Architizer recognized honorees The Lego Group, Reiulf Ramstad Architects, SsD architecture + urbanism, August Smart Lock, and the 14+ Foundation at the third annual Architizer A+Awards Gala on May 14, 2015 at Highline Stages in New York.
The Architizer A+Awards is the definitive global architectural award program, recognizing winners in 90+ categories selected by a panel of more than 300 judges and over 200,000 popular choice votes. Several Canadian design firms figured prominently in this year’s Architizer Awards, receiving special mentions along with being selected as winners by the jury and by popular choice. Now in its third year, the 2015 A+Awards represents winners from over 100 countries and 150 firms and companies, including Heatherwick Studio, James Corner Field Operations, and Studio Gang. Its mission is to empower the architecture profession and encourage the public to celebrate great design.
Held in Manhattan’s bustling Meatpacking District, the red carpet cocktail event was heaving with attendees eager to celebrate the five honorees who were presented with the following Special Achievement Awards in acknowledgement of their contributions to the field of architecture and design: Advocate (The Lego Group); Firm of the Year (Reiulf Ramstad Architects); Dare Greatly presented by Cadillac (SsD), Product (August Smart Lock), and Impact (14+ Foundation).
The LEGO Group | Advocate Award was accepted by Tim Kirchmann, Senior Brand Manager, LEGO Architecture and Oldest Core LEGO Systems, Inc. LEGO® Architecture celebrates the past, present and future of architecture through the medium of the LEGO Brick, inspiring minds of all ages as they learn about the world’s most iconic buildings and structures. As a visionary that understands the power of great architecture, LEGO play has inspired generations to explore architecture and design.
Reiulf Ramstad Architects | Firm of the Year Award was accepted by Reiulf Ramstad, Founder and Design Principal, and Kristin Stokke Ramstad, Managing Director/CEO. Reiulf Ramstad Architects (RRA) is an independent Oslo-based architecture firm with a reputation for designing bold, simple architecture with a strong connection to the Scandinavian context and the impressive Scandinavian landscape. Reiulf Ramstad has produced a wide range of innovative and groundbreaking projects with an exceptional variation of scale and program.
SsD | Dare Greatly Award presented by Cadillac was accepted by Jinhee Park AIA, SsD Principal, and John Hong AIA LEED AP, SsD Principal. SsD is an architecture firm that approaches design as a convergent interdisciplinary venture that aspires to bridge the utopian and the pragmatic. SsD interweaves research and production, which allows one to inform the other in a continual learning process. The Dare Greatly Award, presented by Cadillac, honours reinvention, risk-taking, and excellence in architecture.
August Smart Lock | Product Award was accepted by Yves Behar, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of August and Founder of fuseproject, and Jason Johnson, Co-Founder and CEO of August. August, co-founded by technology entrepreneur Jason Johnson and renowned designer Yves Béhar, launched its flagship product, the August Smart Lock, in Apple stores nationwide in October 2014. The innovative Bluetooth®-low-energy smart lock combines intelligent software and hardware that enables smartphones to replace keys.
14+ Foundation | Impact Award was accepted on behalf of 14+ Foundation and its design team by Susan Rodriguez FAIA, and Frank Lupo FAIA. 14+ Foundation is a New York City-based non-profit founded by Joseph Mizzi and Nchimunya Wulf to develop schools and orphanages in Africa. Their model is to “design-fund-build & operate” schools with a focus on quality design to inspire change and engage the community.
The third annual A+Awards coincides with NYCxDesign as the signature architecture event of New York Design Week. Last year, the A+ Gala drew notable supporters—including Tom Dixon, Felix Burrichter, Fernando Romero, Martha Stewart, Karim Rashid, Amanda Burden, and many more—to honour luminaries Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi, Bjarke Ingels Group, Robert Wennett, Hugh Broughton Architects, Knoll, Inc., and David Benjamin.
Called “Facebook for Architects” by The New York Times, Architizer is the world’s leading platform for architecture. Over the last three years, with its partners WSJ Magazine and The Webbys, Architizer has created the biggest international award program for architecture. The A+Awards breaks architecture out of its echo chamber and reconnects the public with the buildings around them.
The program is supported and covered by partners WSJ Magazine, Cadillac, Sunbrella, Bally, Audemars Piguet, Dwell, Cool Hunting, Coverings, KBIS, and Phaidon.
For more information on the Architizer A+ Awards and last week’s gala event, please visit http://awards.architizer.com.