Dwell’s annual Bright Ideas Awards—in partnership with Andersen Windows & Doors—celebrate the ways in which daylighting can enhance our built environments. Whether funneling natural light into high-use living spaces or visually connecting us to our surroundings, carefully curated openings have the power to impact the way we live. This year’s awarded residential projects—both single- and multifamily—all exhibit creative approaches to fenestration, as well as a clear focus on architectural, structural, and environmental innovation.

The 2024 Andersen Bright Ideas Awards Winners

The Pavilion House by La Dallman—the 2024 single-family award recipient—is a striking retreat for a multigenerational family in Door County, Wisconsin. Taking cues from the structures that dominate the agrarian landscape—barns, schoolhouses, sheds, and granaries—three distinct volumes with asymmetrical hipped roofs are spaces for the family to live, play, and rest in. Deep roof eaves shelter continuous bands of windows at the home’s south and east elevations, while a decentered oculus—acting as a “light scoop”—is placed at the pinnacle of each volume’s roof. “One of the most important geometric moves was to bring the apex of each pavilion volume in toward the center of the composition so that one always feels that the parts of the house are intrinsically interrelated, leaning in toward each other,” says La Dallman principal James T. Dallman.

In Portland, Maine, a creative infill project transformed an underutilized parking lot into affordable housing—earning Parris Terraces, the 23-unit development designed by Kaplan Thompson Architects, this year’s top multifamily honor. The compact one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartments—ranging from 364 to 540 square feet—were designed to be bright, functional, and efficient. “The secret to making small living spaces feel large is high ceilings and windows that are as large as possible,” says Kaplan Thompson architect Adam Wallace. Navigating a limited floor area while considering privacy and ventilation, the design team strategically placed windows to create the most luminous possible interior given the small footprint. “In order to maximize natural light, we installed tall window units near the ceiling, allowing light to travel deeper into the spaces,” says Wallace.

The 2024 Andersen Bright Ideas Awards Standout Projects

In Minnesota’s West Lakeland Township, PKA Architecture delivered a midcentury-inspired home for transplants relocating from Tennessee. On prairie land with views of heritage oak trees, ponds, and wildlife, the homeowners were adamant that the house be set into the hillside—not on it. Turning to Andersen, the design team selected E-series sliding and hinged doors and 400 Series and 100 Series windows for the project. “Whether it was a specifically placed window to capture an amazing oak tree or a bank of windows to capture the landscape of the savanna, the windows’ flexibility allowed us to highlight the surroundings in a meaningful and purposeful way,” says PKA Architecture managing principal Kristine Anderson.

A San Leandro, California, resident planning to downsize looked no farther than his own garage to spark inspiration for his next chapter. “He noted one day that his garage was really not of much use and that an ADU would make more sense,” says architect Irving Gonzales of his client and friend Steven Glaser. Gonzales—principal at San Francisco–based Gonzales Architects—designed a 508-square-foot ADU for Glaser that prioritizes light and acoustics. Andersen 400 Series casement windows and hinged patio doors were selected for their energy efficiency and aesthetic compatibility with the ranch-style main house—helping Gonzales and Glaser achieve net-zero status for the simple and sustainable ADU.

For an Australian transplant in New York, an A-frame was the clear, albeit unexpected, choice for her family’s Hamptons getaway. Forgoing white shutters and cedar shingles, homeowner Georgina Hofmann opted instead for an architecturally striking A-frame with charred wood siding. “We wanted something that sat in the middle—cozy, distinctive in form, [but] with relevance to the local architecture,” says Hofmann. The A-frame’s dramatic gable includes more than 20 skylights and more than 12 custom Andersen windows, all flooding the home with light. Despite the expansive glazing, the home boasts a net-neutral energy status. “Not easy with so many windows, but we pulled it off!” Hofmann says.

Learn more about the winners at dwell.com/andersen.

Top photo by Kevin Miyazaki

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