The 2010 Orchids & Onions Awards Ceremony & Silent Auction was held on Thursday, November 4, 2010 at the Culy Warehouse in downtown San Diego. The ceremony was emcee'd by Sam "The Cooking Guy" Zien, whose sharp and witty humor was a perfect complement to the commentary of Architect Kevin deFreitas who provided some insighful and inspired food for thought.

Now for the Orchids... click on the link for photos and more information about each - and to let us know what you think (agree? disagree?) by leaving a comment!

We want to hear from you!

Grand Orchid: Conrad Prebys Concert Hall at UCSD

The new concert and office venue features state-of-the-art teaching, rehearsal, practice and recording studios, and world-class performance spaces. The intimate concert hall's stunning interior is an asymmetrical system of triangular wood and plaster surfaces that fold around the room to richly diffuse sound throughout the space. The distinctive geometric form was generated from a melding of architecture, technical building systems and the science of sound.These pragmatic requirements were transformed into an extraordinary visual experience. Built of cast-in-place concrete with open areas on various levels offering expansive views, the jury was struck by its classic lines and timeless quality. The simplicity of the exterior is a complete contrast to the experience that awaits the audience inside. “It is a jewel box”, exclaimed a jury member. As the Music department Chair stated, “Great spaces inspire great music”, the jury agreed in a resounding chorus.

People's Choice Orchid: Elephant Odyssey at San Diego Zoo

This project creates a journey through time, highlighting animals of the past, the present and the future in a new 7.5 acre habitat.  Featuring relatives of animal species that dotted the Southern California landscape more than 10,000 years ago including elephants, lions and wild horses, the project is the largest single design and construction project ever undertaken by the San Diego Zoo.  The architecture of the exhibit carefully and ingeniously responds to the needs and scale of the animals, balancing both large and small with consistent materials and forms that ensure animal, keeper and guest needs are met in ways that encourage interaction and learning.  The Elephant Care Center’s capacity for treatment has achieved such success that even PETA supported the transfer of three threatened elephants from a facility in Texas to San Diego where they have successfully received care and rehabilitation available nowhere else in the world. 

Marston House (Historic Preservation)

The Marston House at the edge of Balboa Park is an excellent example of the Arts and Crafts movement, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Designed and built in 1905 by William Sterling Hebbard and Irving Gill, it was gifted to the City of San Diego in 1987. In February of 2009 its doors losed to the public - until Save Our Heritage Organisation stepped in, and seemingly overnight invigorated the house museum and gardens with tours, special events, and educational activities. One juror said “It’s magnificent. Walking through the home and wandering on the grounds, you can imagine an idyllic life held by the Marston family.” 

DPR Construction Regional Office (Sustainable Design)

This construction company took a typical tilt-up concrete office building nearing obsolescence and turned it into a forward thinking, sustainable and vibrant new office space. Going beyond the minimum sustainability requirements in all aspects, their goal was also to bring the outside in and create a space expressive of their corporate culture. Daylighting and passive ventilation methods brought a new vibrancy to a space that was once a sealed box. As one juror put it “The best parts of the design are sensory, not just visual. You smell fresh air moving through the space and you feel the ebb and flow of natural light from skylights.” The project expresses the company’s commitment and respect for the environment around them - in addition to the open working environment they have created for their lucky employees. All in all it is a great model for transforming San Diego’s inventory of outdated suburban office buildings.

Vin de Syrah Wine Parlor (Interior Design) 

In the fast-paced world of nightclub design, the challenge is to create a special place that remains memorable long after the last sip of a cocktail. Vin de Syrah rises to this challenge. Transforming its unfavorable basement conditions with simple, inventive, budget-friendly solutions, it has turned the typical wine bar concept on its head. Like Alice going through the rabbit hole, you enter a subterranean whimsical wonderland complete with theatrical lighting, spinning parasols and 75 year old vines holding antique glass goblets magically suspended in mid-air. An array of imaginative, yet inexpensive details are revealed everywhere you look, from the used wine barrels transformed into a grand chandelier to the use of mirrors to amplify the room’s volume and connectivity to the artificial hedge disguising hidden doors. But perhaps what is most magical is that the 3,500 sq ft room was completed in under 10 weeks,
by a construction crew primarily made up of less than 6 people - and all for under $250,000.

UCSD Housing, Dining & Hospitality Building (Architecture)

This highly visible structure on Torrey Pines Road makes a bold statement as a physical representation of UCSD to the public.  As the nominator noted, the colors of the glass screen wall create a palette of subtly faceted blue and green water colors that not only provide thermal and sun glare protection, but also complement the waves of the Pacific Ocean, visible in the distance. It was clear to the jury that the design team understood the importance of the building’s impact on the students’ lives because every detail was well-considered and executed. As one juror noted “this project hits the mark on multiple levels: Architecture, Interior Design, and Sustainable Design. It’s not just one thing; it’s several things.” Another juror commented that although the LEED designation is commendable, there was more to this project than just points.  The designers truly endeavored to do the right thing with every design detail, making it a coherent, sustainable and very usable building.

