Cabinet Recognizes Design Excellence in 8th Annual Signatures of Loudoun Program
Icons of Loudoun old and new were on display at the 2012 Signatures of Loudoun Design Excellence Awards June 5. The Loudoun County Design Cabinet, together with representatives from a student panel, unveiled 10 winners in the annual architecture and design competition before the Board of Supervisors.
The winners for 2012 include the Joan Gardiner Tile Project at Rust Library, the Loudoun Youth Shelter, the Master Gardeners’ Demonstration Garden at Ida Lee, the Mansion Restoration at Morven Park, the Rust Nature Sanctuary, the Mason Enterprise Center at 202 Church Street, and “Pete” Roberts’ Shed, each in Leesburg. Also winning were the Chinn’s Crossing commercial development in Middleburg, Sunset Hills Vineyard in Purcellville, and the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation Headquarters in Dulles.
Loudoun County high school students also participated in the evaluation process with the Design Cabinet, selecting the Mansion Restoration at Morven Park for the annual “Students’ Choice Award.” The distinction is given to the award-winning project that the students feel best represents design excellence in Loudoun County.
“Great communities value and are a result of great design and planning,” says Design Cabinet Chair Al Hansen, director of DBI Architects, Inc. “This year’s winners represent some of Loudoun’s exceptional spaces and buildings for business and community services, and honor the icons of our county which make it like no other.”
The Design Awards are selected from public nominations each winter. They will be on display at Dulles Town Center, the Loudoun County Government Center, and on the Loudoun County Department of Economic Development’s website at biz.loudoun.gov.
The Design Cabinet was formed in 2003 in partnership with the Loudoun County Department of Economic Development. The cabinet is comprised of professional architects, planners, and engineers who volunteer for the county with a mission of encouraging the highest quality physical design.