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NewswireToday - /newswire/ -
Princeton, NJ, United States, 08/19/2008 - Princeton-based KSS Architects won the Gold Award in the Brick Industry Association's 2008 Brick in Architecture Awards for their design of the Denville Township Municipal Building in New Jersey.
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The Brick Industry Association has named KSS Architects' design of the Denville Township Municipal Building as the Gold Award Winner in its 2008 Brick in Architecture Awards. Judges selected the 28,000 sf masonry building from 21 entries in the Government-Municipal category submitted by firms nationwide. The project was completed earlier this year.
Edmund Klimek, AIA, a KSS partner and the partner-in-charge for the project, said he was honored by BIA's recognition of the building design. "Our design was about establishing the aesthetics of the building," Klimek said. "We wanted to convey a sense of tradition and permanence, and the use of brick masonry was integral to accomplishing these goals."
The new municipal building is clad with large expanses of red clay brick masonry in exterior walls, projecting bays, roof gables, and vertical planes cantilevered into space. Created from a collection of geometric shapes, the building achieves depth and complexity from the shadows that form on multidimensional layers of brick masonry. Even the signage for the building is set in a brick knee wall.
KSS' design specified durable, high-quality materials throughout the building exterior, including cast stone at the lintels, trim and coping stones, metal roofing on the barrel vault above the courtroom and on the steep gable above offices, and extensive traditional windows in rooms accessible to the public. The details and use of traditional materials give the building a timeless appearance and create a warm and inviting civic place for the greater community.
The building replaced Denville Township's existing facility, a former elementary school whose size and layout limited Denville's ability to deliver municipal services. The township asked KSS to assess their needs and propose recommendations for renovations. After conducting an investigation developed collaboratively with the township, KSS proposed an innovative solution that also made economical sense: Start over. Construct a new building appropriately sized and laid out for the township's needs on the same site, but situate it more prominently to the community it serves.
The building was built in three phases, allowing the township and its services to remain open to the public during construction as township functions transitioned over from the existing building, which was later demolished. APS Contracting, Inc., was the builder for the project. Watsontown Brick Company and Glen-Gery Corporation were the brick manufacturers.
In their letter to KSS, the BIA wrote, "[O]ur judges were notably impressed with the architectural design and use of clay brick found on the Denville Township Municipal Building." A complete list of winners is available from the Brick Industry Association's (gobrick.com) website.
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