This year, seven of the nine Municipal Art Society (MAS) MASterworks Awards will go to projects in Brooklyn. The annual awards—selected by a jury of architects, interior designers and editors—are given to projects that make a significant contribution to New York’s built environment.
“We are thrilled that all the winners this year are in the outer boroughs, proving that design excellence is happening throughout the city,” said MAS President Vin Cipolla. “MAS congratulates all of the winning design teams and thanks them for enhancing New York City, one project at a time.”
Weeksville Heritage Center
The Weeksville Heritage Center (Caples Jefferson Architects) will receive the Award for overall “Best New Building.”According to the MAS, it is a unique urban design project that uses modern architectural syntax with African riffs to create a sweeping gateway to a historic 19th Century African American freedmen’s settlement.
LeFrak Center at Lakeside and Brooklyn Bridge Park
The “Best Restoration” award will go to the Englehardt Addition, Eberhard Faber Pencil Factory (Scott Henson Architect, LLC); the “Best Neighborhood Catalyst” award will go to the BRIC Arts Media House & Urban Glass (LEESER Architecture); and “Best New Urban Amenity” will go to LeFrak Center at Lakeside (Tod Williams and Billie Tsien Architects); and Brooklyn Bridge Park (Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.) will be recognized as “Best Urban Landscape.”
The Queens Museum and the NYC DDC Zerefa Avenue Emergency Medical Services Building
This year’s MASterworks also recognized two new design categories. “Best Adaptive Reuse” will be awarded to The Queens Museum (Grimshaw Architects) and the NYC DDC Zerega Avenue Emergency Medical Services Building (Smith-Miller and Hawkinson Architects) will take home the award for “Best New Infrastructure.”
Edible Schoolyard at P.S. 216 and P.S. 261 School and Community Playground
Additionally, “Best Green Design Initiative” honors will be given to Edible Schoolyard at P.S. 216 (WORKac) and P.S. 261 School and Community Playground (SiteWorks Landscape Architecture, commissioned by The Trust for Public Land).
This year’s jury included Tommy Craig, Senior Managing Director, Hines Development; Judith DiMaio, Dean, School of Architecture and Design, New York Institute of Technology; Susannah Drake, Principal, DLANDSTUDIO Architecture + Landscape Architure pllc; Kitty Hawks, Kitty Hawks Interior Design; and William Menking, Editor-in-Chief, The Architect’s Newspaper.
The 2014 MASterworks Awards ceremony will be held at 4 Columbus Circle on July 31 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Tickets include drinks and light fare and will be $50 or $25 for MAS members.
