2014 recipient of AIA Institute Honor Awards for Architecture: SCAD Museum in Savannah.

The SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah is a great example of how to protect old buildings and turn them into spaces for the community. The redevelopment of old freight warehouses to turn them into a museum, one of the 2014 AIA Institute Honor Awards for Architecture recipients.



The team from US-based architecture offices Sottile&Sottile and Lord Aeck Sargent are behind the project to refurbish and reuse the old underground railway freight warehouses built by African slaves in 1853.



The ruins of the only surviving railroad complex from before the US Civil War have been resurrected and this historical monument has been incorporated into the Evans Center for African American Studies at the Savannah College of Art and Design, to become the university art museum.



The comments of the jury confirm that the project is striking because of its sensitive reuse, yet clean break with the past, with the original materials serving as a juxtaposition to the new concrete and glass materials. The old timber was reclaimed as interior finishes.



Sustainable features of the project include the storm-water management system and the highly insulated building envelope.



The south face of the museum opens onto a courtyard that connects with the public squares and green area, while the north-facing section showcases the historic arches. A semi-transparent element acts as a beacon at the building’s entrance.
A new vertical landmark in a district with predominantly horizontal lines, providing an orienting reference as a tribute to the local history,

Project: Sottile&Sottile http://www.sottile.cc/ and Lord Aeck Sargent
Associated Architect: Dawson Architects
Location: Savannah, Georgia, USA
Year: 2013
Photography: Courtesy of AIA, © SCAD, Sottile&Sottile