The new Gray Middle School project was presented with a Merit Award from the American Institute of Architects/ Washington Council (AIA/WA) at its Civic Design Awards ceremony on May 14. The AIA/WA is a professional society comprised of registered architects in the state of Washington. The AIA/WA Web site at www.aiawa.org gives the following information.
Each year, the AIA|WA holds the Civic Design Awards (CDA) to honor contributions to great civic design. The CDA awards pay tribute to excellence in public architecture. Those who win are those who create bold designs while partnering with the surrounding community to represent local values.
There are three categories of awards; designation of each is determined by established criteria. The categories are: Honor, Merit and Citation Awards. The 2009 CDA jury included Rick Sundberg, FAIA, LEED, principle for OSKA Architects; Matt Cohen, Washington State University, assistant professor of architecture; and Kathryn Merlino, University of Washington, assistant professor of architecture.
Project managers Christy Barrie, the Tacoma Public Schools, and Liz LeRoy, Alliance Construction Management, attended the awards ceremony to receive the award on behalf of the district.