Atlanta Downtown Design Excellence Award
In 2006, Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) created the Atlanta Downtown Design Excellence Award (ADDEA) to recognize newly created or renovated Downtown spaces that demonstrate distinction in design. With the significant amount of investment in Downtown buildings, CAP intends to showcase the stellar projects that make the community architecturally and spatially unique. ADDEA recognizes achievement in four categories: Community/Residential, Hotel, Office and Restaurant/Bar.
2011 Winners:
Community/Residential: AT&T Dolphin Tales Exhibit - the Georgia Aquarium
Completed in June 2011, the world’s largest aquarium and their design/construction team worked closely to construct Georgia Aquarium’s largest expansion in its history – AT&T "Dolphin Tales" gallery. This innovative 84,000 square feet expansion features 1.3 million gallons of aquatic habitats for Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, a viewing theater for 1,800 guests, a new pedestrian walkway and a comprehensive understory for water support systems. The space’s design called for several non-standard finishes and specialty items to create a unique atmosphere and enhance the guest experience.
Hotel: Hyatt Regency Atlanta - TVS Design LLC
The Hyatt Regency Atlanta’s transformation includes a significant refresh of the hotel's Atrium Tower guest rooms, 22-story atrium lobby, restaurant, lounge, and front entrance. Guests staying in the Radius and International Towers enjoy unique, contemporary designs and top-of-the-line features and finishes. The Atrium Tower guest rooms will reflect a similar re-design.
Office: MLK, Jr. Federal Building (Interior) - The Beck Group/Lord Aeck & Sargeant
The rehabilitation of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Building demonstrates the U.S. General Services Administration’s commitment to continued use of its historic resources, which contribute to the revitalization of Downtown Atlanta. Dedicated in 1933 as the United States Post Office/Federal Annex, the building originally served as the Southeast’s central mail processing facility, leveraging its pivotal location next to the railways and Atlanta’s Terminal Station.
Restaurant/Bar: Sister Louisa's CHURCH - Grant Henry
Sister Louisa's CHURCH of The Living Room & Ping Pong Emporium is the artistic expression of owner Grant Henry's search for meaning in this life and for existential inner peace. Henry’s CHURCH offers thoughtful and provocative discourse at the best value possible. Designed by Grant himself, the bar is packed with “holy paraphernalia” collected over 15 years. Upstairs there's a ping pong table, pews, and a working organ for "Community Karaoke"; downstairs it's a jukebox, chandeliers from a house of worship, and a wooden, 1700s-vintage Yugoslavian confessional booth equipped to take your photo, which you can step into at the end of the night and say "forgive me Father, for I have ginned".
The award winners are determined by a panel of judges including design, planning, and development experts, and, just as important, YOU. Public opinion is one of the factors that the judges consider in selecting the winners.
A panel of judges will tour each site and score them on a variety of design criteria. Here are this year's judges:
Richard Laub
Director, Heritage Preservation Program, Georgia State University
Rebecca Burns
Emmis Publishing Digital Strategy Director/Contributing Editor, Atlanta Magazine
Carie Davis
Global Design Manager, The Coca-Cola Company
Pablo Henderson
Marketing Manager, W Atlanta Downtown
In partnership with Atlanta magazine, CAP will encourage the public to vote on their favorite projects in each category. Winners of the 2011 ADDEA will be announced at Downtown Development Day on the morning of Thursday, November 3 at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta.
