2022 Merit Award

WMAIA 2022 Design Awards
MERIT AWARD &
ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE AWARD

Thomas Douglas Architects, Northampton, MA

The River Valley Co-op is a consumer-owned food market that celebrates and strengthens the connection between consumers and the rich network of local and organic producers in the Pioneer Valley.

With thoughtful material selections, drought tolerant landscaping, wetland preservation, net-zero electricity, and state-of-the-art refrigeration and HVAC systems, this new construction project aspires to advance the modern grocery store as a community resource and beacon of a more sustainable future.

Photos by Leigh Chodos

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WMAIA 2022 Design Awards
MERIT AWARD

C&H Architects, Amherst, MA

This high-performance homestead, nestled between farmland and a dense neighborhood, is an example of the growing movement to bridge the gap between residential and agricultural landscapes. The built spaces are carefully sited as a continuation of a residential street providing access to protected open space.

In lieu of a traditional private backyard, the property receives a steady flow of bikers, walkers,birders, skiers, and even livestock, whilst maintaining privacy for the home. Trails and public access are laid out to create a rural homage to Jane Jacobs we call “eyes on the fields.”

Flexible and healthful, this home draws on the vernacular of the past with concern and readiness for the future. A super-insulated envelope uses a low-carbon profile to deliver a resilient space served by all electric / net-zero energy systems. This project embodies our firm’s goal of design for the next hundred years.

Photos by Ethan Drinker

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