Shining Examples

The pursuit of design excellence is a noble one, requiring ingenuity and innovation to overcome a host of physical and financial obstacles. The task of choosing between 300-plus submissions to the 35th annual International Interior Design Association competition was similarly difficult. Still, this year's judges— Peter Conant of Conant Architects, Bill Grant of the Grant Design Collaborative, Huntsman Architectural Group design principal and vice president Mark Harbick, and Bruce Mau Design executive vice president and creative director Elva Rubio—eventually narrowed the field to five winning teams.

They are Behnisch Architekten for an addition to the Handelskammer Hamburg in Germany; Lehrer Architects LA for its own office in Los Angeles; Steve Leung Designers and the Alan Chan Design Company for Hong Kong's MX restaurant; Manuelle Gautrand Architecte for a Citroën showroom in Paris; and Mithun for the Novelty Hill–Januik winery in Woodinville, Washington. In addition, Hugh A. Boyd Architects, which designed a Manila supermarket and food court called Landmark, won the Will Ching award, recognizing firms of five or less. The winners will be feted during the NeoCon World's Trade Fair in Chicago, at the IIDA's Cool gala on June 8.

In Citroën's Paris flagship showroom by Manuelle Gautrand Architecte, fluorescent lamping is installed below the painted steel handrail for the resin-covered stairs to the basement.