Hannover, Germany, October 5th, 2006--Contractworld, the architecture and interior design expo that takes place each year at Domotex Hannover, has announced the winners in its annual award competition.
After a two-day selection process, the jury selected contestants from Austria, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland and the United States.
Contractworld Award is one of Europe's most prestigious interior design competitions, each year awarding total prize money of EUR 50,000. Contractworld Award emphasizes holistic interior design -- which incorporates such elements as architecture, ceilings, flooring, furniture, lighting, technology and walls into one unified concept -- and focuses on contemporary office environments, designer and themed hotels, and modern shops. The keynote theme for 2007 is Education, which attracted 117 entries.
Contractworld Award 2007 received 481 entries, twice the number (237) received in 2006. Contestants from 33 countries entered the competition, with entries coming from as far away as Australia, Canada, Chile and South Korea. More than half of the contestants (244) came from outside of Germany.
"Entries ranged from internationally-recognized stars all the way to complete newcomers with ambitious, smaller projects," explained Prof. Laurids Ortner, a jury chairperson and partner in Vienna-based Ortner & Ortner Architects. "Overall, the work was of an exceptionally high standard, which is why we selected not only winning entries but also drew up a shortlist of the best nine entries in each category. Contestants can see how close the competition was and that, in terms of quality, all were first class."
Due to the unexpectedly high number of entries, the organizers of the competition -- in agreement with the contestants -- modified the selection procedure: the jury was extended to ten members who were split into two five-person juries, each assessing two categories. Jurors for "Office" and "Education and Training" were Prof. Laurids Ortner (jury chair), Tim Heide, Bernd Kniess, Mechthild Stuhlmacher and Dr. Heinrich Wefing; the jury for "Shops" and "Hotels" was comprised of Prof. Erich Schneider-Wessling (jury chair), Alfred Berger, Bert Haller, Ernst Holzapfel and Beat Mathys.
West Hollywood, California-based Clive Wilkinson Architects is a 2007 prize winner in the Office category for its design of the Mother advertising agency's London headquarters, where a gigantic concrete worktable dominates the loft space. Placement of all winners will be announced at Domotex Hannover, which will run 13-16 January 2007 at the Hannover Fairgrounds in Hannover, Germany. The award ceremony will take place on 13 January 2007 in Hall 4 where the Contractworld exhibits are located.
Winner: André Poitiers Architect RIBA, Hamburg, Germany / Project: kempertrautmann.haus, Hamburg, Germany
Winner: Clive Wilkinson Architects, West Hollywood, CA, USA / Project: Mother advertising agency, London, UK
Winner: Oskar Leo Kaufmann, Albert Rüf Ziviltechniker GmbH, Dornbirn, Austria / Project: DMG Headquarters, Klaus, Austria
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Category: Hotel and Restaurant
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Winner: ADD+Xavier Claramunt, Barcelona, Spain / Project: Hotel Chic@Basic Born, Barcelona, Spain
Winner: Fuhrimann Hächler Architekten ETH BSA SIA, Zurich, Switzerland / Project: Waterside Pavilion, Riesbach on Lake Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Winner: NL Architects, Amsterdam, Netherlands / Project: Basket Bar, Utrecht, Netherlands
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Category: Shops, Showrooms, Exhibition Stands
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Winner: designrichtung gmbh, Gessaga & Hindermann, Zurich, Switzerland / Project: Menüfoif sandwich bar, Zurich, Switzerland
Winner: fnp fischer naumann partnerschaft, Stuttgart, Germany / Project: S(ch)austalle exhibition area, Ramsen, Germany
Winner: Ingarden & Ewý, Architekci, Krakow, Poland / Project: Polish Pavilion, Expo 2005, Aichi, Japan
Winner: Riegler Riewe Architekten ZT-Ges.m.b.H., Graz, Austria / Project: Leibnitz EUROSPAR Supermarket, Leibnitz, Austria
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Category: Education and Training
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Winner: Aires Mateus e Associados, Lda, Lisbon, Portugal / Project: Sines Arts Centre, Arts and Education Centre, Sines, Portugal
Winner: Foster and Partners, London, UK / Project: Freie Universität Berlin, New library building for the Faculty of Philology, Berlin, Germany
Winner: giuliani.hönger ag, Zurich, Switzerland / Project: Fachhochschule Sihlhof, University building, Zurich, Switzerland
Winner: Miller & Maranta AG, Basle, Switzerland / Project: Villa Garbald, Study centre for ETH University Zurich, Castasegna, Switzerland