Urban Corps (Social Sustainability)

When the Orchids & Onions jury disembarked the bus at Urban Corps of San Diego, quite frankly, they… liked it. But as they toured, they became mesmerized. From the rooftop garden to the recycling center, and the eco-car wash with water reclamation technology limiting water runoff, the self-sustaining Urban Corps of San Diego educates and trains young adults in the fields of conservation, recycling and community service to assist them in becoming more employable, while protecting San Diego’s natural resources and instilling the importance of community involvement. The jury felt that “sometimes you win an Orchid for having a great design, or sometimes for an even better philosophy.” Everyone on the jury recognized that this building trains, educates and practices what it teaches, and deemed it overwhelmingly worthy of an Orchid.

The Q (Architecture)

Initially conceived as an office building and then redesigned, permitted and converted in 30 days, during construction - to its current mix of residences, retail, and restaurants, has, as one juror observed; “almost single-handedly reinvigorated Little Italy.”  Just like its crafty namesake character “Q” from the James Bond movies, the project features a number of interesting design elements, including the careful integration and adaptive re-use of an historic Victorian house located on the site. The beauty of the The Q’s simple lines and careful execution, with the exposed concrete contrasting with sleek cladding, has transformed this urban infill project into an iconic architectural landmark. As another juror noted, the sophisticated building “uses contemporary materials and exposed structure, to meet the street with a positive urban gesture.”

Community Properties (Social Sustainability)

These are the kind of places that bring people together. In fact, the inaugural Community brand project at Martin Building + Flats, embraces the essence of communal living; including the ability to sign out bikes and skateboards, the incorporation of public art and community gardens and people living and working together and engaging as participating members of the (you guessed it) Community.  All Community properties apply “green” principles of adaptive reuse and sustainability by preserving and smartly renovating existing structures. One juror said he’d “give up his slice of suburbia in a heartbeat for this.” The jury saw this brand of “tastefully reconfigured properties” as a “catalyst for creative and environmentally conscious social interaction.”

Olivewood Gardens (Landscape Architecture)

Nestled amongst single family houses south of San Diego, this project seeks to empower citizens to improve the health and quality of life in the communities within the San Diego-Baja California border region.  Including educational resources in organic gardening and cooking, the project also features the first permitted graywater system in National City.  This garden plants a seed in the community to inspire families and children to build their own sustainable gardens, and becomes a wonderful example of landscape architecture that well exceeded the project’s requirements and expectations.  

Viva la Revolución: A Dialogue with the Urban Landscape (Public Art)

A bold, innovative and multifaceted exhibit featuring a diverse range of international artists linked together by a common focus on urban issues in their work. Located in downtown’s Museum of Contemporary Art, as well as on various walls around the city, Viva la Revolucion, curated by Pedro Alonso and Lucia Sanroman, has garnered national recognition. The exhibit’s commitment to street art as a movement represents an important turning point in its recognition in the art world. The exhibit blurs the lines between fine and street art, and examines how we relate to our city. The jury observed that “Graffiti has always been a part of the fabric of an urban city; and that's where the significance exists. It is compelling and engaging, and has spawned a public cultural iscourse and momentum that will continue to evolve. As part of the Viva la Revolucion exhibit, the jury felt strongly that Shepard Fairey’s Hillcrest mural in particular compels and engages the community, warranting an individual accolade. A juror stated that “his use of controversial iconography from the past and repurposing them as a sort of clip art, to make modern, edgy art is ingenious. In addition, all of the movements that he references deal with oppression of some kind - and he has made these images a celebration.”

St. Bartholomew's Chapel (Interior Design)

“Sublime; Divine; Reverential”…these are just a few of the words the public used to describe this small, yet striking chapel, located on the Rincon Indian Reservation.  The project successfully integrates sustainability, materials, and place; effortlessly blending the natural serenity of the outdoors and the interior space with the innovative use of site harvested building materials.  The interior design retains the essence of the former structure, yet embraces an updated modern aesthetic. Combining  the use of high-tech energy efficient applications, like operable clerestory windows with traditional and sustainable materials such as the massive rammed earth walls molded from 120 tons of sacred reservation soil, the building is both very modern and timeless.  With a nod to past traditions and the incorporation of both Native American and Catholic symbols in very design element, a modern, sacred space has arisen from the ashes of the former chapel, which burned in the 2007 fire. As one juror noted, “the designer used restraint, yet there is grandeur in the space. It is a calm, reflective place that also exposes the public to elegant design.” 

Restoration Project for SONGS Mitigation (Landscape Architecture)

Landscape Architecture often brings to mind images of orderly gardens, surreal parks, or colorful flowers.  Sometimes we forget that an impressive landscape can be had just by appreciating what was already there before people came along and messed with it.  Working together with the California Coastal Commission as mitigation for their San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), the team members will have created and restored 150 acres of ecologically important coastal wetlands on the north coast of San Diego by the completion of the project in 2011.  This project provides critical coastal habitat yet with the added benefits of open space and recreational opportunities for the public.  In construction since 2006, the massive mixed-use-habitat wetlands project has quickly been embraced by Mother Nature, with Biologists at the site having cataloged a tripling of birds including rare and endangered species.