Blue Hill architects win national award

The studio that won an award from the American Institute of Architects. Photo courtesy of Elliott Architects.

By Steele Hays

A design by Elliott Architects for an artist’s studio and adjacent workshop in South Blue Hill has won a New England Honor Award for excellence from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). 

The awards, which were announced in October, are given annually based on evaluations by a jury of architects and building professionals. The jury commended the project for “its powerful simplicity” and “restraint.” There are three levels of awards: Honor, Merit and Citation with Honor being the top award category.

“The project exemplifies how careful proportion, honest materials, and elemental gestures can yield architecture of exceptional clarity and resonance,” the jury said in written comments shared with Elliott Architects, a Blue Hill-based firm.

Matt Elliott, one of the firm’s principals, said the greatest challenge with this project was getting it built during the Covid 19 pandemic, with all the disruptions caused for workers, for sourcing materials, and staying on schedule.  

The studio and workshop are owned by Jeannet Leendertse and David Grinnell, who moved full time to the Blue Hill area from Boston after being summer residents for many years. Jeannet is an artist who makes vases and other vessels from rockweed and David is a retired vice president and brewmaster with Boston Brewing. 

The studio and workshop have solar panels on the roofs and use a ground source heat pump to achieve net zero energy usage. The primary contractors were David Gray Carpentry and MK Purvis Construction, both of Blue Hill.

Exterior of the design that won a national “Honor Award.” Photo courtesy of Elliott Architects.