The Driehaus Prize is awarded to an architect whose work embodies the principles of traditional and classical architecture in contemporary society.
WaterColor, a new mixed-use community on Florida’s Emerald Coast, has water frontages on both the Gulf of Mexico and an adjacent inland lake system. Its town center is located on both sides of the main east-west coastal highway which has been lushly landscaped to make it a part of the continuous park system which runs from the beach to the lake along the dominant ‘water axis’ of the plan. (Paul Milana photo)
Jaquelin Roberston oversaw the designed of 16 mixed-use, residential, and club buildings — as well as a post office — which define the town center and establish its architectural character. These structures reflect northwest Florida’s unique combination of Spanish, English, Dutch, and French Colonial influences amended to accommodate a variety of contemporary uses. The architecture addresses climate and color, locally used building materials, construction methods, and landscape treatments in response to the social, cultural, and artistic traditions of the region. One finds here deep arcaded masonry bases, generous screened and shuttered porches, overhanging metal roofs with exposed structural elements, and roof-top elements which vent attic spaces and serve as lanterns allowing natural light to filter down into the upper floors. Water courses, fountains, small ponds, and wooded waterfronts enhanced by a variety of native plants, underscore the extraordinary beauty of the site’s natural setting. Parking lots are screened and special paving, lighting, signage, and street furniture are employed to underscore WaterColor’s many meanings.
> Back To The Richard H. Driehaus Prize
