Best of Show honors went to this Paris art gallery project fabricated by CREA Diffusion in DuPont Corian Glacier white and inspired by the idea of a big wave arriving by the floor, splashing on the wall and going up to the ceiling.
Winners of the International Surface Fabricators Association’s 2011 Innovations in Design Contest show just what is possible in the world of surfaces. Winning entries covered free-form and more conventional configurations, indoors and outdoors, and in one case even incorporating inventive light effects.
The categories for 2011 were: Commercial /Institutional, Green Application, Residential Bath, Residential Kitchen, Freestyle/Art, and On-Site Fabrication. Criteria for selecting winners were based on the overall impression of the project, aesthetic appeal, attention to detail and inventive use of materials.
Commercial entry Best in Show
An art gallery project that was the winner in the Commercial/Institutional category, also won the prize for Best in Show. Designed by Noé Duchaufour Lawrence in association with Neonata/CREA Diffusion, the project was hosted by an art gallery located in the famous and historical Le Marais district in Paris, which is home to many outstanding architectural buildings. It was commissioned by Beatrice St. Laurent. The layout was fabricated in DuPont Corian Glacier white and inspired by the idea of a big wave arriving by the floor, splashing on the wall and going up to the ceiling.
The frame was difficult to make, because the designer didn’t want any space between the new and the old ceiling. The front step was also very difficult to do too, because the designer wanted a finished angle, which required CREA Diffusion to work with a massive thermoforming process.
Green Applications
The top prize in the Green Applications category went to Tampa Bay Crystal Top Kitchen designed by Gene McDonald and fabricated by Refresh Interiors. The project involved a high bar made of a mix of polyester resin with ultra-violet inhibitor. This top was designed to make use of the customer’s tile. It is also backlit. A lower work counter was done in Vetrazzo Cubist Clear (made from recycled windshields). The high bar is chiseled to give it an ice-like look.
Residential Bath
Fabricated by Interfab Ltd. using DuPont Lava Rock and Aztec Gold Corian, complemented with a Lava Rock Mixa sink, this project won Residential Kitchen honors.
Moss Basin, designed by Marke Andeweg from Not Only White and submitted by Rosskopf & Partner AG, won in the Residential Bath category. The basin is inspired by the iconic chesterfield sofa. Inverted curves contrast with surrounding straight lines to make what was described as a “truly unique and intriguing design.” The basin is made of solid surface material and was created in wall-mounted and top-mounted versions.
Residential Kitchen
Residential Kitchen honors went to a project called Black & Gold. It was designed by Intoto Kitchens, Exeter, U.K. The client’s demanding color criteria resulted in striking split color worktops fabricated by Interfab Ltd., using DuPont Lava Rock and Aztec Gold Corian, complemented with a Lava Rock Mixa sink.
Freestyle/Art
A World Globe project captured the prize for Freestyle/Art. It was designed by Bertron Schwarz Frey GMBH in cooperation with a-ll-r-a. Done for the World Heritage Visitor Center, it was submitted by Rosskopf & Partner AG. The globe is virtually self-supporting, just a prop in the middle serves to stabilize. Lighting is provided by LEDs. Rosskopf & Partner AG achieved the darker area by taping off the landscapes with a special film. The challenge of the world globe lay in the outlines of the countries in both the graphical work and in the field of milling. The globe was composed of several segments, glued and sanded. The contours were milled only after forming with a 5-axis CNC machine.
On-site Vanity Fabrication
Unlike the other winners in the competition, the On-site Vanity Award was for a product created in front of an audience over two days at the International Countertop Expo (ICE). Kirk Olsen and his team from Envision Concrete put in hours at the show to create their one-of-a-kind winning concrete vanity.