2011 AIA Gulf States Awards

ALAGASCO CENTER FOR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY

  • Best of Assembly

Contemporary finishes and systems were incorporated into the interior design of the Alagasco Demonstration Center for Energy Technology to reflect the high-tech, innovative nature of the activities contained within. Storage modules for tables and chairs located below glass panels create a spatial separation between the central lobby and the large and small meeting rooms on each side, while large glass doors into the meeting spaces and continuous glass panels above provide views of the heavy timber trusses spanning from space to space, respecting the historical aspects of the original structure.

2008 AIA Gulf States Awards

“Williams Blackstock Architects was awarded a regional honor for its architectural work on the Innovation Depot in downtown Birmingham.
The Gulf States chapter of the American Institute of Architects gave the Birmingham-based architect an Honor Citation for its work in renovating the former Sears building into a state-of-the-art business incubator.”
— Birmingham Business Journal

Inovation Depot

  • Honor Award

The renovation of Innovation Depot was a challenging project aimed at bringing new life to an abandoned Sears department store. The design concept opened up the existing windowless building by replacing the graffiti-covered masonry walls with a sleek, glass façade – pulling ample natural light throughout the entire space. The large floor plate, more than one football field in length, serves as a “main street” corridor leading to office and shared administration space and is punctuated with a monumental stair and steel-framed elevator shaft in a central, two-story atrium. Existing concrete ceilings, columns and building systems were left exposed to symbolically mirror the innovation and creation process that occurs within the incubating businesses in the building.