Best of 2005 Awards

Utility Temple Maintenance Garages

Award of Merit: Small Projects (under $10 million)

A maintenance shed is a maintenance shed - unless it's a "Utility Temple," three of which the New York City Housing Authority completed earlier this year.

In the eyes of the Best of 2005 judges, these nifty brick-faced buildings - which range in size from 1,800 to 4,000 sq. ft. - prove that with a bit of whimsy and flourish, the most humble of structures can become an architectural asset.

"This is a truly good small project," one judge said. "I think the Housing Authority should be commended for taking what could have been nothing buildings and trying to do something with them on the grounds of public housing."

The garages, which cost $800,000 and $2 million to build, house maintenance vehicles and equipment for complexes in three boroughs - the Jackie Robinson Houses on Park Avenue in Manhattan's East Harlem district; the Edmund Borgia Butler Houses on Webster Avenue in the Bronx; and the Queensbridge Houses on Vernon Boulevard in Queens.

Three project teams broke ground in 2003 on designs created by Hall Partnership Architects of New York: Queensbridge starting that April; Butler in August; and Jackie Robinson in September. Work on all three finished this year - Jackie Robinson in January; Butler in February; and Queensbridge last month.

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While the structures have expected features in a garage, such as galvanized steel roll-down doors and galvanized metal roofs, they also have brick facing, iron fencing, and skylights - small touches that make an aesthetic difference.

"[There's] very elegant detail in the façade," one judge said. "It's just great."

Each garage has singular features. For instance, the Jackie Robinson has a waterproofing "rain wall" on the exterior infill walls that allowed the team to hang the distinctive façade without using sealants.

The architectural team used proportion, materials, and color to "enliven" the setting despite a limited budget, a goal achieved in the panel's view.

"It was very nicely done," one judge added.

Key Players

Owner: New York City Housing Authority

Architect: Hall Partnership Architects

Mechanical & Electrical Engineer: George Langer Associates

Structural Engineer: Goldreich Engineering

Queensbridge North/South Houses:

General Construction: N.S.P. Enterprise

Edmund Borgia Butler Houses:

General Construction: Pelcrete Construction

Landscape Architecture: Michel & Associates

Jackie Robinson Houses:

General Construction: GKC Industries