Best of the best

The Architectural Woodwork Institute presented its 2016 Standards of Excellence Awards in October at its 64th annual meeting and convention in Kansas City, Mo.

The awards recognize “the best of the best” in fine architectural woodwork from features appearing in AWI’s quarterly Design Solutions magazine.

“Each year, AWI conducts a two-year retrospective review of approximately 32 fine architectural woodwork projects and a panel of judges votes to determine the best projects in specific project categories such as retail, hospitality, public facility, corporate office and education facility. As part of the annual judging, one special project inevitably rises to the top of the finalists and is distinguished as the overall standard of excellence winner each year,” AWI executive vice president Philip Duvic says.

The top prize went to Stephenson Millwork Co. of Wilson, N.C., for the Talley Student Union Center project at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C. It features a multi-story wooden trellis of the school’s wolf mascot.

“It is a signature feature not only of the building, but also of the university. Extensive study between the architectural millwork company and the architect was required to develop and deploy this unique work of art. Product selection, finish, geometry and fastening/anchoring details could not have been accomplished without Stephenson Millwork’s leadership and collaboration,” university spokesman Charlie Marshall said in a statement.

Other category winners included:

Corporate: Montbleau & Associates of San Diego. Project: Law offices of Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch in San Diego.

Hospitality: Allegheny Millwork in Lawrence, Pa. Project: Horseshoe Casino Caesars Entertainment in Baltimore.

Residential: Tech 2000 Woodworks of Jeannette, Pa. Project: City View Apartments in Pittsburgh.

Education: Accurate Custom Cabinets of Addison, Ill. Project: College of DuPage Student Resource Center in Glen Ellyn, Ill.

Public Facility: Keystone Millwork of Bryan, Texas. Project: Austin Independent School District Performing Arts Center in Austin, Texas.

For more, visit www.awinet.org.

— Jennifer Hicks

This article originally appeared in the December 2016 issue.