Clinton Sheerr Award for Excellence in New Hampshire Architecture

The 2011 Winner: Patricia Sherman FAIA.

Patricia has a true passion for the profession of architecture as well as a passion for ethical practice. She also has big picture vision and a strong history of sharing her vision to the benefit of the profession at large and for the people of New Hampshire. At the same time she has always been grounded in thoughtful action.

Pat has used her position as an architect to make significant contributions to the profession at both state and national levels. At the same time she had a career of promoting excellent design.

After working to establish an architectural practice within the successful Landscape Architecture firm of Matarazzo Design, in 1990 Pat became a founding principal of Sherman, Griener & Halle LTD centered in Concord, NH. The firm later morphed into Warren Street Architects. As a practitioner Pat involved in numerous distinguished projects, which were recognized with AIA NH awards including Honor Awards for the Androscoggin Visitor's Center for the Forest Service in Gorham, NH and the NH Fire Training Academy Fire House in Concord, NH.

She was part of the team that developed the Straw Hill Condominium Project in Manchester, which received the Urban Land Institute's Best Community Development Award and was further recognized by AIA National in an exhibit of women architects.

Pat is New Hampshire's first registered female architect. She has played a pivotal role in many of the state's architectural and planning initiatives that have helped enlighten the populous and enrich the environment. Her work with AIANH included efforts at promoting the significance of the profession to the public though educational, publication and advocacy efforts. A Founding Director of PlanNH, she is a strong advocate of the charrette process, which led to her leadership role in the AIA 150 Initiative with the AIANH planning efforts in Durham. She continues to volunteer her services even in retirement.

Pat was an AIA New England Regional Director and served on AIA National committees and task forces as well as being the Vice Chair of the AIA Trust. She also served and chaired the New Hampshire Board of Architects and served the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards on their Professional Practice Committee.She was elected to the AIA College of Fellows in 1999.

While her influence has been felt nationally and throughout New Hampshire, Sherman has also been very willing to volunteer her time and expertise locally, both in Concord where her office was and in Newbury where she lives.

"Pat's commitment to the legacy of architecture is an inspiration," noted Jonathan Halle AIA, her business partner prior to her retirement.

2010 Winner: John W. Merkle AIA

The 2010 winner of the Clinton Sheerr Award for Excellence in New Hampshire Architecture is John W. Merkle AIA, of TMS Architects in Portsmouth, NH. As an architect with a solidly rooted interest in preservation, John has been key to saving numerous historical structures and has given major amounts of time to the support of preservation and other architectural efforts throughout the state of New Hampshire.

In 1984 John co-founded TMS Architects and in the years since has carved out a niche in the field of historical preservation, committing himself and his firm to saving and restoring some of New England’s most significant historical landmarks. His work has included the restoration of The Wentworth By The Sea Hotel, New Castle, NH; The Music Hall and the Portsmouth Discovery Center in Portsmouth; the American Independence Museum, Exeter, NH; and the Bridges House, the New Hampshire Governor’s residence in Concord, to name a few.

John’s history of volunteerism is legendary. Always enthusiastic and willing to help, he has assisted restoration projects and various preservation groups from all over the state and the region and has made additional significant contributions to the field by his participation in numerous non-profit organizations. He has served on the board of directors and as president of AIA New Hampshire, AIA New England, and the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance. He was chair of Exeter’s Historic Commission, and is currently on the Board of Directors for the Castle Preservation Society, as well as an IDP Sponsor of NCARB.

Over the years John has also mentored many young professionals and has been generous in his time with students. At TMS he has empowered his employees, helping to create dynamics in which younger architects and interns are encouraged to flourish and learn.

Deeply concerned that his passion for historic preservation not end, John is working closely with members of his firm to imbue a sense of the value of our New England heritage that he has worked to protect for so long.

2009 Winner: Daniel V. Scully AIA

The 2009 winner of the Clinton Sheerr Award for Excellence in New Hampshire Architecture is Daniel V. Scully AIA of Keene, NH. The Clinton Sheerr Award objectives are clearly personified in Dan, an architect who has consistently endeavored to produce high quality work that is environmentally responsive, and an architect who has given greatly to the community at large.

Dan has been practicing architecture in New Hampshire since the early seventies. He was vice president of TEA (Total Environmental Action) in Harrisville and was designing innovative green buildings long before the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program came into existence. Since 1983, Dan has run his own small office, which remains a full service firm of professionals dedicated to providing the highest quality of design that directly resolves functional requirements while incorporating strong and sustainable designs appropriate to the specific project, program, site, and budget. He guides his firm to resolve project design issues in their largest social and site contexts, while also directly resolving functional issues in a modern, energy-efficient manner, within the context of the budget. One of Dan’s projects from 1986 was a Masterplan for the campus at the College of the Atlantic in Maine. From the Masterplan work, a new building, Kaelber Hall was designed and built, which became the gateway and symbol of the campus. His design for this building employed innovative daylighting strategies and heat recovery systems that are still advanced and revered by today’s standards.

