Contenders in the nine categories include projects by Hallucinate Design Office, Paradigm Shift Design Company, Neri&Hu Design and Research Office (winner of a 2016 AZ Award) and Ian Moore Architects (nominated for a 2016 AZ Award).
The globally coveted awards – part of INSIDE’s World Festival of Interiors in Berlin – will be handed out in November. Sitting on the 10-member international jury are Clive Wilkinson, Nynke Tynagel of Studio Job, Hassell’s Robert Backhouse and Sigurd Larsen.
Here’s a look at five of our favourite nominees in this year’s lineup.
1 Ovolo Woolloomooloo, Sydney, Australia
Hassell Studio
Category: Hotels
Found at Sydney’s iconic 100-year-old Finger Wharf, The Woolloomooloo outpost of the Ovolo chain of hotels is a pleasing melding of comfortable public spaces awash in fresh pastels, and intimate suites featuring custom lighting and artwork commissioned by local creatives. Anchored by a sunlight- and tree-filled atrium, the destination incorporates a vibrant bar and restaurant scene and burgeoning retail market.
2 Black Cant System, Hangzhou, China
Shanwei Weing & Jiadie Yuan
Category: Retail
Accessed by a narrow staircase, this third-floor retail flagship is a study in monochrome. The stairway emerges through a large box-like structure with a sloped ceiling, which provides space for fitting rooms, storage, display and even a retreat space for staff. The exposed concrete ceiling, beams and pillars serve as a backdrop for the local clothing label’s items, which are hung from racks topped with back-lit metal panels, and three walls of glazing filter in warm natural light.
3 Compulsive Productions, Melbourne, Australia
Matt Gibson Architecture + Design
Category: Offices
This creative workspace is a warehouse transformed into a flexible co-working community through a series of ply-clad and acoustically lined pods. Commissioned for the in-house film production studio, the faceted, camera barrel-inspired hubs have glazed ends for visibility and connectivity to the overall space, and at the same time offer privacy for use by the agency itself, as well as for short-term use by clients, freelancers and local creatives.
4 SP-Penthouse, São Paulo, Brazil
Studio MK27
Category: Residences
Floor-to-ceiling late terra wood bookcases line every wall of the library in this stunning apartment, where large-scale picture windows offer views to the city. A mix of such raw materials as travertine and marble accent the warm wood, and curated furnishings by the studio mixed in with the clients’ existing Brazilian, Scandinavian and Italian designs are fittingly refined. This project won a 2016 AZ Award for Best Residential Interior.
5 The Sheikh Zayed Academy, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rosan Bosch Studio
Category: Health and Education
Referencing the region’s cultural heritage and such topographical elements as the desert and natural water channels, the cheerful design of this children’s academy uses bright colourful graphics and wayfinding set against a crisp white envelope to designate areas for collaborative learning and social interaction, as well as spots for contemplative solo work. The differentiated environments foster and engage with individual learning styles.