Jurors called this addition a "little jewel on basically a box" when citing its merit as an award winner. The canopy's polyvinyl fabric is held in tension by turnbuckles attached to a painted steel-supported structure.

Both functional and metaphorical, it provides weather protection for the building's employees and refers to the work they do. Tapered steel cantilevered supports suggest a pair of hands lifting objects overhead; triangular capital supports relate to the classic carrying method of centering weight directly about the spine.

"The level of thought that goes in to a project is a very important part of the detail," said architect Andrew Metter, FAIA. "If it can serve five or six functions at once, it's a good design."


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