Memphis firms claimed seven of the 20 statewide 2021 design awards announced this month by the American Institute of Architects, Tennessee (AIA Tennessee).

LRK Architects won two awards and shared a third, archimania won two, and Bounds & Gillespie Architects, Designshop and UrbanARCH won one award each.

The jury unanimously selected 20 projects for recognition out of the 98 submissions, according to AIA Tennessee.

Bounds & Gillespie in association with LRK received an Award of Excellence in the restoration/renovation category for its design for Central Station hotel. The project featured a “fun and whimsical interior design approach with a lot going on — pops of neon, signage, different furniture,” the jurors wrote. “Overall, a hipster interior. Jurors felt it was in keeping with the historic building but elevating it with a sophisticated restraint that just made it all work.”

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Archimania also received an Award of Excellence honor in the new construction category for its design of the Allison & Graham residences, a grouping of three homes near the Shelby Farms Greenline in East Memphis.

“Jurors were moved by how incorporating clear forms on the site in a multifamily complex worked elegantly together,” jurors wrote. “The design expresses an extremely innovative, simple and materially clear housing pavilion approach. They greatly valued the provision of well-designed homes at an affordable end of the spectrum.”

LRK received a Merit Award in new construction for the new Wiseacre brewery building Downtown.

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The incorporation of art and architecture impressed the jury.

“Felt like the designers were having fun with this project and it shows,” the jurors wrote. “The building comes alive at the corner with its transparency, lighting and artwork. It really pops, both during the day and night. The architecture creates a transformative and interesting juxtaposition to surrounding buildings. It could have easily been another big box or another traditional brewery, but chose to defy expectations.”

LRK also received a Merit Award in the interior-architectural design category for the Tower Venture offices in Downtown’s renovated Tennessee Brewery.

“Jurors felt the design offered a nice, very precise insertion into existing spaces that flowed into a cohesive spectrum between old and new,” jurors wrote. “Saw harmony to the elements and rawness of space, graffiti, wrought iron, furniture selections and views across the atrium.”

Archimania also won a Merit Award in the interior architectural design category for Belly Acres restaurant.

“Jurors felt that the designers presented a clear idea and ran with it,” the panel wrote. “A bit weird, definitely unique and overall pushed the envelope on playful design. The pink tractor added fun and whimsy. Liked that they tried to do something very different.”

Designshop received a Merit Award in the interior architectural design category for the Edge Motor Museum in the Edge District.

Jurors wrote about the “clear delineation between what was old and new and liked the clarity of this. Not an easy project to do or do well. The cars on display in the façade (are) a beautiful expression of the building’s purpose.”

And UrbanARCH received a Merit Award in the restoration/renovation category for the mixed-use Crow Residence and (Crazy Gander) coffee shop Downtown.

Jurors wrote of the “successful renovation of this building into mixed-use and the relationship of the coffee shop to the residence. The stair and roof addition of a corrugated box adds interest. Clean and elegant design decisions showcase the old and new.”