New and Noteworthy: 8 Commissions, Announcements, and Openings to Know About
In the short month of February, a lot has happened in the design world. From awards to openings, these 8 new and noteworthy items anticipate moments to come in Spring 2019 and beyond.
Openings
1. TWA Hotel’s Sunken Lounge Opens in May 2019
This renovation by Beyer Blinder Belle has been highly anticipated. Gerber Group will operate the Sunken Lounge, the landmark hotel’s cocktail bar in the Eero Saarinen-designed TWA terminal space from the 1960s. On May 15th, visitors will be able to sip an Old Fashioned here.
Commissions
2. REX Designs Performing Arts Center at Brown University
REX designed the flexible space with Brown‘s performing arts students in mind: theater, music, and dance majors alike. A key feature of the design is the main hall, which transforms into five different configurations based on the type of performance. The center is slated to open in 2022.
Announcements
3. SCI-Arc Announces New GAYA Scholarship
The Los Angeles school has a new opportunity for Mexican students intending to study architecture. Funded by Mexico City-based firm GAYA, one lucky student will receive a full-ride scholarship for SCI-Arc’s B.Arch program, which focuses on both the discipline and practice of architecture.
4. HOK Receives AIA California’s 2019 Firm Award
With studios in San Francisco and Los Angeles, HOK has established itself as a major firm in California. Now it’s set in stone. AIA California awarded HOK with its highest honor, the Firm Award. HOK’s focus on community-facing projects helped earn the award. Beautifying the Bayview Gateway and reworking an intersection at Guerrero Park are two examples of its efforts to improve local spaces.
5. 2019 City of Dreams Competition Has a Winner
Salvage Swings, an interactive art structure by Somewhere Studio, will be installed on Roosevelt Island for the summer. Made of scrap timber, the open modules have cutouts windows that are used to create swings inside the structures. This is the City of Dreams competition’s seventh year, and the first to take place on Roosevelt Island.
Exhibition and Competition Entries
6. Brooklyn Designs Calls for Applications
Brooklyn Designs, one of the anchor fairs for NYCxDesign, has called for Brooklyn-based artisans and designers to apply for the curated exhibition. Furnishing, lighting, textiles, accessories, art, and architectural surfaces and services will be featured. The three-day fair will take place at Brooklyn Navy Yards. Hurry…applications close March 1st.
7. 2019 RAIC International Prize for Transformative Architecture Calls for Entries
The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada has opened submissions for its International Prize for Transformative Architecture, which is awarded every two years. A single work of architecture that is transformative within its social context will be selected. The winner will receive $100,000 CAD. Jury members are Stephen Hodder (past president of the Royal Institute of British Architects), Eva Matsuzaki (Founder of Women in Architecture), Anne Carrier, Barry Johns, Diarmuid Nash, and Gilles Saucier.
8. A Call for Brilliance
International crystal-maker Swarovski and MASS Beverly, a stellar showroom within LA’s design circuit, announce a competition urging designers to reach the peak of their brilliance. Called, in fact, “The Brilliance of Design,” the competition is divided into three categories: lighting; home décor as in accessories; and architectural surfaces such as applications for walls, tables, or flooring. The charge is to push the limits of designing with the firm’s glittering crystals, along with other materials, to its creative edge. The winner in each category will have his/her design concept shown at MASS Beverly, receive a $5,000 grant for future crystal projects, and may have the design commercially produced. Judges are Nadja Swarovski of Swarovski Crystal Business Executive Board; Yves Behar, founder and CEO of Fuseproject; Mary Ta and Lars Hypko, co-founders of MASS Beverly; and Edie Cohen of Interior Design. Deadline for entries is March 29, 2019. For entry information and rules go to: https://www.massbeverly.com/thebrillianceofdesign
For more news, check out the latest global exhibitions, collaborations, and commissions to know about.
