Studio InSitu wins AIA Chapter Award and Citation
Masonic + Button Project recognized in New England Design Awards program.
We have recently been recognized by the American Institute of Architects for excellence in design. The 2021 AIA New England Design Awards Program – Placemaking Through Architecture – celebrated architects from and architecture throughout New England. InSitu received both a Citation Award and a Best of Chapter Award for the firm's design of an apartment in a historic former factory in Northampton, MA.
The AIA jury cited InSitu's use of a savvy geometric economy to create a grand "public" space which reveals the hidden beauty of the former button factory and bicycle manufacturing building, embracing its history and its place within the fabric of the city. The apartment's design reveals the architects' innovative response to a highly constrained volume, employing a flexible design suitable for a private residence or the hospitality market. The studio collaborated with Florence, MA contractors Keiter Builders and Classic Colonial Homes to execute the project. The 'smart-and-small' trend is timely, as municipalities across the Commonwealth consider bylaws to permit accessory dwelling units as a means of addressing the ongoing housing crisis. #AiA #AiAawards #awardwinning #chapteraward #apartment #NewEnglandDesignAwards #smartSmall #studiodesign #Northhampton
The principal of the five-person firm, Tim Hess, was honored to have Studio InSitu recognized among larger and more established firms. The awards dinner took place in the DCU Club at Worcester's new Polar Park baseball stadium. While library buildings on the Harvard University campus and across New England dominated the awards, a Chicago skyscraper, an upstate New York airport, and a family compound in the South of France were also recognized. In all, only six private residences were cited - just two of them in Massachusetts.
Promoting "holistic sustainable placemaking at all scales," Studio InSitu's project list ranges from modern private residences to specialty retail, mixed-use, and cultural projects, and a legacy proposal to replace a Maynard, MA parking lot with a new town Common.
