THA Architecture has been named the 2013 Region Firm Award winner by the American Institute of Architects Northwest & Pacific Region. The award recognizes one firm in the region that has made extraordinary contributions to the architectural profession and continuously elevates the quality of the built environment in the community.
Above: Thomas Hacker
In selecting the firm for the award, the jury said, “Two interrelated qualities stand out about THA Architecture. The first is the breadth of consistency they achieve from concept to detail and the beautiful work that results. Second is the quality and focus of the firm’s culture, and the way it infuses itself into every aspect of the firm’s highly evolved practice.”
THA was founded in 1983 by Thomas Hacker, FAIA. In 1970 Hacker joined the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts faculty, where he was a professor from 1970-1984. Hacker taught a significant portion of the generation of architects in active practice today throughout the Northwest. His passion for teaching and mentorship would become the foundation of his growing practice.
"We are deeply moved by this recognition,” Hacker said of the Region Firm Award. “Making civic architecture with strong meaning is the engine of our work. We are grateful that the jury has seen the value of both the work and the culture producing it."
THA’s principal group today includes Jonah Cohen, David Keltner, William Dann, Becca Cavell, Charles Dorn, and Corey Martin. Martin is a graduate of UO, along with 38 percent of the firm’s forty employees. Cavell was an exchange student at UO from the University of Liverpool in 1989-90. "I'm here in Portland because of UO," she says.
Current projects include a new home for the Universalist Unitarian Fellowship of Central Oregon, a Lodge Area redevelopment at Black Butte Ranch, and a Science, Math and Engineering Facility for the University of Washington Bothell.
Over its thirty-year history, THA’s community and place-driven work has won national, regional, and local awards for both design excellence and sustainability. The Region Firm Award recognizes the importance of THA’s design principles, which emphasize a connection to place and a commitment to craft, education, and community. The award also acknowledges the firm’s culture as exemplified by its sustainable operations, reputation for client service, and proactive strategy for leadership transition.
To be eligible for the 2013 Region Firm Award, firms were required to be located and operating within the region for a minimum of ten years. The AIA NW&P Region consists of Alaska, Guam/Micronesia, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, but the award was also open to firms in ex-officio chapters in Japan and Hong Kong.
In related firm recognition, THA has made ARCHITECT’s Top 10 Ranking for Design firms for 2013. Every year ARCHITECT Magazine compiles a national “ARCHITECT 50” ranking of firms. The list takes a qualitative look at how firms stack up across a broad range of categories. THA ranked 8th overall, 11th in sustainability and 14th in design.
Above: THA designed the University of Oregon Lewis Integrative Sciences Building, in Eugene. Photo © Lara Swimmer
Above: Beaverton City Library, a THA project in Beaverton, Oregon. Photo © Lara Swimmer
Above: The Cyan/PDX apartments in Portland, Oregon, were designed by THA Architecture. Photos © Jeremy Bittermann
Above: The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in The Dalles, Oregon, was a THA project. Photo © Laurie Black