Interiors: Commercial and Institutional - AZ Awards

The finalists

Interiors ◆ Commercial and Institutional

Are

Finalist

Project

Alchemy

Location

Toronto, Canada

Firm

Studio Paolo Ferrari, Canada

Summary

Rather than the trappings of old-school cannabis culture, Alchemy’s products conjure more sophisticated associations to nature, science and the arts. Its Toronto flagship draws upon all three of these for a design that is equal parts garden, lab and luxe boutique. Lush plants and natural materials like whitewashed ash and terracotta tiles pair with high-tech digital screens used to deliver on-the-fly background info as shoppers interact with the store’s sniff jars. Changes in lighting and colour demarcate zones dedicated to accessories and edibles, while sculptural displays twist and turn to lead customers on a truly stimulating retail trip.

Finalist

Project

Felix Meritis

Location

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Firm

i29 architects, the Netherlands

Summary

Ever since the Enlightenment, Amsterdam’s Felix Meritis building has acted as a meeting place for great thinkers from a broad range of intellectual backgrounds. Carrying on in that grand tradition, i29’s renovation refreshes the property by giving each of its rooms a distinct identity informed by a prior era of the venue’s history. Soft pink clouds on the walls of the restaurant hearken back to 18th-century Dutch landscape paintings, while an event space pays tribute to the avant-garde ’60s with furnishings in high-contrast shades of blue. A custom stacking chair — called the Felix, naturally — helps each area adapt to shifting crowd sizes.

Finalist

Project

Xi’an Fangsuo Commune

Location

Xi’an, China

Firm

LSD Interior Design, China

Summary

If China was once synonymous with the museum, the library has now usurped its position as the nation’s most prominent typology. However, the equally popular bookstore may be the ideal meeting ground between the two. Nowhere is this connection more evident than in LSD Interior Design’s Xi’an Fangsuo Commune: a veritable gallery devoted to books as objets d’art. And like any museum worth its salt, the 5,000-square-metre shop is an exercise in crafting entire interior worlds.

Finalist

Project

Cloud of Hometown Resort Hotel

Location

Tai’an, China

Firm

line+, China

Summary

Rubble stone houses provided the perfect starting point for this peaceful escape nestled into the forest of Shandong province. Preserved and integrated into a new steel-framed structure, the walls of the site’s original architecture now bring texture and history to an otherwise modern resort. Stonework also inspired the guest room decor, which favours calm grey finishes and furnishings accented by the occasional hit of warm walnut. This muted palette helps keep the focus on the main attraction: windows that deliver panoramic views of the surrounding rural landscape.

Finalist

Project

Lightspeed HQ Phase 3

Location

Montreal, Canada

Firm

ACDF Architecture, Canada

Summary

In 2015, software company Lightspeed began the radical process of reimagining Montreal’s historic Viger train station as its new global headquarters. The project’s latest phase carves out training rooms, meeting spaces and work zones in the attic. While the setting delivers plenty of moody charm, its limited light and narrow proportions also posed big challenges. To brighten up the cavernous work environment, ACDF inserted long white corridors lined with playful archways. This curved motif continues in the boardroom, anchored by a spectacular eight-metre-long oval quartzite table.

And

Interiors ◆ Commercial and Institutional

The Winner

+ The People’s Choice

Winner & People’s Choice

Project

Xi’an Fangsuo Commune

Location

Xi’an, China

Firm

LSD Interior Design, China

Kot Ge: 2021 AZ Award Winner in Commercial & Institutional Interiors

Presented By: Caesarstone

Caesarstone

Within, the designers choreographed an immersive journey that begins with curated commercial exhibition spaces lit up by artificial light wells, continues to a family restaurant and children’s area and ends with a central “book tower.” This circular structure is composed of illuminated floor-to-ceiling shelves arranged in concentric rings.

“This is interior architecture with a graphic and tri-dimensional impact.”

Patricia Urquiola, AZ Awards 2021 Juror

(more…)

⇠Previous

⇠Residential

Next⇢

Residential Interiors⇢

Explore the Awards by Category

Explore the Awards by Category