Dalton, GA - Shaw Contract Group, a leading flooring provider to the commercial market, has recognized six commercial interior design organizations for innovative design solutions as part of its second annual Design Is... Award competition. Design Is... was created by Shaw Contract Group in 2006 to discover and support members of the design community whose projects best reflect smart, innovative design. These projects rise above the simply beautiful to provide built environment design solutions that positively impact both the people who inhabit the space and the natural environment that surrounds it.
The 2007 Design Is... winners are described below:
Winner: idea|span was inspired by athlete marketing agency Career Sport & Entertainment's desire to have its Atlanta headquarters underscore both its growth and brand building strategies while creating an ideal workspace encouraging collaboration and reflecting the multi-faceted personality of leadership, employees and clientele. Seeking to create an office environment that doubles as an inviting sales tool, the design firm combined a palette of warm colors, finishes and furnishings with lighting, exposed ceiling and branding details that convey its client's commitment to personal service in an energetic and innovative work environment.
Winner: lauckgroup based its design approach on Austin, Texas, marketing agency Tocquigny's vision for a new office that reflects its culture, energy and vision for interactive marketing. Working from a design toolbox of modern shapes, multilayered and innovative lighting, access to daylight and views of its downtown neighborhood the design firm engaged its client's creative streak to achieve a vibrant non-hierarchical environment that evokes collaborative inspiration.
Winner: MCCARTAN seized the opportunity to create a new kind of hotel experience for San Francisco's Embarcadero Waterfront located Hotel Vitale guided by its client's brand mantra: "create joy." Based upon this directive, the design firm wove original lighting and furniture designs with interior design elements to create a 199 room hotel that feels modern, urbane, fresh, revitalizing and nurturing. As a result, Hotel Vitale is distinct from other San Francisco hotel properties both in look and feel as an urban oasis with unparalleled amenities showcased amidst memorable design features.
Winner: Gilmore Interior Design proclaims design as "creating a space that has the desired effect on users of that space" when it describes the design of Sydney, Australia's Sir Moses Montefiore Aged Care Home dining room. Challenged by taming the scale of a dining room that serves 140 residents, the design firm sought to humanize the space by creating more intimate dining areas, adding drama and warmth through ceiling treatment and allowing for light variation throughout the day. Combining timber flooring and carpet tiles to divide the room with a natural curved timber feature ceiling, Gilmore transformed the room into a light-filled space where residents enjoy dining and socializing.
Winner: Hnedak Bobo Group was challenged to create an image for Memphis, Tennessee-based Oden Marketing while accommodating a tight budget and staying within historical preservation guidelines. Using flooring patterns to trace beam lines and mirror historic elements of the building, while engaging calm colors and incredible natural light, enlivens the space without overwhelming the viewer. Emphasizing unique ceiling patterns in the common spaces and using carpet elements to enhance private office space, the designer achieved distinctive design within budget and adhered to historical preservation guidelines.
People's Choice Winner: Gensler sought an "inside out-outside in" design approach that embraced sustainable solutions for the headquarters of the Fluor Corporation in Irving, Texas. Through emphasis on day lighting, natural views, an open office environment and environmentally friendly products, the Fluor staff's well being was a top priority of the project. The signature feature of the dynamic 55-foot high light-filled atrium with cantilevered balconies is a wood clad dining room, which seems to float 40 feet in the air. Voting for the People's Choice Award was conducted online at shawcontractgroup.com during June and July.
"For the second year, the Design Is... competition has drawn attention to and accolades for design strategies that transform spaces from purely functional to inspirational, allowing the people who inhabit and work within to realize a greater purpose and meaning for their activities," says John Stephens, vice president of marketing for Shaw Contract Group. "Shaw Contract Group created the Design Is... Award competition to celebrate the people who are re-thinking the very idea of what design is, and working to achieve human and business goals using best practices in global design.
"We hope that by announcing and promoting the winners of this year's competition, Design Is... will inspire other organizations to rethink their role in smart design as a contribution to quality of life, and the realization of human potential in every setting. Design Is . . . winners are the standard bearers for design solutions of the future," adds Stephens.
Five distinguished members of the design community served as judges, who narrowed submissions based on a number of criteria which exemplified design solutions beyond aesthetic quality.
The judging panel included:
Ellen Albert - MTV Networks
Steven Clem - TVS Interiors
Joseph Connell - The Environments Group
Gervais Tompkins - Gensler
Lew Vassberg - Valley Designs Inc.
Winning firms will be recognized is an upcoming advertising campaign in leading industry publications. A $2,000 IIDA scholarship will be awarded to a student in the name of the firm. Shaw Contract Group will also promote its winners through promotional and marketing materials. Lastly, winning firms will receive an original award sculpture from Bruce Mau Design.
The People's Choice Award was conducted by visitors to Shaw Contract Group's Web site using a voting tool. Nineteen finalists were featured as candidates for the People's Choice Award and voting was conducted during June and July.
Entry forms for the 2008 Design Is... Award will be available in the fall of 2007 at www.shawcontractgroup.com.
About Shaw Contract Group
Shaw Contract Group defines design not only by great appearance, but also performance and sustainability. The result is long-lasting carpet with vibrant colors, distinctive patterns, and minimal environmental impact. As a division of Shaw Industries, Shaw Contract Group combines the expertise of the world's largest carpet manufacturer with the financial stability of a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary. For more information, visit www.shawcontractgroup.com.
