The Bridge Homeless Assistance Center in Dallas, which features public art by Gordon Huether, will receive the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2009 Housing Award.
Opened in May 2008, The Bridge is a multi-purpose facility dedicated to serving the homeless, primarily focusing on the chronically homeless.Gordon Huether was selected by the City of Dallas in collaboration with Overland
Partners Architects and CamargoCopeland Architects to design and fabricate a site-specific artwork for The Bridge. Huether created seven art glass windows that feature mouth-blown glass and etched, silk-screened text from writings by some of the shelter’s clients.

As described by the jury for the AIA 2009 Housing Awards, “a publicly-selected artist worked with homeless, superimposing their writings over brightly colored glass – a metaphor for the spectrum of humanity. Facing downtown, this is a gift to the community, a magnet for the homeless, and a source of inspiration. It proves that shelters should not be isolated, but an integrated part of our community; they are valuable civic buildings representing the compassion of our society.”

The AIA’s Housing Awards Program, now in its ninth year, was established to recognize the best in housing design and promote the importance of good housing as a necessity of life, a sanctuary for the human spirit and a valuable national resource.