Recognizing that one can’t compare apples to oranges, Marvin Windows and Doors expanded the scope of its annual Architects Challenge, now in its seventh year: six distinct categories were formed to include both residential and commercial as well as traditional and contemporary projects.
“Marvin’s products complement diverse design styles, given their flexibility,” says Christine Marvin, director of marketing for the company. “This year’s winners showcase the depth and breadth of our products and how they can be integrated in a wide variety of architectural projects and styles.”
And the 2015 awards went to …
Healdsburg Residence
Best in Show: Healdsburg Residence, Healdsburg, Calif.
This single-family home, designed by Nick Noyes Architecture to employ passive and active solar strategies, comprises four gabled wings that emphasize the double-pitched rooflines both inside and out. An open breezeway, transparent entry, and passage zones that incorporate a steel window-and-door system connect the volumes and admit ample daylight. Products used include Ultimate Push Out Casement and Ultimate Swinging French Door.
Russian River Studio. Photo by David Wakely.
Best Contemporary: Russian River Studio, Forestville, Calif.
Cathy Schwabe Architecture designed this house as a multipurpose space for a photographer and a writer. Because two of the work areas borrow light from the main studio space, the architect incorporated windows and doors on all four sides of the main zone, some extra-tall and following the single-pitch roofline, and supplemented these with skylights. Products used include Ultimate Double Hung, Ultimate Casement, and Ultimate Swinging French Door.
Brown’s Bay Residence
Best Transitional: Brown’s Bay Residence, Lake Minnetonka, Minn.
To take advantage of the project site and frame beautiful vistas, Mark Larson of Rehkamp Larson Architects implemented a continuous wall of windows on the elevation facing Brown’s Bay. Meanwhile, the residence’s “spine” is a corridor fashioned into an art gallery with a single window wall that affords expansive views of the rolling yard. Products used include Ultimate Double Hung, Ultimate Casement, Ultimate Fresh Push Out Casement, Ultimate Awning, Ultimate Casement Round Top, and Ultimate Swinging French Door.
Green Hills Residence
Best Traditional: Green Hills Residence, Nashville, Tenn.
Michael Ward and Tyler LeMarinel of Allard Ward Architects reinterpreted an English country house with some modern spins: shiplap-like walls meet brick masonry, clean white and deep, rich paints, and wooden beams, all very naturally complemented by classic casement windows that flood the interior with natural light. Products used include Ultimate Casement.
Adirondack Camp
Best Remodel/Addition: Adirondack Camp, Indian Lake, N.Y.
Jacob Albert and J.B. Clancy of Albert, Righter and Tittman Architects, worked in collaboration with Sally Berk to avoid cliché and ornamentation while still providing whimsy and character to the remodel of a cabin retreat. Windows are strategically placed, and their trims are painted to complement the vibrant pops of color and playful fish-scale siding. An unexpected tower references old fire towers on Adirondack mountaintops and affords lake views. Products used include Ultimate Double Hung and Ultimate Casement.
The Loretta Building
Best Commercial: The Loretta Building, Fargo, N.D.
For a century-old mercantile building, Lee Dobrinz of JLG Architects recreated the historic look on the front façade but took a more modern approach on the rear where a meeting room opens onto an expansive outdoor terrace thanks to a wall of bifold doors. Awning windows form a clerestory above the doors and on a parallel wall portion just beyond for added daylight. Products used include Ultimate Awning and Bi-Fold Door.
The Villa Renewed
Public Vote: The Villa Renewed, St. Paul, Minn.
The public was invited to vote on their favorites, as well, resulting in victory for this historic-district duplex updated by Mark Nelson of Davide Heide Design Studio. The original windows were replaced with energy-efficient ones that meet exacting federal standards and guidelines for preservation while contributing toward LEED points.
The judges of the 2015 challenge included Donald W. Powers, founding principal of Union Studio Architecture and Community Design; Adele Chang, principal at Lim Chang Robling and Associates; and Stephen Muse, senior principal of Muse Architects. Entries were rated on architectural excellence, creative design, and, of course, use of Marvin products.
