Judges find sparkle in northern Nevada architecture

Sparkles, diamonds and stones - that's what the jurors of the American Institute of Architects Nevada design awards found in the projects they juried, said Ted Lunas, AIA, the jury chair.

The sparkles are like light on water, said Lunas."Delightful." The diamonds are priceless, and the stones - well, those are "ho-hum rocks." There were many sparkles in this year's designs, and excellence, too, he said.

In fact, a full 23 out of the 58 projects entered warranted awards.Most of the projects entered were from the Las Vegas area.

Ten were northern Nevada entries - either designed by northern Nevada architects or projects located in the northern region.And of those ten northern Nevada designs, four won awards.

HMC Architects of Nevada won an Honor award for its interior environment design.

(See the story of this design on page 19.) HMC Architects also won a Merit award in the built category for its design of the Washoe Medical Center Diagnostic and Treatment Pavilion, South Meadows.

HMC Architects Jerry Eich and Tom Cassazza designed the project.

The design brought lines that were "simple and elegant to a very complex program," the jurors said.

There was "especially elegant detailing," they added, and "the shapes are wonderful." Citation awards went to the three other northern Nevada winners.

Joel Sherman, of JLS Designs, a firm with offices in Reno and at Donner Lake, won a citation for its design of the Casa du Lago residence at Donner Lake in the built category.

The design caught the eyes of the jurors with its "interesting plan geometry," the jurors said.

JLS Designs also won a citation award in the unbuilt category for its design of the Waxman residence in Nevada City, Calif.

The design, said the jurors, included "delightful forms - a man-made statement on the landscape." The fourth northern region winner was the Gary Davis Group, which won in the open category for its Ponderosa building renovation, designed by Todd Mather - "redemption from past architectural transgressions," the jurors said of the project, and they lauded the project, too, for its "multiple play (and nice use) of materials." The American Institute of Architects Nevada design awards are presented every year to Nevada architects.

The design projects can be located anywhere in the world, if the architect is licensed in the state of Nevada.

Or, conversely, if the architect is from out of state but the design is in Nevada, it is eligible.