George Smart, Honored with the 2016 AIA Collaborative Achievement Award

by Jonathan McGaha | January 27, 2016 12:00 am

George Smart, through his tireless efforts with North Carolina Modernist Houses[1] (NCMH), has created a fresh awareness of modern architecture in the minds of the public. NCMH’s impact has grown from the local level, to state, and now national through a wealth of programs and initiatives for a growing range of people. The Collaborative Achievement Award[2] recognizes and encourages distinguished achievements of allied professionals, clients, organizations, architect teams, knowledge communities, and others who have had a beneficial influence on or advanced the architectural profession. Smart will be honored at the 2016 AIA National Convention[3] in Philadelphia in May.

Smart, through his work at with NCMH, has created an online archive that is now the largest single digital inventory of modernist houses in the United States. Civic leaders, historians, real estate brokers, preservationists, students, journalists, and homebuyers can search this index for information on an architect or building. As a result, dozens of modernist houses have been saved from destruction and the public has acquired a new appreciation for modernist design.

Started in 2007, NCMH’s mission is to document, preserve, and promote modernist architecture and not just in North Carolina but also many well-known mid-century modernist houses across the United States. In just six short years, NCMH has built the largest open digital archive for residential modernist architecture with more than 21,000 images covering nearly every house designed by over 200 North Carolina architects and some notable 50 American architects from Eames to Wright. From their extensive online archives to the ever expanding outreach programs, they’ve created a wealth of educational touch points for a growing range of people.

NCMH is filling a void when it comes to true outreach, advocacy, and building a bridge between the public and design professionals. Over time and with a sustained effort, they’ve had an enormous impact on the public perception and awareness of architecture in North Carolina and beyond. Smart, and his army of volunteers who have followed his lead, are now doing all they can to document, preserve, and promote modernist residential design.

The jury for the 2016 AIA Collaborative Achievement Award includes: Drew White, FAIA (Chair), Axis Architecture & Interiors; Ric Bell, FAIA, City of New York, Department of Design and Construction; Sarah Dirsa, AIA, KG&D Architects; Daniel Feil, FAIA, Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission and Jennifer Penner, Assoc. AIA, Studio Southwest Architects, Inc.

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/news/industry-news/george-smart-honored-with-the-2016-aia-collaborative-achievement-award/

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