Primera is pleased to announce that 12 of our projects were nominated for AIA Chicago Design Excellence Awards. The prestigious awards were presented at this year’s Designight, held in the Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier on October 14th.

John Ronan Architects’ Erie Elementary Charter School project was recognized with a Divine Details Honor Award, which honors projects for advancing the profession of architecture. Erie Elementary Charter School transformed its Humboldt Park campus using colorful concrete panels stacked like blocks, lending to the playful character embodied by the school. With classrooms, computer labs, and a library open to the community on the first two floors, the third floor consists of a gymnasium and recreation center. The new building also includes a rooftop playground allowing the students to fully utilize the space of their urban setting while minimizing the building’s role in the urban heat island effect. Primera provided LEED consulting services for the new charter school project located northwest of downtown Chicago. With Primera’s help, the 17,471-square-foot, K-12 project achieved LEED certification via the LEED-Schools v3.0 rating system in June of 2016.

In addition to the Erie Elementary Charter School win, Primera worked on the following projects, each of which were contenders for this year’s awards:

• O’Hare International Airport South Air Traffic Control Tower (exp)
• Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life (VOA Associates, now Stantec)
• Fermilab OTE Building (Ross Barney Architects)
• Earl Shapiro Hall ( FGM Architects and Valerio Dewalt Train)
• Bramsen Animal Ambassador Pavilion (Booth Hansen)
• UChicago Child Development Center – Stony Island (Wheeler Kearns Architects)
• Gordon Parks Arts Hall (FGM Architects and Valerio Dewalt Train)
• Morgan Park Sports Center (StudioGC)
• Public Building Commission Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center Addition (Holabird & Root)
• The William Eckhardt Research Center (HOK and Interactive Design)
• William Jones College Preparatory High School (Perkins+Will and The Architects Enterprise)

“We have the pleasure of partnering with so many talented design firms,” said Ken Panucci, Senior Vice President and Buildings Division Manager. “Win or lose, it’s nice to see them recognized for their work and celebrated among our peers.”

Each year, AIA Chicago recognizes and honors Chicago firms’ projects for their design ingenuity built across the world. The awards are split in four different categories: Interior Architecture, Distinguished Building, Divine Detail, and 10-year award. Entries are judged using criteria such as the relationship between the architecture and craft, the building’s ingenuity, and more.

See all of the winners here.