BEDFORD - The New Hampshire chapter of the American Institute of Architects named three winners of its Intern/Young Architect Design Competition after asking competitors to address a real-life scenario, a building located in the village of West Swanzey named Whitcomb Hall.

The historic building, which has a prominent location in the village, has been vacant since 1988. At a recent Plan NH Charrette, the planning team recommended that the Whitcomb Hall building should become a premier, for-profit event facility that serves the southwest region of the state. The facility should be capable of hosting events from 10 to 250 people, with a plan that allows for flexible use and multiple configurations of the space.

First place was awarded to Adam Lemire of LineSync Architecture in Wilmington, Vt., for his practical details and multi-purpose design that enhanced the user experience while preserving the overall character of Whitcomb Hall.

Second place was awarded to Jennifer Hegarty, associate AIA member, of Litchfield, and an employee at Watershed Studio Architecture in White River Junction, Vt. "This proposed solution represented the most functional use of space with a large portion of the addition to the west adding much needed square footage to the main hall on the ground floor," the AIA said in a news release.

Third place was awarded to Adam Holmes AIA, PDT Architects of Portland, Maine. The jurors liked the use of the plan and addition as it opened itself up to the west lawn. They especially liked the execution of the new lobby to the north of the building, which incorporated large expanses of glass to connecting to the new and old additions. For more information and more images of winning projects, visit aianh.org/content/intern-ya-design-competition.