HDR, Inc. receives architecture award for Carson Center

calendar icon16 Nov 2020    

Lincoln, Neb.--HDR, Inc. received the AIA Nebraska Architecture Merit Award for their design of the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts.

AIA Nebraska, a chapter of the American Institute of Architects, announced their 2020 Excellence in Design Award winners on Nov. 9. Nine Honor Awards and 1 Merit Award were presented from among 103 submissions, the largest number of submissions from Nebraska architects to date.

The Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts was a renovation and adaptive reuse project. The renovation took the former Nebraska Bookstore location at 13th and Q streets and adapted the structure as the new home for the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts.

The jury commented, “This project showcases the value and power of adaptive reuse. A few simple gestures recast a commercial retail building into a site for experimental interdisciplinary exploration.”

The Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts opened in the fall of 2019. Preparations for the Center were launched in 2015 with a $20 million gift from the foundation of iconic talk show host Johnny Carson.

HDR Architect Tyson Fiscus, who was part of the design team for HDR, Inc., likes the energy of the new facility.

“I’m so excited and moved by the creative energy the building exudes,” Fiscus said. “The students and faculty have charged the building with positive vibes. I’m proud that the building is functioning as the design team hoped, and that the students and faculty have made it feel like their second home.”

For more on the awards, visit https://go.unl.edu/ba9m.