Mystic, Bedford Capture Design Awards

CENTERBROOK, Conn. – Two Centerbrook Architects & Planners’ projects – Mystic Seaport’s Thompson Exhibition Building and Bedford Square in Westport, Connecticut – have been recognized for their design achievements.

The Thompson Exhibition Building earned an Honor Award-With Distinction at the AIA QUAD 2017 Design Awards in Albany, New York. The annual QUAD (Quality Unites Architectural Design) Conference brings together the AIA chapters from Connecticut, New Jersey, New York State and Pennsylvania.

The AIA QUAD Awards jury commented: “Whimsical and joyful, this project has very strong imagery: the jury admired its resilience and its work with glulam structure to connect with traditional shipbuilding imagery.”

This marks the second award the Thompson Exhibition Building has received. The 21,000-square-foot facility was designed as a keynote building for the historic Mystic Seaport campus and features an exhibit hall, welcome center, retail shop, café and wraparound deck.

Bedford Square was recognized by the Westport Historic District Commission as a 2017 Preservation Award winner. The mixed-use development project renovated a 1923 Tudor-style Bedford Building and Central Firehouse. The respective spaces are now occupied by national retailer Anthropologie & Co. and restaurant Amis Trattoria.

In awarding the project, the Westport Commission commented: “This Tudor revival edifice has anchored the central crossroads of downtown Westport and helped define the center of town by virtue of its prominent location. With hard, creative work and collaboration with town agencies, the team of Bedford Square Associates, LLC designed and built a mixed use complex that renovated and adaptively repurposed the Bedford Building while adding significantly more space with new construction that respects the character and scale of the original building and the streetscape of the Westport Center Village District.”

New construction in the Bedford Square project includes residential units and commercial units, community gathering spaces, public courtyards and underground parking. This is the third design award bestowed to the project.