The Hoover Institution’s David and Joan Traitel Building won an award on Wednesday for its unique and original interior architectural design.
The Merit Award was presented to the building’s architects and designers—William Rawn Associates (WRA) and CAW Architects—by the Silicon Valley Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Erik Tellander of WRA and Mousam Adcock of CAW accepted the award on behalf of their firms at an October 17 event in the Traitel Building.
A jury of AIA members, which evaluated the projects anonymously, selected the winners in each category. On the Traitel award, jury member Renee Y. Chow said her group examined the challenges of working on a campus like Stanford, especially close to the campus core and the existing Hoover buildings.
Chow said, “The wood screening between entry and the pavilion, and the interior reinterpretation of the classic Stanford arcades as well as the integration of natural and artificial lighting, were highlighted as some of the reasons for this Merit Award.”
David Lenox, university architect for Stanford, said at the awards ceremony that Traitel has offered Hoover “world-class convening spaces” that foster community, dialogue, and intellectual engagement.
“The architecture, through its transparency and spirit, sends the message that the Hoover Institution is vibrant and engaged with the university. The design detailing is tailored, both on the inside and out, with scale [and] rhythm, while respecting its important neighbor, the Main Quad, and acknowledging and deferring to the Hoover Tower axis,” said Lenox, adding a special thanks to Hoover and its assistant director for operations Jeffrey Jones for inviting the AIA to hold its event in Traitel.
The interior architecture category was open to interiors projects, and entries from across the Silicon Valley region included renovations, additions, preservation projects and new construction. The awards were based on a variety of features, including unique design, originality, sustainability, budget, and use of environmental surroundings.
For more fifty years, the Silicon Valley chapter of AIA has identified high-caliber regional architecture and design through its design awards program.
Amy Ress, AIA director, said, “The awards recognize and celebrate outstanding achievements in architecture and design of Silicon Valley individuals and organizations as well as celebrates the distinguished work of architects and related professionals from afar who contribute to the local built environment of Santa Clara County.”
Earlier this year, the Traitel Building’s sub-contractor Cal Drywall won a gold award for construction excellence on the facility. The Gold award was received in the “education greater than 50,000 square feet” category. The 55,000-square-foot Traitel Building included a complex set of design criteria and a very tight delivery schedule, the award description noted.
Traitel opened in September 2017, reflecting Hoover’s impressive growth and opening up a whole range of new educational activities with direct engagement of Hoover scholars in a state-of-the-art environment.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Clifton B. Parker, Hoover Institution: 650-498-5204, cbparker@stanford.edu
