Custom Residential Architects Network

For many years my partner and I have been disappointed in the AIA for not representing traditional
residential work both in awards given and in publications.
We both have served on juries and have witnessed the reluctance of many jury members to understand
or value traditional work. Frequently it is a battle to get anything which "looks" traditional to even be
considered or discussed. Vernacular work has a better chance of being considered in an awards program.
This may be because it appears more "abstract" using simpler forms.
I think the jury, which is so critical in design awards, does not always represent the full spectrum of architecture being designed today, or even know how to evaluate certain kinds of work.
I would love to see residential awards programs have two design categories:
Traditional and Non-Traditional Work
This would force a jury to evaluate  both kinds of work as well as define for themselves what it means to be "traditional".  It would be so telling if nothing in the "traditional work" category received any award, or if what received a traditional award looked anything but traditional.
Can CRAN help with this?
Or, even better, should CRAN have their own awards program?

Julie Hacker FAIA
Stuart Cohen & Julie Hacker Architects
Evanston IL
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Hi Julie,

This has been a point of discussion within the CRAN Steering Committee for about two years. The bad news is that we really can't really start our own CRAN design awards and go into competition with the existing (somewhat modern) larger award structure and its housing category. There are AIA financial reasons, and practical redundancy issues because of the overlap.

In response to that... we are now exploring a type of annual compendium (analogous to the old Record Houses) with the AIA that might feature the best of all residential work.  The difference is that it would run with it goal to be "IRRESPECTIVE OF STYLE" and inclusive to all!  There are many different versions of this on the hot stove, but it is being discussed, and hopefully we will have news soon!

David

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David Andreozzi AIA
Andreozzi Architects
Barrington RI
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I would agree that traditional or 'transitional' projects are forever dismissed in residential awards programs.  The wham bam projects with apparently unlimited budgets have consistently been awarded for decades, perpetuating the architect as egotist perception amongst the general public.  Architect juries shoot themselves in the foot at every opportunity to gain traction as a value added profession.  Pardon my gross generalization for effect!

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Rob Brennan AIA
Principal
Brennan+Company Architects
Ellicott City MD
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