The 18-month transformation of an 1895 Carnegie Library on the North Side into MuseumLab has received the highest honor, a Silver Award, from the Pittsburgh chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
A five-member jury of Baltimore architects chose small, medium and large project winners of building design awards that were announced Wednesday during an online presentation by the local AIA chapter. Other local projects honored included the AHN Cancer Institute and Sandstone Quarry Apartments, both on the North Side.
Built in 1895 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, the former Allegheny Branch of the Carnegie Library was both restored and renovated to create MuseumLab, a creative and educational space for visitors 10 and older that opened last year. Run by the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, the facility has studios, maker labs, a charter middle school and incubator space for nonprofits.
The architect jurors praised Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel and Koning Eizenberg Architecture for leaving “the patina of the existing building edifice exposed, which sets the stage for creating a world of discovery and imagination.”
The AHN Cancer Institute, a 90,000-square foot addition to Allegheny General Hospital, received the People’s Choice Award. The building was designed by IKM Inc. and was praised for consolidating cancer treatment in a welcoming environment.
The Sandstone Quarry Apartments, part of the redevelopment of Allegheny Dwellings, were designed by Rothschild Doyno Collaborative for Trek Development and the Pittsburgh Housing Authority. The complex of mixed-income townhouses and apartments in Fineview was awarded a certificate of merit.
Its design “presents a fresh vision for the mixed-income site,” the jurors said. “The reconfigured building orientation helps establish new connections and potential for vibrant community development.”
The jurors also praised the Yale Science Building, built for Yale University in New Haven, Conn., for its “holistic approach” and “higher standard” for addressing the needs of scientists. The 282,000-square-foot building was designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and Stantec.
To see the list of award winners, go to aiapgh.org.
Marylynne Pitz: mpitz@post-gazette.com or on Twitter:@mpitzpg
First Published: September 17, 2020, 7:27 p.m.
