retrofit’s second-annual Metamorphosis Awards program tapped three winners from the inaugural competition as judges: Scott Elofson, design principal, HDR; Michael Hoying, LEED AP, vice president, Brackett Builders; and Jason Wright, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, associate principal, Hickok Cole. Each judge was gracious with his time and knowledge contributions.
The jury was asked to evaluate each project on the success with which it met its own requirements. They were told to weigh projects individually—not in comparison to others—and choose as many projects as they felt deserving of winning. [Editor’s Note: Wright recused himself from judging Anthem Row, the Hickok Cole project that won First Place in the Whole Building category and graces this issue’s cover.]
Through a judging platform, jurors were able to review entries and score them on their own time. John Riester, retrofit’s publisher, and Christina Koch, retrofit’s editorial director, conducted a phone session with the judges in mid-August to discuss highest-ranking projects, determine placements of winners and speculate about cover possibilities. Winners were notified in late August.
The 2021 Metamorphosis Awards program will open in January 2021.
Scott Elofson is the design principal of HDR’s Minneapolis office, leading the studio’s design efforts over multiple markets and project types. With 22 years’ experience, his work on health-care facilities, sports arenas, civic buildings, arts institutions, transportation projects and urban design lends itself well to his role. HDR was recognized with two Metamorphosis Awards in 2019: A former five-and-dime in St. Paul, Minn., won in the Transformation category for its update into speculative office space, and the Springfield Union Station project in Springfield, Mass., won in the Historic category.
Michael Hoying is vice president and partner at Dayton, Ohio-based Brackett Builders where he oversees the greater Dayton market. Hoying has directly managed the development of nearly 1,000 multifamily apartments across more than 1.5 million square feet, representing more than $125 million of development. In 2019, Brackett Builders earned a Metamorphosis Award in the Mixed Use category for Delco Lofts, Dayton.
With more than 20 years’ experience in design and construction, Jason Wright specializes in the details of how buildings are assembled to reinforce a design’s overall concept. As Hickok Cole’s associate principal and director of technical operations, he is responsible for training and mentoring the firm’s project architects, as well as managing the quality of the firm’s technical drawings. Hickok Cole achieved a 2019 Metamorphosis Award in the Transformation category for its work repurposing a former Washington, D.C., YMCA into office space.
