IIDA Announces Winning Projects for Design Competitions
CHICAGO – The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) recently announced the winners of two of the Association’s prestigious interior design competitions: the 37th annual Interior Design Competition and the 18th annual Will Ching Design Competition. Truly international in scope, this year’s slate of winners demonstrates that great design is a universal goal. Out of the more than 300 entries, 99 projects were either completed abroad or by international firms.
The six winners in the 37th annual Interior Design Competition were chosen from more than 300 projects submitted in the following practice areas: Commercial, Education/Institutional, Government, Health Care, Hospitality, Residential, and Retail/Showroom. The six winners were:
1. Project: FIDM, San Diego, CA
Firm: Clive Wilkinson Architects, West Hollywood, CA
2. Project: LYNNsteven, Vancouver, British Columbia
Firm: mgb ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN Inc., North Vancouver, British Columbia
3. Project: Rennie Art Gallery and Offices, Vancouver, British Columbia
Firm: mgb ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN Inc., North Vancouver, British Columbia
4. Project: Dubai Mall Medical Center, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Firm: NBBJ, Columbus, Ohio
5. Project: Guess? Inc. Headquarters, Los Angeles, CA
Firm: STUDIOS Architecture, Beverly Hills, CA
6. Project: MUMUTH Music Theatre, Graz, Austria
Firm: UNStudio, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
In addition, Kubrick Bookshop and MOMA Movie Centre, Beijing, China, designed by One Plus Partnership Limited of Hong Kong, China was chosen as the winner of the 18th annual Will Ching Design Competition, which honors outstanding commercial design by firms of five or fewer individuals.
"In what has proven to be a challenging year for the Interior Design professional, we were pleasantly surprised to receive the number and quality of entries that we did,” notes Steven McCollom, IIDA vice president of communications, who oversaw the judging process. “The winning entries prove that design doesn't have to be compromised, whether because of a budget or an international project team.”
While the international response to these competitions was the greatest IIDA has ever seen, the true sign of the times is the increase in global project teams. Just from the winners list, a firm from Columbus, Ohio, won recognition for its project in Dubai, while a firm in The Netherlands won for a project in Austria.
Judges for the distinguished competition included Giorgio Borruso, Giorgio Borruso Design, Marina Del Rey, CA; Carlos Martinez, IIDA, Gensler, Chicago; Judy Niedermaier, Niedermaier, Chicago; and Peggy Noakes, FIIDA, WHR Architects, Houston, Texas.
The judging took place February 27, 2010 in Chicago. After discussing the entries for this year’s competitions, the judges agreed that they “saw work that reflects this moment in time and shows the diversity of design and how it is a channel for society and culture to reflect itself.”
The judges’ selection for Best of Competition will be officially revealed and all winners will be celebrated at COOL, the IIDA NeoCon Gala to be held Sunday, June 13, in the Grand Ballroom at the Westin Chicago River North. For table purchases or ticket information, contact Jenny Palmer at (888) 799-4432, [email protected] or visit www.iida.org.
The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) works to enhance quality of life through excellence in interior design and to advance interior design through knowledge, value and community. IIDA is a professional networking and educational association of 13,000 Members in 10 specialty Forums and 29 Chapters around the world. Additional information is available at www.iida.org.