RWA Architects was recognized this past week at the 11th annual American Institute of Architects (AIA) Cincinnati Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN) Awards. This year, RWA received an Honor Award for a new, custom-built home on Walloon Lake in Michigan.
Perched well above the beautiful, blue waters of Walloon Lake sits this new house that exudes a feeling of lakefront living. The 4,600 square foot wavy clapboard and stone clad house is nestled into its sloping site to allow the first floor and wrap around covered porch to be elevated on the lakeside, maximizing views down to the shoreline below and out onto the lake.
One of the most prominent features is the wrap-around, covered porch showcasing peeled log columns, brackets and railing. Its breadth and depth creates shaded areas for seating around an outdoor fireplace and ample room for rocking chairs and hammocks for those hot summer days. Just inside the covered porch is the primary living and dining spaces featuring wood beam and paneled ceilings, with each space anchored by the generous masonry fireplace.
The Kitchen faces both the front of the house and has visual and functional connection to the back of the house, making for convenient service to outdoor grilling and food serving. One enters the house through a peeled log canopy structure into a voluminous wood paneled entry hall.
The entry hall features stairs to the second floor with custom-designed railing and presents a view of the lake straight through the house. Upstairs are four en suite bedrooms including the master bedroom. Each of the bedrooms has it’s own distinctive architectural detail and character. Access from the house to the lakeside flows out from the first floor covered porch, grilling terrace, and lower level.
Member City of Cincinnati Energy Conservation Grant Committee 2010 -2012
Member of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Cincinnati Regional Chapter
Co-Chair of the Cincinnati AIA Congress of Residential Architecture Committee (CORA), 2005-2007
AIA CRAN AG Chairman 2013, AIA CRAN AG Incoming Chairman, 2012
Founding Member of CRAN KC Advisory Group, 2006 – 2011
Member of the National AIA Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN) advisory committee 2005 – Present
Member of Cincinnati AIA Cincinnati Design Awards (CDA) Committee, 2005-Present
Recipient of AIA Cincinnati Chapter Presidents Award, 2005
American Ground Water Trust Workshop, LEED Platinum Design: A Path to Net Zero Energy Building Considerations in the going the Distance to Net Zero, 2013
Co-presenter of presentation entitled “Are Your Residential Architects Providing (or Finding) Membership Value,” AIA Grassroots, Washington, D.C. 2012
Co-presenter of presentation entitled “Adding Value to Your Members and Dollars to Your Budget through Knowledge Community Connections,” AIA CACE/KLA, Philadelphia. 2011
Served on the Steering Committee for the AIA Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN) 2013 National Symposium, “Elevating the Art of Residential Design & Practice” Santa Fe, NM
Served on the Steering Committee for the AIA Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN) 2012 National Symposium, “Elevating the Art of Residential Design & Practice” Newport, RI
Served on the Steering Committee for the AIA Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN) 2011 National Symposium, “Elevating the Art of Residential Design & Practice” New Orleans
Served on the Steering Committee for the AIA Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN) 2010 National Symposium, “Looking back to Move Forward” Austin, TX
Served on the Steering Committee for the AIA Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN) 2008 Leadership Conference in Minneapolis, “Learning from the Lakers” Minneapolis, MN
Served on the Steering Committee for the AIA Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN) 2007 National Symposium, “Full Spectrum Practice” Chicago, IL
Co-presenter of presentation entitled “Trends and Tools for Custom Residential Architects” at the 2006 AIA National Convention for Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN)
Co-presenter of presentation entitled “What to Look for in Best Practices for Residential Contractors” Congress of Residential Architects (CORA), Reinvention 2005, Coral Gables, FL December 2005
Member of Contemporary Art Center – Present
Member of Cincinnati Art Museum – Present
Docent, Cincinnati Art Museum, 2008 – Present
Member of the Hyde Park Business Association
Member of the Board of Directors for Mercy Neighborhood Ministries, 2007-Present
President of the Board of Directors for Healing Connections Associates, Inc., 2005-2007
Past Member of the Board of Directors for Healing Connections Associates, Inc., 1998-2005
Past Member of the Board of Directors for Chatfield College, 1999- 2005
Past Member of the Mariemont Planning Commission, 1999-2002
Past President and Board Member of Historic Southwest Ohio (HSO), 1990-1996
Participated in a charrette for the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood on January 19, 2008, sponsored by the Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Preservation Association, and AIA Cincinnati. The charrette highlighted design opportunities for in-fill projects within the historic neighborhood. Approximately 120 people attended.
One of six jurors who reviewed spring semester graduate thesis presentations at Miami University Department of Architecture and Interior Design 2015
Juror for the Master’s degree program, SEC Studio, Advanced Building Design, University of Cincinnati SAID, Summer Semester 2017
