WINTER HOLBEN Gas Station Remix Awarded for Excellence in Architecture
AIA NH Merit Award Received for Contemporary Transformation of Portsmouth, NH Gas Station
WINTER HOLBEN was recently honored at the 2019 Excellence in Architecture Design Awards with the Unbuilt Architecture Merit Award in recognition of the team’s Islington Station Remix, an innovative redesign that transforms an abandoned gas station into an eatery for the well-loved local restaurant, Lexie’s.
Created to support the overarching goals of the Islington Street Corridor Project, WINTER HOLBEN’s mission was to improve the corridor image, calm traffic, create a gateway with community space and enhance the creative economy in the neighborhood.
“Design that benefits the surrounding community is at the forefront of every decision we make,” says Principal Architect Brandon Holben. “We strive to always respect a neighborhood’s history while at the same time creating an interesting counterpoint that reimagines that space for how we live today.”
This approach was on full display in the redesign. While still unbuilt, the jury was impressed with the results, commenting, “The deconstruction of the canopy, the opportunity for signage, the spaces created — every part of the design was all incredibly well done.”
WINTER HOLBEN’s full-experience, “big idea, small firm” approach has proven successful, winning multiple awards since opening their doors in 2015, including a big point of pride, the Great Rhythm Brewing Company, which won an AIANH award.
But restaurant concepts and breweries are only a portion of what the multidisciplinary firm is managing. The team was recently named Bank of America’s official creative partner and is currently working to support not only BoA’s store design and merchandising efforts but the strategy and design behind applying their recently updated brand to financial centers across the country.
The Principals have also been working on various architectural and design projects, including a proposed design for an exciting mixed-use development (offices, function hall and brewery) and a boutique hotel concept in Newburyport, MA as well as a contemporary multifamily housing development in Exeter, NH.
Most recently, WINTER HOLBEN was tasked to develop an experience strategy and feasibility study to establish a vision for evolving Albacore Park. The amazing home of the USS Albacore, one of the most visited museums on the Seacoast, is managed by the Portsmouth Museum Submarine Memorial Association who were collectively excited to work with the firm and tap into their holistic creative thinking around brand expression, experience design, placemaking and architecture.
Speaking to their diversity of projects, Principal and Design Director Elisa Winter Holben says, “While our clients are all different, they share a deeply held belief that design matters. They really see the benefit of our holistic thinking and how that connects to our ability to design anything and everything in the built environment.”