Splinter Creek Mail Pavilion

Jury Comments

“The jury is pleased to present a Merit Award to the Splinter Creek Mail Center, a remarkably thoughtful and elegant solution to a humble program. At just 250 square feet, this open-air mail center demonstrates how even the smallest structures can achieve architectural excellence. With a modern design that responds sensitively to its wooded surroundings, the project lightly touches the ground—anchored by gabion stone walls and supported by painted steel tubes that nearly vanish into the pine canopy. The ipe floor extends gracefully over a drainage swale, and a stacked stone wall discreetly screens the mailboxes from view. The developer’s playful nod to Bauhaus underscores the project’s clarity of purpose: design rooted in function. Only one tree was removed to make way for this structure, and yet its presence feels entirely natural. Among all submissions, this was the smallest in scale—but one of the most successful in spirit, execution, and environmental harmony.”