Newport Visitors Center Design Competition Winners Announced

The  is pleased to announce the winners in the Visitors Center Design Competition. Entrants were judged in three different categories: Best Interior Layout, Best Exterior Design and Best Use of Technology. Prizes will be awarded to the first and second place winners in each category and a certificate of recognition will be presented to each of the three the honorable mention entrants.

Winners in each of the categories are as follows:

Best Interior Design

First Place Jim Asbel, Jim Asbel Architect, LLC, Newport, Rhode Island, in collaboration with Northeast Collaborative Architects and artist Robert Whitman

Second Place Ross Cann, A4 Architecture, Inc., Newport, Rhode Island                                                      

Honorable Mention Jack Evans, NewPort Architecture, LLC, Newport, Rhode Island, with Phyllis Canava, Warwick, Rhode Island

Best Exterior Design

First Place Ross Cann, A4 Architecture, Inc., Newport, Rhode Island                                                      

Second Place Jim Asbel, Jim Asbel Architect, LLC, Newport, Rhode Island, in collaboration with Northeast Collaborative Architects and artist Robert Whitman

Honorable Mention AMPERSAND Design Collaboration, Markus Berger, Jordon Bissett, Eun Lee (Consultancy: Energy and Systems, Steven Turner Inc.; Wayfinding: John Seeley)

Providence, Rhode Island

Best Utilization of Technology

First Place Andrea Torizzo, Richmond, Rhode Island, and Kris Pienschke, Warwick, Rhode Island

Second Place Geoff Baker, g-lab design, Providence, Rhode Island

Honorable Mention Jack Evans, NewPort Architecture, LLC, Newport, Rhode Island, with Phyllis Canava, Warwick, Rhode Island

After the design competition was announced in June of this year, designers and architects throughout Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, and as far away as Egypt and Turkey, submitted entries. According to Robert Douglass, President of Viaduct Advisors and coordinator of the competition, each entry “displayed a creative solution to some aspect of the Visitors Center operations or aesthetic and the Board has gained a wealth of ideas to guide them in their future planning.”

“The goal of this competition was to solicit bold new ideas and inspirations for the renovation of the interior space of the Visitors Center,” explains Evan Smith, President & CEO of the Newport CVB. “Our hope is to be able to develop a dynamic new interior environment here which will offer travelers state of the art exhibits promoting all the exciting experiences that they can discover and explore throughout our nine town destination.”

The community is invited to a reception on Thursday, September 29^th from 6-8 p.m. at the Newport Visitors Center to recognize each of the winners as well as all of the entrants in the design competition.