Piano and Pfifer Win AIA Awards

The American Institute of Architects has unveiled its 2009 Honor Awards, an annual event in which 25 projects in architecture, interiors, and urban planning are recognized as exemplary works. Two New York projects made the cut for architecture, and merit a celebratory glance.

The New York Times building by Renzo Piano



The jury described it as serene in contrast to its surroundings, which includes the chaotic Port Authority. Its transparent lobby is appropriately reminiscent of the lines of the New York Times print, as its skin is draped with a screen of horizontal ceramic rods that control sunlight entering the building.

The Salt Point House by Thomas Pfifer and Partners



This residential project is a 2,200-square-foot gem clad in stained cedar, punctuated with skylights, and lined in maple plywood with stainless-steel ends that reflect its wooded landscape.