05/27/2026
Next in the spotlight of our 2025 Excellence in Design Awards winners, we congratulate Winstanley Architects & Planners for their outstanding reimagining of the Torpedo Factory Arts Center in Alexandria, Virginia. The transformative visionary project was recognized by the jury with a Merit Award.
Learn more: https://bit.ly/TorpedoFactoryAC
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM George Eisenberger AIA, Michael Winstanley AIA, Leejung Hong LEED AP, Mike Balaban, Chan Park, Assoc. AIA, Bence Szaloki, AIA
OWNER/CLIENT Route 66
RENDERINGS Lifang Renderings
The Torpedo Factory Art Center (TFAC), originally a U.S. Naval munitions plant, was transformed in 1974 into a public arts hub on Alexandria’s waterfront. The new vision repositions TFAC as a dynamic, 21st-century cultural destination. The plan retains the original structure while reorganizing the interior around a central atrium to improve daylight, circulation, and visibility across all floors. This re-envisioning transforms TFAC into a future-facing cultural landmark—an inclusive and inspiring epicenter for arts, innovation, and public life along the Alexandria waterfront.
JURY
“The Jury appreciated this community-focused adaptive reuse project, which promotes public access to the waterfront and reimagines a landmark building as a new social condenser. The excavation of the central bays to introduce a light-filled sculptural atrium is a transformative gesture—bringing daylight deep into the building’s plan and establishing visual connections across its various zones. This intervention achieves maximum impact while preserving as much of the original building fabric as possible.”
