Whith a selection of buildings ranging from the Blue Cross Blue Shield corporate headquarters to a house on the near north side, the Chicago, IL, chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced the winners of its 1998 Design Excellence Awards. Divided into three categories, these pages show the award winners in the Interior Architecture division, which recognize the importance of planning interior spaces; the materials, colors and lighting of those spaces; and the furnishing of the spaces. Honor awards recognize supreme achievement in architecture, while citations of merit are given to buildings that deserve recognition for parts of their design or for their responses to a particular problem.

Buildings and interiors were chosen for ultra-modern designs, such as the Blue Cross Blue Shield headquarters, which is designed to have another 22 stories added on top of the building. Traditional design also was recognized, as in the case of the interior of an Astor St. residence where period furnishings were used to return the house to its turn-of-the-century splendor. The awards recognize the many disciplines and styles of architecture used today, and they reflect Chicago's importance as a place where architecture is practiced at the highest level.

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