Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects President Frank E. Dittenhafer II and two of the firm’s Associates accepted the recognition at the Central PA AIA’s Design Awards celebration in September.
There is something symbolic for Frank E. Dittenhafer II in his firm’s recognition for the design of a space that has so much meaning.
The Graham Center for Innovation and Collaboration, a new building on the Penn State York campus that was officially dedicated this fall, received three design awards at the Central PA AIA Awards in September.
While it isn’t the physically largest building on the Penn State York campus, Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects designed it to be huge psychologically. It also carries a lot of meaning for Dittenhafer, a ’78 B.S Arch graduate of the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State.
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The building sits on a hilltop between the Romano Classroom Building and the Pullo Family Performing Arts Center, symbolically joining the campus to its surrounding community. Inside, large glass walls provide natural daylight and offer panoramic views of campus, York City, and York County.
“It’s intentional,” Dittenhafer says. “It gives a sense of where you are and of what is beyond and adjacent to the campus — and perhaps to your life’s direction, as well.”
The Graham Center received the following award recognition from Central PA AIA:
Honor Award for Design Excellence (the only project Honor Award bestowed by the jury)
2021 Good Design is Good Business Award, which recognizes projects in which design excellence elevated the resulting benefit of a project to the business, institution, or community, which it serves.
Member’s Choice Award, which is voted upon by members of AIA Central Pennsylvania for any project outside of their firm.
‘A point of pride’
Associates Patrick Ness, an ’09 Penn State graduate, and Blake Gifford, a ’14 graduate, were both in attendance that evening.
“Having been one of the project designers, it was very rewarding to contribute to my alma mater in such a significant and unusual way,” Gifford says. “To represent M&D while doing so is definitely a point of pride.”
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Beyond the Graham Center awards, the firm also received a Merit Award for its design of an unbuilt commission for Crispus Attucks in York, the African American History Museum.
In total, Murphy & Dittenhafer projects were the recipient of 4 of the total 7 awards presented by the Jury - selected from approximately 40 projects entered by Architectural firms within the thirteen county Central PA region.
Jury comments
A jury of notable Architects from Washington, D.C., provided a range of comments on the Graham Center design. Central PA AIA said:
“This elegant and beautifully-detailed building captured all of the jurors’ attention immediately. It is one of the few projects to embed itself into its site, seeming to grow out of the hill as a promontory. The brick base roots the building to the earth, while the upper glass portion floats above and offers commanding views of the surrounding site. There’s a simplicity and restraint to this building, while also being dynamic and sculptural.”
Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects took on the Architecture, Interior Design, & Overall Project Management for the new Bedford Elementary School, and the outcome is impactful.