“This far into Houston’s latest building boom, you’d expect big, world-beating projects to dominate the local American Institute of Architects 2008 awards. But you’d be wrong.

To be sure, many of the entries were big. AIA Houston’s booklet showcases all 117 of this year’s entries, the most ambitious things recently built in the area or designed by Houston-based architects. Among them, high-rise medical clinics, enormous and expensive churches and upscale residential high-rises.

None of those won.

Instead, in the top category, “Architecture,” the year’s best were:

A teeny-tiny press box for a high school lacrosse field.

An out-of-the-way warehouse for computers.

And a horse pen.”

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