Annual Bermuda Building Design Awards to list two honourable mentions instead of a single overall winner this year.

Traditional features such as stone buttresses, cedar woodwork and verandahs were the highlights of this year's competition, which included a total of nine entries.

The five-member judging panel was "charmed'' into awarding honourable mentions to the Bank of Butterfield's "Trader's Gate'' building on Front Street and "A Cut Above'', a private home in Spanish Point owned by Mr. and Mrs. Tom McFarlane.

Both buildings were praised for their use of "typical Bermudian features made to work in a modern setting''.

Architects Barker and Linberg were commended on their four-year renovation of the historic "Trader's Gate'' building which was gutted before long-lost features such as the cedar verandah and railings were restored.

Mr. Gary Simmons, the architect behind "A Cut Above'', was singled out for his use of old-style elements such as buttresses and top-hung windows.

The contest was created to promote architectural excellence in Bermuda and is sponsored by "The Bermudian'' magazine and the Bermuda Commercial Bank.

Judging criteria included proportion, practicality, use of innovative or traditional elements, the relationship between interior and exterior, and the way the building suited its environment.