Architecture Firm Perkins+Will; The Founders of New Orleans Habitat Musicians' Village--Harry Connick, Jr., Branford Marsalis, Ann Marie Wilkins, and Jim Pate; and The U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon to receive 24th Honor Award on May 11, 2010 On May 11, 2010, the National Building Museum will hold its 24th Honor Award ceremony to recognize three organizations that have advanced the quality of our built environment through their unique civic and social innovations: architecture firm Perkins+Will; New Orleans Habitat Musicians' Village founders Harry Connick, Jr., Branford Marsalis, Ann Marie Wilkins, and Jim Pate; and The U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon. Architecture and interdisciplinary design practice Perkins+Will will be celebrated for its legacy of socially-relevant design that has promoted human wellbeing over the course of the firm's 75 year-history. Perkins+Will, one of the world's largest design firms with 23 offices globally, has a remarkable portfolio of complex, high-performing institutional projects for civic, education, healthcare, government, and private-sector clients. Even though an international leader, the firm focuses on educating its professionals to design structures and built environments that harmonize locally--conserving resources and preserving local ecosystems, promoting the health of occupants, and unifying communities through design. The founders of the New Orleans Habitat Musicians' Village--Harry Connick, Jr., Branford Marsalis, Ann Marie Wilkins, and Jim Pate--will be honored for their creation of a multi-generational village to house musicians in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, thereby preserving and promoting the cultural traditions and practices that define New Orleans. The group's leadership in restoring and revitalizing the Upper Ninth Ward has been a catalyst for additional community development in the neighborhood. The founders will be celebrated for their role in helping sustain local culture and inclusion of low-income populations that support a vibrant and successful city. The U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon will be recognized for its commitment to educating the next generation of engineers, architects, and builders through a creative "whole building approach" with renewable energy, energy-efficient, and environmentally responsible systems. Since 2001, the Solar Decathlon has increased public awareness and consumer interest in renewable energy and energy efficiency in the marketplace. The Department of Energy and its Solar Decathlon have helped spur research and development through partnerships with leading educational institutions around the world.
