JC Raulston Arboretum Lath House Wins Object Design Award

RALEIGH, N.C. - April 25, 2013 - PRLog -- (Raleigh, NC) -- Inform Magazine in Virginia has announced that the Lath House at the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, designed by Frank Harmon Architect PA in Raleigh, has been awarded one of only three 2013 Inform Awards in the Object Design category.
The Lath House is an open-air structure and shade house that was conceived of as a laboratory for experimental horticultural techniques and methods.  

Because the Lath House also shelters infant plants, it was designed as an abstract of a tree spreading its branches to protect the plants. Through its screen of carefully placed wooden two-by-twos with steel support, the structure fulfills the specific light-to-shade ratio needed for the plants in the four seasons and shelters infant plants as they transition into larger gardens within the arboretum grounds.

Inform’s award jury, chaired by William Chapin, FAIA, commented: “This elegantly restrained device cleverly fulfills its specific practical mission while creating a fascinating and creative outdoor space.”

Published by the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects, Inform covers Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. The design awards program recognizes the work of architects, interior designers, landscape architects, furniture designers, industrial designers, students, faculty, and clients in three categories: Landscape Architecture, Interior Design, and Object Design. The latter include furniture, fixtures, building components and other items not considered “full-building design.” All of this year's winners will be posted on readinform.com soon.

As part of NC State University’s Department of Horticultural Science, the JC Raulston Arboretum is primarily a working research and teaching garden that focuses on the evaluation, selection, and display of plant material gathered from around the world. For more information visit http://www.ncsu.edu/jcraulstonarboretum/index.php.

For more information on the Lath House design, visit http://frankharmon.com/projects/research/jc-raulston-arboretum-lath-house.

About Frank Harmon Architect PA:

Frank Harmon Architect PA, an award-winning architectural firm, is nationally recognized as a leader in modern, innovative, sustainable, and regionally appropriate design. The firm is especially known for its environmental education projects. In 2012 Harmon’s firm ranked 17th in Architecture magazine’s Top 50 Firms in the nation. In 2010, Frank Harmon was included in Residential Architect magazine’s “RA 50: The short list of architects we love.”