Somis Hay Barn at the
Lucky Dog Ranch, Somis, Calif.
SPF:a
In designing this barn and stable, the architect was guided by two contrasting styles: the rhythmic rigor and permanence of Modernism, and the rough, ever-changing quality of wabi-sabi, a Japanese aesthetic that finds beauty in imperfection.

Photo © John Linden

Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Restoration architect:QUINN EVANS/ ARCHITECTS; Architect of record: Albert Kahn Associates
The University of Michigan's Hill Auditorium is a Classical Revival work originally designed by Albert Kahn. When it opened in 1913, the acoustics of the parabolic performance hall were among the best of its day.

Photo © Balthazar Korab Photography

Seattle Central Library, Seattle
OMA/LMN—A Joint Venture
The architects sought to give each function of the library its own space, big enough to accommodate future growth, rather than creating generic, unprogrammed rooms. The main reading room, or “mixing chamber,” occupies one level; offices another; and books are shelved in a “spiral” of stacks that rises through the building’s middle levels. [RECORD, July 2004, page 88] Additional web coverage.

Photo © Philippe Ruault

Gannett/USA Today Corporate
Headquarters , McLean, Va
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
The architect designed this corporate headquarters to be flooded with natural light. Shaped like the letter V, its two wings reach toward a pond that doubles as a storm-water-retention basin. [RECORD, May 2002, page 212; November 2003, page 102] Additional web coverage: BW/AR Awards, Project Portfolio.

Photo © Timothy Hursley

Jubilee Church, Rome
Richard Meier & Partners Architects
The architect based the proportional structure of this building on a series of circles and squares. At the church’s southern end, three circles of equal radius define the profiles of the three concrete shells that compose the nave. [RECORD, February 2004, page 100] Additional web coverage.

Photo © Scott Frances/Esto

Shaw House, Vancouver
Patkau Architects
Zoning limited the width of this 3,071-square-foot house to just over 26 feet, so the architect organized spaces vertically: Living areas are grouped at grade level; a music room is located below grade; and private spaces are located above grade. [RECORD, April 2002, page 95] Additional web coverage (Vancoucver House).

Photo © Paul Warchol

Mill City Museum, Minneapolis
Meyer Scherer & Rockcastle
Touted as the world’s largest mill when it opened in 1880, this building—once home to General Mills and Betty Crocker—fell into disuse and was gutted by a 1991 fire. [RECORD, February 2004, page 122] Additional web coverage.

Photo © Assassi Productions

Holy Rosary Catholic Church
Complex, St. Amant, La.
Trahan Architects
The secular functions of this rural church complex are grouped in perimeter buildings that surround an internal courtyard, at the center of which is a chapel. In designing this sacred oratory, the architect was inspired by the womb: a “pure and comfortable” space that lacks directions such as up and down. [RECORD, May 2005, page 246] Additional web coverage.

Photo © Timothy Hursley

Mountain Tree House, Dillard, Ga.
Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects
After the arrival of their grandchildren, the clients wanted to add an extra bedroom and garage to their weekend retreat in the Appalachian foothills of northern Georgia. [RECORD, April 2003, page 170] Additional web coverage.

Photo © Timothy Hursley