2023 AIA Regional and Urban Design Award Winners Revealed

2) East End Transformation (ST. LOUIS, KIERAN TIMBERLAKE, TAO+LEE ASSOCIATES, BNIM)

With the help of a 2014 master plan, this project will convert over six acres of parking lots into a landscaped area with grass, trees, and other plants. There is now a vast park, and five new academic buildings surrounding the university’s landmark Brookings Hall since hundreds of parking spots were moved underground.

The Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, and other cultural landmarks are all located within Forest Park, a 1,300-acre space that the project has considerably improved.

3) Van Leesten Memorial Bridge (PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, INFORM STUDIO)

The Van Leesten Memorial Bridge is a repurposed section of Interstate Highway 195 that links five of the city’s most valuable communities and landmarks.

The bridge is more than just a thoroughfare; it is an attraction in its own right, with various interactive programming modes designed to bring city dwellers together and encourage them to get to know one another.

A striking representation of Providence’s revitalization, the bridge accepts its role as a connector between the eastern and western ends of Waterfront Park by creating a public area that balances the needs of people and nature.

4) Thaden School Master Plan (BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS, ESKEW DUMEZ RIPPLE)

This strategy supports establishing an independent school in quickly developing Bentonville, Arkansas, and challenges standard education paradigms. Thaden School’s three-pronged curriculum emphasizes on-site practical learning while maintaining the connection to nature and the community.

The team, the community, and the leadership at Thaden School worked together to establish the overarching strategy, which investigates how a school can support a developing urban environment while also introducing its students to the region’s longstanding agricultural identity.

The team’s original idea was for a campus with an “urban pastoral” feel that combines the revitalizing effects of city growth with a nod to the region’s agricultural heritage and, in particular, its traditional homesteads.

5) Railyard Park (Rogers, Arkansas, Ross Barney Architects, AFHJ Architecture/Planning)

Rogers’ downtown area has been revitalized thanks to the initiative, which was guided by a thorough community involvement process that streamlined and linked new activities.

The project began with numerous workshops and open days incorporating several interactive and visual technologies. Along with live events, the team also used an online poll to reach out to the community and gather feedback, which they then used to analyze the park’s top objectives.

The overwhelming amount of information collected influenced the park’s final design and gave locals a genuine and vital voice in its creation.