Carney Architects, a Jackson, Wyoming Firm, Receives The American Institute of Architects, Wyoming, 2004 Firm of the Year Award and a Design Merit Award
Carney Architects, a Jackson architectural firm, has received two awards from the American Institute of Architects, Wyoming, 2004 Honor and Design Awards program; AIA Wyoming Firm of the Year and a Design Merit Award for the King Street Office Building. The Awards were presented on September 24, 2004 at the annual AIA Wyoming Conference in Jackson, Wyoming. Associates Eric Logan, Kevin Burke, and Jim Cappuccino received the honors on behalf of the firm at an awards ceremony held during the conference.
AIA Wyoming 2004 Firm of the Year Award
Carney Architects was honored to have been selected for the AIA Wyoming Firm of the Year Award. This award recognizes the continuing collaboration among individuals in a firm who have produced distinguished architecture over a period of at least 10 years, and have made significant contributions to the community in which they practice.
Carney Architects started in 1992 around the dining room table of John and Nancy Carney's rented house in Teton Village, Wyoming and has grown into a multi-faceted organization with a staff of twenty. "When we started the firm 12 years ago, we knew that we wanted to create an architectural practice in a place where we could make a difference and leave a legacy of buildings, and respect for the natural and built environment," said John Carney.
The work of the firm carries a continuum of ideas guided by a vision of how the work can make the community and the world a better place. Using insights gained from living in Wyoming, the firm strives to bring simple, honest solutions to all of the projects, solutions that derive from and respond to their specific sites. Formal ideas and functional needs, often at odds in modern architecture, are interwoven to form the framework for our designs, yielding solutions that are responsive and livable. The collaborative approach within the studio encourages creativity and respect for the client’s program, and has yielded 14 local and regional awards for the firm and its members. Through awards and publications, the firm's work has contributed to the profession by raising public awareness of the benefits of good design.
Community involvement and understanding local issues is an integral part of the firm's values. John volunteered for the Teton County Planning Commission where he served for four years. In 2000 he was asked by a number of prominent community leaders to run for a seat on the Teton County Commission, and was elected. In that role he has promotes good planning and sustainability while continuing as the design and marketing principal with the firm.
The firm structure has two founding Principals, John and Nancy Carney, and three Associates, Eric Logan, Jim Cappuccino, and Kevin Burke. These five form the management team that runs the office, assisted by our Office Manager, Darcey Prichard. The structure has evolved over the years as the firm has grown to its current staff size of twenty, and is still fairly informal and collegial, allowing a free flow of ideas and high morale among a talented and dedicated staff of interns, support, and eight licensed architects.
The firm has been able to attract and keep talented people by encouraging individual creativity and teamwork in an open and collegial environment, a balance of academia and professionalism. Staff is encouraged to volunteer in the community and as a result the firm has had a member on the town Planning Commission for the last seven years. Other members of the firm have been active in the AIA and on boards of volunteer organizations. Ongoing education and intern development are also priorities with in-house seminars, design reviews, and conferences part of the firm’s culture.
The proof of the firm's contribution to the community and the profession lies in the buildings. While single-family houses have been the foundation of the practice, the range of projects the firm has had the honor to design includes St. John's Episcopal Church, Jackson Hole High School, Sublette County Library, and an interpretive visitors’ center on a former historic ranch donated by Laurance Rockefeller to Grand Teton National Park. The commercial and mixed-use buildings in the heart of Jackson have had a positive effect on the vitality of several neighborhoods, and the firm's work behind the scenes with other concerned architects to get better zoning laws has provided a benefit to the entire community. They have collaborated with other architects on several key projects including the Master Plan for the Multi-Agency Campus on a gateway site at the north end of Jackson. This landmark project, still in development, seeks to link several federal, state and local entities in a visitor campus that would form the gateway to Jackson from the Parks. More recently they formed the Arts Design Collaborative with local architect Stephen Dynia Associates to design the second phase of the new Jackson Hole Center for the Arts.
The firm has spread its influence beyond Teton County, Wyoming with several projects around the Rocky Mountain West. They are the design architect on a 65-story hotel and condominium project, Teatro Tower, in Denver, Colorado, and have recently completed a house in Steamboat Springs, Colorado with another under way in Boulder, Colorado. "We believe that our understanding of mountain ecosystems makes us qualified to work throughout this region. We have moved the firm into green design, with two of our staff LEED-certified, and are working on our first LEED-certified project in Grand Teton National Park," said John Carney.
Carney adds, "Carney Architects has worked hard to enrich its community, as well as others where it is invited to work. Looking back on twelve years of practice, the firm is honored to have been able to do so much good work and have so much fun doing it. "
AIA Wyoming 2004 Design Merit Awards - King Street Office Building
The firm was also honored with a Design Merit Award for the King Street Office Building, their own office and studio located in the heart of Jackson, Wyoming. John and Nancy Carney were principals-in charge of the King Street project along with Eric Logan as the Associate Architect.