Whitten Architects Honored with Three AIA Maine Awards

Whitten Architects received three prestigious AIA Maine Design Awards during last night's ceremony at the historic Governor Hill Mansion in Augusta.

The AIA Maine Design Awards recognize exceptional architectural achievement by Maine-based firms. Projects spanning diverse scales, types, and contexts are evaluated by a jury of nationally respected peers against the AIA Framework for Design Excellence—a comprehensive standard that values beauty alongside integrity and environmental stewardship. These ten principles foster thoughtful, sustainable architecture for the 21st century and beyond.

Honor Award: The Narrows

For the second consecutive year, Whitten Architects earned the top Honor Award in the Single Family Residential category, this time for The Narrows. The jury praised The Narrows for its deceptive simplicity:

"The Narrows is so well executed that one can almost miss how successful the architect was in crafting it. It makes architecture seem easy when in fact the siting, topography, circulation, views, landscaping, and scale are a complex solution set for a modern plan clad in well-detailed vernacular forms and materials. It exudes a smart, wholesome, timeless, and livable character effortlessly connected to its surroundings."

Citation Award: Tidehead Woods House

Conceived as one of three "sibling" homes within a larger family retreat, Tidehead Woods House earned a Citation Award, with jurors celebrating it as "a great example of accomplishing a lot with a little."

"The simple floor plan and building form afford excellent views to the site throughout and organize major functional components—entry, social space, private space—in an efficient and purposeful manner."

Architrave Award: Falls Pasture

After receiving the inaugural AIA Maine Architrave Award for Little Hen House last year, Whitten Architects claimed this prestigious honor again with Falls Pasture. This award celebrates "excellence in traditional design through the thoughtful adaptation of tradition to address 21st-century needs."

The winning coastal Maine homestead—comprising main house, barn, ADU, and courtyard gardens—offers a classic approach to intergenerational living with exquisite detailing and profound connection to its natural setting.

Jurors commended Falls Pasture for sitting "lightly on the site," with "generous, delicately detailed porches and comfortably understated living spaces," adding: "Overall, this was a successful and beautifully rendered project."

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