Bonin Architects Receives AIANH Excellence in Architecture Design Awards

Top Quote Bonin Architects Lakefront Cottage Recognized at 2011 American Institute of Architects NH Excellence in Architecture Design Awards. End Quote
  • Boston, MA-NH (1888PressRelease) January 28, 2011 - Bonin Architects & Associates, PLLC, New London, NH, received the Merit Award for Residential Architecture for their Lakefront Cottage Renovation. The project was also awarded the People's Choice Award. Each entry is judged on overall design excellence including aesthetics, clarity, creativity, appropriate functionality, sustainability, building performance, and appropriateness with regard to fulfilling the client's program. The entries were also previewed in the January/February 2011 issue of NH Home Magazine. Winning entries will be featured in a future issue.

    Residential Architecture: Lakefront Cottage Renovation
    Architect: Jeremy Bonin, Bonin Architects & Associates, PLLC
    Merit Award and People's Choice Award, Residential Architecture

    Project Description:
    Originally one of eleven cabins on "The Point", the recently subdivided property left this and one other cabin in close proximity to the beautiful beach and lake. Removal of the 'point' cabin allowed for a meandering path from renovated cottage to the dock as well as substantially opening the view to the lake from the remaining cabin.

    A newly exposed cathedral ceiling is warm and inviting as are the reused and repositioned windows and doors for capturing lakeside views and breezes. Salvaged and refinished from the cottage are framing lumber, T&G boards and floors. Finishes and materials are low or no VOC products and even the woodstove is a found item making a new home in this beautiful location.

    With material reuse and minimal site impact as two principal goals throughout the design and renovation process, the resultant cabin provides for three seasons of comfortable lakefront access and family gatherings.

    The 2011 jury was comprised of representatives from the State of Maine's architecture community: James A. Sterling, AIA, Portland; Ellen Belknap, AIA, SMRT Architects, Portland; and Walter Arsenault, AIA, Fraser Matson Architecture & Planning, Falmouth.

    Juror Comments: "Understated, simple, cost effective renovation. Excellent use of limited space. Restrained and authentic in use of materials and details. In some ways, this is the most appealing project …. maybe it speaks to the desire for simplicity in all of us."

    "This project was fantastic to work on," commented Architect Jeremy Bonin, AIA NCARB LEEDAP. "Preservation, restoration, adaptive reuse and repurposing all had a hand in the process. Designing something with new materials is relatively linear and clean, the process of working with a site and building as they exist always presents unique challenges and opportunities for creativity dictated by necessity."

    "The care and thought invested into this project by the Webers was astounding," adds Bonin Architects' Principal Partner Kimberly Bonin. "They considered future use in site planning, historic precedent and were considerate of the delicate nature of a lakefront property."

    When asked about the key to success in the quality of this project, Jeremy Bonin commented, "In any project the first step is design itself; the investigation of existing conditions, the collaborative creative process of design professionals and owners and the continued partnership of owner, builder and architect throughout the construction, all bring about exceptional results, even in a small project such as this."

    More photos of this project can be found on Bonin Architects & Associates website at www.boninarchitects.com.

    About The American Institute of Architects
    For 150 years, members of The American Institute of Architects have worked with each other and their communities to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and cityscapes. AIA members have access to the right people, knowledge, and tools to create better design, and through such resources and access, they help clients and communities make their visions real. www.aia.org

    About Jeremy Bonin and Bonin Architects & Associates, PLLC
    Jeremy Bonin, a principal partner of Bonin Architects & Associates, is an award-winning architect and the author of TIMBER FRAMES: Designing Your Custom Home. Jeremy has a special interest in sustainable design and green homes with a specialty in green building and renewable energy systems.

    Bonin Architects & Associates, led by Kimberly Bonin and Jeremy Bonin AIA NCARB LEED AP, is a national architectural firm licensed in New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York.

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