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RWA Wins 2019 CPA Award

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This past weekend, RWA Architects was recognized at the Cincinnati Preservation Association (CPA) Awards and Annual Meeting, held at the newly renovated Cincinnati Museum Center. Since its founding in 1964, the CPA has been committed to preserving and developing historical buildings, landscapes, and communities throughout the Cincinnati area.

This marks RWA’s fourth time winning a CPA Award and, as always, we are honored to have our dedication to historical preservation recognized by the prestigious institution. This year’s Rehabilitation Award was given for RWA’s work on the historical International Molders and Allied Workers Union building in Walnut Hills. The headquarters was originally commissioned in 1948 and changed hands multiple times before a local business purchased it and hired RWA Architects to restore the building and upgrade it for use as an office building.

    

Loving neglect and well-intentioned, but low-budget maintenance by these various groups caused the interior of the space to be haphazardly sub-divided into random rooms and offices. With the help and leadership of RWA Architects, the poorly-constructed interior walls that had been erected over the years were removed, creating an open interior floor plan that could take full advantage of the original ribbon windows around each floor.

The steel windows were replaced overtime with  low-quality, vinyl, double hung windows. Glazing with a slight green tint was used to compliment the existing vertical green granite window mulls. When RWA began work on the exterior of the building, they set out to have all exterior granite and limestone finishes, as well as the stainless steel entry door and canopy professionally restored.

Finally, the original elevator was restored, with elements of the original brick elevator shaft exposed, in celebration of the building’s history. A customized photo mural and steel window assembly of the well-known Cincinnati landmark, the Roebling Bridge, invites employees and clients into the elevator.

 

Prior to this year’s award ceremony, RWA was recognized for its work on the following projects (Click on the year below the photo for more information on each project):

2016

 

2014

2011

RWA Celebrates Its 30th Year!

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We are celebrating our 30th year, where experience delivers inspired design and quality results!

 

 

RWA Architects, founded in 1989, is celebrating 30 years of extraordinary growth. What began as a vision to design and build beautiful, sustainable structures has, over the last three decades, grown to become one of Cincinnati’s most successful architecture firms in Cincinnati. At the time of its inception, the new business owners did not foresee one day completing work outside of Cincinnati, as well. Three decades later, RWA has designed projects in Alabama, California, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, Wyoming, and internationally in Canada, all with ties back to Cincinnati.

 

 

The principal architects, Michael Mauch and John Isch have, throughout their careers, welcomed and fostered the talents of young architects and maintained an unwavering focus on timelessness, irrefutable quality, and excellent communication. Their consistent attention to detail and client relationship has given hundreds of clients homes they can thrive in, businesses they can be proud of, and a sense that they have been heard and their personal visions have been realized.

 

 

 

We would like to thank everyone who has been by our side over the last 30 years. Our clients, contractors, suppliers, employees, friends, and family have made the last 30 years possible and such a positive experience. A profound and sincere thank you from all of us at RWA Architects. We are excited to see what the next 30 years bring!

 

RWA Wins Honor Award at 2019 CRAN Awards

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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.

Best Of Houzz 2019

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RWA Architects, Inc of Cincinnati, Ohio

Awarded Best Of Houzz 2019

 

Awarded by Community of Over 40 Million Monthly Users, Annual BOH Badge Highlights Home Remodeling & Design Professionals with Top Ratings and Most Popular Home Designs

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, January 24th, 2019RWA Architects, Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio has won “Best Of Design” on Houzz®, the leading platform for home renovation and design for the seventh year in a row! The high-end architecture firm out of Hyde Park was chosen by the more than 40 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than 2.1 million active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals.

The Best Of Houzz badge is awarded annually, in three categories: Design, Customer Service and Photography. Design awards honor professionals whose work was the most popular among the Houzz community. Customer Service honors are based on several factors, including a pro’s overall rating on Houzz and client reviews submitted in 2018. Architecture and interior design photographers whose images were most popular are recognized with the Photography award.

A “Best Of Houzz 2019” badge will appear on winners’ profiles as a sign of their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area on Houzz.

“Best of Houzz is a true badge of honor as it is awarded by our community of homeowners, those who are hiring design, remodeling and other home improvement professionals for their projects,” said Liza Hausman, vice president of Industry Marketing for Houzz. “We are excited to celebrate the 2019 winners chosen by our community as their favorites for home design and customer experience, and to highlight those winners on the Houzz website and app.”