Dan has won AIANH Design Awards for several design projects: the Porter Residence, the Draper Residence, the Wollaeger Residence, the Hancock Screen Porch, and the Bellows Falls Waypoint Interpretive Center in Vermont. The Bellow’s Falls building brought back historical associations and meanings so important to Bellows Falls’ identity, and was also ironically the first contemporary building awarded a design award from the Preservation Trust of Vermont. Dan has also won four PlanNH awards for community and architectural planning between 2000 to 2005 for projects such as Peterborough’s Depot Square, 46 Main Street in Keene, and the Millwork Masters Window Showroom also in Keene.

In addition to his built contributions to New Hampshire communities, Dan has remained involved with Keene’s Friends of Center City, The Keene Rotary, Keene State College’s Architecture program, and numerous other local boards and organizations. Many of his projects have been featured in newspapers, magazines, and books, and he has lectured and served as a juror for other design award programs.

2008 Winner: C. Stuart White, Jr. AIA

The 2008 winner of the Clinton Sheerr Award for Excellence in Architecture is C. Stuart White Jr., AIA of Lebanon, NH.
The jury selected Stu for his early recognition of the environmental challenges in the building industry, his commitment to and leadership in sustainable design, and for being a positive role model for architects.

Five years after receiving his degree in architecture from Columbia University, Stu joined Banwell Architects in Lebanon, NH, and he and his wife embarked on a life-long energy conservation commitment. This was in the late sixties, even before the oil embargo of the 1970s. Back then Stu predicted that things would not change until oil hit $100.00 a barrel — on January 3, 2008 it did just that! Not a welcome milestone. But he is delighted that people are finally waking up. In the '70s people looked him oddly when he talked about his sustainable design ideas, but he remained dedicated and held on to his ideals. For four decades now, he has practiced his craft and wielded his influence in the Granite State.

Stu's devotion to sustainable design is evident in all his buildings, as well as his personal commitments. One of his many projects is the Society for the Protection of NH Forests Conservation Center in Concord, which received a LEED!" Gold designation from the U.S. Green Building Council — the first LEED certified building in New England, and at the time, in 2001, one of only 12 Gold projects in the country. In this building, the design emphasis includes an air-tight envelope, water conservation, air quality, daylighting, native certified green forest products, recycled projects, construction waste recycling, and district heating from central wood chip plant.

Stu also designed one of the first residential projects to be accepted into the pilot LEED!" for Homes program, a home in Dorchester, NH. This project meets the highest standards of environmental stewardship and promotes environmental education and research. It includes renewable energy, including solar and hydro, and the entire structure and finishes of the barn/house are harvested from Green Woodlands sustainably managed forest, demonstrating the viability and variety of regional species as a preferable alternative to forest products imported from outside northern New England. Stu was Chairman of AIANH's Task Force on Sustainable Architecture from 1993 to 1995 and has been a member of the Society for the Protection of NH Forests' Green Certification Advisory Group since 1998. He has served on AIANH's Board of Directors and the Advisory Council of the NH Technical Institute. He was an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the environmental studies program at Dartmouth College, and was an energy consultant to the Brookhaven National Labs from 1980 to 1984, focusing on passive solar energy utilization. He currently serves on the Board for the Jordan Institute.

Stu has lectured widely on architecture and the environment. His wide-ranging projects have received numerous AIA and industry awards for design excellence, and been published in magazines internationally.

2007 Winner: Christopher P. Williams AIA

As the 2007 recipient, Chris Williams exemplifies and carries on the tradition of deep love and dedication for the State and its architecture exemplified by Clinton Sheerr.

Chris Williams has garnered numerous awards for his designs, including many AIANH Excellence in Architecture awards, and his work has been featured in several books, newspapers, and magazines. He has been selected to serve on many awards program juries throughout New England.

Chris has donated his time and his creative spirit to his community, his profession, and the non-profit world of New Hampshire and beyond. He currently sits on the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and the NH Board of Architects. He is active with AIA New Hampshire and served on its board for many years and as president in 1999. Chris has also been active with the NH Preservation Alliance, NH Main Street, the Meredith Chamber of Commerce, and the Moultonboro Area Community Development Corporation, among others. Over the years he has given countless hours to nearly 20 design charrettes.

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