Contract - April 2011 - (Page 14)

industry Inspiring Design Boston—Contract announced the winners of its third annual Inspirations Awards competition at a gala ceremony at WGBH public broadcasting headquarters in Boston on April 6. Sponsored by Tandus Flooring, the Inspirations Awards celebrates leadership in socially responsible design among commercial interior designers and architects. This year Inspirations recognized one winner in the Built Environment (social responsibility in commercial interior architecture) category, and one winner in the Practice (cause-related work) category, each of which will receive a $5,000 cash award from Tandus for donation to the cause that their efforts supported. There was also one honorable mention in the Built Environment category. Winners were Zero Landfill(Ed), Ohio, an initiative of BeeDance, in the Practice category, and Cara Program in Chicago, designed by Eastlake Studio, in the Built Environment category. An Honorable Mention went to the YMCA of Greater Miami, designed by Perkins+Will. The competition was judged by Marsha Maytum, FAIA, LEED AP, founding partner of Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects, San Francisco; Neil Frankel, FAIA, FIIDA, professor at University of Wisconsin School of Architecture & Urban Planning and principal at Frankel + Coleman, Chicago; and Susan Piedmont-Palladino, curator at the National Building Museum and professor at Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center, College of Architecture and Urban Studies, Virginia Tech, Washington, D.C. Built Environment category winner The Cara Program trains and motivates individuals affected by homelessness and poverty. Built within the constraints of a modest tenant improvement and furniture budget, the design of its new headquarters captures the positive spirit of an admirable organization and brings dignity to its efforts. Eastlake Studio was compensated for its design services, but provided free LEED consulting services and hopes to achieve basic LEED-CI Certification for the space. The Cara Program came to Eastlake Studio with lofty ambitions, but controlling costs was essential. Stakeholders wanted a space that reflected their values, but established from the start that they preferred to spend money on programs and staff rather than excessive infrastructure. Furniture for the headquarters is a blend of donated, refurbished, and new product, as well as salvaged materials. Eastlake Studio helped Cara procure donated workstations and seating from space recently vacated by a corporate client, and further assisted by specifying refurbished private office furniture and new product for high-profile areas as appropriate. The look and feel of the space seeks to balance the revitalizing mission of The Cara Program with the reserved world of business. It supports The Cara Program’s mission of bringing in people who are down and out, building them up and then sending them back out into the world with new hope and energy—and most importantly—a job. Practice category winner ZeroLandfill(Ed) (ZeroLandfill Education) was launched in 2010 to address the growing needs of the education community patronizing Built Environment category winner Cara Program, designed by Eastlake Studio (top left; photo by Dawn Holler Wisher/New Day Creative). Honorable Mention YMCA of Greater Miami, designed by Perkins+Will (top right; photo by Mark Surloff). Practice category winner Zero Landfill(Ed), Ohio, by BeeDance (above; photo by Christy Gray). ZeroLandfill project sites nationwide. ZeroLandfill projects connect expired specification samples from interiors designers with arts educators seeking creative inspiration. A volunteer-led program that is managed through collaboration with IIDA and ASID, ZeroLandfill offers free supplies to arts educators in a collaborative and efficient manner. A dual benefit is realized by reducing the burden on landfills while providing necessary resources within each community. Interesting and hardto-find materials generated by the interiors industry add to a positive creative learning experience for the students. As a program, ZeroLandfill(Ed) fills the gap between the materials and practical application in the classroom. The education resources include professional development workshops and lesson plan design based on the materials sourced at ZeroLandfill. Educators with professional development credit requirements are able to fulfill these needs with programming that aligns sustainability and reuse with creativity. Built Environment category honorable mention, YMCA of Greater Miami, designed by Perkins+Will, is the first YMCA combined with affordable housing, setting the precedent for the other YMCAs nationally. This combination meets the community’s need for affordable housing and the services a traditional YMCA offers: child care, wellness, and exercise and fitness programs. This YMCA also is the first to be built by the Greater Miami Chapter in more than 40 years. The Allapattah Family Branch is an interior build-out of approximately 28,000 sq. ft., consisting of a 10,000-sq.-ft. Child Care wing and an 18,000-sq.-ft. Wellness Center. The interior design concept stemmed from the client’s vision to provide the users with a unique facility that brings together the strength and long history of the YMCA and builds a healthy spirit, mind, and body for all. 14 contract april 2011 www.contractdesign.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - April 2011

Contract - April 2011
Table of Contents
Editor's Note
Industry
Resources: Nature Inspired
Focus: A Difficult Birth
Practice: From the Inside Out
Pure Spirit
Sensory Experience
Market Watch
Sibling Revelry
Screening Sophistication
Winter Wonderland
Full of Grace
Designers Rate
Sources
Ad Index
Perspectives

Contract - April 2011