Shaw Contract Group Names Design Award Winners

Dalton, GA, September 13, 2006--Shaw Contract Group has commended four commercial interior design organizations for innovative design solutions as part of its inaugural Design Is… Award competition. The first award program of its kind, Design Is… was created by Shaw Contract Group to discover and support members of the design community whose projects best reflect smart, innovative design. These projects go beyond just beautiful spaces and provide design solutions that enable the built environment to positively impact the people who inhabit the space and the natural environment that surrounds it. The winners include: Winner with Award of Distinction: idea|span’s impetus to transforming Neenah Papers’ Atlanta space was the company’s emergence from a global corporation as a new and independent entity. The firm pulled inspiration from Neenah Papers’ ethos--the paper it produces--and used texture, lighting and materials to help the company make an emphatic debut. Winner: VOA Associates Incorporated aligned its design approach with the core business objectives of client ABM AMRO in Chicago: reducing costs, reducing operational risk, providing flexibility, improving workflow, and attracting and retaining a high-quality workforce. The design solution was a “smart building” that includes raised flooring, de-mountable walls, and a 120-degree furniture configuration. Winner: Sasaki Associates Inc.’s in-house designers collaborated to take advantage of its own office relocation to achieve sustainability, preserve historic quality and increase inter-team communication in its Union Square space in San Francisco. Winner: Studio Hive proclaims design is the experience, thus the company’s methodology for Minneapolis-based Little & Company’s new space was occupant-centric, with a goal of engaging the human senses both openly and subliminally. In addition to introducing significant real estate cost savings, the project launched a new phase for this strategic design & branding firm--encompassing an evolution in their work process and a shift in brand identity. “The Design Is… competition serves 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,” said John Stephens, vice president of marketing for Shaw Contract Group. “We hope the winners of the inaugural competition will inspire other organizations to raise their overall standards of smart design, by striving for enhanced sustainability or responsible spending, streamlining operations or reducing energy and material waste in every project they begin.” 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: Brigitte Preston, Lauck Group, Dallas, Texas Viveca Bissonnette, Carrier Johnson, San Diego, California Ken Wilson, Envision Design, Washington, D.C. Helen Joo, Ballinger, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania David Hanson, DH Designs, Vancouver, British Columbia “Design is what defines us…as individuals, as a generation, as a society, as a civilization, as a species. It affects the smallest detail and at the same time how we function globally. This is a tremendous responsibility,” said judge Viveca Bissonnette of Carrier Johnson in San Diego. “I see Shaw’s Design Is… Award program as a way in which we, as a design community, can celebrate those who have successfully defined what design is for their clients, as well as challenge the rest of us to strive for that goal.” Shaw Contract Group announced a call for entries in November 2005 and garnered 145 qualified submissions from commercial interior design professionals. The judging panel chose eight finalists which were exhibited NeoCon, the annual trade fair for commercial interiors professionals.

Related Topics:Shaw Industries Group, Inc.

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