For Immediate Release: December 12, 2007
HGA Architects and Engineers Wins Two Honor Awards for Architectural Excellence
Minneapolis, MN - HGA Architects and Engineers (HGA) received two Honor Awards through AIA Minnesota for the Ramsey County Library in Maplewood, Minnesota, and the Wall of Discovery at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Both projects were noted for their innovative design solutions that reinforce a sense of place making and community. The awards were announced at the 73rd Annual AIA Minnesota Convention %26 Exposition in November.
HGA designed the 31,000-square-foot Ramsey County Library-Maplewood as a compatible neighbor to the adjacent community park and wetlands. Two modular components define the library; the entry component, oriented toward the street, is clad in an expanded metal rain screen system, anodized to achieve an array of colors and patterns. The second architectural form, oriented toward the park and clad in zinc shingles, houses the library's main collections and major patron spaces within a flexible floor plan.
The library meets LEED certification requirements through HGA's design strategies including site orientation, mechanical systems, daylighting and material selection. HGA saved over half of the existing trees on the site through careful building and construction staging. Both new and existing trees provide shade to interior spaces while rain gardens, native grasses and the existing meadow grasses filter run-off and reduce irrigation requirements.
Inside, signage and graphics reflect falling leaves. An art installation by the Heart of the Beast Theatre Company of Minneapolis placed giant paper-mache maple seeds glowing with multilingual letters over the children’s reading area.
The jurors praised the library for the "way the outdoor spaces are incorporated into the architecture. It makes a wonderful 'place.' We couldn't imagine a better gathering place."
HGA's second Honor Award for 2007 went to The Wall of Discovery, a 253-foot-long spatial tribute to discovery. The wall stretches along the north side of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building on the University of Minnesota campus, where the cross-campus walk, Scholars Walk, threads through a narrow alley between buildings.
Original sketches, notes, drawings, and letters from 92 celebrated faculty and alumni approximate the spontaneity of figures on a chalkboard. Among represented items are Seymour Cray's calculations for the first supercomputer, Earl Bakken's schematic diagram for the first transistorized cardiac pacemaker, and architect Ralph Rapson's concept sketch for the Guthrie Theater. Accomplishments range from life-giving Nobel Peace Prize research into disease resistant crop varieties by Norman Borlaug to the cultural commentary of song lyrics by Bob Dylan.
The jurors praised the Wall for being "a profound and important work of urban design. This wall raises the bar of the humane character of the campus. It's about creating connection and telling the story of the institution."
The Ramsey County Library-Maplewood and The Wall of Discovery were among seven projects chosen from 117 submissions. Jurors selected the awards from five categories for Architecture, Housing, Interiors, Restoration %26 Renovation, and Urban Design and Master Planning.
:: View Ramsey County Library -Maplewood
:: View University of Minnesota Scholars Walk/Wall of Discovery
HGA Contact: Julie Luers (612) 758-4000 e-mail JLuers@hga.com
Media Contact: Susan Evans, Evans Larson (612) 338-6999 e-mail susan@evanslarson.com