About Houzz

Houzz is the leading platform for home remodeling and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish – online or from a mobile device. From decorating a small room to building a custom home and everything in between, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community empowered by technology, Houzz is the easiest way for people to find inspiration, get advice, buy products and hire the professionals they need to help turn their ideas into reality. Headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., Houzz also has international offices in London, Berlin, Sydney, Moscow, Tel Aviv and Tokyo. Houzz is a registered trademark of Houzz Inc. worldwide. For more information, visit houzz.com.

RWA Honored with 2016 Rehab Award from the Cincinnati Preservation Award

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In 1987, the last active duty fire fighting squad pulled out of the Norwood Fire Company No.2.  A municipal budget crunch had forced the abandonment of the historic 1914 structure and consolidation of the fire department to a newer, centrally located firehouse.  For nearly three decades, the building sat empty on the main thoroughfare through town.  The roof leaked, the paint peeled, the wood rotted…

After nearly three decades of neglect, a generous donor offered to fund the restoration of the structure as the new home for the Norwood Firefighters Association, a not-for-profit organization that helps members of the community in time of need.  The NFA would use the facility for their offices, fundraising events, and to house a 1920’s Ahrens-Fox fire engine that once served this firehouse as the centerpiece of a new fire fighting history museum.

The project faced numerous challenges, most notably the apparent lack of historical documents, hazardous materials abatement, and several historically insensitive alterations, especially to the windows and doors, that had been implemented over the years. The original windows in the curved bay had long ago been replaced with jalousie style windows. It was uncertain from the onsite evidence whether these windows had once had curved sash or not. Fortunately, after hours of research the name of the original architect, Weber, Werner & Adkins, was discovered which then led to a 1915 publication featuring one photo of the newly built structure. That one photo not only confirmed that the sash had been curved, but it also revealed the original lite and panel design for the carriage doors that had been replaced with upward acting doors sometime prior to 1950. With this evidence in hand, efforts were undertaken to recreate the curved sash, chain and pulley double-hung windows and swinging carriage doors in a historically accurate manner.

 

 

Additional historical data was gleaned from careful analysis of the plaster, windows, doors, and stamped tin ceiling to ascertain the original paint colors. The tin ceiling presented a special challenge in that much of it has suffered corrosion to the point of obliteration and its pattern was no longer in production. Again, through extensive research, a source was found that had the original die, but only for one of the three panel sizes required. With some creative thinking, it was determined that the one available size panel could be made then cut up and soldered together to form the other sizes needed. Also missing was a 10′ length of decorative tin molding.  A mold was made to match the original and this section was recreated in fiberglass.

Throughout the building, vestiges of its earlier life as an active firehouse, such as handwritten notes, decals in lockers, and address directories, were preserved just the way they had been left nearly three decades prior when the last active firefighter walked out the door.

While preserving the building’s history was paramount, several new elements were also incorporated in a sensitive manner to serve the new function for the NFA, including an accessible restroom, portable ramps, and a kitchenette.

Professional photography by Josh Beeman Photography

To see a related article on LEAD Cincinnati, please click here

To see a related article on Cincinnati Refined, please click here

RWA Wins Honor Award at 2016 CRAN Awards

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RWA Architects was recognized at the 8th annual American Institute of Architects (AIA) Cincinnati Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN) Awards Ceremony on Thursday, September 8th.  This year, RWA Architects received an Honor Award for an Architectural Interior of the Adams Crossing Condo Remodel.  We have seen an increase in demand for condo remodeling projects as clients choose a more urban lifestyle or wish to downsize from their current home.

This project included a complete interior renovation of an existing condominium.  The owners moved from their traditionally styled home and wanted to have a new contemporary aesthetic.

The Kitchen includes new custom cabinets with integrated appliances.  The horizontal lines of the Kitchen are accentuated by the room layout, cabinet design, and wall shelves.  The centerpiece of the Kitchen is the island with a walnut countertop with a live edge detail.  The Kitchen is open to the nearby Sitting Room, yet the Sitting Room can be enclosed with double leaf full height pockets doors with frosted glass.

The Master Suite was also totally remodeled.  The suite includes custom cabinets in the Master Bedroom, new enlarged closets, and a new Master Bathroom with fully tiled walls, custom cabinets, and a roomy, enclosed glass shower.

The entire condo is coordinated with white walls, stained oak panels, and new wood flooring.  The minimal, contemporary aesthetic showcases the owner’s artwork and complements the expansive views from almost every room of Mt. Adams, the Ohio River and Northern Kentucky.

Since CRAN’s inception in 2009, RWA has received 22 design awards.  RWA Architects considers it an honor and a privilege to be recognized among many unique and excellent submittals. These awards reaffirm our belief that the quality architecture and unmatched service from RWA is among the best in Cincinnati and the surrounding area.

 

All photos credited to Scott Pease Photography